Saturday, July 09, 2011

Let’s Talk Vegetables

Bean flower (pole beans Burpee 'Kentucky Wonder')
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Every year, with spring enthusiasm, I eagerly place seeds and plants in pots and in the ground. I dream of fresh green beans steaming on the dinner table; solid cucumber slices in a tangy dressing and juicy tomatoes eaten right off the plant.

With spring enthusiasm, I forget that vegetable gardening takes work and time. Not to mention battling the mosquitoes and gnats that hide under the leaves. In spring I forget how hot 93 degrees with high humidity really is. I forget that vegetables will need watering.

Every year, in July, reality sets in as I pull weeds, wash lettuce, pick cucumbers and clean beans. Years ago I had a large garden with rows of vegetables. Freezing and canning went on all summer. Now as empty nesters, we have only a few vegetables among the flowers.

I’m happy with a few vegetables every year. I wouldn’t want to be without them. The taste of my favorite varieties makes the effort worthwhile. I’m sure I’ll be overcome with spring enthusiasm next year.
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My vegetables this year:

Potted cherry tomatoes - Burpee ‘Sweet 100’.

In the window boxes on the patio - Agway parsley ‘Forest Green’ and lettuce ‘Black Seeded Simpson’. The lettuce is ready for its third cutting.

Happy cucumbers - Burpee ‘Straight Eight’ - crawl up the hydrangea and holly and over the daylilies and mums. Picking cucumbers will be quite a challenge.

Pole beans - Burpee 'Kentucky Wonder’. I’ve had the seeds since 2007 and planted a few seeds every year. This year I planted a few extra thinking they may not all be viable but it looks like they all germinated. I should have pulled a few when they came up. They are one of the best tasting beans I have ever planted.
Green tomatoes on Burpee ‘Early Pick’

2 comments:

donna said...

Loved seeing your vegetables. Looks like the cucumbers are going to attack your beautiful hydrangea. I have veggies growing in 5-gallon buckets and the cucumbers, watermelon and pumpkins are strangling the hostas, but I don't care. Your lettuce looks so pretty in that container.

I NEED to get back to blogging. I've continued taking photos all summer, so watch out because I might start posting every day.

donna

Marie said...

Donna,
The tomatoes are almost ripe, the cucumbers are just about done, the lettuce was delicious. The beans were chewed off at the bottom when we got home. My husband got rid of them the other day. No beans this year!

Looking forward to your blog and catchin up on your summer.