Summer harvest and fall crops

 It's still hot here, but the early mornings and late evenings are nice.  Nice enough to work in the garden and enjoy it.

I've been seeing a lot of these wasps the past couple of weeks, most often in swarms hovering just above the grass in the yard.  Their black wings look metallic navy in the sunlight.  I used Google Lens to identify them as blue wing wasps (Scolia dubia).  They're non-aggressive, and an article I read said they are parasites of beetle grubs, including June beetles and Japanese beetles (hooray!)

The Japanese beetle population was low this  year, and maybe these guys had something to do with that.

My 'Winter Luxury' pie pumpkin and daisy gourd patch is delivering.  I've already processed some pumpkins for pies and eaten a couple of those.  They're quite yummy.  I've got about a dozen of varying sizes harvested and awaiting processing or gifting, and there are still quite a few green and growing on the vines.

I thought I only had one gourd vine, but found another - or maybe another branch of the one.  I've cut three and found as they age, they turn from lime green daisies to yellow.  They may go to gold or orange.  We'll see.

Charentais cantaloupes are appearing on the vines.

Unfortunately, the marigolds I planted around them didn't fool the raccoons.  They've already gotten two.  This is what they do to them:

If you're going to spoil them, I think you should eat the whole thing.

All varieties of peppers I planted are now harvestable.  The jalapeño peppers are turning red, so I'm collecting for jelly.  Unfortunately, I only got three plants going, so there won't be much jelly this year.

Chili peppers

Pablano peppers

Snack peppers, pablanos, red bells, and 'Quadrato D'Asti Giallo' red/gold bells

The 'German Johnson' pink tomatoes are just starting to ripen.  

'German Johnson' tomato

The cucumbers are going strong, and the 'Calima' bush beans I planted for a fall crop are already producing.

'Calima'

The 'Red Swan' green beans are flowering, so I'll be watching for some red green beans (!) soon.

'Red Swan' bush bean

A friend gave me three broccoli plants.  This is my first year planting broccoli.  If it goes well, it may not be my last.  I don't know what variety these are.  They're in a cage for now because I've been watering them separately until they take hold, and the raccoons are famous for digging up newly planted seedlings that are getting special watering.

Fall cabbages are slowly gaining ground.  Surprisingly, I haven't lost any, so I may have to thin them.  Or just have small heads.  That wouldn't be bad.

Until next time...

'Redman' super cactus zinnia