Going into Autumn

'Blue Spire' perovskia in the perennial garden

backed by Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia hirta)

July was so hot and wet that only the most rugged plants managed to grow and produce, which excluded most vegetables.  The roses were plagued by petal blight due to the humidity, with the exception of a couple of weeks in late August.  

The garden spiders were at their peak, however.  Everywhere I turned in the wildflower garden and perennial bed there were big fat yellow and black spiders - Argiope aurantia - on big fat webs.

One vegetable that thrived throughout the whole ordeal was the okra.  This year, I planted a variety new to me - 'Carmine Splendor'.  I'll be saving seed from it to plant the next time I plant okra to see if it does as well in future years as it has done this year.  It's another red variety, which I like because of its ornamental value.  Others I planted didn't start producing pods until they were 3 feet tall or so.  This one began producing at about 2 feet and is now 5 feet tall and still very prolific.

(At least that's how I remember it.)

I love the blooms.

Nothing in the cucurbit family (melons, cucumbers) made it past the end of July.  I got two very small melons off about 18 plants!  My experiment to plant them with a perimeter of marigolds to discourage raccoons will have to be repeated next year.  The marigolds themselves did fairly well, but they, like the roses, suffered from petal blight.

Off the two vines I had growing on the compost pile, I got one pumpkin that quickly rotted.  This is what they looked like at the end of July:

It was just too wet.  I did get a few cucumbers before the vines gave up, but I had to pull them all up a good two weeks before I would have expected them to die out.  I recently planted some more seed, and they're up.  If the weather cooperates, I might get a few small ones before it gets too cold.

Tomatoes started out gangbusters (except for the favorite 'Missouri Pink Love Apple' which had the lowest production ever), but by the first week of August, they all looked to be on their way out.

late July harvest

In fact, I pulled up five of the nine plants and left the remaining four that seemed to still have a few green tomatoes on them.  They resumed growth the last week of August, and they're now starting to have some ripening tomatoes.  This week the temperature took a dive to the upper 60s and low 70s.  Hopefully we'll see more tomato ripening weather before the late October frosts that will put an end to them.

I had a new tomato pest this year: tomato fruitworm.

They eat deep holes in the tomato fruits, which makes these pests more objectionable than even the hornworms that eat the foliage.  Fortunately, they're killed by the same safe Bt pesticide, so if I would only be vigilant in spraying, I could save the frustration of finding a beautiful tomato spoiled by drilled holes.

The cabbages held their own but didn't get very big.  Every year I tell myself not to plant cabbages in the spring, but so far, I haven't remembered not to.  I promise, next year I'll only plant a fall crop.

Those ground cherries that I tried for the first time were actually tasty little things, but they didn't lend  themselves to making jam.  They were like tiny tomato sacks of oodles of seeds and hardly any pulp.  I was expecting something less tomato-like.  I don't know why.  The taste would have suited jam well, as they had a bit of a mango flavor, but the consistency did not.

'Aunt Molly's' ground cherry

I planted lima beans in place of the spring peas, and they now have some pods.

Harvest now consists of peppers, okra, small cabbage, and basil.

Ripe jalapeños destined to become jelly

The cabbage varieties were new for me - 'Primo Vantage' and 'Omero'. Both were mild and juicy.  I'll be planting them again.

'Primo Vantage' (top) and 'Omero'

'Omero'

I don't know why my red raspberries didn't produce any fruit, but I have a feeling it's because I pruned them back too hard.  I'll leave them this winter to see if they produce next year.

The 'Fall Gold' berries did produce,  however, and they were as delicious as I remembered.  These little guys taste like they've been laced with honey.

'Fall Gold' raspberry

Last year, their first, I got one or two at a time, but this year, I got small handfuls every two or three days for a while.  Of course I crammed them all in my mouth at once.  Glorious flavor.

As I said, the roses have been plagued with petal blight which spoils them for cutting and bringing in.  Their blooms have been nice and big, but the petal edges brown and rotten-looking.

That is, with the exception of a couple weeks recently when the rains held off and the sun was hot.  At that point, they went crazy with beautiful disease-free blooms.

'Poseidon' (lavender), 'South Africa' (butter yellow), and 'Shazam!' (peachy pink)

'Grande Amore', which is supposed to be a 4-5' tall bush but generally gets to nearly 7' high, made its usual spurt a little later than normal this year.  It's reaching for the stars at about 8 feet at the moment.

'Domina'

The silly cat has managed to sprint up the grapevine trellis and hide out in the top.

Stay safe.  Stay home as much as you can.  Wear your mask in public. We'll get through this Covid-19 pandemic sooner if everyone will just do their part.  I feel very fortunate to live in a space where I can garden, especially during this trying time.  

Cactus zinnias