Journal of a Gardener

July 28

I had an early appointment that delayed our garden visit until 9:30.  The temperature was in the eighties and very humid.  We had Hannah and William (10 year-olds) and John Blake (5 years old) with us.  Everybody got a container.  John liked picking tomatoes best - especially the grape tomatoes and early girls.  William and Hannah had fun hunting for zucchini.  Hannah found three nice bell peppers.  Patty picked green beans.  We all picked some peas.  William liked picking them because they are easy to find.  Each of the kids pulled an onion.  They held the ice cream buckets for me to put the okra into.  We got over twenty pods from 3 to 5 inches long.  Patty will prepare breaded fried okra this evening.  The kids enjoyed seeing the small watermelons, cantaloupes and winter squashes (spaghetti and butternut).  John and Hannah complained of the heat and John said he was thirsty.  I made a few pictures and we all got drinks of the water that Patty had ready.   When Sharon came over to retrieve the mower she loaned us last week we gave her a collection of our recent harvests.

July 27

Our sons and all three grandchildren came last evening.  We didn’t go to the garden today, but will take the grandkids tomorrow.

July 26

We got a good rain last night!  Our gage showed l.6 inches.  We are good for another week without watering. We got our first okra!  Of the ten pods we found, half were very low on the stalks and had become much too large and tough.  We’ll hold the smaller pods to add to our next harvest.  Beans and peas were plentiful.  On my way in to town I delivered a collection of veggies to friends Myra and Arlen.

July 25

We did our regular harvest.  Nothing remarkable.  We still hope for rain.

July 24

We gathered a good batch of green beans this morning.  Patty boiled a medium spaghetti squash today.  It came out a beautiful orange color and had a sweet taste.  The texture was a little crisp.  We will enjoy this new crop for weeks to come if the squash bugs don’t wipe us out.  We need rain if blooms and fruit are to continue.  The weather people promise that we have a chance for rain this weekend.

July 23

Patty made the garden visit this morning by herself.  She got a good harvest of peas.

July 22

Patty and I did our regular routine with the Japanese beetles that work on the bean vines and okra.  The veggie harvest was lighter today.