Those are pretty, papergirl. They can invade my lawn any time! I have calendula and violas that are like weeds in my yard, but they’re pretty, so I’m fine with it. I got some California poppy seeds from my sister in BC and they’re turning into weeds, too, but they are also pretty, so allowed to stay.
Planted either a third or fourth round of lettuce and radishes (I’ve lost count). Why? Because the stuff is growing well and we’re eating it, and there should be enough time before the frost to get at least one more round in.
Did it between 7:30 and 8:30 this morning due to the heat wave. Yes, usually the dry part of summer is bad for these, but this year we’ve gotten enough moisture that doesn’t seem to be a problem.
Our leaf lettuce is coming in really nicely now, too - I’m putting it on just about everything, and I still can’t keep up with it. Next year, one plant - that’s it.
Some pics from my flowers today:
My beautiful new burgundy day lily.
My yarrow that I thought was supposed to be golden. I wanted red anyway, so yay!
My stella d’oro daylilies - they’re in their second year and looking lovely.
I’m trying to decide what to do for late planting. Yes, I realize there is a risk of frost, but seeds are cheap and what the heck.
I’m thinking more radish, lettuce, chard, bok choy (I’m no wandering turtles eat it this time), spinach… do I have time to go another round with carrots, beets, and turnips?
My carrots and beets are still a month or so away from being ready - I don’t know if you can fit any more of those in this season. More peas and beans?
We should have adequate temperatures through the end of September, and most years through October, so that’s around 90 days which should be sufficient for cold-tolerant crops.
I have had things still going as late as Thanksgiving, but that’s definitely a bonus year.
My Commando, Front Yard, Flowerbed, Tomato and Pepper Garden. I planted it on the day the world was supposed to end. They are coming in fast and furious now, 4 -6 Tomatoes a day, ten to 12 peppers a day. I can eat about half and keep up with it daily… about two days behind. Bonny Best heirlooms ( some of the best, meatiest, prolific, large and juiciest tomatoes I have ever grown, best eating tomatoes I have ever had… beats the shit out of Better Girls, Big Boys, or any bred for resistamce tomato. Then some Long Red Cayennes and Thai dragon Chiles ( aparticularly fortuitous summer for these red peppers … very hot and humid then inundated with late season rain. Very Hot… but sweet and fruity.
Harvested the sweet cippiolinis and planted a late summer crop of container icicle radishes four days ago… they are going gangbusters as sprouts.
Used the cippolinis in a combo midwest German Beef Rump Roast and Pork Boston Butt, Crockpot, Pot Roast (we like to mix the beef and the pork… kinda like hot dogs.) with mashed potatoes and its rich gravy. Served with some of the best and sweetest in the world Bench’s Bicolor Sweetcorn on the cob with sweet cream butter and salt (I leave it to the experts). fresh vine ripened tomatoes, cottage cheese and apple sauce, and Bacon Wilted sweet and sour lettuce from the garden. That is my last meal.
Our tomato plants went berserk. We have bunches of cherry tomatoes hanging like large bunches of grapes. The peppers are maturing very well, with at least one mature poblano and several serranos waiting to be picked. Peas and beans in the back growing faster than we can pick them.
Right now, as breakfast every morning. I am eating 2 or three wedged tomatoes with a bit of thinly sliced white onions, many chopped Chiles, and generic zesty Italian dressing, salt and fresh cracked pepper. I am probably going to go to Meijer’s and buy a bloxk of decent feta to round this motherfucker out… There’s some good Greek-like-Italian bread they have there, too.
My garden got pounded with hail a week and a half ago; it’s starting to come around, but there was lots of damage. I’m thinking of ways to protect future plants from hail - this happens every freaking summer here.
This is getting ridiculous. Yesterday I pulled up another 16 deadly nightshade plants from my (small) vegetable patch. Where are they coming from? I have more deadly nightshade than any other plant in the veg patch now!
Hmm, actually it appears that what I have is black nightshade, not deadly nightshade (the flowers are white, not purple). And it appears you can actually eat those berries. I’m not tempted to try them, though!
We had to call in a napalm strike on the lemon balm plant. I’ve never seen anything take over like that stuff. I thought that mint was aggressive, but this stuff went from being a small plant to a huge shrub almost overnight. Most of it ended up in the compost heap, since it was shading out the sage and parsley.
Even better - if you left even a little bit untouched, it’ll happily reseed/regenerate.
I am still finding plants here and there, years after I thought I’d eradicated it.
Current ornamental garden highlights - miniature crepe myrtles (if you call a 3 foot high plant miniature - consistently hardy here, very flashy in bloom) and Rudbeckia triloba, a knockout compared to the far more common Rudbeckia “Goldsturm”.
I’m trying to grow some lemon balm - you’d laugh your ass off at my tiny little one centimeter high plants, Chefguy. 
Very nice Rudbeckia, Jackmannii. I don’t have any Rudbeckia for no good reason - they’re lovely and hardy.
Yeah, mint is the same way. Our front yard smells like honey, since the Ms planted a whole boatload of these little aromatic white flowers. Between those, the bee balm and other flowering things, we’ve seen a lot of honey bees this year, which is encouraging.
We planted some tatume squash. Only two seeds germinated, which is a good thing. Another week and those things will go all Sky Net.
I have a picture of a huge, ugly tomato we got - I need to post it somewhere and see if anybody knows what variety it is.
NM