My bologna has a first name…

Aren’t you jealous?

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July garden update

July has been brutal and we are only nine days in.  The record heat was nasty to say the least.  It hasn’t rained since I don’t remember when.  I have had to bust out the sprinklers and water the lawn for the first time this year.  It pained me to do it too.  In spite of the heat and lack of rain the garden is doing really well.

The pumpkins along the back fence are going bonkers.  I cut back the vines every other day or so.  The Baby Boos that volunteered crossed with the mystery Trader Joe’s.  We have some bigger softballish sized striped pumpkins.  I have just given up on them.  If they live-great.  If they die-even better.  I am sick of them.

The raised beds are doing awesome.  Everything has taken off and is going crazy.  I did have to rip out the zucchini.  They had succumbed to squash vine borers.  I think.  That’s what Google tells me anyway.  It happens to me every year.  They were in the first square bed where that big empty spot is.  I’ll think I’ll put beets and peas in there for a fall planting.

I had to add bamboo stakes inside the tomato cages.  I usually just use the cheapy wire cages and never have an issue with height.  They always fall over because the plants are so prolific, but they never get high.  This is my year for amazonian tomatoes.  They are 6 feet high now.  I also had blight or septoria on my Silvery Fir tomato.  I trimmed the affected leaves and branches.  It’s mostly gone, but it caused this epic tomato fail.  Behold.  I’m sure they taste like ambrosia.  Snort.

The peppers have been loving the heat as well.  I have over 30 jalapenos on the plants.  I am just itching for them to be ripe so I can make jelly.  I know my family and friends can’t wait for that jelly either!  There are a lot of bell peppers in there too.  Most have blossoms and some have baby peppers.  the problem is, I can’t remember if they are green or yellow.  Typical me.

The cucumbers love their trellis.  The Hubs still grumbles when he looks at it, but I don’t care.  I had enough cucumbers to make something.  I didn’t know what to make though.  So I made sweet/hot pickle relish this weekend.  After tasting it, I think I like sweet dill relish more and I’ll make that next.  I went out the garden tonight and took pics.  Can you believe I didn’t have a single cucumber to show you?

Basil.  Ugh.  Why did I plant so much?  My mom made me.  No really.  I only wanted two, but she added the kind she liked.  So we have two Genovese, a Lemon basil, and a Thai basil.  We are going to be eating pesto all winter long!  WOOT!  Now if only my family was excited about this as me.

I have Brussels sprouts growing on the back side of the herbs.  They are doing well in spite of my total lack of attention.  I planted them in May.   The most I’ve given them since then is a cursory glance.  We’ll see how they taste this fall/winter.

That’s all for now in the garden.  I will do my best to be diligent to go out there every day and pay attention to the garden.  It’s so hot though!  I don’t wanna!  You can’t make me!