This Afternoon's Harvest

An ear of corn, handful of long beans and okra, and 3 bok choy heads...not bad for a late October afternoon in the garden.

Trying Out Some Corn

I've been eagerly watching the corn patch hoping some of it would turn out since I've never tasted this heirloom variety.  Three ears looked relatively fat, so I pulled and shucked them.  As you can see, only one is presentable, but the others will donate viable kernels for something, be it a batch of frozen corn or a fresh salad.  Tonight we're going to try that one good ear out and see if it's sweet.  There are other ears growing still and I'm hopeful some will get decent over the next week.

*must say it was delicious...I've always liked a white sweet corn and as soon as I took that first bite I was met with what I must say is the best balance of sweet and corn flavor I've tasted yet.  Maybe I'm bias, but maybe not...Country Gentleman will be planted again.

Out in the Corn Patch

two ears per stalk

it keeps getting taller and taller

the ears seem to be getting fat...here's to hoping

the neighbors are getting a view of a bit of the country from suburbia for the moment

lots of heat, water and fish/rabbit fertilizers are what has made this patch a success this time around

As It Stands Now

the climbing cantaloupe...not sure if it will get much bigger due to the fact the plant
 looks a little stressed, but here's to hoping

The Garden Mouse is either still on the lose and doing less damage, was caught by a neighborhood cat, or moved on, but I never did catch him/her, which is just as well, because I don't think my heart was in it.  What I definitely have is an aphid problem in the garden, which brings in ants that seem to be eating the aphids...although no plants have died due to this combination it does make things decidedly less attractive--in the coming weeks, especially as new plants go out in the garden, the Neems oil will be coming out

the hot weather was suppose to be over {read--I was hoping it'd be in the 90's},
but towards the end of this week it crept back up  into the 100's and will be that way throughout
 the next week...the pumpkins are not liking this, and the herbs and other tender plants haven't liked
 it too much either--hopefully I don't have to do too much replanting
and things can recover as it cools off.

the corn is looking fine...

I spied a few young ears forming and am hopeful I can get a taste of this Country Gentleman variety...
my corn has never looked this good in Zone 9, so fingers crossed

I threw in some moon and star watermelon seeds at the very end of July and the vines and flowers are
looking halfway decent...I'm curious to see if I get some melons out of this since the weather will start cooling off sooner than later

oriole zinnia

I'm not sure which zinnia this one is as none of my seed packets look like this
flower...doing my research

due to the heat that's sticking around and the fact that I'm recovering from the soul-sucking virus going around The Valley, the only thing happening today is garden watering and some "research" pertinent to the garden inside the house--yes, beekeeping

Taller Than Me...

Granted, it doesn't take much, but suddenly the corn is taller than I am...most of it anyways.  This has been my project and I think I may get some results.

This Morning...

red & yellow onions

country gentleman corn

runaway watermelon vines

no mouse yet...the peanut butter kept washing off...cheese tonight

winter luxury pumpkins starting off

blue hubbard sprouts

those French pumpkins

more French pumpkins

New England sugar pie pumpkins...love the look of new squash leafs

sweet dumplings on the side of the house

the herd of zinnias

the first zinnia

In About Three Weeks...

Last weekend I planted winter squash.  Many took off with fervour, but they're still at that tender stage.  Give them another week.  That's how it is with much of the garden.  If I've given you the impression its rockin' that would not be quite true.  True, much has been planted, but it will be another 3 weeks or 4 until most of the action starts to happen.

I'm glad for another few weeks because there's a lot of prepping to do still.  This fall I am organizing a specific spot for the herbs.  There will be some mixed in here and there with the other veggies, but no more concrete blocks...they didn't quite work to my liking.  Tomatoes still need inside grow time as do the cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower among other things.  We'll be rockn' by October time.



winter luxury pumpkins on the front side of the house

those French pumpkins

my little cantaloupe plant is doing its own jamming it up right now...its gotten it in its tendrils to start climbing trees

I'm trying to get that little corn patch going...soaker hosing, fertilizing...fingers crossed

zinnias are doing well--this picture isn't the best--the zinnias are about 6 inches tall, happy looking, and run the length of the "west" garden...the spaces in between will be cosmos

The New Season

The garden was somewhat fallow in July, but not so anymore.  The evenings are again full of planting and watering via sunset and stars.  With all the religious watering and heat {+110*} things have sprouted record time and are looking hearty and healthy.  Quite happy with the corn and okra patches, and oh the melons starting to spread out.  And then its greens time again...in about two weeks I'll be able to take the salad bowl out back and fill it to my liking.


corn...{country gentleman}



mild greens sprouting



spicy greens sprouting



moon and star watermelon vines...baby melons starting to set



North Georgia Candy Roaster squash sprout looking happy



love those okra flowers...been picking that okra too



part of the okra patch



the 2nd round of okra starting to sprout



currently only have one sunflower in the garden, but tons more planted



yard long Thai purple beens starting to come up



wax beans {something's been eating the leaves off of the non-pole beans...hopefully I can
get some this time around

99 Isn't So Bad...

You know you've become a desert rat when 99* feels cool.  It can get a lot hotter for sure, so I took 99* with as much pleasure as one can.  Today I'm basking in the one week of freedom before my curriculum mapping stint.  The garden needs some TLC and then some final summer planting.  I have a few new varieties of winter squash I'm jazzed about that went in the ground today:  Candy Roaster-North Georgia, Rouge Viv D 'Etampes pumpkins, Sweet Dumplings, and Blue Hubbard.  Then there's the standard Butternut {rogosa violina gioia} and the New England Sugar Pie pumpkin.  If all goes well I'll be taking some of this to the farmer's market scene in a few months. 

The next project...shade cloth canopies for later in the month.

Despite the heat, all is surprisingly well in the garden.  Grow corn, grow!

Can't figure this dog...Lenny and Charlie appreciate the shade while I work outside, but not Jewel.

About Time

My corn started sprouting early last week.  I've been waiting somewhat impatiently for it.  Going to guard it with my life....hopefully will get at least 50 plants in the end.  Thirty are needed for adequate pollination so I should get a crop of it if all works in my favor.