Monday, July 14, 2014

The MVG main garden is loving the warm humid weather!

MVG Main Garden July 14, 2014
The main garden is growing out of control this summer. The warm humid weather and a few applications of Burpee's Sea Magic organic growth activator gave all the plants an extra boost.

July 2nd harvest - bell peppers
July 8th harvest - green beans, cucumber, & sugar snaps
My mom harvests handfuls of beans and sugar snaps and baskets full of cucumbers and green peppers on a weekly basis.

July 11th harvest - cucumbers, bell pepper, and squash
July 11th harvest - sugar snaps
We have begun trimming back the herbs. Hanging them upside down on pant hangers allows the leaves to dry without curling up or folding in half.
July 2nd harvest - sage and oregano
So far my mom has blanched and froze 6 1/2 quart Ziploc bags of green beans and made two jars of Mom's Pickles. She will soon be canning Bread and Butter Pickles in the next few weeks too.

french fillet and blue lake blanched and frozen
Mom's Pickles
I treated our kitties to a few catnip bundles. They love to hug the bundle while rolling around on the ground. The bundles last for weeks too. All you need to do is roll the catnip bundle in your hands to reactive the oils.

catnip bundle
There are many other veggies joining the main garden's weekly harvest. The okra, bitter melon, and squash are sprinkled into the harvest baskets while the melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, and eggplant continue to grow and flower.

bitter melon
melons
tomatoes

okra
summer squash
Fuyu is growing strong. There are lots of new branches, large green leaves, and a few fruit dangling from the tree.
Fuyu has a few persimmons growing too!
It is amazing to see how fast the garden has filled-in over the past few months. Check out our before and after shots below:
July 2nd - pumpkin patch
July 14th - pumpkin patch
Behind the garden beds - (front to back) squash (left), cucumbers (right), and melons.

June 11th  - squash, cucumber, & melons
July 2nd - squash, cucumber, & melons
July 14th - squash, cucumbers, and melons
Second garden bed row: (front to back) thai basil in pot/ sugar snaps and green beans/ okra and tomatoes/ bitter melon.

June 11th - sugar snaps and green beans
July 2nd - sugar snaps and green beans
July 14th - sugar snaps and green beans
Front garden bed row: (front to back) lemon grass and lavender in pots; green beans; bell peppers and eggplant.

July 2nd - green beans and bell peppers
July 14th - green beans and bell peppers