Gnome Cookery: Growing

Purple cabbage nestled among Lambs Ear and Purple Cone flower, beside a Lilac bush.

Golly Miss Molly! We have had a lot of rain this summer at my West Virginia location!
Between the rain and my work schedule I am so so sooooo behind on my weeding, dehydrating and all around garden maintenance chores. I grow many of my vegetables in the same beds as my herbs and flowers. I started planting late this year because of the rain and decided to plant my purple cabbage near the Lilac bushes to protect them from heat. I had hoped to get a very late cabbage crop. Well we have not had the usual heat with all this rain. The bugs have been ferocious and a willowy friend turned me on to Captain Jack Dead Bug . My pretty purple cabbage may be past the point of no return but I sprayed them anyway and will hope for the best.

The cucumbers are doing great! See the big one I picked and then ate for dinner in the left corner?

I switched my cucumbers to a new spot this year, since they did really crappy last year. The herb borage was already growing in that spot. I just weeded them back a bit so the cucumbers would have plenty of room to spread. Borage is a great companion plant for vegetables such as tomatoes, strawberries and squash. Maybe cucumbers too? Nothing kills the borage and they reseed them selves year after year.

Carrots, speckled roman tomato and sunflowers.

I was not a very good seed saver last year so I was very happy to see that the Speckled Roman tomato that had grown in that spot last year sprouted a few plants. I am not completely sure it is that tomato variety since I have not seen the fruit yet but my fingers are crossed. I really loved that tomato variety! The tomato variety was sweet, meaty and didn't have a lot of seeds. It was an excellent canning tomato that had curb appeal in my front yard garden.

Basil, Roma and Ox heart tomatoes.

The soil in this garden is not as weed free as my other beds. This is only the second planting of in this garden area. I pulled weeds that where as tall as me. I found bannana peppers, tomatoes, sunflowers, garlic, potatoes and unfortunately evidence that other seeds I had planted did not survive. My pole beans and pumpkins where eaten or else smothered by the weeds. I still have more weeding to do!

Another volunteer plant.

The volunteer squash plant has just started to set fruit. Since the pumpkins and butternut that I planted did not make it (for the first time ever!), I am hoping it will be some type of pumpkin. Trinnity and Chloe planted the sunflowers and they have enjoyed watching 'their' plants grow bigger then they are.

Peppermint, oregano, wormwood and etc in the front yard garden.

I have several different gardens. The main vegetable gardens are on each side of my house and also a front yard garden. I do not live on a busy street so my gardens are not very evident unless someone pulls into my driveway to come visit. I do live within the city limits of a small town. I plant flowers, herbs and vegetables together. I applaud people that plant front yard gardens in areas where they are considered a violation or might be banned. I feel it is important to grow my own food and at least try to make a smaller carbon footprint. I think front yard gardens are beautiful. Really aren't the 'weeds' in our yards just agreed upon flowers?