Garden Update: mid-July

These past few weeks have been nothing short of wacky… earthquake, G20 protests, another trip to NYC, heat wave … and here we are, already knee deep into July!

I just took a peek at my last garden update in mid-June. In comparison, the plants have grown considerably in 1 month. The pole beans have climbed to the top of the trellis, then to the top of a taller stake I added later, and is now bending over the divider and onto my neighbor’s side. The dill has grown almost 4 feet tall, with tiny yellow flowers all over. Cucumber plants are flowering and also climbing uncontrollably. Chives flowers have dried up, and their tiny black seeds are being saved. And I just saw the first signs of a tomato budding from a flower yesterday.

Unfortunately, aphids have found their way onto my balcony again. They attacked the arugula plant that I was trying to seed, so I ripped it out in my madness. Now that I've calmed down, I started using a very diluted solution of Dr. Bronners peppermint and spraying it on the plants twice a day. It seems to be working to get those buggers under control.

Here are some photos of dill, cucumber and nastursium flowers. Love, love, and love.