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This is the end of July urban garden growth update. There is good news and not so good news. As with any garden, not everything turns out as planned.
We are nearing the end of July. As the heat hits the ground, it brings with it some rain storms as well. The summer is swiftly passing by and we have less than two months remaining for vegetables to grow. This year we are growing 16 vegetables, herbs and fruit in the city.
Here is an update on the end of July urban garden growth.
Kidney Beans
How much space do you need to grow beans?
Fortunately in 2022 we may have some kidney beans. The leaves of the kidney beans are growing tall on the right side of the pergola. On the the left side kidney beans are developing at a much slower pace.
Although beans grow well once they are planted, they may not reach their full potential. Based on how they are placed, they might not expand too far. The area where you plant your beans could use more space than this picture below. It is also better to have nothing obstructing their growth. This post in the centre of the bed is not really helping them out much. Next year I will likely not grow them here and will give more room for beans to flourish.
Tomatoes and green peppers
Do old seeds for Gardening work?
As the tomatoes are shooting straight up their stems remain strong. Some of them are already reaching passed two feet in height. Almost all of them need a stick and a rope to tie the plant to help support them as they continue grow taller and stronger.
Unfortunately, for the green peppers, the remaining green peppers next to these tomatoes did not survive. The last two got wiped out by an intense storm a week ago.
Old seeds will work for gardening. However, make sure to start these seeds off in a large enough container. This will give them more room to strengthen and be strong enough when it time to plant. My green peppers would have made it if they have grown a little stronger.
Is it too late to plant vegetables in July?
The simple answer is no. You can plant seeds in July, but do not expect as much of a yield than planting in the spring. Even though it is quite late in the season I am starting again with bell peppers and starting seeds from scratch. The seeds used to plant them are taken from the inside of bell peppers.
Spearmint and Peppermint
Why is it beneficial to Grow Mint?
The spearmint and peppermint continue to grow abundantly in our backyard. None of it is going to go to waste. If we ever run out of tea, we will always have mint tea in the cupboard available. This picture is taken after a lot of spearmint is already cut.
Spearmint is an excellent fresh herb to have in your summer drinks as well as making hot tea. There is no caffeine and no calories. Women can benefit from consuming spearmint whereas men should limit the amount of mint they consume, or not have any at all, especially as you age. It is a hormone regulator and it decreases testosterone while helping increase estrogen.
Lettuce
Out of the five lettuces planted in the backyard two survived. They were taken over by all the spearmint. Once I cut much of mint off the lettuce showed up underneath. Now the two remaining lettuces have some room to grow.
Yellow Zucchini
The leaves of the yellow zucchini are sprawled out like we are about to receive a boat load of zucchini, but I am not so sure this is the case.
We will wait to see what actually shows up. Nevertheless, it gives the impression of a grand entrance in our backyard. You can see some zucchini starting to show up. Within a week or two I may be pulling some out.
Cucumbers
The cucumber does not need to stand up straight and will not require a stick. However, I am going to raise it up soon and let it grow because cucumbers have the potential to rise high. For now it will grow and sprawl out on the ground. Cucumbers will start sprouting within a week or two.
Strawberries
The strawberry basket was overloaded with rainwater from the storm and damaged a lot of the plant. I will revive it as best as I can. Meanwhile, the strawberry stems planted in the ground are showing promise.
Lemon Balm, oregano, rosemary
As far as the herbs, I am cutting them already and starting to dry rosemary and oregano for the winter. They are currently used in dishes, adding a lot more flavour to meals.
Kale
After transferring the kale it has not grown at all. Most of the leaves have wilted. However the stem is still strong in the ground and therefore worth keeping because it may start growing when the weather gets a little cooler.
Collards
The collards are growing very nice and strong. I have already taken some leaves out from them and continue to pull out more. We are eating collards from the garden and have been since June. Green collards is an excellent vegetable to grow.
celery
The celery is firmly rooted into the ground and is showing leaves in the centre. Within a few weeks I can use the celery leaves in salads. Celery sticks will start to grow soon after.
Summary
Some of the gardening may not work out as well as you may like, for example the lettuce, green peppers and possibly the strawberries. However, it is not too late. Keep working on your garden despite the changes that occur.
While there are some setbacks, there are times when your garden turns out better than expected. This is all a part of the growing process.
Keep at it and be consistent.
This end of July urban garden is turning out well despite the challenges and losses. With two months remaining, we have a small window to mend our garden and get it thriving. Grow something in the earth and reap the rewards soon.
Next month I will share more about our summer urban garden. By that point there will be more progress in growing a vegetable urban garden.
See you then.
July 28, 2022
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