Garden Vegetation Update

For the record! I shall document the veggie (and floral by association) exploits this year in my home garden...

Peas win this year, hands down. The Sugar Snap Pole peas clocked in at about 6.5 feet tall on my bamboo n' pea-netting fence (background, photo right). You eat the entire pod of sugar snaps, and they are so delicious that people's eyes bug out a little. There's just no other way to eat peas. There were so many pea-eating-frenzies I actually unbelievably thought I might have had my fill of peas. It occurs to me now that people actually freeze peas for winter but that seems to require some restraint.

Also pictured are yellow calendula, transplanted from a massive self-seed out front, the carmine-red hollyhocks that I seeded last year from Bev's garden, and very blue sweet peas that decided to be blue in spite of other indications on the label. Hidden behind the calendula are plantings of Red Russian and Lacinato Kale (the Red Russian is doing better) and a patch of Early Wonder Tall Top Beets (very sweet but slow due to my transplanting them and failing to immediately water them early in their little beet lives) and little red and yellow onion sets edging all the beds.
     
For the record, I tried sowing Quinoa in the early rains and it didn't emerge at all...and the Roquett Arugula, Sorrento Raab Broccoli and Tyee Hybrid Spinach bolted almost as soon as they were ready to eat. That coincided with the crazy shift in the weather from torrential rain to heat though...so maybe that triggered the communal bolt. The spinach lasted the longest of the three, and this was the first time I've tried spinach so that was nice. Thank-you spinach.

Also have Red Pontiac, Russet Burbank, and Yukon Gold potatoes planted in the big raised bed and we're just starting to dig them now so I don't have a full report as I've yet to have a Pontiac...but the Yukons are as awesome as last year and the Russets are smaller..

(Here's a pic from today, sans the spent peas (sadly) and with the gladioli in full bloomage.)

A few highlights from the front garden....the HAMMOCK wins hands down :) :) It's like a prayer flag you can sleep in. I have spent 0% of my life in a hammock thus far and am making up the deficit. Hammock + book + favourite trees + beverage of choice = summer vacation. Jordana is demonstrating hammock technique.

The front garden also features a successful garden combo: Mondarda didyma /Bee balm in monochromatic collusion with a red slack-line. Totally planned that.

I'll get some up-to-date shots of the veggies out front very soon...