Everything is going well in the garden. 🙂
In fact… it’s a jungle out there!
Haha it just looks like a mass of green foliage ~ you can barely tell where one plant ends and another begins from this angle.
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But upon closer investigation…
You can see that my pepper plant is growing nice and strong, and is completely packed full of peppers!
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And I’ve got tons of jalapenos too! Although you can’t really tell from this shot. It’s getting quite difficult to get in there for photos because everything is so crowded. 🙂
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My cucumbers are exploding and flourishing upon the new lattice panels and wiring my sis and I put up. There are so many little cukes developing all over these vines, it’s absolutely wonderful!
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We’ve been eating lots of them too ~ such a tasty treat!
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Unfortunately some critter has been sampling some of them too. I found these two casualties laying discarded underneath my trellis. 😦 I was pretty ticked off about this too because just the day before I had decided to leave these two on the vine for just one more day to grow, and then I go out to pick them and find that something nibbled off the skins and ate the insides, then left the rest for the bugs to come and feast upon as well. Grrr…
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And I’m afraid my tomatoes are in trouble. I’ve never dealt with this before and I’m not sure why this would happen, but I think they’ve got something called blossom end rot. I’ve been reading up on how to remedy it, so I hope I can. Wish me luck. Ew these look disgusting…
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But my beans are coming right along. Although I don’t think they’re getting enough sun because their leaves are lightening a little. Also, I had expected them to be ready to pick by now and they’re just not plumping up very much. 
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I blame the zucchini. It’s such a garden hog. But it’s hard to complain when we’ve been gobbling up zucchinis galore! And if you’ve been reading my gardening posts, you know of my love for zucchini. 🙂
We’ve been eating them up so quickly in fact that I don’t even have a photo of one to show you…
(insert zucchini photo ;))
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And two blooming beauties that are at peak right now..
My mom’s wonderfully fragrant phlox 
♥Happy birthday Mindi! ♥
And her hostas 
I swear I’ve never realized or appreciated the loveliness of hosta as much as I have this year…
~Gardening is my therapy~
Ramblings From Jewels 
Your garden is so lush and healthy! Look at the cukes! Ours is half dead now. We don’t think it will bounce back. Everyone seems to be having the same problem with end rot on tomatoes this year. We are a bit behind you and I am scared of having it happen to ours. From what I read it is a lack of calcium (can be water too). I constantly add crushed eggs shells to the garden, so I hope it is enough.
Phlox is one of my Mom’s favorites. They are so pretty. I love Hostas! Probably because they are hard to kill. LOL!
Just can’t believe the size of everything you have. My husband will be envious when I show him your cukes. 😉
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Thanks! Oh I’m sorry to hear about your cukes. 😦 What happened? Oh, you’ve heard of other people having troubled tomatoes this year too? I’ve never had this issue with my tomatoes so it’s new to me. I thought maybe it’s because I’m growing them in a pot this time and they’re not getting watered properly. I also heard that a calcium deficiency can be a reason for it too, and what I read said to add baking soda to the water in a watering can, but I water straight from the hose. I’m with your mom… I just love phlox! They’re so pretty and fragrant. I planted these for my mom years ago and it’s so nice to see them still blooming. I’ve grown hosta for years and liked them fine, but never really fully appreciated their beauty until now.
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I don’t think we have the cukes growing in a good spot. Next year we will move it. They have bounced back and there are 2 on the plant. We’ll see. It just doesn’t seem to like the area.
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Reblogged this on conversationswithmymuse and commented:
I wish I had her green thumb. 😉
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Thank you for adding “my birthday picture.” Shed one or two of those happy tears of mine again, you know me. 😥 = 🙂 Your cukes are amazing, jealous is what I am. Great shots of the peppers too.
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Funny thing is… I have several different shots that I took of these phlox and had planned on using a different one for my blog, but the one I sent you for your birthday is my favorite, and since I was posting this on your birthday I just decided to use that same one and then add another extra little birthday wish for you. Loves & hugs, my friend! ♥
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Yeah, you have phlox! The garden looks great, except for those rotting tomatoes. I haven’t dealt with that problem. Good luck!
