Garden Update

 More zucchini!

 Monster zucchini! plus a few huge straight-neck squash.

I had never seen yellow squash get this big, so I wasn't expecting it.

These have had a really mild flavor, and even on the huge ones the skin hasn't been too thick.

Jason made zucchini bread, we froze some (grated) to make more bread later, and have been putting squash in everything we can think of.

I plan to give some away this week to friends.

The whole garden: almost completely filled in.

 My beans have finally started producing.

I plan to pick some this week for dinner.

 Sunflowers oh-so-close to blooming.

Looks like in addition to the main flower head, each one will also have several surrounding smaller flowers as well. Should be pretty, if they make it before frost!

 More beans and sunflowers.

 This one should bloom by the end of the week.

 Finally! Our first ripe tomato!

It was a Cougar Red.

I did snip all the tops/ends off these tomato plants, and have been rewarded with a few starting to ripen.

The kids and I ate this one for lunch. It was delicious!

 The other side of the tomato terrace, looking down from top terrace.

Tomato cages a MUST next year!

 Mini-pumpkins taking off down the slope.

 My one little nasturtium plant is also finally blooming!

It looks pretty and the color is so vivid it stand out, even from the back deck.

 I especially like the bright orange contrasting with the squash flowers.

All the different leaf shapes are pretty, too.

Today and yesterday's harvest (minus one cucumber that we already ate--same size as these.)

First Harvest and Garden Update

This hawk is a frequent visitor to our back yard.

First harvest: zucchini and squash--what did we expect?

 

The whole garden, looking big and bushy.

I had one small tomato cage that I put a few of the branches through that were covering the walkway on the right-hand side. Next year I need to get cages and use them early on! The tomato plants are so thick that they are kind of holding each other up, but I don't think the tomatoes themselves are going to get ripe as well under all that bushiness.

I need to go through and pinch off the tops so that they have a chance of ripening before frost, at least.

 

Tiny cucumbers.

These would be a good candidate to start from seed here. They grew so fast in Missouri, usually producing and dying off by beginning of August, that I thought nothing of just planting small starts in June.

We may get a few cucumbers before frost, but it could be a close thing.

 

Sunflowers are looking healthy and beautiful, except no blossoms yet.

Bottom terrace, left side.

Cucumber is starting to fill up some space to the front.

Peppers are really struggling. Still just the one plant has any coming on it.

Bottom terrace, middle

Lemon cucumber is filling up the middle back space and coming all the way forward.

I've seen several blossoms on it, but no fruit yet either.

 Mini pumpkin plant is producing several of these cute little numbers.

All off-white, which would make them the "Baby Boo" variety, I believe.

I'll have to double check, but I think these are the ones that made good eating, too.

 This picture was to show how much the squash plants and pumpkin are taking over all available space on the top terrace. I always knew zucchini was a space hog. I'll have to get another picture to prove it, but it has almost taken up the empty space next to it (that would be a half a terrace!)

 More yellow squash coming.

  A little out of order: caged tomatoes, still green!

zukes blossoming freely

Decisions

3 decisions made today:

1. Back flowerbed: I need to more or less start over. It's such a weed patch that I just can't seem to stay on top of it. They oakleaf hydrangea is dead, the irises need dividing anyway. It doesn't have the variety or height or interest that I would like.  I'm a bit overwhelmed by it, honestly. But I plan to start with what I know I want to change: pull out hydrangea, and...see #2, below.

2. As part of decision #1, I'm going to move the scented geraniums. I finally found and positively identified them in my Annuals and Perennials book, and they are supposed to do well in dry, shady sites. Aha! I have one of those! So I plan to transplant all or most of those to the back slope, behind the shed. If anything, I may leave a small patch in the back flowerbed. Small as in a patch no larger than 18 inches in diameter.

3. Some of the plants on the slope that we just put in will need to be moved, since the shed is going to have a patio that we didn't plan on before, thus changing the location of the path.  So... 'Peppermint Stick' hydrangea will be moved to the front of the house flowerbed, replacing whatever sickly looking bush is currently in the middle spot there. Hopefully I can get it pulled out far enough to a) get some rain and b) not completely crowd up under the overhang as it grows.  The smaller stuff that needs moving will either be relocated on the slope, or possibly moved to the back flowerbed for now.

 That's all my brainstorming for now.

Berries

Blueberries

Once again, it is hard to see these bushes against the slope.

When we got back from vacation, it became very apparent that something was wrong with the blueberry bushes. Small, dried-up berries, brown leaves all over the place. Things were not looking good.

