Pacific Artist Mom (Formerly Pacific College Mom): Juanito's Weekly Garden Update

Johnny, the pumpkin is making flowers! I see about half a dozen, and maybe more in the future. I like that it is maintaining a rather compact habit for a pumpkin plant, although the leaves are so big they are definitely blocking out the sun for the carrots and onions beneath it. Oh well!

The last of the spinach was eaten for dinner yesterday, and now I have a row of stems. Since I've never attempted to grow spinach before, research must be done to look up whether these get pulled up, and to start again from scratch or if these will sprout again. It was delicious, and I already miss not having it out there to enjoy whenever I want fresh greens.

But the big news are the bell peppers and tomatoes. The bells have so many blossoms and burgeoning fruits that I worry if the plants will be able to support them all. They literally went crazy! My celery is mostly leaves, but that is fine, I cook with them. The tomato has reached the limits of the hoop-house, and is starting to push against the top. Since there are so many flowers on these portions, I won't be able to prune them back, so time will tell what happens there. The peas are about six inches tall, and I predict a lovely fall of peas. The strawberries have runners on all sides of the pot, and I am thinking I should take the pot out of the box again, set it on the ground and let the runners take up the space in the bed. They are intensely sweet, little berries. I go out and pop them in my mouth, tops and all whenever I am lucky enough to find them. Another potato plant is growing right in the center of the bed, so I will leave it there. They certainly didn't want to give up on their territory! New soil and compost in the bed made this plant a lot heartier than previous plants, so perhaps the crop will be better, as well.