Monday Garden Club

It's been another warm (and off and on rainy) week for the garden.

The weeds were getting so bad that I couldn't stand it any longer and forced myself to bathe in bug spray and get my ass out there with my handheld weeder and buckets to clear out the unwelcome greenery.
From the tomato garden (below) alone, I pulled 6- 5 gallon buckets full of weeds and wore out a pair of rubber covered gardening gloves.
Once the weeds were cleared away, Binny discovered and picked the first ripe tomatoes!


And peas...
I blanched and froze some already!

The lettuce is still hanging in there even with the warm weather we've had, but the spinach didn't like it and bolted already.
The pole beans are still climbing up the sunflower stalks and starting to flower.


The cucumbers are becoming more difficult to find under the big leaves and encroaching vine plants that refuse to be tamed. We found this giant yesterday!
The summer squash and zucchini are already kicking my ass and growing faster than I can pick them

Winter squash...
Giant pumpkin...
I'm thinking I have enough basil to make pesto, although I don't have a food processor so I may have to get creative...




The weather this summer has been a little on the warm side for the broccoli. I already picked one head (and ate it while walking around the garden) because it was starting to flower, but the rest seem to be hanging in there. I will have to keep a close eye on them though.

Last year was my first time growing broccoli and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I discovered that after picking the large crown in the center of the plant, the plant kept producing smaller florets all over for the next several weeks! Check them out here just below the big crown.
Brussels sprouts...
The girls are loving the raspberry bushes this year. There are finally enough that they don't have to fight over the one ripe berry hanging on the branches.

Yesterday's haul...

Anybody want any zucchini? I have been trying to use it wherever possible but still I have so much that I can't even fit it all in the fridge.

Remember the flower bed I made earlier this spring to cover up the ugly septic tanks in our yard?
I think this would be considered a gardening success.
Besides the free perennials a friend gave to me, I started all of my own annuals from seed this year, and let me tell you, they are the best flowers I have ever grown! I didn't use any chemicals or anything special besides good old H2O and sunshine and look at them now.
The pink feathery looking flowers (above) are Celosia, an annual and the purple flowers (below) are Mallow, another annual. I was a little skeptical that the tiny plants in the flats would reach 5 feet tall as it said on the package, but as soon as I planted them in the ground they took off.
These petunias I started from seed as well. Believe it or not, this is only one plant from one tiny seed...

Now for all you gardeners out there who wish to participate, either leave a comment on what's growing in your yard, or post a Monday Garden Club update on your blog. Don't forget to drop your link in the comments and I'll add it to this post.

Participating Blogs:
Ma Vie Folle
Secret Mom Thoughts
Heathen Family Revival: Weeds Are Plants Too
Out In Them Sticks