I have skipped the past 2 weeks of garden post and during that time our garden has absolutely exploded, I mean exploded with produce, yesterday I picked no less than 30 tomatoes, yes I said 30 tomatoes. I am running out of ideas here, any one have any? I think I am going to make more homemade salsa, and marinara sauce. I really really hate to can, but I might have to look into it.
The heat in Southeast Texas is incredible I believe the high to day was 100!! some of the plants have already started retreating from the heat, the corn and cucumbers aren’t liking it so much and our lack of rain isn’t helping. We are watering almost daily now. This is why we plant early, because it gets so darn hott early.
We were gone recently for a 3 day trip, and look at what we picked out of our garden when we came back!
In case your wondering that’s, tomatoes (several varieties), purple hull peas, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, okra, sweet corn, bell peppers,banana peppers, green beans and jalapenos
Summer Garden week 14
Tomato plants doing insanely well!
Zucchini is still producing
Okra spears
Purple hull peas, though they never turned purple? wonder why?
Banana Peppers
Watermelons are going so large, and we have a few small melons starting
Green Beans climbing the fence and still producing great
Yellow squash
Eggplants doing well
And my grape vine, it won’t be long before we have to pick
* no your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you, I had a setting wrong on the camera and it took all the pics sideways, ugh.
Please ask your gardening questions and/or please share tips. I will be keeping up with posting the progress of the garden weekly.
Click the links for week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4 week 5 , week 6, week 7 , week 8 , week 9 , week 10 and week 11
Oh my dear!! What a harvest!!!!
It looks like you will be busy for a while. You could freeze or can the tomatoes whole for soup this winter. I have grated and frozen zuchinni to use in quiche and bread. I love Purple Hull Peas.
It has gotten hot here too. The heat index yesterday was over 100 degrees. I really do not like it this hot. I just want to stay inside. Honey Bear is flying to Houston next week but he won’t be outside much.
Did you have a garden when you were growing Up?
WOWIE! Your garden looks awesome! Mine is just now coming up but we won’t be harvesting any of the summer veggies until July/August. (I know of a website with lots of recipes for veggies in case you’re interested)
Oh, I am jealous of all of that wonderful produce! You must have a green thumb 🙂
P.S. I was just down in Texas for a week’s vacation, we started in Austin (sister’s wedding), then went to Galveston for a few days and then Houston. I know what heat you’re talking about, LOL.
I have frozen whole tomatoes. Of course they get mushy when you thaw them, but if you’re just using them for soups or stews, it’s okay.
What a wonderful bounty. You must have a very green thumb.
Wow!! impressive– I applaud your work and shots!
Now for the fun of cooking it all huh?
🙂 bet your neighbors would love some.
TTFN~~Claudia
Oh my gosh!! I will take some of those veggies off you hands if you want (you guys are coming to Father’s day BBQ at my parents, right?) I would be a salsa making machine with all those tomatoes!! And I know what you mean about the heat, it has been hitting 100 everyday here in San Antonio for the last week or so 🙁
p.s. they just built some nice hotels really close to my complex…please come visit soon!! I need another excuse to make Sangria 😀 Hugs!!
WOW! I’m so jealous of your abundance of produce. Being partial to veggies myself, I know how much work you’ve invested in this. You’ll be eating high on the hog all summer, huh? TGIF…
What a harvest!! I can’t wait to start harvesting. Like much of the rest of the state and the poor farmers around here we planted pretty darn late because of the insane amounts of rain.
That is quite the garden you have there! Looks like hearty and well-tended…unlike my one little pot of flowers that looks terrible 😡
LOL – sounds like a plan!
Oh My! we finally have some tomatoes that are about as big around as a superball. love watching your garden grow. Here’s my photo story. happy Friday!
Wow! Look at all of that- that’s great! I wish I had a green thumb…
Love, Alyssa
Oh my…..
What you need now is a vegetable stand. 🙂
Have a beautiful weekend
I wish you could hear my children as they look at your photos.
They are so impressed. Now they know what a productive garden can do and just maybe they will have a better attitude about taking care of our little plot.
My 5 yr old said, “That is just wonderful!”
Oh. My. That is amazing. I’ve picked some broccoli, but that’s it so far. All of my plants are doing well, though, so I should have lots of zucchini, squash, bell peppers, tomatoes and cantaloupe coming soon!
Your garden is still amazing! You could feed a whole neighborhood with all the veggies you have!! I’ve been having to water everyday too because it’s so hot! One of my cucumber plants totally croaked from the heat! But it’s okay becuase the 2 I have left are sprouting cucumbers like crazy!
A friend of mine told me you can freeze the tomatoes (skin and all) and then when you want to use them, you can just boil them, peel the skin and use them in salsa or tomato sauce when you run out.
I am soooo jealous!
wow you guys are doing great ! I personally cut tomatoes and freeze them when it gets too much. You then can defrost and cook the way you want then.
Blessings in Him<
-Mary
Wow! I am impressed!!! We were lucky to get a dozen tomatoes out of our garden last year and a couple zucchini. Those darn squirrels. 😛
Isn’t that the funnest! Harvesting is so exciting — and then you have to figure out what to do with all of it
I have to say that my marinara sauce my my most prized pantry item this year. I totally get what you are saying about the heat…but there is nothing better than marinara sauce in the dead of winter. Of course I say that about everything I’ve preserved. It’s all so YUMMY!!!
Thanks for linking,
Wow look at all those veggies!
What an awesome harvest!
WOW!!! That’s some harvest! You could always freeze salsa and sauce rather than can. That’s probably what I’d do. Otherwise you could make care packages for the neighbors with all your extras! lol
OMG!!! Your garden is so beautiful! Did you plant them from seeds or did you buy the plants from the store?! Wow, I’dlove to grow something like that. I have a small garden but nothing special. I have a blog that listed a couple of seeds you could buy to plant at http://mightynick.com/cool-stuff/summer-garden/.
Hi,
Leave those purple hulls on the vine, they will turn purple. Then pick (best to pick when a mottled purple) and shell. Also pick some immature green ones- these are called snaps. Prepare the snaps like green beens. Then pressure cook them altogether with a little butter or a bit of bacon. Serve with corn bread! I love to dip the cornbread in the juice from cooking the peas. Enjoy.
Your boys are so beautiful, mine are 12 and 8 now, and I’m missing all that baby cuteness.
Kim