By Snickers
Hello, just popping in to say hi and update you on how the garden is growing this summer! As most of you know, a heat wave has hit all of us, and it’s been a challenge to keep flowers and the gardens going.
I have harvested many things early this year. It was a first for me to be able to plant everything in late April.
The green bean harvest is about over for the first go-round, and I have canned what I need for the winter months to come. The next two rows of beans that I will harvest will be for just eating and sharing with neighbors and friends. I will have to water quite heavily to keep them going, but they are full of blooms.
The cabbage is done, and they were very nice despite the warm temperatures. Freezer coleslaw was made and lots of grilled, steamed and fried cabbage, as well as just plain slaw, was enjoyed. 
I cut the last of it this morning and will miss it when they are gone. The tomato plants are loaded and I have have cut some tops off of the top to feed the lower stems of the plants.
The potatoes are drying down, and I have dug a few hills of red ones and they are very nice. Still plenty of things to come: cucumbers, onions, banana and green peppers and carrots. The sweet corn should be ready soon, so I will have my hands full for some time. Hope you are enjoying your garden and flowers this year and stay cool.
About the Author:
Snickers is a country gal at heart who loves holidays, quilting, antiques and has a passion for gardening. In her spare time she keeps herself busy as an estate cleaner and volunteers for many organizations. Her bucket list overflows.
You can check out other gardening posts by Snickers here.
PattyPie says
July 7, 2012 at 4:24 pmOh what I would give to live close to snickers and her wonderful garden!
Sage says
July 7, 2012 at 4:43 pmMe too, Patty. Beautiful flowers and fabulous looking beans and cabbage..they are perfect looking!
Snickers, do you have any good cole slaw recipes?
Rosemary says
July 7, 2012 at 6:14 pmHi Sage: Was something suppose to happen in July in your family?
Snickers: Love the update.
Pam@IW says
July 7, 2012 at 9:46 pmYikes, the heat. I have heard that many of farmers in the area that my parents are from are going to lose their corn crop. I hope and pray for rain for them. They put in so many hours of intense labor to have a successful crop.
I love all of your pictures, snickers. Great update!
snickers says
July 7, 2012 at 9:48 pmThanks everyone and hi to sage. Good to see you here.:)
I will post something that I use tomorrow. I like easy, and Pattypie’s slaw was fab.
snickers says
July 7, 2012 at 9:51 pmPam,
It is so dry in our area, but we did have some rain which has helped the crops limp along some. We need it now for the corn, it’s in the crtical stages to set the ears on. If you follow the markets, corn hit over 7 bucks this week and beans were almost 15 dollars a bu. Can you imagine what the prices in the grocery store will be.
Sage says
July 8, 2012 at 12:12 pmRosemary, how nice of you to remember! Yes, we are waiting for the arrival of a little boy any day now.
Rosemary says
July 8, 2012 at 5:11 pmSage: How special for you. My first, and closest to my heart, is now 15 and has his driver’s permit. There is nothing like being a grandmother. I am excited for all of you.
Ann @ IW says
July 8, 2012 at 7:12 pm#Gardening update! Snickers, your garden is gorgeous. Look at all those green beans.
Do you freeze yours at all? What are the little yellow flowers in the picture? Are they daisies?
My little garden is giving us the last of the peas and the first of the beans. I am nursing along some lettuce and spinach which is only growing because huge zucchini leaves are shading them during the heat wave.
I didn’t know I was supposed to cut parts of the tomatoes off! Mine are growing like weeds. The cherry tomato has managed to grow through a clematis nearby. It’s also smothering a poor pepper plant. (I like tomatoes better anyway.)
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 8:24 pmHere is a Cole Slaw recipe that I use:
Creamy Cole Slaw
I large head cabbage
2 large carrots shredded
1 green pepper, chopped fine
1 small onion, chopped fine
Dressing:
3/4 cup mayo or cooks choice here
2 tbs sugar
2 tbs white
1 tbs dry mustard
2 tsp celery salt or seed or you can use fresh celery
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all together and chill.
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 8:33 pmAnn,
I don’t freeze green beans. I tried to blanch some and freeze,and they were limp and did not hold their shape. Mine were mushy. I don’t know if anyone here knows a better way to freeze them. I am over running with beans!
I cut suckers off my tomotoe plants, they are just spikes on the top of the plant and now that I have lots on, I start to pick the new blooms off to feed what is there.
Yes, those are daisies that come back every year. They re-seed themselves.
We have finally cooled off, so it’s much nicer to work outside. Sounds like your garden is doing well.
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 9:00 pmOk I wish it would rain. Not just sprinkle rain. It is doing it everywhere around us just not here. Anyways I freeze everything. I may try canning someday but it seems so much harder. Nothing I freeze comes out mushy because I just quick blanch whatever it is. Then quick freeze them. Everything is still good even roasted peppers and tomatoes.
Question though. Why is my corn purple? Hubby says it was last year and I say it was 2 years ago and we didn’t get anything out of it. It has ears but it is purple.
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 9:04 pmI could get into this tomato discussion but I won’t.
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 9:27 pmlynn,
It could be your seed that your purchased. There is a honey cream corn that has both yellow and white corn on the cob. It is a very good variety. I plant both, this and a variety of just plain yellow sweetcorn.
We need rain also, maybe a rain dance would do the trick.
Tomatoes?? I haven’t picked a one yet! Grrr.
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 9:39 pmLOL I haven’t got one either but I chop mine like 3 times before they even get into the garden and then if it hails they get chopped again. My corn is candy corn if that helps. I posted a few pics some are frome tonight some are a bit older. The ones from tonight the wind was blowing 60 miles an hour so they not so good but you might get an idea.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77634162@N03/
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 9:50 pmSorry the tomatoes I meant.
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 9:54 pmLooks great lynn. Yes candy corn will be purple, also been known to be called honey and cream. Who knows why, LOL. I am so ready for a BLT!!
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 9:59 pmOH me too I have the lettuce and the bacon but no tomatoes yet. I am set back a bit from everyone else because of the hail but it has recovered I think. My peppers are looking good wish I got more pics but that wind was blowing me over. Thanks for telling me about the corn. I wont go in it if its above my knees so I guess I should have believed hubby.
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 10:03 pmMy next question is what is up with the potatoes? One is huge with flowers and the other 3 are just there.
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 10:16 pmlynn,
I think the potatoes will be fine. I have dug around mine some and there is tators there. As soon as your plant starts to dry down, you can dig. If you have flowers are, they are producing tators.
I am over loaded with beans and peppers!
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 10:19 pmlynn.
I will take a picture of my potatoe plants to show you, and post it. They get ugly!
lynn says
July 8, 2012 at 10:27 pmYou saw mine so that would be great if I can compare them. I haven’t tried to dig them up yet but maybe I will peek. I just don’t think I can grow them here.
OH P.S. Its raining a nice steady rain now. WooHoo!
I am talking too much so that means I am tired so good night. Thanks for the info and I love your flowers. Wish I could get them to grow here.
snickers says
July 8, 2012 at 10:29 pmlynn,
Share the rain friend!! Good night!
SOR says
July 9, 2012 at 6:10 amSnikcers, your garden looks great. All my plants are in pots. This dirt is like a rock. My Hibiscus are blooming and are beautiful. My hubby and I rescued a Mandevilla from Lowe’s and did not think it would make it, but it is blooming and thriving. I have a cucumber plant in a pot that is producing enough for a salad every day. I bought banana and green peppers and it turned out they labeled them wrong. All banana peppers. Found a recipe on how to grill them wrapped in bacon. I wish I had some of those green beans. Love to fry them in olive oil with onions. I could eat corn on the cob all day long. It is in season here and I am freezing it.
CJ says
July 9, 2012 at 10:09 amSnickers, everything in and from your garden looks beautiful. All of your hard work shows.
Kmom2 says
July 9, 2012 at 1:21 pmI’m going to try your coleslaw recipe, Snickers. I love it and want some that’s homeade.
Lily@IW says
July 9, 2012 at 3:06 pmI enjoyed cutting some of my lavender today. My car smelled so good on the way home.
Snickers, I’m sure a lot of people are going to enjoy your coleslaw recipe.
Ann @ IW says
July 9, 2012 at 3:42 pmShould I do that? I don’t know if I can bring myself to pull off tomato suckers or flowers. I am so proud of them!
snickers says
July 9, 2012 at 5:21 pmAnn,
Yes, you can cut off the suckers and if you have lots of tomotoes on, pulling off some blooms will feed the plant to help ripen what you have. It would probably take another 2 months for new blooms to produce anything unless you live in a warm climate. Ususally they tend to be very small, so I would never do much with them.
Lilly, lavender, it’s wonderful.
Thanks for all your nice comments. We finally received a nice shower of rain this afternoon, not near enough, but we will take anything that comes our way.
lynn says
July 9, 2012 at 8:29 pmYour welcome for the rain. LOL. We didn’t get much either but it was helpful and cooled us off for a day anyways. Back into the 90’s tomorrow. My garden sure liked the on and off rain last night and this morning.
snickers says
July 9, 2012 at 9:08 pmThanks lynn, LOL. Could you send a little more? It did cool off, then got sticky and the skeeters came out. We haven’t had any bugs because of the heat until now. My garden said thanks also, along with the flowers.
lynn says
July 9, 2012 at 9:29 pmWish I could but doesn’t look like we are going to get anymore rain anytime soon. Bugs!!! They have been awful here already and I hate any kind of critter. We have been stomping on green worms, squash bugs and grasshoppers. Then there are those black bugs and green bugs that don’t fly. I will not discuss the spiders. I hate bugs and this year is really bad even though its hot. I guess we are trying to defy all odds this year. Hail, wind, heat and bugs. But hey I have some huge carrots outside. I picked 5 today was alittle muddy so I guess tomoorow I will go pick more.
lynn says
July 11, 2012 at 10:50 pmWow your peppers are looking good and I guess my potatoes have a ways to go Thank you for posting them. I uploaded a couple new pictures. I peeled and cut 15 pounds (yes I weighed them) of carrots today and now I am tired.
snickers says
July 11, 2012 at 11:09 pmI was looking back and in the cole slaw that should be white vinager. Ishould never post long stuff late at night.
lynn,
Carrots already. My garden is coming on so fast, I am having trouble keeping up with trying to get everything in the freezer. I did do some corn this week, and probably by Sun,I will be picking lots!
lynn says
July 12, 2012 at 12:01 amyep carrots already if you look at my link upthread you will see them. And I just thinned them out lol.Soi more to come. No corn or tomatoes yet. Peppers soon. My green beans are being really slow thiis year.
lynn says
July 12, 2012 at 12:04 amSorry for the typos sticky i. grrrr.
BlogHawg says
July 16, 2012 at 11:57 amHow did i miss this post? I love snickers garden.
Pam@IW says
July 17, 2012 at 11:38 pmNew picture up sent in by snickers. That sweet corn looks so…….sweet. LOL I would just love some good sweet corn from the midwest. Our sweetcorn never taste that good. 🙁
BlogHawg says
July 18, 2012 at 7:24 amI love sweet corn. Snickers, I planted some of my organic pop corn to see what it’d do. Its growing, but I’d better figure out the next step now, LOL. Have you ever grown popcorn?
snickers says
July 18, 2012 at 7:36 amBlogHawg,
I have never grown it myself, but we have producers who grow for Jolley Time in my area. Let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Ann @ IW says
July 21, 2012 at 4:31 pmThe peppers caught my eye, snickers. Mine are really puny. But I have zucchini if anyone needs some?
lynn says
July 26, 2012 at 10:36 pmOK. Garden update here. How much yellow squash can one person eat? I have made everything from soup to stirfy to grilled to spaghetti sauce with it. I have given 5 of them away already. Been eating something with squash in it everyday for lunch and have about 6 months worth of something frozen for lunch with squash in it. (Hubby doesn’t like squash of course!) I still have 4 sitting on my counter. I guess it is time to pull them. Green beans are being really slow this year and my corn is screwed up even though we water everyday. I got a few ears but most of it is either being eaten or is deformed. Peppers are finally starting to do great. Cucumbers are finally coming along. I have alot of tomatoes but have only gotten 1 ripe so far. Potatoes are doing absolutely nothing as I thought. How is everyone else doing in this heat and drought?
snickers says
July 27, 2012 at 9:52 pmlynn,
Sounds like your garden is doing well,in spite of the heat. Grean beans gone here, picked my 1st 5 tomotoes this week, so good. My tators are wonderful, the cucumbers are not doing as well, but did manage to do a couple batches of pickles. I will pull the vines now. Dug a few carrots, they are small. We continue to have heat, cooled off today, but the forecast in the 90’s again next week. My fall mums are blooming, now, that’s crazy. The grasshoppers and crickets have showed up, so harvest will be early here this year. As a gardner, there’s always next year. 🙂 We need rain, chance this weekend.
lynn says
July 27, 2012 at 11:10 pmI am really bummed about my corn. It looks like if I don’t get anymore it is going to cost me a fortune to buy. The potatoes I already knew wouldn’t grow. I have tried and I guess it is time to give up. Not sure what is up with the green beans this year. Like you said I guess there is next year. I got the carrots though. Want some?
snickers says
July 28, 2012 at 3:30 pmWe are finally receiving some rain, lots of banging but no big amounts. Thankful for anything. I had tons of corn, too bad we couldn’t trade carots for corn.:)
Lily@IW says
July 29, 2012 at 10:23 amSeems like everyone has been wanting rain. Finally, things are starting to get green around here again.
Our little cucumber plants are doing so well. I wish I had put a few more in. These could be gone in one or two meals. But, yes as Snickers said, there’s always next year. Still hoping for a couple of pumpkins. Ours are always small, but it’s fun to grow your own for Halloween.
I meant to take a pic of my puny little garden where the bigger one used to be. It’s kind of hard to get used to. My father and I were always the garden tenders for my mom, I would keep it up and he would putter. Such great memories, but I let the garden get smaller when he was ill and after he passed away. It got really small this year. Not growing green beans anymore and gave up on broccoli after a couple of summers of heat. We used to get the best broccoli though. I loved having it on hand in the freezer.
lynn says
August 18, 2012 at 9:22 pmSnickers,
I was wondering how many tomato plants you planted and how they are doing? How’d your carrots do BTW?
snickers says
August 19, 2012 at 11:29 amlynn,
I planted 10 tomatoe plants, and they did very well. Had lots! My carrots failed, very small due to lack of rain. I just pulled and pitched them. If you look on the other thread, I posted a short article to gardens end for me for the year. Hope you enjoyed your season, you work hard! 🙂 Hope the little one is doing great.