Dog Days
July 11th
The paprika peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and patty pans are all ripening. The strawberry spinach is starting to bloom. The peas were ripe for two weeks and have now passed their prime. The beans are flowering.
The Milkweed is in full bloom and is stunning, and the Celosia- the Wool Flower, Chief Red Flame and Flamingo all look gorgeous. The Pansies continue to bloom.
Our front, the prostrate sandmat is a nightmare, and the amaranth, purslane, and grass are taking over the beds – I think these are the plants the sheep must have eaten and deposited before it was mixed with the rich soil we are using.
I keep mounding the potatoes which grow ever taller. I replanted some Tom Thumb lettuce, which seems wholly unbothered by all bugs and beetles, unlike the swiss chard, beets, and bok choy.
July 18th
Bells of Ireland are blooming and we have harvested our first Patty Pan squash. The cucumbers are about to blossom and the first Dragon’s Tongue bean has matured.
This afternoon I pulled all of the amaranth and other grasses from the front beds which were choking the plants I originally planted there and put in sunflowers. The earth was very dry but loose, so I think I need to supplement those beds with additional water.
Green tomatoes are popping up.