let's see your veggie garden {pics}

[chillardbee]

Humming birds. I saw the darndest thing this year. I was watching the humming bird at the feeder and was going to take off but then stop to inspect a spider on it's web between the house and the hedge. all of a sudden it poked the spider and the spider was gone, it ate the spider. but then I started thinking about it and thought that even bees have pollen as a source for their protien, where would humming birds get theirs, other insects, obviously. i did some reserch and found that they do eat insects from time to time.

 

[skychaser]

We have lots of hummingbirds here. They like tobacco flowers but they really love these. Even though we literally have 100's of them blooming right now, they fight over who owns them all.

 

[skychaser]

Hummingbirds don't care much for these, but I think they are really cool looking.

 

[Mrs BeeKeeper]

The watermelon has blossoms galore, but only a single maturing melon.

How are they being pollinated?
Will noticed last year that our pumpkins were doing similarly, so he started to take the male blooms, strip the petals and pollinate the females. Great results. He did the same for our zucchini and pumpkins this year. I've had more zucchini than I could handle, been giving it away. Looks like lots of pumpkins on the go too.

 

[bonehead]

i like pumpkin seeds like my grandmother used to make. i made them with my kids for a long time but now they are gone so i havent made them for a while. the salty ones from the store suck.

 

[deluxestogie]

Honeybees seem to be active in the watermelon blossoms. There are 4 additional melons now

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Scarlet Runner Bean: one month's growth.

Bob

 

[deluxestogie]

Saturday Morning in the Garden

About 2 dozen beans are now in various stages of forming among all the Scarlet Runner leafage.

In previous years, I've set up lured traps for Japanese Beetles. This year I didn't. I just pick them from the plants, and crush them. My impression is that I've had fewer of them this year, compared to years with traps available. My suspicion is that the traps simply attract more Japanese Beetles, and fill their catch bags with all the extras.

My pepperoncini have out-produced my sweet banana and green bell peppers by a huge margin. I've pickled several quarts of pepperoncini, but still have two gallon-size bags in the fridge filled with them.

The Japanese Beetles also like the blackberry leaves, but have not been much of a problem there. The birds snatch all the berries as they ripen. [The blackberries and raspberries were planted mostly for my grandkids, who now live 500 miles away, so I can just let the birds have all they want.]

I put yellow onion starts among my asparagus plants in early spring. The onions have now lifted themselves out of the ground, and are nearly ready for storage.

Bob

 

[Boboro]

I grow the fake jalapeno pepper. It makes a good replacement for bell pepper. When it turns red it has a good sweet pepper taste. the wife slicees them up and freezes them.

 

[deluxestogie]

I should probably try the false jalapeño. I love the flavor, but just can't handle the heat any more. At least I could make salsa with them, insteat of having 2 gallons of pepperoncinis that I don't know what to do with.

Bob

 

[johnlee1933]

Nice garden Bob. I envy you. Well done.

 

[johnlee1933]

I should probably try the false jalapeño. I love the flavor, but just can't handle the heat any more. At least I could make salsa with them, insteat of having 2 gallons of pepperoncinis that I don't know what to do with.

Bob

I can solve half that problem. Send a gallon to me. I'll pickle them. I can still handle one or two with anti past and love them.

 

[Boboro]

Id send some seed but mine has crossed with bell they have a little dimple at the bottom. I hope it dont mess with the taste. Ive grew them a few years from saved seed but I gess its time to get new seed.

 

[Boboro]

The Sphinx moth. The hummin bird moth. The moth that looks like a hummingbird.

 

[deluxestogie]

The Scarlet Runner Beans that have taken over the corner of my porch are now laden with 9" bean pods.

I will likely allow them to fully mature, then use them as dry beans.

Bob

 

[DGBAMA]

I need to try those next year.

 

[deluxestogie]

The late (biggest) crop of red raspberry is just now beginning. Since I don't make jellies and jams any more (can't handle the sugar), I eat these straight, with a little Cool-whip, for dessert.

Bob

 

[marksctm]

Sounds and looks good.
What times dessert?

 

[bonehead]

i took today to pick,clean,cut up and freeze frying and bell pepers for the long winter thats coming. then i started doing jalopinos for the dehydrator. they are a lot quicker because i don't remove the seeds. after they are dehydrated most of the seeds fall out of the rings i cut but i save them for spicy dishes. back to work so i can get done sometime today.

 

[deluxestogie]

What to do on a rainy day

Since I couldn't do much in my tobacco garden while drizzle continued to accumulate on the leaves, I sat, bored, on my front porch. What to do?

Blossoms of my Scarlet Runner beans.

I'm amazed at the adhesion that holds water on the blossom surfaces, while cohesion allows the drops to bulge.

As I stare at the blossoms, the blossoms stare back.

Bob