Anyone else enjoy gardening?

[ScottK]

A before and after..

This picture was taken July 6.  These cucumbers were planted from seed about 3 days prior, and practically instantly germinated in summer soil temperature and a little added water here in Pennsylvania.  (Planted also with a little time release fertilizer for our lame soil)

This is a variety with shorter vines that is touted as a good variety for containers that I found in Home Depot.

Then here's these same plants today - picture taken July 26 just after a heatwave here.



The stems on these plants are over a half inch thick!

These plants should be producing cucumbers in a few weeks.  The point being that there is still time to get a summer crop like cucumbers going before the temperatures start dropping going into fall here.  Zucchini works too.

I'm using fabric this year for weed control.  A big sheet of cardboard works well too.

[ScottK]

Banana peppers banana-ing - gotta be 30 or 40 on the plants now.



Getting ready for a tomato deluge.  They are starting to turn.  Still a little early for them, but getting there..  We are at around 60 days after planting.



Pole beans growing like crazy - but no beans yet.  The enhanced fence is keeping the bunnies away nicely!



The basil got mildew which is the problem we have given how close we have to plant everything.  I saw it coming, planted some new basil seedlings, and just planted them pretty young.



Just canned some dill pickles for the first time.  They came out ok, but I'll refine the recipe next time.  And our first two Caspian Pink tomatoes.

Still early, but big tomato numbers will be coming real soon.

[omcasey]

Beautiful !!!!!! I am wondering what the black tarp over the soil is made of. Apologies if you already told us. I am just now seeing this thread.

A tomato deluge sounds beyond wonderful. You just can't get good tomatoes in the store anymore.

The taste of a fresh, ripe tomato is extraordinary to the senses.

I think may be beginning to drool. lol

[ScottK]

That is a 5 year landscape fabric - water gets through it pretty decently. It holds back weeds and keeps the ground more moist. The greenhouse I go to carries it. A double layer of it works pretty well. Cardboard can be used for the same effect, though the cardboard doesn't look as nice. I used the fabric this year as it's a little easier for the way I did this. You just need the mega box of landscape staples they sell on ebay.

These are really good tomatoes too. They are either Caspian Pink or a variety of Pink Oxheart - They call them "Polish Tomatoes" around here. I guess because a Polish person get them one year, forgot what they were called, saved the seeds, and then some Polish person grew them again. Now we save the seeds, and I'm not Polish..

[omcasey]

Thank you for the reply, I will have to look into that, the landscape fabric, yes keeping the ground more moist is what I figured it did ( great idea ). Learning to harvest seeds is such a wonderful thing to learn. I began learning how to do this a decade ago. I don't have land to plant, though, sadly. But I do know a bit of the skill now if it were ever needed. It is good to see someone out there growing food. Thank you for sharing your garden.

[Eddie]

Pizza made with tomato (one tomato), basil and peppers from our garden.

[Eddie]

Steps in making tomato soup.....

1.  From our garden, before roasting:



After roasting, and before puree-ing, gathered into a pot with chicken stock:



Soup!

[ScottK]

Here's more-or-less the landscape fabric I use:

https://www.amazon.com/Master-Gardner-11...271&sr=8-4

with

https://www.amazon.com/Pinnacle-Mercanti...spons&th=1

for the space challenged:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/354018788487?ha...BMjvH_7clg

The grow bags they sell seem pretty nice.  We used burlap coffee sacks for a number of years, but they start degrading within a month.  The grow bags look like they last half decently.  It's sorta like a raised bed without the raised bed.

[Eddie]

Peaches, tomatoes, peppers:

[omcasey]

I am going to miss your photos. What wonderful harvests. Thank you for sharing all you do.