Hot weather brings big veggies!

July 6th - biggest harvest of the season

We had a major heat wave pass through the Morrison Victory Garden. The heat brought lots of growth to the plants and also helped produce extra large veggies.  Additionally, I had to break out my big wicker basket to hold the larger harvests. So far, our largest harvest of the 2013 summer season includes 5 zucchini, over a dozen summer squash, over a dozen cucumbers, 10 okra, and a basket full of green beans.

The cucumbers and the summer squash endured a major growth spurt during the heat wave. I have included a side by side comparison of each vegetable. The smallest veggie is the regular size and can help you estimate the size of the extra large veggies. I don't want you to think I left the veggies on the vine for weeks either. I pick veggies every three to four days. I think the combination of super soaking the veggies a few days ago and our 90 degree temperatures helped increase the size of these two veggies.

The tomatoes are doing very well. All three plants have filled the tomato supports and are holding dozens of green oblong tomatoes.

Crescent Moon eggplant

Purple Rain eggplant

Nadia eggplant

The eggplants and bitter melon are showing of a variety of colors and textures. By August, both plants will be filled with ripe veggies for soups, stirfrys, and BBQs.

Bitter Melon

The ears of corn are plump and are showcasing brown strands of silk. It won't be long now. Depending on the size of the kernels I might start picking corn within the next two weeks.

Even the sweet peppers are enjoying the heat. We are proud of our Big Daddy plant. This is the largest pepper to have dangled off of a branch in the MVG. WOW!

Big Daddy Pepper

Due to our large bi-weekly cucumber harvests, my mom canned dill pickles on 4th of July. Ten quart-size mason jars were sterilized, packed, and filled with yummy dill pickle goodness. I cannot wait to try them out next year. Yum!

canned dill pickles

The hot weather has subsided but we hope the warmth will return soon. We definitely like the increase in the size of the harvests and the size of the veggies.

Herb row (L-R): Sage, Oregano, and Rosemary

Summer 2013 First Harvest

The MVG is giving birth to a variety of vegetables! Woo hoo! I picked our first harvest of the season yesterday. The harvest consisted of 3 cucumbers, 5 zucchini, and 4 squash. 

The rest of the garden is in full bloom.  We have lots of veggies dangling from branches and will soon be filling our bellies with yummy goodness.

bell peppers

summer squash

tomatoes

plums

The rest of the plants are blooming with color. The eggplants are showcasing purple flowers while the green beans are pushing out little white petals.

I hope to see many more veggies in my harvesting baskets within the next month. I cannot wait to start canning and cooking new recipes.

Fuyu surrounded by green beans

We see veggies!

Morrison Victory Garden - May 29th

There has been lots of growth in the MVG over the past few weeks. I have seen many flowers bloom and push out small yummy vegetables.

radish are peaking out

The first plant to push out veggies is our zucchini plant. The first zucchini of the season is currently three inches long and growing rapidly.

zucchini

The summer squash is showing flowers and fruit. The squash is small but you can see the yellow color peaking out from behind the green leaves.

summer squash

The cucumbers are peaking out from behind small yellow blossoms too. I can see over a dozen small cucumbers growing and many more will soon fill the 20 cucumbers plants in the MVG.

cucumbers

All of the sweet pepper plants have flowers and the cherry stuffers have small green orbs dangling from the branches.

cherry stuffer peppers

tomato blossoms

The okra, tomatoes, hot peppers, and eggplants are showcasing a variety of flowers but have not produced fruit yet.

a little lavender for luck

The weather has cooled down and we are hoping for higher temperatures in the upcoming weeks. Hotter weather will bring more flowers and fruit to the MVG so keep your roots crossed. We want a big harvest this year.