Yarden update

 
Three days in a row we've had one cucumber big enough to eat, these were off the "rescue" cukes I dug out of th'Mr's garden before he tilled them under. My tomatoes are coming on strong: though all are still green the biggest one is easily four inches across.

The only plants that like it by the cellar are coreopsis; these volunteered from last year. Asparagus is doing well, though some is falling over. Monarda has bloomed & fallen over. Next year I'd like to put a section of border fencing beside it. Rebar stakes, fencing tiewrapped to them, fence moved upward as plants get taller?

Dianthus is doing better in the south garden than by the cellar, but the weeds grow much faster than the flower. Not flowering yet. Sunflowers don't seem to like the south garden. Might be the weeds are too close.

Yellow marigolds are huge & magnificent, and seem to be doing the job of keeping the leaf-eaters to a minimum. Some caterpillar chewings on cauli / broc / cabbage. Had a few japanese beetles, eating mostly on the zinnias in the flower border around south garden, but few enough so far hand-picking and tossing into a jar of soapy water has been effective.

Started to drain the pool (8' by 30" inflatable) for the second time (first time b/c water was looking cloudy; we attached soaker hose to the drain and watered the north garden with it) because I saw mosquito larvae, but after dumping 2/3 of the water (lots of rain lately, no need for soakering) I noticed dragonfly larvae. Decisions. Maybe fish out the d'fly larvae and put them elsewhere? But isn't mosquito larvae their main sustenance?

Here's the "rescue cucumber:"


Coreopsis, blooming by the cellar. White flowers to the right are fleabane.


Here are the first cabbage and the rescue cuke a week earlier (7/7/2009):