First summer #gardenjournal and it feels good :)
So many things have happened since last #gardenjournal that honestly I don't know where to start from for this July Garden Journal Challenge.
@fotostef has also just posted his, so with both posts we must have covered the garden update :)
First, I think I have to say that we were away from the garden (and the island) for 1,5 month when we had planned to be away just for a couple of weeks. That means losses, delays and a general chaos, cause a garden most of all needs the love and care of its gardeners. But let me tell you that it is also the gardener that suffers from the absence of the garden :)
Although coming back was not easy, it was all the beloved plants that supported me and they still do...
Let's see some garden stuff!
Most herbs were lost amongst the weeds. Some were uprooted by the badge.
So much work to be done on the beds and the fence, most of it already done now that I write this, mostly thanks to @fotostef.
And among all that, a dog that had forgotten the most important rule -we don't lie on beds- for the sake of good shadow. What you don't know is that there is plenty of shadow outside the garden as well :)
Good news for the olives so far! All trees are loaded with fruits and hopefully it is going to be a good harvest!
The biggest enemy of the olive is the olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae). The last couple of years we deal with this guys by putting these yellow bags on each tree. It is an organic solution and the easiest thing to do. Although not so easy when we are talking about hundreds of trees!
This is how our olive groves mostly look :) No time for mowing yet, but I like these flowers of the wild carrots so much!
A selfie for a break :)
I think all my selfies are for #gardenjournal, haha! And we are trying our best not to show how tired we are!
Almond trees are thriving as well this year!
The quince tree is also doing well.
Back to the herbs!
Proud to announce that (some) rosemary plants are now taller that their neighboring onions!
The samphire is doing surprisingly well and I can't wait to taste it as we are quite away from the seashore and I am not sure about its taste.
I love the super green and healthy yarrow - Achillea millefolium and I am planning to collect the flowers for natural dyeing.
We had the first harvest of marjoram! The scent is incredible and they are now naturally drying.
While we are getting ready for the lemon balm :)
The vegetable garden is almost non-existent. Just before we leave, due to strong wind all the pumpkin and cucumber plants died. When we came back all the potatoes were sick and dying. Only three cherry tomato plants have survived and they produce some delicious tomatoes. Well, to be accurate the first two were delicious, we are still waiting for the others :)
With great delay and the hope that they will grow fast, we have also planted some cucumbers and peppers.
Oh, and many Mexican corns!
Black and green, super excited! In Greece we only have yellow and yellowish corns and decided to change it a bit, or a lot :)
And many many beans that haven't showed up yet!
This post has to come to an end and this is always a problem with garden journal. I always have so many photos and plants to share.
Some flowers for the finale of the more resilient plants in the garden, Cistus creticus, caper and apple geranium.
I would really like to hear some garden news from @sjarvie5 and @bluemoon if they want to share :)
Happy gardening, happy grounding everyone!
If you would like to know more about me this is my introduction post.
When I heard you'd been away for so long, my first thought was what happened to the gardens? I'm sorry you lost so many things. :(( But the ones that survived are doing really well, it seems. :)) And your quince is fuzzy! Mine is smooth and hard.
Compared to how long we were away, things went pretty well! A friend was watering them from time to time and the resilient ones made it :)
But the potatoes, we were expecting 100kg and we got 5kg - they better be the most delicious potatoes ever, haha!
Our quinces are very fuzzy, who knows why?
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Mine are fuzzy too!
And you are doing well:)) you both look great and happy 😊
Thank you @mipiano :)
Looks like it worked :))
What a wonderful update. It looks like even though the vegetable garden is not much this year you have so many other things growing. I like the wild look of where the olive trees are too! You both look great in the selfie. I should update on my plants. My garden garden is gone. I haven't figured out how to help it through these crazy hot summers.
