Mrs. HB sent me a text last night to show the vegetables she had just harvested from her new garden patch and man oh man, everything looked so nice! Fencing in the garden has really paid off for her and I couldn’t be happier. Mrs HB if you are reading this… WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO VISIT ME?!
Over here in New England, my garden is coming along as well. The forecast for this week is much more appealing with highs in the low 80’s {rather than mid 90’s} so it looks like I’ll be able to get some weeding time in.
Which will be a good thing because as you can see from the view behind the strawberry pot, I’ve got my work cut out for me. 😉
One thing I find rather curious about gardening in New England is the fact that I have only watered my garden once. And that was when I was setting out my tomato and pepper plants. Since then, we haven’t had to water the lawn or the garden {although I do need to water the flower pots on the back porch from time to time}.
Not having to water your lawn, or your garden …. and it’s still green. How cool is that? It was like this last summer as well.
The bunnies found the bean plants… But luckily, they could only reach the bottom third of the teepees so it looks like we’ll get some beans after all.
They must not like basil though, because they haven’t touched ours and we have a ton this year.
This is the spot I weeded about 10 days ago. But I have a feeling that if I can just stay on top of things by going over the garden beds with a rake about once a week, I should be able to keep the weeds at bay for the rest of summer.
Blueberries! It looks like we’ll have a nice harvest this year.
And then there’s the squash…. I have a feeling this will be an epic year for squash at our place. This is the “big” pumpkin patch where I planted all the Cinderella, and Howden pumpkins along with a few warty ones and even some Hubbard squash back in early June.
And the front fence is starting to fill up with oodles of spinner gourd vines {I’ve even spotted a few flowers already!}. These sweet little gourds should be ready to pluck from the fence around early September. Every other day or so I have to carefully re-direct the straggler vines back to the fence…. It’s kind of fun and sweet at the same time. Like re-directing a toddler or something.
And the sweet little Jack Be Little pumpkins….
They’re coming along too. I even spotted a few vines creeping along the back patio.
And last but not least, the Festival of Day Lilies has begun at Casa de Butterfield. Not only do we have them in orange and yellow, but also pink.
And magenta.
And some sort of fiery red color. Plus, I also spotted a patch of creamy white day lilies too. It’s like they’re trying to tell me something, like they’re putting on a show and trying to entice me to plant EVEN MORE….
NEVER!!!!
Ahhh Wednesday, let’s do this!
I’m off to pull weeds.
Have a great day everyone,
~Mavis
P.S. What are YOU harvesting from YOUR garden these days? Curious minds want to know.
Sara says
Horseshoe (or stirrup) hoe makes extremely quick work of getting rid of just sprouting weeds. Also works very well for dust mulching. One of my very favorite gardening tools.
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks Sara, I’ll look it up! 🙂
Mary Ann Isaksen says
A hula-ho. https://www.amazon.com/Flexrake-Hula-Ho-Weeder-Cultivator-54-Inch/dp/B000UGOBSQ/ref=sr_1_3?crid=52F7CTG7BEKS&keywords=hula+hoe+garden+tool&qid=1563985750&s=gateway&sprefix=hula+hoe%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-3
Christine Hagen says
Funny, I was going to make a reccomendattion for one as well. It would make quick work of the sprouting weeds at your feet. We also use the shorter version as well. The absolute best garden tool. There is also a push version called a hoe wheel that is handy if you do traditional row gardening.
Trava Olivier says
Here in SW Minnesota we had a horrible winter and spring….wet, wet, wet! So many farmers were unable to plant and my garden went in late….extremely late! I’ve managed to harvest radishes and only radishes so far this season! I finally see blooms on my peas, beans, zuchini, potatoes and pumpkins so there is hope for them. This past weekend we had an extreme wind storm go through and my corn is twisted and bent with no much promised of coming out of it at this point….and it isn’t even waist high so I am doubting if I’ll harvest any of those. On the positive side, I do have tomatoes set on so here’s hoping.
Lynne says
Day Lily’s are edible! They are there to counteract all the meat HH keeps grilling!’
Diana says
Ohhh! Those daylilies are gorgeous! If you don’t want them, you just let me know and I’ll happily pay you to send them to me!
Rebecca in MD says
Love the pink, magenta, and red daylillies – – – – you lucky girl!
We are harvesting tomatoes and onions this week. My onions did much better than last year. I am making marinara sauce in my crockpot this morning. I just ordered some jelly jars for freezing sauce for pizza which is a regular menu item at my house (HH favorite).
Linda Practical Parsimony says
If bunnies are not eating basil, plant basil near what they eat.
Ramona says
Here in S.W. Idaho blueberries are about gone now, blackberries getting ripe but box elder bugs eating them. Have lots of bush green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots,beets. Eggplant are about 3 inches long. Raspberries are on their first little bit from spring but the second round I usually get lots. That is how my little garden is growing.
Lynn from NC Outer Banks says
Mavis, like you, I’m not wild about orange day lilies-don’t like them at all. And the yellow ones-meh. But now your pink and magenta ones-they are really pretty to me! Like Diana, I’d love to have some of those in my yard!
Susan H. says
So far this year I have harvested leaf lettuce, green onions, radishes, sun gold cherry tomatoes (the absolute sweetest), 1 german sausage tomato, black raspberries, strawberries, cilantro, basil, leaves from cabbage plants. Cucumbers and beans are blooming. Sounds like a lot but all veggies are planted tucked in around flower beds or in pots. May not harvest a large amount but ow the taste of home grown veggies! I may have to pick berries and freeze half cups at each picking but I was able to harvest enough to make jelly! I really enjoy this blog and all your tips and recipes!
