What did you do in the garden today?

Beekissed said:

You'll be more than happy to have just the one if it grows there like they grow here...it will literally take over your whole garden if you let it, reaching in all directions and climbing everything in sight. It's a glorious mess in the end but the pumpkins are so very pretty, dense, and long lasting that it's worth it.

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Well, it has loads of space to roam out there! I'm giving it a bit of water daily and it's getting lots of sun and heat now, so it's happy.

It's raining!!! A soft rain and it's been falling for at least 5 hours, but it's so very welcome here. We had a good rainfall about 7 weeks ago, then a so-so-rain about 2 or 3 weeks after that and not a drop of water since. Very unusual and worrying for us, as we get rain so often, we never think about what if it doesn't come. I never thought I'd be happy to see rain in Ireland, but here you go. I'm delighted!

I waded through my weed field...uh, I mean my garden yesterday. I picked a ton of peppers and Red Rippers. I will never in life be without Red Rippers in my garden - they are amazing. But, that means I'll be shelling peas today. I have discovered that if you want dry beans they are easier to shell after they're dry. They literally just pop outta that dried up pod. Guess what's for dinner!?!

sumi said:

It's raining!!! A soft rain and it's been falling for at least 5 hours, but it's so very welcome here. We had a good rainfall about 7 weeks ago, then a so-so-rain about 2 or 3 weeks after that and not a drop of water since. Very unusual and worrying for us, as we get rain so often, we never think about what if it doesn't come. I never thought I'd be happy to see rain in Ireland, but here you go. I'm delighted!

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You got rain because I watered my garden yesterday -:lol

Pulled weeds for thirty minutes and saw how little progress I had made...

Despite the weeds, I am harvesting loads of cucumbers everyday plus yellow squash and zucchini. The first planting of tomatoes is producing fairly well and beans are setting on. Onions are dying back and are almost ready to dig.

Hoping to sow some brassicas in the next day or two.

What you doing with all those cukes and squash, BB?

Also getting the same here, plus plenty of beans, peppers are putting on peppers and the tomatoes are coming along but not as well as they should for the healthy plants I've got. Blooms aren't many and the fruits are too small for this time of year.

Today I'm spreading some of my FREE hay in the garden so as to keep down weeds and retain moisture. Other than being itchy and hot work, it sure does smell heavenly out there! Got most of it covered but still plugging away at it.

After that we'll pick the beans and can up a batch. If it cools down enough I'll also bake a batch of bread.

I had my doubts about this year's garden but it looks like it may produce after all. I'm going to work on getting the electric fence around the garden running this evening. Nothing worse than rabbits eating green beans, squirrels stealing tomatoes and racoons destroying your sweet corn.

The ladies have made:

Two double batches of Bread and Butter Pickles
Two double batches of Sweet Dill Pickles
One double batch of Sweet Churn Pickles

Next stop is pickle relish and lots!

The squash have been eating fresh and cut/grated for the freezer.

I think once I move to my own place I am going to do mainly raised beds. The rain and weeds here make it impossible to mechanically eliminate weeds. At least in raised beds, you can be working in them despite the weather. Our climate is soooo wet. That is what has put my weed patch (aka garden) in this shape.

My winter squash are thigh high and vining. I have found one jarrahadale setting on so far. Bush beans are up great and the lima beans are vining.

@BarredBuff I have the same problem here with the weeds. I need to get out there and get more done though. I've been too busy with other stuff lately.

Tomato plant is flowering, the others are too small still. The corn is growing well, the zucchini is setting fruit, the swiss chard is ready to pick. Everything else is growing slowly, apart from the peas, which are producing like mad. I should have some nice carrots soon too. All in all I'm happy so far with my little patch of garden.

I don't know what kind of flowers these are, I've always called them bachelor buttons. My buddy up the road calls them corn flowers - so who knows???

I found that if you plant a row here and there they are like a Japanes Beatle magnet. So I throw in a row or two every year, let them get covered up with Japanese Beatles then spray the with Palmolive orginal and water to kill off the Japanese Beatles. Better they eat up flowers than my veggies .

Anyways they are pretty also and they are just now starting to bud & bloom. To save the seeds let the flower dry out, cut the flower head loose from the stem and toss in a paper bag. Next year plant the whole flower head in a trench. Easy...