June is busting out all over

May was unseasonably cool and somewhat wet, but that changed quickly as June came along.  We are now up in the mid to high 80's during the day and predictions of rain not materializing, except for a few showers overnight.  All in all the weather has been just fine and the garden has really taken off.  The six initial broccoli plants "Lieutenant" had terrific heads and a very good taste.  The lettuce has been non-stop and along with the broccoli has made some nice salads for us and a few of our friends.  

Today I tied up the tomatoes some more, using a modified version of the Florida weave, which I will call the Delaware Wrap.  I had trouble weaving the string back and forth between tomatoes, plus the twisting didn't hold the tomatoes in very well.  Instead, I ran double twin and then tied the twine together before and after each tomato plant, thus holding it in place.  This takes a bit longer, but I don't have acres of tomatoes and doing it this way enabled me to trim the bottom leaves that were touching the ground and also taking off the suckers to help in giving the tomato enough air and sunlight to grow and produce good tomatoes.  

I do have a problem with Bermuda grass, or at least with the rhizomes that are underground and sneak into the vegetable garden.  Tough to cut and even tougher to get rid of without chemicals.  I will just try and keep digging them out and hoping for the best.  Our flowers are also doing quite well.

Coleus in pot bought from Amish Garden Shop

Begonia and sweet potato vines

The new "raised bed" using concrete mixing tub as container

The lettuce and onion beds

Flower transplants from my sister's garden

Peas with plenty of pods

More lettuce and peppers on the left

Peppers just starting to grow, now that it is warm.

Gladiolus plants (14 of them)

Carrots in a bucket, starting to grow quickly

Recently planted squash on left and new tomatoes on right.  

Drip water pipes run alongside the plants (1/2" PVC piping)

More tomatoes with the Delaware Weave and also string hanging from crossbar

A later crop of peas (on left) now flowering and potatoes on the right

More tomatoes with tilled up Bermuda grass rhyzomes. Hardwood mulch will be put on shortly.

Cucumbers being trained on the netting. The leaves are being eaten by some bugs, so I will try and figure out how to prevent that from continuing.

Broccoli head almost ready for picking

The potatoes on the left were grown using the Ruth Stout method.  Putting the seed potato on top of the ground, cover them with hay and watch them grow.

Alaska peas that could be used as snow peas.  First year of growing these.

Hanging basket and humming bird feeders, plus thistle feeder for finch