Every time we come home after a long weekend away, the first thing we do…even before unloading the van…is wander around the gardens to see what’s new.
We all enjoy it. The boys run to their playset, check on the chickens and walk along the edge of the kitchen garden. Ray and I excitedly race from the fedge, to the vineyard, to the kitchen garden, to the chickens, to the swales and to the back gardens. It’s so fun to see all of the new growth and green.
Coming back after the long holiday weekend was no exception. As soon as we got the boys and Charlie out of the van, we were all out exploring everything…an unspoken routine that we all love.
First, I went to the kitchen garden to check on the tomatoes. Last week we pulled out all of the broccoli that had been savagely attacked by loopers and I wanted to make sure that they hadn’t started on the tomatoes as well. Such a relief to see that the tomatoes were fine…more than fine. We had new green tomatoes, some red cherry tomatoes and even ground cherries showing up on the vines and the jalapeno peppers had flowered.
Ground Cherry
Unfortunately, the tomato plant we bought from Ace is not doing so well. We planted it where we had the bamboo last year so I think that, since the bamboo didn’t do well there, the soil might be in need of some fertilization. Time for blood and bone.
All of the borage seemed to have tripled in size in just a few days. The kitchen garden, despite the weeds and grass, looks beautiful.
Next, I went out to the chickens to see how they fared. I brought a treat and chatted with the girls a bit and then looked around the back gardens.
I was excited to see zucchini and summer squash growing from the flowers. We even had a couple of summer squash ready to eat!
More zucchini and summer squash is growing…
…as well as the acorn and spaghetti squash.
The squash blossoms are looking good, I think we’ll be pinching some of these out and trying some of the recipes I’ve found for stuffed squash blossoms.
A quick stop at the sunflower trench revealed a few of the sunflowers I planted finally sprouting up through the soil and the amaranth I planted getting bigger.
Sunflowers
Joseph’s Coat Amaranth
Ray, meanwhile, was busy checking on the hops and grapes. When I came back up to the house he and Joe were putting the bug gun away and had 4 very odd looking caterpillars in the bug house. Another case for Joe the Bug Hunter!
The grapes got a growth spurt over the weekend. Installing the trellis for them and for the kiwi is now at the top of the list.
Next stop: the fedge. The autumn olive in the fedge has really taken off as well as most of the blackberries. The blueberries are not doing as well (only one is producing fruit and only 4 of 7 are still alive, barely), but the autumn olives, seaberries and blackberries are definitely making up for the disappointment.
Blackberry
Autumn Olive
Blueberry with berry!
Seaberry
All in all, the season is going well and the harvest promises to be abundant…at least as far as the squash goes.
Gone for a few days
Our beautiful garden grows
Blossoms, buds and blooms
a pinch of homestead 