Tomato Update

The tomatoes continue to grow each day.  They are getting more color, signifying the start of the ripening process.  The first of our sungold cherry tomatoes are ready this week.  A tasty treat for the gardener, cherry tomatoes ripen one by one, inviting snacking during garden work.

Big tomatoes

Sungold cherry tomatoes

Big tomatoes

tomato flower

Summer Flowers

Purple girasol

Magenta girasol

girasoles

blue flower

chamomile

gourd flower

squash flower

Marigold sprouts

Red Rose

Gladiola

Squash

Squash are abundant producers and this time of year it can be difficult to keep up with all the harvesting.

Acorn Squash

Pumpkin

Butternut on the vine

Trombetta de Albenga

Delicata

Cilacayote

Squash and Cucumber

Zucchini

The lineup

Overgrown

Sometimes, despite a gardener’s best efforts, the ideal harvest window on a particular vegetable or fruit is missed.  This can lead to oversized fruit, overripe fruit, damage from pests, or even theft.  In some cases the veggie can be saved for seeds but sometimes it is just a loss.  In the case of squash you can save the seeds, but because of the nature of hybrid seeds, and the genetics of the cucurbita genus, there is no guarantee you will get the same type of squash next year.  The cabbage will be edible, but less tender and sweet than if it were small.  The corianed/cilantro seeds can be collected and used for planting or as a spice.

Overgrown cabbage

Overgrown cabbage

Overgrown sqash

Cilantro seeds

Peppers

Our Italian Corno di Toro sweet peppers are ripening on the bush, growing tastier by the day.  I harvested one to see how it tasted, but will leave the rest until they are red and yellow because they will be sweeter.  Some good summer heat should be just what they need

Harvest

Green pepper

Corno di Toro

peppers on the bush

Northern Giants

Sunflowers are called girasoles in spanish.  Their yellow and black faces can be seen peeking over the tops cornstalks and fences throughout the garden.  Bringing joy to the gardener and bees to the plants, sunflowers are a must have in gardens around the world.  In many indigenous American gardens, sunflowers are planted along the northern edge of the parcel.  This is done  so they don’t shade out the garden.  In the northern hemisphere, the suns rays come from the south making it the sunniest side of the garden.  any tall plants or structures on the southern edge of the garden will shade out the garden.

Miriam’s Sunflowers

Domingo’s sunflower

Sunflower

Sunflowers

Emilio’s sunflowers