July Garden Update

It’s been a trying season for the garden so far, but we’re doing our best to keep it alive.  Receiving only 25% of our average rainfall, the 1000-gallon cistern has emptied twice now and the rain barrels three times.  The record-setting heat hasn’t helped any either.

The spring started off well with a lot of our bulbs we planted last fall coming up and looking beautiful! 

Tulips, Hyacinthus, and a random bulb

 

Allium

We had also worried that our garlic bulbs were rotting in the ground, but they quickly emerged as well, and a few weeks early.

Garlic!

 We were very excited to try out the greenhouse this spring, and it worked out really well.  Wes installed a baseboard heater that would turn on if it got too cold.  When it gets too warm, the greenhouse came with a vent that would open and a fan would turn on.  Much fancier than our old, cheap greenhouse.  We started several varieites of seeds.  The tomatoes did well as usual, as did the peppers and eggplant.

Tomatoes - 11 different varieties

Peppers, eggplant, and a few other random things

Like all the previous years, we tore out more grass to make room for additional veggies.  I hope this is the last time renting the sod cutter.  Not much left of our yard to cut out.

Before

After

Each area that we mulch means more mulch to spread, and more weeding for me to do.    Thankfully with each year that we mulch the weeds become less in that area.  I have a few spots that are still a bit troublesome, so they got another layer of mulch today.

Weeds :(

June rolled around as did the start of the heat and the end of the rain.   The grass around the main garden is just starting to turn brown.

June Garden

But, I was still able to harvest some veggies early on...beets, onions, carrots, green beans, and blackberries.

First 'large' harvest

The garlic was ready a few weeks earlier than last year.  42 heads this year, up from 25 last year.  We ran out after only a few months, so made sure to plant extra this year so we would have some of our own to plant in the fall.

Garlic!

It's not July and still praying for rain.  Even a little bit will help fill our cistern so we don’t have to use water from the house.  We’re not a huge fan of grass, and would really like to not have to water it.  At least everyone’s looks just as brown as ours.

July Garden

To help keep the patio a bit cooler, we put up a sun sail shade.  If it doesn't get below 90 even a shade isn't going to be enough to make it enjoyable to be outside.  

Sun Sail Shade...and Wes watering and watering and watering...

I’m very curious what the rest of the summer will bring.  Hoping for cooler temps (at least they dropped today finally) and more rain.  I’m just glad I’m not training for an Ironman in the heat we have had!