My July Garden Update for the SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge...
July is coming to a close and boy was it a wet one! That was a good thing in some sense - like keeping the Himalayan Impatiens lush and plentiful around the yard.
Beautiful Dahlias Blooming with a Background of Himalayan Impatiens
Plus I never had to water the outside gardens at all! Even the container garden I think I only watered once or twice the whole month of July! We haven't seen much sun so the covered garden didn't need too much watering either.
Look how lush the container garden on my deck is looking and we've been feeding off it all summer! Some of these pots have been growing and producing all winter long for I just moved them outdoors on the deck come spring and they lushed right up with the rains!
Container Gardening on the Deck
More of the Container Gardening on the Deck
I had been given a bunch of different types of geraniums from my daughter-in-law, who volunteered at the university greenhouse. They had massive mother plants that they wanted out of the greenhouse once they got all the cuttings they wanted so she took them and shared a bunch of cuttings. I can't wait until they bloom for there was some beautiful double flowering ones!
My First Cherry Tomatoes Starting to Ripen Plus Pots of Different Types of Geraniums
The cool and damp has taken it's toll on some plants. The basil had a few rotting branches and the peppers in containers got pretty water sodden and have dropped some of their blossoms so there isn't much fruit on them except my snacker pepper on the deck which had most of it's leaves rot but is giving lots of fruit.
My Basil Crop and Pot of Strawberry Mint
Container Garden of Peppers in a Sunny Micro Area 
Snacker Pepper Plant
Also on the deck we have lots of different mints
My Lemon Herb Pot - Lemon Verbena Lemon Grass and Lemon Thyme plus Pot of Mint
Chocolate Mint and More Strawberry Mint plus Chives and Rosemary
I let a patch of the wild mint grow in one corner of what I call my middle garden (I have garden patches all over our property) and I'm really glad I did for it is full of blooms and attracting the pollinators.
Wild Mint in Bloom
The chick weed is enormous! Some of the leaves are quarter size instead of the size of your baby finger nail. So succulent and have been making a lovely addition to the salads.
I had been away for a week at a time here and there and my garden is rather neglected with the chickweed going rampant making it necessary to release many of my annual seedlings like lettuce, peas, beans, kale and swiss chard. I left it growing in the spots I didn't get mulched to act as a living mulch never expecting so much rain so I'm having to keep pulling it back from choking out my cultivated plants.
Mullein in Bloom and Beans Starting to Bloom with Chickweed Mulch
Solution for Mole Hill in My Cabbage Plants - Whirlygig!
There was quite a difference from the plants growing outdoors in the cool and damp as to the greenhouse which was a bit warmer and more controlled conditions.
Outdoor Cucumber Plants
Cucumbers Growing Inside Greenhouse
Broccoli Growing in Greenhouse
Broccoli Growing Outdoors Knocked Over By Wind and Heavy Rain
Broccoli Growing Outdoors
First Tomatoes Forming on Greenhouse Tomatoes
Set Up To Tie Up Tomatoes and Be Able to Pollinate Them By Hitting Top Sticks
Extra Tomato Plants Planted in Outdoor Garden
Our cannabis plants are setting bud nicely but it was a real live and learn session with them. My husband tried to super crop them and ended up being too rough, so instead of getting a super crop, the branches were damaged too much and we had to cut them right off. Also with all the moisture, we were getting some mold on the plants which we immediately cut off the affected areas so it didn't spread to the whole crop.
Cannabis Plants Starting to Bud
I have lots of valerian blooming in the yard which attracts pollinators along with the blossoms of the false astilbe shrub.
Butterfly on Valerian Blossoms
False Astible Shrub in Blossom
The berry bushes were later ripening this year. I was picking my haskaps in July when I usually pick them in June plus the Saskatoon berries are just starting to ripen and it's the end of July - I usually pick them around the middle of July!
Haskaps Bushes full of Berries
Saskatoons Starting to Ripen
I hope you enjoyed a tour of my jungle looking garden! I've taken the attitude this year with all that is going on, that I'll get done what I get done and I'll get what I get and I'm okay with that!
This is my entry to the SteemIt Community Garden Journal Challenge find out more about this challenge put on by @simplymike here
Discord About
Grateful for the curation and support of @tribesteemup
It feels a delicious atmosphere, inspires to be there watching everything with a good cup of coffee or hot chocolate while resting after doing all the cleaning of the garden! I love it!
Loved the tour! The size of that chickweed!! I'd not seen Haskaps berries before. My peppermint is in crazy bloom right now. Some years it does this, others no blooms to speak of.
Peppers and basil really need the warmth of sun. I had much the same problem last year when we got the 60" of rain...
That's cool about the geramium cuttings. Your dahlias are so lovely.
These haskaps were developed by the University of Sask. Haskap is also known as Edible Blue Honeysuckle or Honeyberry, perhaps you are more familiar with those names.
Wow1 60" is a lot of rain. I'm not sure how much we've gotten but it is lots and the peppers and basil are not happy!
Yes I've got a number of cool things from my daughter-in-law that she got from the university greenhouse. Last year it was coleus but I tried to winter them over and they got mealy bugs on them so I just ditched them. I also have a Taro root and a lemon eucalyptus tree I got from my daughter-in-law.
Yes, 60" is very unusual, not had so much since the 1860's in New England.
So cool she has access to all those things!
wow lovely garden - full of so much life
You have quite the growing operation there. I can see why you are so happy about not having to water for the month! I hope to expand mine out a bit but not quite to this kind of size. Looks like quite the challenge.
Wow! Thank you for the walk through your edible jungle my friend.
Our July was also very wet and good news is that we visited the small cottage that we bought over here yesterday.
It's got a tiny garden, but enough space for a small deck and I saw here what to plant in pots on the deck.
You certainly have a huge and a lovely garden.
Blessings!
Lovely that you bought a cottage! Glad I could give you some inspiration for container gardening. Looking forward to seeing some pictures of your new cottage which I'm sure you will be sharing!
Thanks for the tour of your lovely gardens. It’s so nice to be able to go outside and pluck some fresh fruit or veggie to have to a meal.
I have some peppermint that tries to take over the rhubarb patch and I have to keep it under control. The bees and butterflies do love ot now that it is in blossom.
It's just some much fun looking at your garden, so many can be harvest already, so wonderful!
Your garden is so pleasant to look at and I am so envious. All those fresh herbs just within reach. I think you have everything you need here.
Thanks for the entry, @porters.
I only just got home after a week of holidays, and until I saw a link to this post in the PHC Discord channel, I had completely forgotten I still had to announce this month's winners.
I will try to get to it today, if not, tomorrow. :0)
Ha! Glad I could serve as a reminder! A least you go the challenge post out while it was still July! I only got my entry in at the end of July for the time flew by way to quick with so much going on that month!