There are many bold colors in my garden out and about today.
It would seem Orange is the fashion of the day, although there are a few nonconformists here and there.
Let's take a tour and see what's growing in 
Something I am noticing about the pumpkin plants is that the store-bought starts are blooming earlier than the one I grew from seed. My seed-grown plant is much better, green, and healthier looking, and it's growing in a grow bag of pure enriched compost.
See on the flowering plant how pale yellow the lower leaves are? Yellow leaves and flowering is sometimes a sign the plant is running out of energy and weakening. Hoping that doesn't mean these pumpkins are starving from the artificial fertilizer addiction they were conditioned to at the nursery.
As a precaution, I roughed up the top of the soil around the plants and added fresh green earth fertilizer, steer manure, and dark compost tea.
Am I the only person who thinks of Tinkerbell when I see a pepper flower? For good luck, I rub the flower anthers with my finger, and make a wish.
Grow me a big, fat, red and juicy hot pepper fruit!
Most of the Sweet William flowers have expired, but many of them are still brilliant. I noticed many new flower stems forming behind this one, as they were being shaded out by the taller plants in Spring. Now they have plenty of space and sunlight.
In the smelly garden, the mint has been trimmed, and I leave the scraps on the surface as mulch.
The Sage in the center has been constantly pruned to keep the plant condensed with small leaves.
Nasturtium on the left is growing tall. In the back right, the Nicotania clump has slowed down in growth. I think it's going to come out with a vengeance with August flowers.
Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage shoots are popping up between the green onions and lemon verbena cuttings. No sign of sunflower sprouts.
Another view of the pumpkins growing in the fence garden. Surrounded by a patch of strawberries.
Corn is growing more abundantly, but has not yet lifted over the top canopy. Carrots are also small in tight clusters under the strawberries. Not many radishes remaining, so I threw in a bunch of dried radish seed husks as mulch. Some beans growing, but not really taking off.
Despite the three years of soil amendments, the ground is still a bit tough in places, and already looking a bit nutrient depleted. Once the corn seedlings grow a few inches taller, I'm probably going to add some more steer manure and cover everything with dried leaves as mulch.
At least we've got some sunflowers finally emerging here. I really need the sunflowers near the corn. The flowers attract birds, and when they flap their wings it helps pollinate the corn.
In the container garden, things are springing up with a zeal for life.
The seeds should be popping up under the bare patch any day now. It's been almost a week of constant watering to help them germinate.
The clustered mass is growing about a half centimeter a day. I am starting to harvest some, and it is very flavorful.
Have a wonderful week!
#anise #sweet-william #swan-river #daisies #beans #corn #strawberries #radish #sunflower #seedlings #sprouts #greens #brussels-sprouts #cabbage #mint #lemon-verbena #onion #aniseed #sage #nasturtium #pepper #pepper-plant #coreopsis #flower #blossom #summer #july
