VACATION BLUES

So we took a week away from town for a much needed vacation... Lovely.  But we did miss the garden!  On our return we were astounded by how much things had grown!  When we left we had one or two flowers on our sugar snap peas.  They are now covered with peas...The pods are somewhat misshapen, curly and skinny rather than straight and plump but the peas taste fantastic!  I know we planted these a bit late and I think they are getting too much direct sun.  I'm thinking we will need to erect some shade cloth over some of the beds.

ALL of the arugula bolted.  It simply went crazy in the heat and sunshine.  I cut a lot back Monday morning and harvested a bunch tonight.  It is pretty spicey but tasty.  Tonight we are having a garden salad with grilled chicken and fresh herb dressing for dinner!

The radishes and rutabegas also grew an incredible amount.  The bush beans all sprouted and are about 4 inches tall.  No signs of action from the parsnips, bell pepper or eggplant seeds yet.  The basil bolted too.  But it is looking pretty good since I've cut it back.

Now for the bad news....  Our lovely potatoes, which we covered in straw before leaving all seem to have leaf curl!  The new growth is hard and rubbery and curled tightly.  It looks like a bunch of shiny caterpillars but it's not.

We also found a few volunteer tomatoes and our new Black Krim showing signs of leaf curl.  We pulled them.  We've done nothing with the potatoes yet while we consult with the local agricultural department.  There is a slight chance we are getting pesticide blow down from someone up on the ridgetop but I'm not sure.

Today I finally made a bit of time to deadhead the whiskey barrels and front flower garden.  Jim managed to tackle a bunch of weeds in and out of the veggie garden.  It is a never ending task but rewarding.

What did the master gardener tell me today?  "There is a saying in gardening:  If you are not killing things, you are not trying hard enough!"  I guess we are trying hard enough!

We did finally solve (sort of) the mystery of the giant volunteer squash/cucumber whatever.  We harvested one and cooked half of it up in our veggie curry last night.  Sweet zucchini1   the other half got grated up into tonite's salad.  YUM!  It produces odd shaped fruit..more football shaped than zucchini but it was good.

We also harvest our first (well maybe second) chile pepper.  The cowhorn chile is ripe and waiting to be consumed!  The pepper plants are finally fleshing out and looking healthier, bushier and beginning to produce.  Very exciting!