Mid-June Tomato Pictures

Tomato beds. 3'x3' raised beds. Five tomatoes per bed. Broken up in square foot garden style. Each bed has 9 squares. Tomatoes were planted in each corner and one in the middle. There is a potato planted in the front middle square of the picture below. A marigold is planted in the middle, front, southern facing squares of the other two tomato beds. Lettuce was recently harvested from some of the remaining empty squares.

Cherokee Green (below) - #1 flavor in 2009! So good I planted two!

Jet Star hybrid tomato (below)

Sun Gold hybrid cherry tomato (below) - First to develop tomatoes this season.

Can The Day Get Any Better?

I just took a peek at the tomato plants. Sun Gold, Jet Star, Cherokee Green, and Box Car Willie all have their first tomatoes!

They're Here!

My Flamenco Red Hot Poker and Black and Blue Salvia are here from Santa Rosa Gardens! Yippie! I hear that Black and Blue are great for attracting butterflies. The Red Hot Poker just looks cool. :)

What's Happening in the Garden?

Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus')
The first coneflower that has opened this season and it's a beauty. The butterflies, bumblebees, and goldfinches are going to be really happy this season.

Asclepias Tuberosa

I started this plant from seed two winters ago. I love it so much that I planted three others that I started this winter as well. This is a host plant for monarda butterflies. Every once in a while I run out to see if there are any munched leaves, eggs, or caterpillars. Nothing yet, but I hope to get some activity once the season progresses. Even if I don't, this is still a beautiful, native flower that has earned a place in my garden.

Strawberry Picking

We took the kids strawberry picking for the first time tonight at a local orchard. What fun! A great way to spend our weekend.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

Graham Thomas

Planted around 3 years ago as a bagged rose from Home Depot.

Strong tea scent.

Queen of Sweden

Something has been taking chunks out of some of my roses before they open.

Planted this Spring from Pickering Nurseries.

Jubilee Celebration

Planted this Spring from Pickering Nurseries.

Jubilee Celebration

Double Delight
Planted this Spring from Henry Fields.

I should have just purchased it at the store. It had a lot of dead wood when it arrived. I cut all of the dead wood off immediately before planting it. Other than a cane borer killing one of the canes, it's doing well now.

Roses and Garlic Scapes

I had to cave this morning and haul out the hose. So far the rain and water from my kids' kiddie pool has been adequate for watering my plants. With the high humidity and temperatures in the high 80s to low 90s I had no choice. Everything has been watered well and should survive another day. While I was out there I couldn't resist cutting a few roses to bring inside. Here are Lady Emma Hamilton (dark apricot), Jubilee Celebration (pink), and Graham Thomas (yellow).

After watering the gardens, I snapped off the garlic scapes that were starting to curl. They weighed in at just over a third of a pound. Most were tossed into a Seal-A-Meal bag, sealed and frozen. I have no idea what I'm going to use them for. I don't have the heart to compost them.

I also found time to run to Lowes. All of the berry plants are 1/2 off. After you see most of them you will know why. I purchased a Heritage raspberry plant to replace one that my husband accidently crushed when we installed the posts that will be used to hold up the canes. It's been a productive gardening day!

I Have Tomatoes!

POST NUMBER 2 FOR THE MORNING!

My Sun Gold hybrid tomato plant was the first to produce blossoms this season. It's also the first to have tomatoes! I woke up this morning and saw that it had SIX tomatoes on it. I can't wait to taste this highly-regarded tomato for the first time. Isn't it a wonderful morning?

Early Morning Pictures

Unknown coreopsis that sprang up in my container. It came in the same container as a Petite Wonder monarda. I thought it was dead. I must have used the remaining potting soil to plant my chives. The roots must have survived! What a great surprise!
Paprika Yarrow

Endless Summer Hydrangea - Purchased last season. First time blooming!

Peas and Garlic

I have a combination of garlic varieties planted: Silver Rose, Chesnok Red, Killarney Red, German Extra Hardy, Music, and Spanish Roja. I just peeked out the window and saw that the scapes are already beginning to curl. This is much earlier than last season. Obviously it is because of the above average temperatures we've been having.
.
I decided to allow the remainder of my peas dry out to save for seed for the Fall and for next season. it's becoming too tough to keep them happy with this hot, dry weather. Overall, I've been very impressed with the Maestro, Serge, and Little Marvel peas. All have been high yielding, vigorous plants. The Green Arrow peas were a disappointment. Perhaps they would have yielded well, but germination was horrible. Only two plants came up. They were positioned right next to the high-yielding Maestro peas, so I guess it was a bad packet of seed. Oh well. I'm just glad to have found three varieties of peas that work well in my garden. In about 4 square feet of soil I grew almost 2 pounds of peas. Next season I'll plant twice that. Turns out I have a two year old that not only enjoys shelling peas, but eating them as well. She makes me proud.