Eight Days Growing

So, I mentioned not long ago how easy it is to notice how rapidly the garden changes when I am away from it for a while.  That was all the more evident when Matt and returned from eight full days away from it.  It looked so lush and wonderful and was positively bursting with bounty that needed harvested--summer squash and strawberries most notably.  There was so much summer squash--almost 20 pounds to harvest upon our return!  We're gobbling it up as fast as we can and it is so good.  We are grateful to Matt's brother, Ryan, for watering it for us while we were away (and pulling the downed limb off our carrot patch after that windstorm).  Matt told me he didn't even think of the garden once until the day we were driving back home.  I was surprised to hear that, really, since the garden is Matt's pride and joy and he works in it and talks about it daily.  But, we knew it was in good hands.  And boy, did it grow.

Butternut squash, chard, and the summer squash patch in the back.

Our first tomatoes starting to turn.

The herb patch--mint, (lots of) basil, sage, chives, oregano, thyme.

Big zucchini, little zucchini side by side.  This variety is called Raven.

Finally...a couple sunflowers opened!  I feel like I've been waiting forever.  

The birds planted some for me, too, and they also were in bloom when we returned.  I think they're cute.

Beans for drying.  The rows are sort of muddled and its hard to tell at this point but we planted Red Mexican Beans, Yellow Indian Beans, and Hutterite Soup Beans.  And then we joked that apparently we only grow ethnically themed dry beans.  It was not consciously planned that way, but none the less.

Tomatillo blossoms are quite striking.  The bees love them.  

The little paper lanterns of the tomatillos are pretty awesome looking, too.  What a neat plant to grow!  I hope the lanterns fill out well, too, because I sure do enjoy a nice green salsa.

We've got three kinds of summer squash growing.  The previously mentioned dark green Raven variety.  A light green, sort of striped variety called Clairmore.  And these bright yellow beauties, Golden Dawn.

The ever-bearing strawberries continue to fruit.  I am so impressed and pleased.  Ryan even ate some as garden-tending fee and there was still lots for picking upon our return.

Chard, butternuts, kale, chard with corn and pole beans in the background.

The pole beans have exceeded the height of their supporting tepees.   In fact, they are making bridges between them of their intertwining vines.  They are Rattlesnake and Purple Pole beans.

Their blossoms are lovely.

The corn is starting to make ears!!  We've never grown corn before.

To my great surprise and delight it looks like some of our pathetic little pepper plants (we had a rough year with our pepper and tomato seedlingsmight actually do okay.  One cayenne and a couple Nardello are at least fruiting well.  There is still hope for them yet.

Peppers with tomatoes and tomatillos in the background.  This is a sort of experimental bed.  All the tomato plants were regrettably small and so Matt just planted them a little closer together.   Its like a tomato hedge.  We'll see how well it fruits.