August Gardens & Harvests - Greens starting to seed

harvests beginning to roll in! 

nothing like a big old bag of basil! mmmm 

mustard greens going to seed. i love the contrast between the dark purple leaves & the bright yellow flowers they produce when starting the seed production process 

red romaine starting to bolt 

cucumber plants covered in flowers  

drunken frizzy headed woman lettuce putting out its lovely flowers which will turn to seed for next season

another pic of the lettuce forming seeds 

beans galore. it's hard to leave some of them alone so that they can produce seeds. I planted lots this year so that I would have some to eat, and some for seed. These are Provider Green Beans 

Purple beans starting to produce. They are so beautiful in flower & fruit 

planted lots of marigolds this year, i am found of this extra puffy variety 

tomatoes are finally starting to ripen. First of the vine? Purple Cherokee

late blooming lupin!

lots of squash blossoms with fruits to follow 

beans & cucs and first min pepper of the season 

dill starting to produce seed. I have been picking some for pickling, but lots of seed still coming on 

arugula has bolted & is now starting to flower, next step, seed production! 

sunset lettuce has bolted too. i am very excited to have all these new lettuce varieties in my collection 

Despite the cool temperatures, this has been a great summer for peppers so far. Still waiting for them to ripen, but the plants are loaded with fruit  

not a lot of tomaotes yet, but tonnes of beans & cucumbers 

Weird & wonderful summer squash

lemon squash forming fruit - tastes just like yellow zucchini, but in a cute round package

 

Yugoslovian finger fruit squash. one of the coolest looking veggies I have grown 

Squash blossoms getting pollinated 

Community Garden Plot - Garlic Harvest

 garlic waiting on my dining room table to be tied up & dried for October planting 

 first big community garden harvest - garlic harvest #1, basil & one cucumber (many more to follow!) 

 late planted portugal hot pepper is bigger than it's plant! 

lots of cucumbers coming along, planted with a great companion for cooking & growing, dill

 i think that i may have forgotten to harvest this last season, and as a result got several small bulbs all attached together! 

 garlic harvest #2. unfortunately, we have had quite the leek moth infestation on our garlic at the lift lock community garden. I will have to inspect and hand kill all the little worms i find on the garlic so that I can plant it again safely this fall. i have been saving this garlic for 6 years, and would hate for anything to happen to it. it is the legacy of a dear friend, who i grew garlic with for years, and who passed away far too young.

 

late July seed garden photos

can't stop photographing this gorgeous drunken frizzy headed woman lettuce. Can't wait to add it to my urbantomato 2014 seed collection

First sunflower. I love having flowers mixed into my seed garden. Sometimes I collect the seeds, sometimes I love the beauty they add, and I always love that they attract pollinators  

mammoth purple cabbage - mine seems to be a little behind to what I see in other folks gardens, no cabbage yet, but I bet it likes these cold nights more than i do! 

purple cherokee tomatoes coming along 

cosmos & sunflowers captured just before blooming

first of the peppers! 

artichoke leaves unfurling 

portugal pepper bigger than the plants  

 lettuce boquets 

 more peppers coming 

red stalk celery. can't say i have ever had much luck growing into celery, but it sure makes a delicious herb

mexican sunflower. i started them from seed early this season, and they are flowering quite early as a reward.  

 lots of beans coming along 

 gorgeous mixed greens. waiting for most to go to seed, but couldn't resist picking a salad of speckled lettuce, siberian kale, red romaine, drunken frizzy headed woman lettuce, mustard greens and arugula! some zucchini blossoms too 

 first big basil harvest ... off to the Night Kitchen pizza shop for making delicious local pesto ... super local, same street, just five blocks apart from garden to restaurant.