Summer Garden Update

Wow!!!  The month of July has really been extremely wet.  Even for this time of the year.  Every day for the past 3 weeks we have had some real downpours. These rains will definitely make my water bill go down.  Here in Florida, we pay quite a bit for water and most of it goes to keep the yard watered during the spring/dry season.

August Garden 2015 Update

All that is left in my garden is 3 green pepper plants and boy are they producing. They are enjoying all the rain. I picked one the other day that was over 6 inches long.  I’ve never had one grow that big.  I will be putting them up in the freezer and using some for cooking.

August Garden 2015 Update

I really don’t have much of a bug problem around here because I don’t grow in the summertime.  Until this year.  The main reason my tomatoes were gone early this year.  The Leptoglossus phyllopus or Eastern Leaf Footed Bug was everywhere.  All over my sunflowers and covered my tomatoes.  The bug on the left is the baby and the one on the right is full grown.  The best way to get rid of them is to pick them off and drop in soapy water with a bit of oil in them.  Sunflowers do attract them and you can grow a patch of them to go to.  I did try an organic spray and it didn’t faze them.  Tough bugger for sure.

Leaf footed bugs’ common name comes from the hind legs that have a flattened, leaf-like expansion, you can see it in the above picture. It is a very common insect in the Untied States, there are reported sightings as far north as Long Island, New York, and then they range south to Florida, west to Iowa and Kansas, and southwest through Texas to California. Adults are about 3/4 inch in length and are dark brown with a whitish to yellowish stripe across the central part of the back. The nymphs have much the same shape as adults, though they are usually a bright Orange and do not acquire the flattened leaf-like hind leg until they are almost full grown adults.

August Garden 2015 Update

This time of the year, my main love is watching the butterfly garden. I enjoy just sitting and watching one of Gods most delicate creatures. The butterfly.  Since all the rain, the flowers have flourished.  Zinnias, sunflowers, Mexican sunflower, miniature cosmos,  sage, marigolds, lantana, and milkweed.  I also have flat leaf parsley and dill for a host plant.  Those are growing back from being munched on and will come back here in Central Florida. I really love, well I should say, the birds really love my easy DIY Tomato Cage Bird Bath. It looks so nice in my garden.

August Garden 2015 Update

Tons of bees love coming to my butterfly garden too.

August Garden 2015 Update

All of these flowers are started from seed.  Some come back on their own.  In about a month or so, I will start harvesting the seeds for next year and put them in small containers. But, I will have to wait until they dry off well enough first.

August Garden 2015 Update

I am also growing Lemon Balm this year.  I think it doesn’t like the really wet weather we are having.  I hope when it cools down it will spike and the butterflies will enjoy it. Lemon Balm is a great herb to grow and really easy to grow from seeds.

August Garden 2015 Update

I repotted my poinsettia from Christmas so I can bring it in the house around October so it will turn red for Christmas this year.  Be sure to keep it pinched back until October so it will nice a bushy and not get leggy.  One of the perks of living in Central Florida is you can keep plants like poinsettias from year to year.

Now it’s on to getting ready for the fall garden and I will start planting seeds in September.

Get your hands dirty,

Tammy

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44 Comments

  1. Glad you are having some success with your garden. I don’t have one of my own, so I am always impressed to hear what others are doing with theirs.

  2. Your garden is splendid! We had a great success with ours this year, and our zucchini’s are gorgeous. Our eggplants are coming in nicely and so are our peppers.

    1. Thanks Maria. Our zucchini did better this year. I had to use hybrid seeds to help with the wilt disease we get here. I’ve never tried eggplants.

    1. Thanks Liz. Its been raining so much I wasn’t able to get pictures of all of the butterflies. But the bees don’t seem to care and hang around all the time.

  3. You know what Tammy? your photos captivates me. Love the ones with bugs 🙂 About your garden, looks really nice!

  4. This is inspiring me to get my garden sorted, it’s a small space but could be beautiful, thanks for sharing

    Kay

  5. The flowers are so pretty! How I wish I have a garden, but I don’t have the space for it.

    1. Thanks. Believe me when I say I have a very small space for everything. Even a container will give you some beauty.

  6. Your garden looks great. Neat year I plan on planting more flowers to get more bees to our garden!

  7. Love your garden how pretty peppers & flowers and moist the soil looks. Great graphic. Gardening is a great way to pass the time and destress. Thanks for sharing.

    1. Thanks Patricia. I wish I could stay out more in my garden, but it gets so hot here in the summer. I”m out there at about 7am and back in the house in an hour.

  8. Great Garden. I really want to grow some herbs and things. It looks like you are getting lots of goodies. The flowers are so pretty too.

  9. Your garden is so pretty. How I wish I have a garden where I can grow my own vegetables and herbs.

  10. Omg what a lovely garden!!!! I wish I had a green thumb!!!maybe one day I will give the gardening thing a try 🙂

  11. Glad you’re still having some success with your garden, especially since it seems to be a tough year for them. I know I didn’t get mine in on time this year, but next year it’s on! LOL

  12. My garden also produced bell peppers that size and I love them stuffed with ground beef, wildrice and tomato sauce. I sprinkle some cheese on top/ & bake at 350.

    1. I love stuffed peppers too like that. This year I will have bigger ones to make that with. Thanks for stopping by Terri

  13. You have the most beautiful plants and garden. Mine turned out terrible this year and I’ve been pulling up veggies and flowers. I hope to do better next year. Your photos are awesome.

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