Gardening season is relatively shorter than in other places in the world so I have to pack the good updates up weekly in the middle of the summer. 10 days since the last Pickleman Family Garden but I have an excuse!
One of the more rewarding experiences to share is gardening which happens to be a highlight of my summers after those long Canadian winters. The July contest has closed Garden Journal Challenge by 
Welcome to the 6th year of The Pickleman Family Garden series on #hive. What started as a reclamation of lawn and repurposing to a simple garden veggie box has become and expanding and perpetual yearly tradition of exploration.
This edition, we pruned, fertilized and weeded and see what happens.
10 Days Ago
The last update, we had a few hot dry days and the tomatoes started to reach for the sky. I has fertilized and was lucky enough to have had plenty of rain and sun for some good growth.
This week, the sky opened and dumped 9.5 inches of rain in a couple of 2-hour thundershowers over 48 hours. The garden became a swamp. Roots probably drank the whole pond and I was not about to wade out into that to do any maintenance or pruning.
Tomatoes
When the tide receded, I had so much pruning to do on the lower branches of the tomatoes, I may have gone overboard. Plenty of tomatoes on each vine and hopefully I have not removed so many lower branches that the shock is too big. We will see!
As for the tomatoes themselves, there are dozens, with some cherry tomatoes turning pink already. I am not sure of this is one goofy beefsteak or an artisan brandywine variety. We will see after a week or so with steady fresh watering and sunshine.
Peppers
It seems every year, there is a type of peppers that just flourish. I remember years dominated by jalapeno, habanero and the year the ghost pepper plant produced over 30 of the hottest peppers I have ever eaten. This year, it seems that the Mad Hatters. These pretty maids are not very hot so they are perfect for adding to sauces for a little zing, or stuffed with cheese in the oven for some light heat appetizers.
Next up on the pepper schedule seems to be the habaneros. Probably my favourite pepper for the respectable hear, great flavour and count you can get from each plant in the garden. This year, I managed to end up with 6 Habanero plants in a variety of beds and planters. If I get a bumper crop, I will have no choice but to ferment a bunch of hot sauce this year.
What Else?
Kale! This hearty plant popped up in the spring after being planted last year and is a superfood of iron and fiber among many other nutrients. I ignored it for a week and a bit to find it had sprouted some seeds so I snapped the tops off all the branches and it came back twice as strong. I can pull a big bad of kale off this every week and it keeps coming back.
Despite my namesake, I have had a few tough years with pickles. Planted them in the wrong spot, has the critters eat them as sprouts, year after year of no pickles. The big news is we might finally have pickle! Stay tuned.
Blooms
A sprinkle of seeds from last year's Morning Glories have resulted in the start of quite a vine on the end of the veggie bed. Not the best location when it comes to blocking some of the air flow through the tomatoes to keep them producing but I have fed them up onto the fence to grow. I will prune the lower leaves on the left so sun and air get to those beefsteaks.
the first flowers are out and look so nice in the morning, as one might expect. They curl up in the sunlight but are still fascinating to behold.
The next perennials to take their turn on the stage are probably my favourite. Echinacea group nicely in the shade with their intricate orange cone and the vibrant pink petals. We haven't harvested any for their medical benefits but I should look into how to do that. Til then, they are wonderful to behold.
I will hold out til the next update to get into my annuals. I am such an old lady with my little flowers as I love the splash of colour, contributing to pollination, and love a good sale. One of these finally dropped where the nursery clears out all their remaining annuals. I snapped up a few after waiting patiently and have planters like this one to show next time.
Gnomes
I can grow the neatest stuff and still the gnomes will be the topic of conversation in this blog. My daughter claimed this one is in jail but it kinda looks lie he is free to go, and perhaps warming us to leave him to his tomatoes and oregano.
This little guy prefers to hang with the basil which is a little yellow due to too much rain.
Yet another can be found tending to the pansies and getting his beard dirty.
So far so good.
In the end, the water receded and I got my pruning done. Stuff is growing every where and I have had a barrel full of rain water to use on days of no rain. Harvest season seems to be starting for a couple veggies but we have a whole month of August to pick and eat. So far so good!
Thus ends this chapter of the garden update. Really looking forward ot the first veggies being ready to harvest but patience is the name of the game.
Mom started me along my path of growing stuff when I was a kid. Motivated by so many blockchain blogging gardeners, I figured I would plant and share and learn as I reclaim as much grass space as I can. It has turned out to be a fruitful experience and I hope to inspire you to sow and grow no matter what your location or experience level is.
While this may be true, there are so many more benefits than just money.
Wherever you are...JUST GROW!
I am honoured to curate for:
