July 2011 in Upper South

I am amazed at how much change comes over the garden in the month of June. At the beginning of June plants are just beginning their growth and then once the warm weather stays around everything takes off. Now that we've past the first of July I anticipate that first ripe tomato more than ever!

Everything in my SFG garden is doing very well except my peppers. They have lots of bloom, but the plants look sickly. Although I did this before planting, I've worked in some fresh compost to see if it will give them a boost. I have six different kinds of peppers in three different locations, so I am not sure if it's just a bad year or a disease. I hope they perk up, especially my California Wonders.

Here's an East and West view of the garden as of July 2.




Most of the lettuce is done and cleared, but I still have three kinds growing. Some in a semi-shaded box near to the house and some in the shade of my broccoli plants. I've planted basil in the emptied lettuce squares. The broccoli is not as plentiful as it was last year, but we've been eating it as it comes!

Sugar snap peas have been pulled and replaced with Lemon Squash. It's the first time trying this squash. It's supposed to be squash vine borer resistant, so I hope that's true! It's also a vining squash. They are just getting their second set of leaves now.

Spaghetti and butternut squash vines growing a foot a day. Lots of buds now. Zucchini and yellow straight-neck squash blooming heavily, but only two female blossoms so far. I found squash vine borer eggs on both plants, so we've begun injecting the stems with Bt as a preventative measure. I've also sprayed Bt around the main stems too. Those SVB eggs are so tiny and easy to miss!

Harvested all my garlic and shallots. Planted Dragon Tongue beans in some of those squares. Will plant more next week to spread out the harvest. All the garlic did very well! It needs a few more days of drying, but I have one slightly damaged bulb I will be trying first. I pulled the shallots today, so they are just beginning their curing period.

Maxibel filet beans are huge! It's the first time trying them and I cannot believe how tall they are! They are covered with bloom now, but haven't got a bean yet.

Swiss chard is perforated by earwigs, but I need to get out their and cut it back more and eat some. I hate sharing it with bugs!

Carrots are doing well. I pulled a couple that were sticking above the soil. One was 6" and one was 4". We ate them in salad that night. I think by late summer I'm going to have some bent carrots!

Sweet potato vines are taking off now. These Vardeman are supposed to be a bush type, but they are still going to spill over the box soon. Very pretty vines though!


Let's see...what else. Oh yes, the cucumbers! I planted a French cornichon type and I will be picking many of those soon. Looking forward to the pickles! The Dragon Egg cukes have just started blooming the last day or so, but I am anxious to know what they taste like.

Tomatoes are growing fast now, you can read more about those on Tomato Tuesdays.

And last but not least, I have eggplant! Two of my Ichiban are about 4" long now and two bloom just finished. My first ones ever! You can see the damage that the flea beetles, earwigs and something else? have done to the leaves, but the fruit looks beautiful.


I am looking forward to a very fruitful July! How's your July garden doing...and what are you eating from yours now?

pattipan

Pattipan, please keep me posted on that lemon squash, I wanted to order some but just could not this year. Let me know mainly if it tastes like crook neck, and if it does how well did it do. If it does not taste like crook neck, I can forget it, hubby won't touch it.