Randi says
no basil here yet in WA. 🙁 tomatoes are green but present.
thoughts on your weeding… a few years ago we used a website called ‘chipdrop.com’. It is an arborist site where arborists will drop their newly chipped trees in your driveway for free. I ended up with pine and ash-tree chips which I used to mulch all over. Free delivery and recycling!
Mel says
I just cleaned and trimmed about 120 heads of garlic, and we’re drowning in tomatoes. It got too hot (over 100 several days in a row) for beans and cucumbers, but the tomatoes love it (they are also planted super deep, so they may get more water). Sadly, I’m well-stocked on sauce (pizza and spaghetti), and I haven’t had time to try roasting them to freeze, so we’re composting lots of tomatoes despite eating them all day every day. We reduced the number of plants significantly from last year, but the friends we normally share with are out of town.
Rebecca in MD says
Hi Mel,
Some food banks accept donations of fresh produce from gardeners. You can find a location near you by using this website:
https://ampleharvest.org/donate-food/
Mavis Butterfield says
Thanks for the link Rebecca in MD!
Katherine says
The harvest in my north Atlanta garden has been mostly squash and zucchini, green beans, tomatoes and cukes. I did harvest 2 pie pumpkins and several handfuls of green beans, which didn’t do well for me this year. Now that the borer worms have invaded my cukes and some of my squash and zucchini I’ve started some new plants for a second round. Since we don’t get frost until Oct I should have plenty of time for grow a second round of almost everything, except tomatoes.
Susan Sleeman says
Here in the Portland, OR area our blueberries and raspberries are just ending. Picked 12 pounds of green beans yesterday, and oodles of yellow and zucchini squash. Also a record year for cucumbers, and cabbages are just about ready to harvest. Oh and I pulled onions yesterday and set them out to cure, too. We had two weeks of early heat this summer so I got the heat-loving veggies started early and our winter squash plants are loaded with squash and we have a record number of pumpkins, too.
Tanya J. says
I also love a shoe with a wide toe box! I wear Altra running shoes and Lems.
Sue says
I wear Altra shoes too! Will look up Lem’s, hadn’t heard of them!
Misty says
So far I’ve harvested radishes, kale, lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, basil, snow peas, sugar snap peas, burgundy bush beans, basil, zucchini, onions, shallots, and a few assorted peppers. Still waiting on tomatoes to ripen and pumpkins/squash are beginning to flower.
Linda T says
I love , love, love those pink daylilies, and will be ordering some to start asap. You lucky duck!
Teri says
Love those daylilies; so pretty. I have dahlias blooming now.
Thanks for the shoe coupon — which ones did you buy? Did you find them true to size?
Mavis Butterfield says
I normally wear an 8, sometimes 8.5 in sneakers and ordered size 38 and they fit my feet perfectly. The style I bought is Blavand in navy.
Teri says
Thanks. Those clogs look comfy! Pricey but comfy!
Katelyn says
Here in Southern VT I’ve harvested Lettuce, Zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers, basil basil and more basil, and I’ve also frozen some dill. Still waiting on tomatoes to ripen, onions to be ready, and potatoes later in the season. Put this together with a full time office job and a 2 year old at home, and I’d say that’s not bad for my first year of “put it in dirt and see what we get!”
Kathy says
The link for the Duckfeet is not working. It takes me to a site that is not safe. Could it be because it’s on my iPad?
Thanks for any help.
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Kathy, I checked the link and it’s working fine from my computer and phone. Not sure why it’s not working for you.
Lynn Y says
We’re harvesting tons of kale, swiss chard, and calendula here in the Fox River Valley of Illinois. The cherry tomatoes and basil are absolutely bountiful and delicious this year, although we are having issues with the bunnies eating the bean plants and squash borers with the zucchini. We had a late frost here and so have been blessed with very few flies or mosquitoes. Poison ivy has appeared for the very first time on our property and so I have been battling a wicked (as they say out by you) rash.
Susan says
Picked the rest of the snowpeas and a few beets.
Have been eating green beans and made a batch of Dilly Beans.
Still picking kale …lots of kale…and mostly dehydrating that.
Zucchini is just starting and the tomatoes are doing great- will be a large harvest.
Kept the little yellow pear tomatoes and the jalapeno peppers in the hoophouse. Will be picking soon.
Planted the pie pumpkins this year and there are pumpkins on the vines!!
Corn stalks are 6′ tall .
Just planted 4 rows of rutabagas 4 days ago, and they are already sprouted 🙂
It is really a successful garden this year. I even got a row of dill 🙂
Mavis Butterfield says
Susan, what are you doing with your dehydrated kale?
Susan says
I add just a little olive oil with crushed garlic and massage it in gently before drying. My kids and
grandkids eat it as fast as I make it! For a snack.
You can also use it in soups- just toss some in.
I have frozen some, too to make the Olive Garden Soup .(Toscana)
Wash the kale- cut out the hard stem (you don’t have to-but we don’t like them) Spin and freeze.
You can get a lot in a quart or gallon zippy bag. Just press out the air – so they lie flat. A tip I learned from you 🙂 No need to blanch at all!!!