Just like that – July is in the books and here we are already in August. That means it’s time for our monthly picture taking walk around the garden and farm. We still have had consistent temperatures in the 90’s – but we are getting a few more timely rains to help green things up a little. The garden is in full pick mode. Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots and Peppers of all kinds are being picked daily now – and almost every night something is being canned. So without any further delay – here is the Farm and Garden in Pictures – August verison :
Big Bertha Green Pepper just waiting to be plucked from the plant
Here is the morning’s take out of the garden – Needless to say – canning season is here!
The Ornamental Poinsettia Pepper plants planted at the upper pergola are FINALLY starting to turn. The peppers should start to become a beautiful mix of red, yellow and greens. The plants have really held up well to the hotter, dryer conditions.
The view from above the garden…The Tomatoes and Peppers are really taking off – we are picking over a bushel a day now.
A colorful bowl…The Mini Bell Peppers have proven to be a great addition to the garden. Beautiful colors and super sweet to eat. The orange peppers in the picture are our Tequila Sunrise – they pack the heat!
Continuing on with the recycle and re-use theme – here is our new address sign – made from one of the old barn windows.
Our Rosebush is really coming into it’s own…a farm warming gift from my sister last year – it has grown from 6″ high to this!
The Hot Banana Peppers just continue to produce – really one of the best overall performers in the garden
We have started to dig the Yukon Gold Potatoes…
Two “to do” projects on our list we got to cross off last month were the barn trestle table and the Farmers Market sign. We printed and cut out huge stencils to paint the lettering on the old barn door to use as a sign.
The Barn Patio – quickly becoming one of our favorite places to relax
The Cajun Belle’s after a light evening rain – still our favorite edible pepper.
Serrano Peppers turning red on the vine….we use these to make a hot pepper grind.
The Sangria ornamental peppers are now showing their full array of colors – from purple to orange to red
The Mariachi Peppers – You can pick them yellow or orange. A really good tasting, mildly hot pepper – great in salsa’s or just to eat.
One of the other accomplishments for July was getting the outdoor kitchen finished. Here is a view of the finished kitchen from the upper pergola.
The compost bins – the backbone of the garden. On the left – ready to go finished compost. On the right – Our active pile we add to daily.
Speaking of Compost – here is a great picture to show it’s power. If you notice the tomato plant in the upper middle right of the photo – it is the same as all the others in the row – except that it was planted directly in a spilled pile of compost from last year! It is over a foot taller than all of the other plants.
Fresh from the garden – tomatoes, onion and green peppers cooking down in a large stock pot for a batch of salsa.