Veggies

Good morning everyone! I have just been out in the garden and I am so happy with the way things are coming. I do have a few problems though. Cabbage moths have wiped out my brassicas. I didn't get a single cabbage or broccoli, and the collards are waving the white flag as we speak. I'll be pulling those and putting in more carrots and beets. Oddly enough, the Swiss chard is doing fine. I tasted it and discovered WHY none of the bugs want to eat it...it's nasty and bitter. I'll be pulling that out too. The spinach is hanging on, but just barely, so I think it's time to pull that and put in some more cucumbers. I've come to the conclusion that the cool weather crops will need to go in in the fall here, spring just doesn't last long enough this far south.
 My other problem child in the garden is the eggplant. I'm pretty sure that flea beetles are eating them up. I'll be going out and dusting them with DE later today to see if I can knock the bugs back and give the plants a chance to recover.

Sad, sad eggplant

 Now for the good news. My tomatoes are doing great. Every plant out there is either blooming or already has fruit on it. I spend a good part of my day out there WILLING the fruit to ripen so that I can eat one. Gabe is having a hard time waiting too, every time he goes out there with me he tells me' "Want a tomato!" I have to keep a close eye on him to keep them from picking the green ones.

This is the first tomato I planted this year in the herb bed

One of my cherry tomatoes,  it keeps growing new suckers on the ends of the fruiting branches

Roma, Aunt Ruby's German Green, and Beefsteak tomatoes

Beefsteak tomatoes

 The peppers and tomatillos are also doing well. Some of the plants have fruit. So far, the ones that are doing the best are the Hungarian Wax peppers, Seranos, and the Jalapenos. I planted the Habanero from seed, so they are still tiny, but since our season lasts until October or November I'm not too worried about getting a harvest from them.

Hungarian Wax pepper

Jalapeno

Tomatillo 

 All of the squash seem to be doing well too. I harvested my first zucchini today, and one of the patty pan will be ready to be picked in a day or two along with some of the yellow squash. My acorn squash and pumpkins have started vining and I even have two tiny acorn squash forming already. In the herb bed I have a couple of Nest Egg gourds, they have gone crazy. There are about 20 fruits on them and they look more like pterodactyl eggs than hen's eggs, I don't think I'll be fooling any chickens with them, they'll probably run, screaming if I put one in the nest box.

This isn't even the biggest Nest Egg gourd

Tiny acorn squash

My first zucchini!

Pattypan squash

Itty bitty pumpkin

And they're off, the pumpkins are vining

I have harvested a couple of cucumbers already, too. They were pickling cukes, but they still tasted yummy. I can't wait until I have enough to make my first batch of pickles!

Pickling cucumber (or as Gabe calls them "little pickles")

Let's see...what else is doing good? Oh yeah, the sunchokes I planted last week are starting to come up, which excites me. I've wanted to try them for awhile. The okra is flowering and even has one pod on one plant, I'll have to learn to make gumbo soon. The onions are bulbing up and we have pulled a few to use, but most will stay in the ground until they get bigger. My bush beans are flowering, so I should be able to start harvesting in a week or so. The pole beans take a little longer, they are just starting to vine, but they will produce through the summer. And, last, the corn is doing well. It's about halfway between my knee and my hip. I can't wait to have fresh corn on the cob to grill. It's the veggie that makes the biggest difference between homegrown and store bought. No corn in a store will ever be as good as corn fresh from the garden.

Sunchoke

Okra

Onion

Bush beans

Pole beans

Corn

Anyway, that's it for today. I have tons of chores to get done. Blessed Be...