My late July Garden

The grass is growing very nicely and greenly after we recently put down fertilizer with 16% nitrogen.  St. Augustine grass is greedy and thirsty and it has a tendency to travel.  My husband and I try to get up early in the morning and do some yard and garden work, but we must have coffee first.

We have just pulled up the corn stalks.  It's no need for them to sit out there and tempt the nematodes.  For a change, we had a good crop of healthy and full corn cobs.  I froze some of them after shucking, blanching, and cooling in cold water.  Some of the cobs weren't quite full so I cut the corn kernels off, blanched them too and put them into the freezer.

Since we have a year round garden, there is no time for solarization which takes too long, about six weeks under clear plastic to be effective.  Instead of solarization, I sowed black eyed peas to cover the areas that we have harvested.

The peas provide nutrients to the soil; the beans are easy to pick and shell; and freeze well.  It doesn't matter if we don't get any peas, the greens can be turned into green manure when the garden is tilled for the fall season.  It also prevents weeds such as the dollar weed to completely invade the garden.

The Sieva butter beans are producing a mega crop and we are picking as fast as we can, shelling, blanching, and putting into the freezer.  I also planted Mezcla pole butter beans which some say is a replacement for the Sieva.  In my blog, the jury is still out on the Mezcla.  They look the same as Sivea and the texture and size seem to be the same; however, tasting the uncooked Sieva, it is sweeter and Mezcla is nuttier and less sweet.

We are also getting a fair amount of green peppers.  I am told that if the peppers are cut lengthwise in strips, it may be put in the freezer without blanching.  I have done just that in previous years, but I prefer eating them fresh.  They do have a fairly long shelf life in the fridge.

A stray pumpkin also appeared in the garden and we let it grow.  I put a Styrofoam tray under it to keep it from rotting.  I just cut it in half, seeded it, and cut it into yet smaller pieces, and put them in a pot of water to boil them until soft.  I will remove the flesh, mash it, and put it into the freezer, and make pumpkin bread at a later date.

Tomorrow is another day and we plan to remove the tomato vines too.  Then we can turn the soil over in that garden plot and spread compost over the area.  Ah, that reminds me:  I have to turn the compost too otherwise it will mat because it consists mostly of grass at this time.  A gardener's work is never done.

Have a great weekend.

Drink plenty of water.

Thank you for visiting my blog.

Squash

Summer Squash

Pumpkins, gourds, summer and winter squash as well as zucchini and what other kind of squash you may think of belong in the same family.  No surprise there, right?  Regardless of what kind of squash you choose to plant, they require plenty of room to grow unimpeded. Last season, I planted (threw out is more accurate) a handful of pumpkin seeds along the scenic creek.  They are now show-casing their big bright yellow flowers and they are sporting large leaves and runners rambling along some logs.

My favorite squash are the crooknecks but they were not available at planting time so I settled for a summer squash also known as yellow zucchini.  Did you know that the yellow zucchini flowers are edible? They are supposed to be a "culinary delicacy" when sauteed or deep fried.

Professional gardeners recommend that you slip a barrier such as a foam tray or a newspaper between the squash fruit and the soil to prevent rot.  Experts also suggest that you cut out the smaller squashes to promote the growth of larger ones.  It is important that you harvest the fruit before the skins turn hard.

Unfortunately, squash is susceptible to troublesome pests that spread bacterial wilt before any of the fruit is ready for harvest.  You may control aphids with a forceful spraying of water.  The aphids are known to carry virus.  The pumpkin plants on the Back Forty have developed a powdery mildew that requires spraying with a commercial fungicide.  So far, the rest of the squash planted among the red top bushes are doing fine.

Summer Squash Fruit

A delightful and colorful stir fried vegetable medley may be enjoyed by chopping a yellow summer squash and a green zucchini into bite size pieces and mixing them with onions and any colored pepper.  I use the skin of the squashes as well as the seeds.  If you prefer, scoop the seeds out with a spoon after cutting the squashes lengthwise before cooking.

Since my squashes have succumbed to rot and wilt in previous years, I have not had a chance to freeze too much of them, but it is doable.  I cut the squash up with skin and seeds in large bite size pieces, dunk them in boiling water for a few minutes, drain, and cool under running water, then bag them and put them into the freezer.  They turn out fairly well and when cooked with some onions taste rather delicious.

Source:  Encyclopedia of Plant Care by Miracle-Gro
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As always, thank you for visiting my blog.  Stay a while and leave a message.  I'll be off until Monday.

Have a safe weekend.