Gardens, sunshine, and all things summer

I love to look through my garden pictures and see how my plants have grown. It's like my own little time capsule. My how things change from week to week, and I can notice changes from day to day in some of the more rapidly growing peas and beans. Delightful!!

Speaking of peas...
This is my '3 Sisters' garden. I followed the directions of planting the corn then waiting two weeks and planting the beans. I'm supposed to wait another two weeks and plant the squash. The idea is to give the corn a head start and allow the beans to trellis up the corn. I think I'm doing something wrong because my beans are already as tall as my corn. I think the corn will be trellising the beans in another week. Any successful '3 Sisters' gardeners out there? Help!

Pickling cucumbers are also a plant that changes by the hour. Every morning I have to come outside and rewrap the cucumber tendrils around the right stake. They are so grabby! They reach out and grab each other every chance they get. I'm 'training' these cucumbers about as well as I 'train' a few dogs around here which shall remain nameless ~cough~ Maddie and Ella ~cough~

My squash is big and beautiful. Last year it was big and beautiful too and not a single squash was produced. So, though it is pretty, I'm still not certain I'll have any squash on my dinner table just yet.

Here is a larger view from about half way in the garden looking toward the house. And, the clutter surrounding my tool shed. And, some sort of white bucket that's not supposed to be there. Ignore my cluttered life and focus instead on my cute little garden boy that likes to pick strawberries and eat them right off the plant. Yes, look at him instead.

Black blackberries! Those are the very best kind.

Because I'm told the squash vine borer is sure to find my squash at any minute, I planted squash in unusual places to try and confuse those pesky borers. I'll let you know if my clever idea pays off in another couple of months.

Broccoli and eggplant. The broccoli is about to go because it's getting hot (finally!) and broccoli is not a fan of heat. Unlike Lady Why, who is heat's number one fan.

That sure is pretty squash. Pretty squashless, actually. Fingers crossed!

Look at those beans go! From last night to this morning, my Kentucky Wonders have trellised all the way to the top and are now circling the top rung and heading down again.

Just from the time I snapped the last picture, they did this. OK, not really. I like to exaggerate.

But, they are so fascinating that I just can't stop taking pictures from atop my step ladder. You need a step ladder to get all the way to the top of the trellis. It's high.

In other homestead news, Mr. P is building me another retaining wall just because he can. He found this broken concrete and asked if he could haul it off for the company that was breaking it up. They thought him quite a sucker and told him yes. Little did they know what Mr. P can make out of nothing. He's a genius at making nothing into something. Isn't it great?! The man can create. You have to give him that.

That's the news from the homestead. Now it's back out to admire the garden. Or maybe clean the house and do some long division. But, I'd really rather be in the garden.