Now and Then

Even though it’s been a summer of extreme weather here in Central Massachusetts, most parts of the garden have thrived. Below, recent pictures are paired with those from late May, when the garden was first planted.

The pole beans are luxurious. The squash is holding its own, despite not being in full sun and hosting a mole that samples ground level fruits nightly.
Squash seedlings were barely visible in late May. Beans had yet to sprout.

Hard working Scarlet Emperor beans are on double duty attracting hummingbirds with jewel-like red blossoms and providing a screen from the road beyond. Additionally, the beans are tasty if picked when they are small.
The beans were planted in high planters as protection from hungry rabbits. Fortunately, rabbits have been few and far between during the past weeks.
The “Christmas tree” look of the heirloom Boston Pickling cucumber lends visual interest to the garden with its height and large leaves. A prolific grower, it is sprawling out on the ground in back of the “tree” as well.
Growing cucumbers vertically on bamboo canes makes harvesting produce much easier.
Eggplants that are ready to harvest are surrounded by marigolds for support. The plants cover the blue bucket they are growing in.
Marigold seedlings are barely visible in this picture. They bloomed so prolifically around the eggplant, I had to remove one to give the eggplant more room.
Kale has been continually harvested throughout the summer. Nasturtium and marigolds make good companion plants, as well as surrounding it with spots of edible color.
Lettuce (that had not germinated when this photograph was taken) was planted in between the kale. The kale provided shade for the lettuce during the hot July days.

21 thoughts on “Now and Then”

      1. That’s good news! Pretty tame around here although 3 small tornadoes and a water spout were reported by the National Weather Service. Rather anticlimactic after the media hype but better prepared and safe than sorry. Best, Babsje

  8. What a lovely healthy looking garden! Puts mine to shame. Even in my polytunnel – sheltered from the gales – my vegetables struggled with various pests and diseases! I’ll soldier on….but I had a good year for apples😀

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your kind words. It was either raining hard (the effect of two tropical storms in the South) or blazing hot, so it wasn’t an easy summer. Interesting about your apples: looks like my apples will have a good year as well, even though this is an off year. (Baldwin apples only bear fruit every other year.)
      Apple pie, anyone?
      Best,
      Julie

      Reply

  9. What a beautiful and inspirational garden. You must have put in many hours of hard work and planning to conjure such success especially in a summer of extremes.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your kind words. These past months especially, it has been a godsend. The planning in the winter and carrying out plans in the spring and this summer has been a useful and distracting project during troubled times.

      Reply

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