Yesterday I posted about the fruits in our garden and today I'm going to show you how the rest of the garden looks like.
Tomato is the No. 1 vegetable in the garden, even though it is considered a fruit, not a vegetable. I can't imagine my summer without these delicious tomatoes.
We usually have four or five types every year, each one for a different purpose. Some for raw consumption, others for juice and/or sauce.
This is a part of the tomatoes, this type does not grow tall, but still needs some support in order to not lay on the ground. It's called San Marzano, an Italian tomato type. This is an old school system, using recycled wood, metal, even the rope is recycled.
Although these are not tall plants, there's still need for some kind of net, some support as the branches will be full of tomatoes and these plants cant hold that much weight and then usually end up on the ground. There are those protection sheets, but still, it's healthier this way.
This is the tall one, therefore it needs the net to help grow. We have four rows and 25 tomatoes in each row. That is 100 plus the small ones I showed you above. A lot of tomatoes, right? I agree, it seems a lot but we can a lot, make sauces and juice too, so this quantity is needed.
It's still early for them, we already have a few growing, but a good month is still needed for them to ripe.
There's a lot of work with them in this period of time as there are branches growing that are not needed. I mean those don't bear fruits, they are just growing and taking away important nutrients from the actual fruits.
You can see on the first photo, there's a branch growing in the middle, that is missing on the second photo. This action needs to be repeated twice a week, if you want a good harvest.
Unfortunately this year cucumbers got eaten by snails. We've never had snails till now, but the excessive rain brought them out from wherever they were hiding. Snails love fresh, young seedlings and they have eaten most of the cucumbers and a good part of lettuce as well.
Good thing there was still time to sow another set and grow new seedlings. Usually our garden has a structure, each vegetable has its place but this year because of these delays, the garden looks a bit unorganized. For others this is normal, or should I say it's a way of life. Well, it's not for us but this year is an exception.
We've already got a few little cuties, even though there's a good two weeks needed for these to grow. Can you see the little cucumber under the big yellow flower? Cute as a cucumber, right?
This is all pepper and it's just half of it as there's a another sheet also full of peppers, different types. I think there are 150 in total, or close to 150. This is a mixed one as the end is full with the San Marzano tomatoes and there are different plants like basil, savory etc.
We use basil for tomato juice and tomato sauce. It gives a nice flavor to it and it's easy to grow as well.
These are still very young seedlings, need to find their ways, find a place where they can grow tall. This herb is mainly used for pickles and cabbage soup in general. It's a good one you want to have as it can change the flavor of your soup or pickled cucumbers.
Onions are looking very good. There was a real danger because of too much rain, but luckily there is no damage so far.
The only damage is what the dill is doing. It looks like a real jungle as dill is trying to take over. My dad cut most of it out before it can damage the onion.
The problem is we're dealing with a terrible heat right now, temperature can rise to 35C and that is not normal around here. If this persist, those who don't have an irrigation system set up, can lose. We have one and so far the soil has plenty of water but at these temperatures that won't last long.
Now irrigation is fine but it's still not the same as rain. In case of rain the surface remains soft, while when irrigating, the surface becomes hard like concrete, which is not good. However, it's still better than to have no irrigation system at all or shortage of water and restrictions due to lack of water.
This is the first part of my gardening report, the second part is coming soon, so stay tuned.
