In the Veggie Patch

Sunflowers are my flavor flower. They just ooze happiness. Big, bright yellow, even the butterflies can not resist them. I love how the flower head follows the sun, facing the sunrise all the way until sunset. Love them 

And to think Mr Groundhog had broke this one and it's stem is just connected by a small portion.

This is one of the broccoli plants that Mr Groundhog ate down to it's stalk. I thought I would experiment and see what would happen if I just  let it grow. Well it is looking really good, now if it flowers would be the ideal outcome.

                                                The sweet potatoes are recovery well also

You can see that it will be no time and I'll be harvesting the purple hull peas. These plants love the heat and seem be be a vegetable that is grown more so in the south. I did not know about these until I moved here to Oklahoma.They remind me of black-eyes peas.

 

I have pick a few okra pods this week. They are the most thickest plants I have grown. You can see just how lush they look which makes it hard to find the pods. In the past the okra plant have been tall and lanky.They too have a pretty flower. You know a lot of vegetables have pretty flowers and they do make nice landscape plants. When I lived in California I did have at times used them that way. If you are interested in trying vegetables in your landscape there are books out there to help you design your garden.

My tomatoes despite all the extreme heat are doing just wonderful. Full, lush growth with lots of tomatoes on them.

Which they have been starting to ripe now. I have been so ready to eat tomatoes that taste like tomatoes and not those bland things they sell in the stores. And I am anxious to get started in canning. I have my favorite things I like to make and I'm going to try a few new recipes this year. 

These guys think highly of my tomatoes. If you do not know what these are, they are "tomato hornworm" .

I have been growing vegetables since 1975 and this is the worst year ever for these worms. I have everyday this week picked them off of the plants. It's not uncommon to have them but I have been picking off dozens each day. I figure I am past 75 worms total. I am going to have to sprinkle some B.T. on them

Picking is usually enough.

I find looking for them a lot like that game "Where's Waldo". These worms blend in so well, seeing how that is their defense to predators.

So things are going well, especially now that we have received rain. After 2 months of no rain we are now trying to catch up. In the past 3 days we have had 5.25" and there is another front working it way here.

Till next time

Kat

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