Dry, but Mild.

I guess I was too busy to post in June and my May post I was talking about the heat. Well, things have changed. Surprise. Surprise. The last 3 weeks have been relatively cool to mild. We even had a week in the low 80s and even 70s! However, we haven't had rain in about 3 weeks, until today (1/10th this morn). There have been several scatter storms pass through the area over this period, but most have split north and south of us. We had a sprinkle this morning, but we really need more. Finger's crossed we will get more rain today and tonight.

In the Veg Garden
The mater plants are beautiful- big, green, lush and loaded with fruits, alas none are ripe yet. I realized I didn't plant any cherry tomatoes, because I would be eating those by now if I had. I did let some of my favorite white currant tomatoes volunteer, but those are traditionally later anyway. The zucchini plants are huge and have made many fruits, but most have shriveled. I wonder if this is due to poor pollination because I have the plants covered. I need to look that up. The plants have busted out of the cover and I've found Stink Bug eggs on them. Those leaves I removed. I also planted 3 more plants assuming the current ones are gonna get hit soon. I have 1 watermelon seedling, that appears to be doing nothing above ground. The pepper plants are looking good, but not really fruiting yet. The eggplants are already being burdened by fruit. I need to pick those so the plants can grow. The corn looks great. Sweets are doing well. Beans are not producing yet. I harvested a decent crop of early potatoes and planted late zinnias, melon and squash in their place. Now for pics.

White Cucumbers. Zucchini under cover. Row 2.

 Harvesting and enjoying many white cukes. A few per day.

Here with hummus.

 A few volunteer sunflowers. Row 3

 Brandywines. Patiently waiting.

 Row 3. Tomato row. 

First garlic: from late June

 A forgotten heirloom pepper- from Heimos Greenhouse

Row 5 front. 

Potatoes grown from Shop-N-Save potatoes!

Popcorn, Yellow Wax and Burgundy beans. Row 4

Late June photo.

Sweets. Row 5. Late June.

Flower Gardens and Critters

The 2016 Garden. Most of the perennials are

still behind where I'd like them to be, but better than last year.

 Bombus impatiens on Mountain Mint

 Cabbage Butterfly on Hoary Vervain

 Bea and Urey at the pond. We have tadpolls after only

21 days built!

 Charlie's afternoon sleeping spot

 This lovely new Cosmos selection. 

Buttery yellows.

 Swamp Milkweed with Milkweed Bugs

 Jailbird Ruby

 Shrubby St Johns Wort

 Thread-waisted Wasp on Mountain Mint

Found this sleeping Carpenter Bee early one morn.

I've been fortunate to get to garden a lot this summer due to not working. I'm both excited and sad that it is already July. I'm midway to back-to-work time. : ( I'll try to soak up as much of my free time as possible. 

Happy July Gardening to you.