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Yep, my turn now! Thanks Laurie! 🙂 Yeah, except for those… I know aren’t they gross? 😦 I’ve never dealt with this problem before either and I really hope I can fix it.
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Everything looks fabulous Jewels~ 😛
I picked our lone eggplant yesterday because my mama said that if I don’t it may start to get soft & unusable. So we have a 6 by 2 inch eggplant to work with. I can slice very thin & flour & season & fry in oil. Then layer them with tomato sauce & parm cheese. Nice appetizer~
Thanks for sharing your gardening & other stories~
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Thanks Patty! 🙂 Mmm that way of cooking up your eggplant sounds yummy! I have a few new recipes I’m going to try out with my zucchini this year and I can’t wait!
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It’s an old Italian recipe~
I am going to put the cutting in some water first~then a pot this time instead of in the ground.
I love zucchini too & there is tons of it here at the stores & farm stands.
Let us know the recipes~
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Good luck with it! I’m so jealous that you are able to grow lavender where you are. I love going to the local farmer’s market with my sis and I’m actually surprised that we aren’t there right now, we’ve been making it a bit of a Saturday habit lately. I’ll definitely pass along any recipes I try that are worth sharing. Well, here, these are ones I am going to try very soon… http://realmomkitchen.com/2653/baked-zucchini-with-mozzarella/ and http://curiouscountrycook.blogspot.com/2012/03/zucchini-tots.html My mouth is watering just looking at these again! 😀
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Now that is a lush garden. Looks so beautiful and yummy. My cucumbers were a big fail this year so I could sure use some of yours. Looks like you have plenty to share! Probably just what the critters though too!
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What’s the best way to root a cutting from my lavender?
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Wish I knew Patty, but I’ve never had much luck in growing my favorite plant. 😦 I have two different varieties growing in pots this year, and I have no idea how to winter them over, much less root them from a cutting. If you find out how, let me know too! 😉
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Thanks so much Teresa! Like I mentioned on your Daylilies and Drought post, I only have a small area to water. But you should see the lawn ~ a “lovely” golden brown. 😉 Sorry your cucumbers were a fail this year. That’s how I felt about my spinach earlier in the season ~ all I got out of it was one big bug eaten bummer. I’m really hoping I get enough cukes that are all ready at the same time for me to make pickles with, but so far it’s only been 2 or 3 at a time every 3 or 4 days. And if that critter keeps coming back and taking half each time, I’ll barely have enough ready at the same time for a cucumber salad. Wish I knew what type of critter it is, but so far I’ve only seen the aftermath of its visits.
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Your writing has much humour in it and always puts a smile on my face, those damn critters need to leave your garden alone. I love jalapenos, do yours end up really spicy? I bet you have many delicious meals with all of the organic meals you produce.x
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Thanks Chris, I’m so glad it makes you smile! 🙂 I know, the dumb critters are such a nuisance, I wish they would leave my garden alone! I love jalapenos too! And yes, they do end up spicy, but it seems to be just the right amount of spiciness for me. 😉 I do have some delicious things I make from my garden goodies, and I swear everything tastes better knowing that I grew it myself ~ or it could just be all in my head too. x
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Whoa, nice job on those cucumbers and jalapenos, Julie! My mouth is watering just looking at those pics 🙂
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Thanks, Simon! I’m really happy they are doing so well! I discovered the culprit who is munching my cucumbers the other day ~ that dang squirrel! Caught him in the act of stealing one right off the vine! I was going to spray him with the hose, but he scurried away too quickly. Grrr!
Last night we had stuffed cheesy bread with jalapenos and bacon and it was so good! I can’t wait to make all sorts of different recipes with my jalapenos! There are about 6 nice ones growing on my one plant right now ~ hope I get a ton more!
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Stuffed cheesy bread with jalapenos and bacon? I did not know one sentence could contain so many delicious foods! Can you post your recipe?
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Simon, it’s something like this only different… http://www.createdby-diane.com/2011/12/stuffed-jalapeno-bread-with-bacon.html 😀
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This is me doing a Homer Simpson drooley face: *mmmm….jalapeno cheese bread…*
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