Friday morning I was out in the garden as soon as I woke up. And there was lots to do. Most things looked great, SS2 watered well and a nice soaking rain hit early on Friday morning, but there was harvesting and weeding to do. There were tomatoes (multiple varieties and cherry), beans, a zucchini, and a cucumber that day:
And on Saturday I found two more zucchini (cleverly hiding from me) and a handful of beans. I have to admit that I haven't eaten any of the tomatoes yet, but hopefully tomorrow. I can report that the long beans taste just like their smaller green bean cousins -- delicious! Lee also harvested that last pot of fingerling potatoes (24 little guys) and they were eaten for dinner Saturday along with the beans, a zucchini, and a perfectly cooked pork loin. So fun to eat a meal composed entirely of bounty from the garden and a protein from the store.
Lee rushed in from mowing the lawn and told me I should join him outside with my camera because there were butterflies all over his butterfly bush:
I didn't get a better photo of the yellow swallowtail, but I did get a great one of the black swallowtail:
I think it may just be calendar worthy. What have you spotted in your garden this week?
The butterflies just resurfaced in the last three or four days. What we have here are swarms of dragon flies.... blue ones, green ones, purple ones. The later the season, the brighter the colors. I've had four Japanese beetles (and they were hungry, too) and a great show of hummingbirds. As for vegetables, Heather, I have the laziest vegetables on Earth. One time has turned pink. Except for the grape tomatoes, I have harvested NADA. I don't know if I started too late (planted from seed in May) but the carrots and zucchini and cucumbers are just being LAZY. Planted peppers and tomatoes from plants and even they are slow to grow. Spinach never happened and onions are making ME cry. I hope to do better next year! Glad Branford veggies are less lethargic.
Posted by: Wendy | July 30, 2011 at 08:53 PM
I've spotted lots of bees and a few dragon and butterflies. I love the dragonflies, their colors are so beautiful.
Posted by: Rhonda | July 31, 2011 at 01:53 AM
We have no butterflies (except for the beauties that grace my bedroom wall) in our yard, but we do have huge fluttters of dragon flies.
Unfortunately, due to a very angry nest of yellow jackets we're not enjoying our backyard much - but the creek's fish are leaping for amble servings of dragonfly lunch. !Yum!
Posted by: Mummer | July 31, 2011 at 09:02 AM
Wendy -- I'm seeing a few dragonflies, but no swarms! No Japanese beetles and no hummingbirds. Veggies need water, are you watering more regularly? It's been a dry, hot summer so far.
Rhoda -- I adore dragonflies too!
Mom -- It's too hot to enjoy your backyard right now anyway. Is the pool refreshing?
Posted by: Heather's Garden | August 02, 2011 at 12:45 AM
I flipped my calendar tonight and it was tomatoes! ;) That pic is definitely calendar-worthy.
Posted by: Katie | August 02, 2011 at 09:28 PM
Katie -- Thanks! I quite enjoyed flipping to the tomatoes yesterday at work. The calendar may be all butterflies this year.
Posted by: Heather's Garden | August 02, 2011 at 10:12 PM