OH MY GOSH!

It's been three months since I posted. I don't know about you, but I've been too busy trying to keep everything, including myself and Charlie, alive in this awful heat.  This  has been the year of the tomato for me and the Garland Community Garden. We've had quite a harvest of tomatoes. As for Okra?  Well it is just now at the first of August beginning to produce even a little.  To say that okra pods are as scarce as hen's teeth  would be giving it too much credit.  Below is a photo of okra growing in an 8, five-gallon bucket holder that Charlie made. As you can see, the plants are nothing to brag about.  We also have some okra growing in a few of our flower beds.

Basil, unlike okra,  has thrived this year although now it is breaking out into blossom. [If you deadhead the blossoms, your basil will continue to bush out as you can see from this plant I have growing in my front yard.  I have been diligent about snipping off its flowers}.  

Basil plant is three feet tall and 72 inches in circumference.  

Zinnias have done well this year and are still looking beautiful.  In the background is our small orchard/woodland forest garden.  Our peach trees have really taken off this year.  I estimate that so far we have gotten four bushels and there are about as many left on the trees.  I should have gotten out and pull off a few peaches earlier on in the season but was too busy.  However, this year I did finally spray as I should have 1) when dormant 2) when buds break out and 3) right after the blossoms fall.  I used Neem oil.  Low and behold, we have lots of peaches, large ones, and worms are only in a very few of them--less than 5%.

Above is a closeup of one of the branches of one of our four peach trees.  As you can see, it is laden with fruit--so heavy that the branches are bent to the ground.