June Harvest

With no intention of harvesting anything from my garden I just went around to see if the latest wind had blown over anything I had tied up.  I did have to straighten one tomato cage and tie up one tomato branch which was getting heavy with tomatoes.  Nothing in the tomato area was anywhere near ready for harvesting.

In the thornless Navajo blackberry bed, however, I saw some very large berries ripe for picking.  A few days ago I picked enough of them to have a nice, refreshing bowl to eat, with milk over them.  I picked a few today and went on the the cucumbers.  Several of the cukes are almost ready to be made into pickles, but I will wait to see if they are larger in a few days.

The pole  beans are a big disappointment to me.  I am thinking of pulling them all up, and putting in regular bush, blue lake green beans.  I know they are prolific, tender and stringless.  My reason for trying the pole variety was because harvesting the bush type is hard on your back.  So, on my shopping list, is blue lake bean seeds.

I am excited about the kiwi for two reasons.  I am trying to clone the male and female plants in little pots.  One of the cuttings has new leaves already.  I started them on the last day of May.  I am still watching the other cuttings and hoping they will follow suit.  The other excitement is about how fast and large the kiwi fruit up in the north bed, is progressing.  Last year was disappointing due to the severe pruning from two years ago.  This fall, I will have plenty of healthy fruit to share with my kiwi loving friends.  Nesrby, the big Brown Turkey fig tree is loaded with green, promising fruit.

Starting now and through June and into July, the wild blackberries on this place are ready for picking.  To do this I do have to "suit up" and spray good on my legs and clothing against chiggers and other insects.
I always take a walking stick into the blackberry patch.  It comes in handy for parting the canes in order to reach the irresistible fat berries.  I only got a handful today from the outer edges.  They are much sweeter than the cultivated ones .  Also the seeds are not as objectionable as the large ones on the Navajo
types.

The yellow squash is a total loss this year.  The squash bug won the battle.  I sprayed with Safer Insecticidal soap on the bugs I saw, but one plant I just pulled up in disgust.  You can't win them all, or at least I cannot.  When I go to the trouble to suit up for the wild blackberries, I will also go into the netting to pick blueberries.  I can see that the early types are ready to be picked.  I cannot compete with the large lush berries that my South Carolina family member grows, but these will work fine for adding to the muffins that I have in mind.  Still, it is fun to gradually get into the real reason I like to garden, the fresh harvest just tastes so great!