Long overdue update: Part 1—Veggie Garden

Cavan admiring the biggest radish
plucked from the garden.

Peas—I didn't stake them this year and most of them
have flopped over. Now I know for next time.

Here's what's up in the veggie garden.


**Peas—We've plucked eight DELICIOUS pods off the sugar snap pea plants. They are still flowering so I hope we'll get a yield that could at least fill a stir-fry rather than just an outdoor snack. I have nine plants, but it is late in the season, so keeping my fingers crossed.

**Strawberries—Almost all the plants produced pea-sized fruits last week. The were red and super sweet, but were so small they didn't even look like strawberries. As the plants mature I'm sure the fruits will be bigger and actually resemble berries. Cavan had a blast picking them though.

Brussell sprouts—Notice all the holes from the cabbage worms.

**Radishes—All have been harvested. We had some giant cherry bombs and some the size of blueberries. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for the size difference, but since Hubby is the only one that likes radishes in the family, I was not concerned. Again, Cavan loved pulling them out of the ground and we played the game "big or dud?"

**Tomatoes—Most of the plants are flowering, but we've had a week of cool weather, so I doubt any of the buds will set fruit.

**Eggplants and peppers—These also started flowering this week. Eggplant flowers are a beautiful purple. This isn't so unexpected considering the color of actual eggplants, but I was still surprised having never seen one.

**Carrots and beets—I thinned the carrots for the final time this week. The plants I pulled showed thin, spindly carrot roots. Speaking of purple, I forgot that I bought purple carrots, and the baby roots I plucked were indeed purple. Exciting. The beets. These seem to be growing much slower than the seed package said. I plucked one to see the progress and there was not even the beginning of a root bulge. They probably won't be ready for a month??!!

Garden bed #2—Left to right: Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers,
broccoli, Brussell sprouts, and the small things in the back right
are cucumbers and beans.

**Broccoli, cabbage, and Brussell sprouts—Attacked by cabbage worms!   I noticed the chewed leaves a week or so ago but couldn't see any signs of the pests responsible. Finally, I found a bunch of worms and squished them, but I also sprayed these plants with Sevin, a vegetable and flower pesticide. I have avoided spraying any of the edibles, but it couldn't be helped with these, if I want the plants to actually survive.

**Zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and corn—All of the gourds have sprouted and are growing successfully. The four rows of corn I planted have only revealed a couple of seedlings so far. I used seeds from last year...I hope they were still able to germinate.

**Cucumbers and beans—Growing but nothing of interest to report.

Cavan modeling a radish mustache.

**Herbs—The cilantro, chives, basil and dill seeds I sowed directly in the garden are all growing but really slowly, especially the basil. The parsley seeds sprouted but don't appear to be progressing. The mint, basil, and lemon balm I bought as starter plants all look good, but the recent cool weather is not accelerating their growth either. 

**Other—I still have some space in the beds, so what to plant? A couple more beans, another row of carrots, and some scallions and okra. Just got to get around to it!