
For some reason I haven’t posted many photos of the veggies this year. I’ll rectify that today. Here are some of the begetables I;m growing – almost all started from seed – in my garden this year. Generally t was a slow start but as soon as the temperatures started to soar, just a few weeks ago, really, they’ve taken off.
1 – I may have show you these peas before. It’s a variety called Magnolia Blossom, seeds from Renee’s Garden, and I can’t be more happier with how they’ve grown. At the end of July they’re still producing (mind you, I did a staggered planting in April and May), even in this heat, and the vines are now about eight feet tall. Beautiful flowers, and really delicious peas – pod and all.

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2 – Just outside the back porch is a small raised bed originally planted with strawberries. Only one plant made it through the winter – on the near right corner – so I planted the rest of it with a variety of greens, beets, herbs, marigolds and a mini eggplant. It’s quite lush now.


3 – A friend gave me an extra four pack of kale seedlings – I wasn’t going to ant any brassicas this year after last year’s debacle with the white cabbage moths, but hey, it was a gift. So far this year I’ve seen just one moth, and these leaves don’t look so bad.

4 – At the base of the pea trellis, and in a few other spots around the garden, I planted chard that I started from seed There are two varieties here – Scarlet Charlotte on the left, grown from seed left over from last year, and Peppermint Stick – a new variety for me this year. Both are from Renee’s Garden. I really love the deep green leaves and dark red veins and stalks of Scarlet Charlotte, and I’m a bit disappointed with Peppermint Stick.
5 – Two years ago I grew spaghetti squash, and saved some seeds from the resulting fruit. Last spring I didn’t grow it, but instead gave the seeds to a neighbour, who did grow it. He also gave us several of the squashes, to eat, and I kept those seeds too. This year, the vines are incredibly vigorous and blooming like crazy.


6 – And yes, I do have tomatoes. Five varieties this year, and they’re already competing with the squash to take over the kitchen garden. Here are two, still not yet ripe enough to pick when I shot these photos but I suspect in a day or so I’ll be munching and freezing away. On the left (and at the top) is something called Dancing With Smurfs — a plant purchased from Vickie’s Veggies here in Prince Edward County. On the right is Red Racer – a salad tomato grown from seeds left over from a packet I had last year.
There’s my six veggies this week. To see Sixes from gardens around the world, including from those in Europe currently struggling with a record setting heat wave (my thoughts are with you… ) – visit The Propagator’s site.
Great selection of edibles there! The dark tomatoes are unusual. We battle to grow tomatoes during summer because of the high humidity; only the cherry tomatoes grow well. Lovely squash!
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Thanks! Humid here as well but breezy, so that helps.
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my kale have undergone a massive attack of butterflies that have put their eggs in all the folds of the leaves … I had to kill 50+ caterpillars and as it was not enough ; I sprayed bacillus thuringiensis sp israelensis: effective now !
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Yuck! Sounds like my garden last year. Hopefully they’ll stay away this year!
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Squash blossoms are beautiful, aren’t they!? They are a popular motif in Navajo, Zuni, and Hopi jewelry. Lovely lighting on the strawberry and tomatoes.
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They’re beautiful and abundant this year. I haven’t cooked with them yet….
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I sympathise with you about the strawberry thieves. I lost the lot to squirrels who ate them before they were ripe. I find it even more annoying that they couldn’t even wait till they were nice to eat!
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I know, eh?
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Hey, Renee’s Garden is right up West Zayante Road, in Olympia (although her address is in Felton). I might be able to see it from here if there were not so many of these pesky trees in the way. She used to send me samples every year, but after a while, I was unable to try any mmore. I mean, I can only take so many nasturtiums! I still dig all here nasturtiums though, and wish I could grow them all.
Dancing With Smurfs is creepy.
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Cabbage whites, ugh! I’ve spent the last coupla days putting up netting. They also love nasturtium, which I see next to your kale. Some say you can offer up a sacrificial nasturtium plant or 2 & the whites leave your brassicas alone. Your peas look divine!
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Interesting – I’ve heard of nasturtiums used as traps for aphids, but not cabbage moths. I have a gazillion nasturtiums so we’ll see how the kale fares!
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Good to see a veggie six. I nearly did one last week. What beautiful peas! It all seems a bit slow here too. Just started picking courgettes (zucchini) and the tomatoes are just turning.
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The peas really were the best this year. Tomatoes…this week I think, finally!
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