Ornamentals, Summer veggies - and such...

So this past weekend I did what any sane gardener would do. I got rid of my peas if you please. I mean really, it's been 90 degrees here consistently for about 3 weeks straight now. It was time. Time for me and my poor plants to surrender. They were good plants. Strong and even as I pulled them out they offered one last small bounty. So nice of them. Most of the carrots were yanked out as well. The rest will go this weekend. It's just getting wicked hot and the rains are coming. I can feel the difference in the air now so it won't be long. Who wants to eat rotted carrots? The kids eagerly gobble them up and we enjoy them on our salads so they are certainly not going to waste.

What does this have to do with the title of my post you ask? Well see watching all these little pieces of spring fall wayside made my heart ache for some semblance of that part of the year. The colorful fragrant air that is crisp in the morning. Instead I know that this next month will change and humidity will quite literally put her fingers on me. Pushing my chest as though willing me inside my home, a captor. So I had to fight! And fight I did. I'm not much of one for frilly little plants. No, I much prefer tropicals. Gingers and heliconia, birds of paradise, palms, and orchids those types of things. But this time I gave in. I planted 3 rings of flowers around my young oaks. My own personal 3 ring circus. LOL.

It's shaded there and I plugged the yard around the trees to try to get the grass to grow in. Hopefully in a month or so it will have filled in nicely. This is just so unlike me. I wonder how long it will last before I rip it out and put little baby bougainvillea there? LOL or for that matter eggplants, cabbages, etc. If I didn't have to worry with the roots being so close to the surface I certainly would have turned this into more vegetable gardening space!

Now-  on to topic number 2 summer veggies. When I pulled the peas I planted in Limas. Eastland limas. A new type for me. I just couldn't resist the name. Easterwood, planting Eastland limas... yes, yes I believe it was meant to be. So a 3x3' space for them aprox. 36 plants give or take. I'll do a head count and let you know how many germinate. I planted 42 beans. Another 3 weeks later and the beans may not have set very well, but these are an earlier variety than my normal, too.

Rice peas went in again 3'sq space roughly. These could have waited but I'm anxious to get some of my other things going so priority had to go somewhere.

I harvested my first set of kidney beans. 10 oz. Not bad from 25 beans (25cent pack) now I've turned around and planted back out another 30 beans and this time they are in the garden rather than out behind the old ginger where the sprinklers can't reach. These plants will be taken care of and I"m curious as to the difference of harvest when the plants are well cared for vs left to fend on their own.

The black eye peas, pink eye purple hull,  Holstein, amaranth and okra are all ready to fill in the blanks as I pull my soon to finish green beans and things. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen over and over the past few weeks people talking about how they can't garden in Florida heat. How gardens should be allowed to fallow in the summer. You know what I say to that? PEESHAW! That is what I say. Maybe my slicing 'maters wont set fruit and maybe I can't grow zucchini and green beans and radishes and carrots. But there are so many other things I CAN grow. Why fallow? Why let weeds get a grip on my garden when I can plant things that will help my fall garden grow better and give me a crop, too?!  *sigh*
I don't understand. And, just to set the record straight, this isn't a reaction to one person. ;-)

This year I have a few new varieties of lettuce to try. Over the summer you ask? YES! Over the summer. If I don't try I will never know. 2 varieties sent from Diane and some I ordered special. If they work out I'll post the info. If not I'll post that too. We have to keep trying and searching we learn each year that we garden. Don't give up. Don't go fallow!

'Till next time!

Barbie~