Growing Happens

I've been busy indoors tiling my shower. At the same time the garden continues to grow. It just happens.

Early Girl Tomato

Super Sweet Tomato

The fruit are ripening at an increasing rate. 

Black Krim, Husky Cherry, Chocolate Cherry, