July summer garden

 These first few days into July are already shaking out to be wet, hot days. That's just the kind of weather these plants here love. I have cucumbers, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes and corn all trellised or staked. 

These peppers, like all the plants here- were grown from seed.

It's looking like a jungle!

This area of the garden seems like an infinite row of potatoes. Despite the stalks laying on the ground, the plant is still green- so it may be another month or so before I harvest the potatoes. I didn't see any of the potatoes flower, but I hope that doesn't mean there won't be any taters to harvest this year. 

That's all I have to report from the garden, for now.

Cucumber & squash blooming & country flower gardens

 My usual Sunday routine is going to check on one or my gardens at my grandparent's house. Today as the rain poured, the vining plants tangled with one another and are blooming thick.

Here is the cucumber patch, growing with the pumpkin on a trellis and the trailing cushaw plants. At this point, the potatoes look like they're dying out. They were growing next to the cucumber patch. I hoed the potato mounds regularly, fertilized, mulched, and yet, they don't seem to act like they're going to make anything of themselves.

I have a tiny cucumber that will be ready to pick in a couple of days.

The bush brand are blooming and entangling with the gourd plants. I put one of the massive gourd plant up on a trellis as it is growing amongst the rows of beans. 

On the other side are the rows of corn. The corn are growing alongside beans and squash; although it's growing densely, the Three Sister method growing style is supposed to be beneficial to the plants.

A small patch of cantaloupe is blooming in a nook amongst the beans. 

While I analyzed my veggie garden, I took amusement in my grandma K's flower garden. She has revamped the flowers and gardens this year. She has created a very whimsical and fantastical flow of blooms from every edge or her yard. 

Late June veggie & flower garden

Here are some photos from Sunday when I took pictures of the garden. This garden is at my grandparents. They try there best to maintain it for me since I don't live a mile from them anymore. Grandma waters, fertilizes and adds some soil to the cucumbers in grow bags and the potatoes in grow buckets. She has been fertilizing l, or what she calls "side dressing" the cushaw, tomatoes, corn, beans, and potatoes in the ground.

I have some cucumbers growing in the ground, but these are in the grow bags which I set up a trellis around.

Cucumbers 

Cucumbers in grow bags

Not pictured is the grow buckets of potatoes growing. Theres more than 20 buckets and grow bags with potatoes growing. Potatoes are also growing in the ground across from the beans.

Below are pictures of the rows of cushaw and some corn. I had sowed cucumbers and watermelon in the rows too amongst the corn and cushaw, but I'm not sure if they're growing. 

Cushaw, cucumber, melon, corn

Cushaw, cucumber, melon

Beside the cushaws, tomatoes are tied to tobacco sticks. 

Tomaotes 

Tomatoes 

Potatoes, tomaotes, corn

Beans and corn

The tomatoes are growing closely with the rows of corn. Across from the tomatoes and corn are the rows of beans. Varieties I planted were Half runners, Hidatsa, and Turkey craw. I have the tobacco sticks up to mark off rows for the beans but I still need to put up the fencing for them to grow.

Beans

Here are some rows of potatoes growing in the ground. 

Potatoes 

Lastly, the flower gardens are looking beautifully vibrant despite a hog infiltrating the flower gardens last week. Here are a few pictures that I took Sunday on Fathers day.

Gladiolus 

Wildflower garden

Bee balm

DIY handmade garden archway/arbor

This afternoon, I scavaged through my wood pile for thick tree branches with curved edges and pieces to make this archway. In a matter of a few hours, I assembled this ever-so rustic structure leading to the garden. I hope to grow climbing flowers or bining veggies this year and the future.

Each branch is tied with metal, ivy, and string, including those twisty ties off of lettuce. 

Huge variety of fruit in the food forest growing

Pears

There's many varieties of fruits growing and vegetables in the garden at this time. Pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, grapes, aronia berries, blueberries, and so much more are quickly growing. The blueberries are already turning blue and I have been putting up fencing to keep the birds out. The grapes are getting plump as well, so I'll also need to put up additional fencing around them to keep birds out.

The vegetable gardens are in full swing. There's broccoli, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, onions, lettuce, spinach, cilantro, radishes, carrots, beans, squash, and melons all densely growing together. This type of gardening is called polyculture and has many benefits, such as companion planting, pest prevention, and artistic aesthetic.

Blueberries 

Nectarines

Peaches

Peaches

Grapes

Grapes

Grapes

Aronia berries

Corn, winter squash and cucumbers growing on trellis

Thyme

Yarrow and potatoes growing in pots 

Yarrow 

Blackberries

Cauliflower growing 

Cauliflower plants with lettuce & onions

Acorn squash 

Row of radish, squash and beans 

While this garden flourishes, my other gardens are steadily progressing but need much more attention. My other garden has lettuce and other greens, beans, and potatoes growing but I need to work over there a bit more, and then I'll highlight those gardens with some pictures to come.

Have a great garden week, everyone!