[Diana in Wisconsin]

[MomwithHope]

Morning all, beautiful morning here in west Michigan. Garden is growing great, hubby got that woodchuck and an offspring, the only one we think. Enjoying the maintainance and looking forward to more produce. Happy Independence Day to all!

[Qiviut]

We got 1-3/4 inches of rain from late Thursday afternoon through yesterday morning. Tha garden is happy! The grass, which was dry to the point that if you walked in it, you left footprints, is very green again.

I visited the garden yesterday to see how everything was going.

• The cherry tomatoes have gone ballistic - from all but dead at maybe 2" tall with one green leaf, they are now outside the tomato cages and about to breech the fence & walkway. LOADED with blooms, but the tomatoes that are on are not ripening yet.
• Celebrities - LOADED with tomatoes, but nothing ripe yet.
• Cucumbers - picked 19 yesterday (and already had 7 in the house). I'm making a stop at the fire station at the end of the road to see if they'd like some cukes.
• Zinnias - about to bloom - can see color at the end of the buds. Unfortunately, it's Japanese beetle time. I have some spray (pyrethrin in it) that does a number on them and I "spot spray" the beetles so I don't kill any pollinators - had to do this last year.
• Morning glories - really have grown & look like they'll be climbing soon.
• Jalapenos - multiple peppers on the 4 plants. Bells are blooming.
• Cardinal Climbing vines - the two plants in pots are now blooming fairly profusely. I have to water the (large) pots twice a day to keep them from wilting.
• Radishes (French Breakfast) are ready to harvest - probably won't plant any more
• Giant sunflowers are about 4-1/2 feet and the tithonia are at least 3 feet - can't wait until they bloom!

Headed for the Lake cabin at noon - the big houses across the lake usually put on a pretty fantastic fireworks show - they must hire professionals to do it. Some family members will be meeting us at the cabin so it should be a nice break from the routine. Temps low 80's, low humidity & a breeze - gorgeous weather!

Happy 4th of July - FREEDOM from tyranny (past & present)!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Love it!

Garden and care of yourself and your family, a patriotic duty!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Garden update from the PNW Zone 8B (finally throwing that iny post)

Tomatoes and peppers in the ground doing great. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in pots doing fantastic.

Swiss chard and black kale in raised beds survived the 100+ degree temps (3 straight days) due to me planting them in the bed that is shaded by cedar and fir trees half the day and liberal watering both morning and night.

My pickling cucumbers which died 3x after transplanting in spring....for some reason revived themselves in the extreme heat and are doing quite well. I had to add more trellises.

My blueberry bushes are full of not yet ripe blueberries.

My roses in the backyard and my huge rose bush in the front yard hated the 90-110 defree temps. But the huge bush exploded with blooms 3 days after the temps dropped back into the 70s.

I had a couple of yams and sweet potatoes with eyes on them so I dropped them into a garden bed for “blanks” n giggles.

1 week from today I am starting my fall Brussel sprout seeds in the greenhouse. I have never grown brussel sprouts so I am accepting “forewarnings” and any advice from bruaswl sprout veterans and old dogs.

[left that other site]

Pouring rain here in Boston.

The Grass loves it!

[Ladysforest]

I discovered today that I have 4 pea pods. And some green beans came up. And the tomato plants are a foot high and holding.

HOWEVER - my apple tree finally has apples that stuck around! I didn’t Neem it at all this year, and in spite of that it’s looking better this year than it has in a long time. And I have APPLES - quite a few still, and some are getting a blush! This is Hot Damn time for me, lol. Especially since the whole re-do of the garden has been such a dumb thing this year.

[tob2]

With the return of warmer weather, the garden is improving. Tomato plant is getting bigger, tuberous begonias poking through the soil, coleus is flowering, and a couple of calladiums poking through the soil! In the house, tuberous begonias sending up strong shoots as well. Pulling up spent pansies. There are still pansy flowers on the remaining plants. Hope you had a safe and Happy 4th of July.