We had a light rain last night, so my morning watering was much easier.
Normally, I will put water to the base of the plant until it begins to pond or run off, then I'll move on to the next and repeat. Then come back a second round so that this time it soaks in.
Didn't have to do that this morning.
In the back of this photo, you can see a large tomato bush inside a round fence. That was my original, the start of this years garden.
It was already 12 inches tall when I bought it, and it has produced a lot of fruit.
All these started turning almost the same time, so I brought them in to finish on my window sills, they are almost all gone now, eaten or given away.
There is a second gen coming on now, some beginning to show color, and in the younger tomato plants I installed later, those too are beginning to show color (see top image)
It has been somewhat a challenge, a lot of work as the dirt here is very high in clay and rock, making digging very difficult.
My cucumbers have produced prodigiously (I suppose anyway, since I've never grown them, nor even picked them before)
I think this is its last gasp though, for this year anyway
When I began this adventure, after that first tomato (along with Basil and Oregano planted too close to it) I installed a row, with a Poblano pepper plant, the Cucumber, a Yellow "Crook neck" Squash, and a bell pepper plant, all in a row, all about 12 inches apart.
Big mistake, as the cuke quickly over took everything (Plus, my niece told me that squash and cucumber would cross pollinate and you'd have fruits tasting like a combination, so I moved the squash plant, and it has NOT been happy, but it is now finally looking better, but there is a problem with it there)
That is the squash in the lower right quadrant. For the first months, I got ONE fruit, it stayed small so I went ahead and cut it; I didn't want it to turn into a gourd.
Forever more after that, the plant would bloom mightily, but the fruit always rotted, and finally I spotted a slug (snail without a shell) had been munching.
(There's the slug)
I was advised to get some "Diatomaceous Earth" (I did) and some BT
What is Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)?
Bt is a microbe naturally found in soil. It makes proteins that are toxic to immature insects (larvae). There are many types of Bt. Each targets different insect groups. Target insects include beetles, mosquitoes, black flies, caterpillars, and moths.
Those things have helped over all, but my squash still isn't producing, maybe it will continue to come out of its shell.
It certainly looks happier.
And there is just ONE fruit developing on it as of right now
I've never seen an orange lady bug, so I had to ask what this was
My Okra never did produce a LOT, and I am currently letting one pod stay put to fully develop for seed next year.
I was astounded at how fast the pods would grow, watering in the evening a pod might be as long as my pinkie finger, then by morning large enough to almost be no good for anything but frying
There are many buds left, so maybe I'll still get some good pods
When I went back out just now to get some of these photos, I noticed that my cucumber is again invading one of the tomato cages
So I'll finish with my peppers.
Poblano
Habanero
And
Sweet Bell Pepper
I started to go into my flowers out front, but this is enough for today.
"My Garden Journal for August 2021"
by
Jerry E Smith
©08/03/2021
All images are original.
I would like to thank 
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