'Duke'--far right

 I trimmed almost all the dead leaves and twigs off this one, and took off most the blueberries as well.

There were maybe 2 edible, but for the most part, they all came off to throw away.

Upon closer inspection this one may have just been lack of water. So I have been watering it twice a week or so since we've come home. It actually has some new blueberries on it now, which seem healthy.

I haven't seen any more brown leaves. I'm crossing my fingers that it was that simple.

 'Patriot'--middle

Not sure this one is going to make it.

 I haven't done any trimming on this one yet--mostly because nearly every leaf has these crazy brown and red wavy margins on it. It looks like a disease to me, but what do I know?

 I probably should at least trim off the blueberries, so the plant can put some extra energy into getting healthy again.

 'Blue Ray'--far left

This one seems unaffected by whatever is going on with the other two.

Very few berries on it, but I tasted one today that was sweet and ripe.

Berries are almost a powder-blue color.

I bought some blueberry fertilizer which I will apply this week to see if it helps anything.

Rasberries

Going strong!

Several of the stems for next year are about chin-high when standing upright.

I need to do some more staking.

Following my Dad's advice, I've been watering them about every other day.

The berries have been big and sweet (last fall they were very small and seedy).

I guess regular watering makes a difference!

There are a couple of stems on the other side of the fence actually producing, so I've tried to shoot some water through the holes down to them every so often, too.

 We've been getting about this many every other day.

Jacob and Becca have really loved going over and picking them all through the day.

(So maybe we are really getting twice as much?)

Blackberries

Yes, you read that right.

This vine at the very tippy-top of our slope near the chain link fence is officially a blackberry.

I found it in my wildflower book the other day to verify it.

Himalayan blackberry: nonnative, can be invasive, very tasty.

I'm excited! I wouldn't mind having a blackberry patch at the top of the slope.

With just one vine spreading out, I'm pretty sure I can stay on top of the pruning and such so it doesn't get out of control. But at the moment, that is all just dog-run space up there anyway.

Well, plus the lupines and daisies. So I'm letting it grow and we'll see what a wild Washington blackberry tastes like--maybe soon! 

Garden Update

 Filling in the empty spaces.

 Bottom terrace, right-side: Beans, sunflowers, carrots

 Bottom terrace, left-side: cucumbers, peppers, oregano, sunflowers

 One small green pepper growing

Middle Terrace

 'Cougar Red' tomatoes starting to come on

 Close-up of 'Cougar Red's.

 Basil finally recovered from its water bath treatment this spring.

Leafing out and looking healthy.

Top terrace

 My one nasturtium is getting bigger.

 Despite the disease evident by the white pattern on the leaves, it looks like we will get some zucchini this year. (But of course!)

3 small yellow squash coming as well.

Flower Pots, 2nd Attempt

Front porch

 I went ahead and planted 2 this time. Double the odds of them living, perhaps?

 Petunias 4-pack, 'Clear Madness' mix, plus the small purple flower (I've already forgotten its name)

 Pink geraniums.

Bright colors in hopes of drawing the eye away from the unfinished projects in front.

Back Deck

The pot on the right just need daily watering. Now look at it grow!

It's gorgeous.

I replanted the second pot (on the left) with a different shade of pink petunia, and bacopa with a pink ring around the middle of each flower.

The Flower Tour

 Starting right off by the front steps: suprise! dianthus

 Lavender growing big and bushy

 A few roses, plus wild clover [plus weeds]

 A huge patch of clover, down in front by the driveway and brush pile.

 Back flowerbed.

I just can't get over how bright and sunny these little bloomers are.

I will definitely start some again next year.

Back slope update:  

 I've started watering the apple tree since we got home from vacation, and these little violas have perked up and started blooming again, although you can see from all the brown foliage they were about done for.

 I think this was another type of dianthus that I purchased at the WSU horticultural sale.

I planted these on the slope, in front of the salvias.

 One cosmo plant hanging on.

 These poor hydrangeas did not get watered while we were gone.

But they may revive yet--see the new growth at the tips?

I still need to remove dead leaves from this one, as you can see.

 The other hydrangea. Stems look healthy, if it can put out enough new leaves it may survive.

Speaking of survival....

This oakleaf hydrangea isn't going to make it after all.

None of the new leaves ever opened up fully.

I'm leaving it in right now as a weed deterrent until end of next month, when I will replace it with something else. Darn! I was hoping this would do well here.