Here’s the vegetable garden at mid-summer. Not bad for a drought although you can see the tomatoes wilting a bit. (Ignore the red dracena spike and the dusty miller. There’s a story there that’s way too long for this post!)
Despite the wilting, little tomatoes are forming–so far without blossom end rot, which can come from uneven watering, among other issues.
As with every other thing in my yard, the basil is being nibbled. So long as the insects share, I don’t care and won’t try to manage this.
This planting of sage always makes me smile. I couldn’t use this much sage in my lifetime. But it’s colorful and it blooms and the bees love it. And bees in the vegetable garden are a welcome thing.
Along that line, you see lots of other plantings for pollinators. The yellow marigolds aren’t there to deter pests–that’s probably more of an old wives tale–but to attract beneficials. Once they’re there, I have the sweet alyssum for them.
And you see how nice the parsley has recovered after being stripped by the “parsley worm” (aka the larva of the swallowtail butterfly). It’s come roaring back just in time to provide food for the bunnies.
Oh well, at least this year, so far, the deer have been non-existent. I am not sure where they’re feasting but I am happy it’s not here!
