The watermelons are thriving since they've been outside. No flower buds yet, but maaaaaaan I hope we at least get some baby melons from them. Just to feel like we've accomplished something.
Cantaloupe are also rocking it. I need to start tying the vines to the trellis; I don't think the little tendrils will do much when it comes to melon time.
Strawberries are shy. They're blossoming and slowly fruiting, but this spot dries the pots SO fast. I seriously have to water them three times a day, and sometimes I forget. In fact, I'm going to go water them right now.
My peas have taken the attitude of "eff this, I'm outta here". It's sad really. I was totally caught off guard by how much water these planters need. This spot in particular (the strawberries are above them) dries really fast due to the constant breeze and the sun. I don't like watering in the heat of the day, but I think waiting 'till evening is what killed these dudes. I doubt I'll get any peas. The beans still seem happy enough though. How the tables have turned!!
This tomato planter is kicking a$$. They are huge. They've benefited from no ant infestation, and they also seem to really like this spot (partial shade even, who knew??). I need to put a few more support sticks in there, but otherwise I have high expectations of their produce capabilities.
My herb planter is finally worth noticing. That's mint, basil, and thyme. The mint took foreeever, but should be thriving just in time for virgin juleps! Do those even exist? They do now!
The rest of the small planter tomatoes. The big ones still have a little ant problem, but seem to be pushing through. We had ant traps around, but then when Vera got sick we were freaking out because we found one with chew marks on it and thought Vera had been poisoned (she hadn't, it was a squirrel). We threw them out. It was better for everyone, squirrel included.
And yes the tomatoes are finally flowering! Woohooo! Must be all my diligent sucker pinching, or maybe because it's just that time of year...
Precious planter box, lookin' good! The thyme on either end is going nuts, and the tomatoes are all happy and starting to flower. The X-treme pepper plant is exactly the same as four weeks ago. In fact, even though it has suffered no damages, it also hasn't changed at all since we planted it. We actually checked to see if it was plastic, because it looks so awesome yet isn't doing anything (cyyyboooorrg!). Should be interesting to see what happens with it.
The pumpkin/squash/tomato planter is totally holding its own, especially the pumpkin, yay!!! Those are dwarf tomatoes btw, and they ARE actually thriving despite their size. However...
...the base stalks of all my pumpkin/squash plants kind of look like this. Does anyone know what is happening here? The stalks are flattening and splitting, yet the plant seems to be fine. I'm worried about insect infections, and losing the whole plant just as it's getting really big. I might try covering the stalks, anyone know how to deal with it otherwise? (this pic is of the biggest pumpkin plant)
Here it is again, except on the squash. This one has split completely, yet the plant still seems okay...
Happy happy cucumber!! I got Mike to make these mesh things to protect them because the birds were hanging around them a little too much for my liking. They're doing awesome, and even though I can barely weed them now and I'll have to cut the mesh to pick cucumbers, the peace of mind really makes it all okay.
The smaller of the two cucumbers, and it's flowering!!! Yaaaaaay!
This is one of the previously dessicated zucchini plants. It kept growing so I'm still watering it. I think it suffered another recent attack though. They're in a bad spot and I'm not sure how well they'll do anyway, so I might just water and observe... so cold. So cold.
This is the patch formerly known as "radishes/cucumbers/corn/sunflowers". Again, I totally underestimated how big the tree above them would get, and they're in the shade a lot. The radishes went to seed already, didn't get any actual radishes from them. The corn and sunflowers are stunted in time and won't be getting much bigger than they are (you can't even see them). The cucumbers are the only saving grace of this patch, and I'll be damned if I lose them!!!