Thank you Sara! That was a very pleasant surprise that plants were fine without us! Well, not all, but the general feeling is very positive :)
Hot summer is even more tricky than cold winder. There should be the opposite of the greenhouse. At least agave loves hot weather :)
A labour of love that’s for sure and those olives look so good. It’s tough to go away. Returning home is always a mad dash to catch up on it all. In our case the grass grows so fast. We’ve a new small garden and it has its challenges. Perhaps we should write a journal too. We may learn from others better that way.
Oh, please do! You have no idea how much these garden journals can help. Learning from each other for sure, traveling in the whole world through gardens (so, yours would be a great chance for us to take a look of what's going on in a garden in UK :) and also, by looking back you can see the progress (ok, mistakes as well!) and enjoy the process!
It is indeed hard when you return, but traveling is also so nice, I guess we have to find the balance :) With all this rain, I can imagine the grass growing almost instantly!
Thank you for stopping by @nicklewis!
Ok I’ll do an intro to our garden which is also only several months old. Keep your eyes peeled!
Haha, I will! Great and looking forward :)
It still looks good after you both being away. I know that must have been hard. You really get to see how hardy each plant is really. I too only recently planted some peppers, here's hoping we both get a wonderful crop xxxx
That was indeed a great test for the plants, and the results were just fine in most cases. I like your way of thinking, it's true, now we know where we have to focus more and this is very useful!
Some old people here say that the best gardens are the gardens that start in July, they grow fast and healthy. I don't know if it is true, but I hope it is and that we will both have delicious peppers till winter :)
Thank you dear @trucklife-family!
It’s always amazing to see a bountiful garden. You know I enjoy your photos always and seeing the plants up close really makes me appreciate not only what they provide but also the beauty of them.
Amazing work you both are doing with your homestead. I enjoyed the walk through :)
Thank you dear @crosheill! Plants are pieces of art and some flowers are masterpieces :)
Close ups always help, especially when the plants are still young and little, haha!
You’re welcome! Yes, I agree about the closeups :D
Oh wow, despite things suffering in your absence, there's still a lot going on. That corn looks so amazing - I might try to give corn another go this year, if i can find a variety that doesn't mind it a little dry. Been trying to make the soil as water retentive as possible!
And great to see those once tiny herbs growing strong.
I hate going away from the garden in peak growing season - but that's the best time for holidays so I just have to wear it! I wish I could find a gardener babysitter that would tend it for me in my absence!
And your tired, grubby, happy gardening faces - I just showed Jamie and said 'if we go to Greece we have to visit these two'.
Yes, you do have to visit us :)
You have been to Greece in the past, right?
We all need to find gardener babysitters! Gardening is great, but so are holidays! And you know what happens when holidays are over? You want some more :) Already thinking about how this will be arranged :)
Water retentive soil should be a priority for all of us. It takes time, but totally worth it. We need to focus on that too. We haven't done much mulching these last months... You can't believe how hard it is to find free material here. I look at some videos from US and I get crazy of how easy it is. We have to drive 40km to get some and then 40km back :/
I'll let you know on these corns! They look delicious, hopefully they are also survivors :)
Thank you so much for your feedback and everything you do for all of us here!
Everything seems to be in order even after you and your companion have left. I can imagine how difficult that situation was for you. One can easily observe the tenacity of each individual plant. It never ceases to amaze me when I come upon a lush garden.
Thank you @kirlos! They need indeed great tenacity to survive, especially in hot summers and they proved they can do it, and that was great to see :) At least most of them did... That was a great lesson as well. As everything in gardening, it just never stops!
Hi, @traisto, everything in your garden is looking very nice and your photos are excellent.
I enjoy reading your garden updates. enjoy the summer have a nice weekend. greetings❤️
Thank you so much dear @hindavi! In my case I guess it is the photos that save the situation :) In your case, it is the fact that your garden is truly a paradise! Enjoy your summer too!
A lot of new things here for me like the quince tree, samphjre, olive tree has enemy flies too? Also, I haven't seen a wild carrot or flowers before. I say let it grow :D :D