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| Back Garden |
M returned from his vacation on Friday. He was happy to see that the garden was still mostly green! LOL. He was also happy that I had kept the last Asian pear on the tree for him! The little Asian pear tree (with four kinds of Asian pears grafted onto it) was planted this spring and we really didn't expect any fruit in the first year, but, it produced eight!
He brought me a bulb of a plant that he said has very attractive foliage and a short-lived but very stinky flower! LOL. I told him to plant it way at the back of the garden, along the side wall (he wanted to make sure that I could see the flower when it bloomed; I'll be able to see it from the back door).
We bid farewell to our little Wonky Watermelon, yesterday:
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| Thank you for the memories, Wonky |
And we bid farewell to the last zucchini plant, too! I didn't take a picture of it, but, we thanked it for providing us with a bounty of zucchini, along with the other zucchini plants.
We also emptied out the second pot of potatoes as the tops had all died and harvested the potatoes:
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| Friday's Potato Harvest |
A few potatoes didn't look too good, so we tossed them back into the nearby planting bed to either grow or become compost.
M also cleared a section of the planting bed along the side wall where the self seeded four o'clock plants had finished flowering and had died off. The summer garden clean up has started. He will start weeding and cleaning up some of the other planting beds, in the coming weeks. I have a stack of cardboard boxes that I have broken down to be used as weed barrier in those planting beds until it is time to plant some winter vegetables.
I took these pictures on Saturday morning, just to give you an idea of what's happening in the garden:
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| The Okra Bed |
After the first two packets of okra seeds refused to germinate, M planted two more packets of seeds which have reluctantly come up. I think we didn't choose a good location for them - they get several hours of morning sun, but are in the shade for the rest of the day. There are supposed to be regular green okra and red okra. I think what we have growing is mostly red okra. No okra, or even flowers, as yet, but, we might be having a bud? Maybe?
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| Okra Flower Bud? |
All the chard we planted earlier bolted as soon as the temperatures rose, but, one plant decided to send a side shoot after the flowering stalk was cut off:
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| Summer Chard |
It seems to tolerate the summer heat quite nicely. I'm calling it summer chard! I'm not quite sure how it has escaped Bun Bun's attention, but, it was growing near the last zucchini plant, so maybe the zucchini plant sheltered it, a bit. I might have to move it (it's growing in a planter) closer to the house or put it within a wire mesh enclosure.
Elsewhere in the garden, the avocado plant I grew from a seed seems to be growing well:
It's growing in a big pot that one of the other fruit trees came in; if it survives the winter, we might consider planting it in the ground.
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| Avocado Seedling |
Of the two moringa plants I bought, last year, only one survived the winter. Even then, in the spring, it looked more dead than alive as it was just a stick, without any leaves. But, in mid May, it started to leaf out again, and now, it has flowers and at least one developing pod! There were a few other pods, but, the sun was too strong and the pods withered up when they were only about three inches long. The pod shown here is about 10 inches long and very thin; it needs to fill out a bit more before it can be picked and cooked!
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| Moringa Tree |
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| Moringa Pod |
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| Bun Bun's Calling Card! |
What is happening in your garden?
I always enjoy a look at your garden. You have a lot going on--especially since you live where there's not much rainfall. I'm glad M approved of your care while he was gone.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, June. :) It takes a lot of watering to keep the garden green! I try to plant mostly edible plants for that reason and the rest are relatively drought tolerant (succulents, etc.)
DeleteBye bye Wonky!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is so interesting with the moringa tree (never heard of that before I started reading your's and Nil's blogs), the okra, and now the pretty foliage plant with the stinky flowers ... do you know what that one is called?
I have to admit that M's meal suggestion made me laugh!
Thank you! Moringa (we call it murunga in Sinhalese) used to be one of my favorite vegetables when I was a child. It tastes a little bit like asparagus and I occasionally cook asparagus the way we cook moringa. I've tried the canned and the frozen ones and they don't taste anything like the fresh ones!
DeleteM told me the name of the stinky flower, but, I've forgotten it! I'll ask him, again.
Ha, ha, I know Bun Bun likes zucchini! He feasted on one that I tossed out, last night, because it had started to spoil (but, I wonder why he didn't eat any that were on the plants!). He gave a whole different meaning to "zucchini stuffed rabbit"! :D
Your garden is lovely! All the fruit trees and vegetable and flower areas make it look so lush and full. I hope the chard escapes Bun Buns attention! I've never tried moringa pods. Do you just cook them likes bean? Celie
ReplyDeleteMoringa pods, when they are mature, have to be peeled, then cut into short lengths before being cooked. We usually cook them in a "white" curry made with coconut milk gravy, but, they can be steamed, too, or, just boiled. Even after peeling, the outer part of the pod tends to be fibrous and the soft inner flesh is what is scraped out and eaten. The seeds are edible, too, especially if the pod has been picked before it gets too mature. :)
DeleteSounds interesting! I'm always willing to try new veggies, so if I come across any moringa pods, I'll try them!! Thanks for the information. Celie
DeleteYou are more likely to find them in Asian grocery stores if there are any in your area. I've seen moringa trees growing in other gardens, here, but, so far, I haven't seen any fresh pods in even the Asian grocery stores, only the canned and frozen ones, which don't taste right to me. :)
DeleteSuch a pretty garden! I've never seen an okra plant before and I don't think I've ever eaten okra. I guess Bun Bun is offering free fertilizer!
ReplyDeleteI haven't looked up any ideas for using that empty TicTac container but I did think of one - a place in the sewing room for broken needles and bent pins. But I don't need it as I already use an old pill bottle with a hole in the top for them.
Thank you, Bushlady. :) Okra is supposed to be related to hollyhocks and other mallow plants. The pods are rather gelatinous and used in dishes like gumbo. I saute them and make a curry with it. :)
DeleteThat's a very good use for an empty TicTac container or a pill container. By extension, it could also be used to dispose of blood sugar testing lancets, too. :)
What a pleasure seeing your garden. I always enjoy seeing what is going on and enjoy both the long shots of the garden and the close-ups of the specific plants.
ReplyDeleteThis year has been a good year for your plants, they certainly are flourishing.
Thank you, Debra. My garden is definitely not well laid out or designed, but, that's OK. This year, it has done very well and produced a lot of food for me. It has taken a considerable amount of water, time, and effort, with M and my daughter stepping up when I couldn't do anything, but, it has been a good year for the garden. :)
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