Catching Up

I am running so far behind.  These were shot this past Tuesday.  I can see how the cloud coverage was affecting the coloring now.  Rushing to beat a thunderstorm that dumped a little over an inch of rain on us within 30 minutes didn't allow being choosy.

Our ' Pink Lady ' Apple Tree had to have a haircut.  After contacting the guys at Nature Hills - Dwayne had to go in and remove portions of branches destroyed by a fungus that tends to bother fruit trees in Tennessee.

He also had to go in and thin out branches on our ' Georgia Belle ' Peach Tree.  All the peaches were taken out by a pest.  We're thinking that mushroom compost may have been about equal to a dozen shots of 190 proof whiskey in one night - just too much for the little girl!  All those branches made for a perfect haven to host any pest.

But that mushroom compost seems to have been just the perfect treat for my ' Black Knight ' Butterfly Bush was asking for.  I can tell already - that thing is gonna be beautiful this year.  This single spire smells absolutely wonderful!

I caved when I saw this ' Anaheim ' Pepper Plant in the store almost a week ago.  Already boasting with a pepper!  We used this pepper in our Pico de' Gallo from Jamie Oliver's ' Perfect Steak with 2 Sauces ' recipe and liked it much better than the Jalapeno.  Jaimie refers to the recipe as his ' Mexican Salsa Verde' - but - trust me.  It's Pico.  The only difference is - this pepper allows us to taste all the ingredients much more pleasantly - without stealing that wonderful ' bite ' that hot peppers should offer.

I get really nervous at this sight.  The Yellow Hookneck squash is already fruiting.  It'll be giving me a race within a week.  And it's not alone.

The Zucchini squash is already fruiting - right along with the yellow Hookneck.  I'll be slicing - breading and freezing most of it for storage.

The bush beans have begun to blossom.  I love it when this starts happening!  Early in the mornings and late in the evenings - I can go out to the garden and catch a whiff of the scent from the flowers.

The Pole Beans have already begun reaching beyond our trellis.  These are Italian ' Borlotto Solista ' beans that we dry for making beans in the winter.  They have a common name of ' Cranberry Bean ' as well.  In the background are the onions - which are becoming huge.  I only hope these are slicing onions.  The package claimed they are.  I'm not too happy about not being able to get my hands on ' Texas Sweet ' Onion sets this year.

For the first time ever - I'm attempting to add a little more comedy to the brew by seeing if gourd plants like me enough to grow me a ' bird house ' - or a dozen!

And this varmint would be - one of two volunteer tomato plants that have shown up in the middle of my carrot patch.  Luckily - this one's at the end - and between two rows.  I dunno - guess we'll see.