Hello Everyone,
Today I'm submitting my entry for the July Garden Journal Challenge.
For the challenge I'm making it specifically about the outdoor garden because this garden is special. It's special because it's the first garden I've ever grown outdoors in my entire life.
For a first garden I couldn't ask for much better!
Let's check out how it's coming along!
It's hard to say which plant is the winner in terms of production, but so far it is the squash plants. The tomatoes are the runner up plants though and may surpass the squash production.
There's been powdery mildew on the squash plants, and I've been fighting it by applying cinnamon to the foliage. It seems to help stop the spread, and currently the powdery mildew is not hindering the squash production.
In the photograph above we can see the cinnamon in use. I'm not too happy about having to use up cinnamon on the plants but it's all I have right now to combat the powdery mold issue and is worth the cinnamon sacrifice because cinnamon is pretty cheap compared to squash where I live in upstate New York.
Despite being the smallest tomato plant, the Cherokee tomato plant is my favorite. The reason it's my favorite is because I grew it from seed and it's not a super popular variety around here. The tomatoes will grow purple and are supposed to be delicious. I've never had them before but it looks like I might get to try them this summer!
The tomatoes on the right side of the garden are ripening up quickly. They are very small tomatoes but they taste pretty good. They are pretty standard tasting, not too heavy on the sweetness and very tomato-ish with their flavor.
The beefsteak tomatoes on the left side of the garden have not ripened yet, they just keep getting bigger. In contrast to the other tomatoes, these tomatoes are some serious monster size tomatoes and all looked deformed. I don't care a bit if they're deformed if they taste like tomatoes. I don't know what to expect in terms of flavor, or if they will be the best in the garden. My money is on the Cherokee tomatoes.
The bean plant is coming along slowly but surely. It's very healthy but very small. I don't know what to expect from it. I don't think it will be a huge plant or a huge producer but I'm happy that it is a happy plant nonetheless.
The eggplants are trying to bloom once again. We can see a purple flower in the left eggplant. This is the second or third attempt with these two plants. I'm not sure why they are not producing but I've not given up hope on them, and they appear to not have given up hope either, so we shall see what happens.
The back of the garden is a thing nightmares are made out of. More an more I dread even trying to step foot in there...
I don't even really know what's going on with the majority of the plants in the back. The pepper plants are still alive back there I think, and the cucumber plants are still growing all over the place but with no sure signs of good cucumbers on the way.
So I kind of saved the worst for last... I will probably step foot in there this week at some point and give my best effort to clear up some weeds.
Even though there is a "worst" section, I still feel this garden is a huge success overall. I'm not stressed out a bit about those plants back there because I'm so happy about the other plants. I think the takeaway is just learning what I can do better next year for plant placement.
I feel assured by this ray of sunshine that the Cherokee tomato plant that I sowed from seed is one of the happiest plants in the garden right now :)
I'll be eating this beautiful squash tonight from the garden, and the tomatoes I'll probably use for tomato sandwiches tomorrow.
At the completion of my July garden journal entry, I would say the theme of this garden is SUCCESS! Why? Because this garden is proof that virtually anyone can grow their own food, even if experience is limited like is the case with me!
If you're growing a garden and would like to take part in the garden journal challenge, be sure to head over to the July Garden Journal Challenge post to familiarize yourself with what is necessary for an entry!
That will do it for this garden journal entry!
How is this garden looking to all of you?
I would love to read your thoughts in the comments section!
Thank you for stopping by!
