A Midsummer Night’s Status Report – Part 1
I continue the roll call of how my gardens are doing.
Sunflowers – I planted a border of a one – two foot high variety on two sides of Smith. It is lush and full of promise. Some volunteers from last year are already blooming. Sometimes it pays to be a little careless with seeds.
Zinnias – What a disappointment! In past years, I’ve had a lovely patch of a dozen or more. This year: two! I made several plantings but virtually no germination. The two are in the Lorelei and will produce at least some flowers.
Cosmos and etc. – I scattered some various flower seeds in the center of Smith. Enough germinated that I think I’ll get a good display though now, they’re only about six inches tall and only green.
Marigolds – Still from seed I gathered from plants two falls ago, I have several dozen of these old friends in borders here and there. Some are blooming already. I depend on marigolds to add splashes of color.
Mums – I started a couple dozen from cuttings I took from three existing plants. All have formed many new little branches from the first twig I stuck into soil. Should make excellent gifts this September.
Tomatoes – Planted Roma, a beefsteak variety and a slicer, but somewhere between starting seeds and setting in the garden, I mixed them up. I don’t care. Planted in all three gardens, I have about 20 in all. If they produce as they ought, I’ll be swimming in ’em. I hope so.
Eggplant – Planted a dozen plants in Jones. I’ve pinned a lot of hope on these babies. They better produce! At this point, most of the plants look pretty anemic. Depressing. Or maybe I’m impatient. Thinking about adding bush cucumbers to the bed, in case the eggplants don’t do anything.
Peppers – Last year we discovered we love pickled peppers, so I planted about twenty plants this year. Most are doing well. One is producing a lot of small, yellow, mildly hot peppers. I expected 5-6 inch yellow, mildly hot peppers. Wait and see if they grow more.
Castor Beans – Four or five gorgeous red plants already tower over Smith. I love these unique, inedible but beautiful garden denizens.
Okra – Thirty healthy little plants still grow in containers. I started them late, but they look good. Will set in the ground this weekend.
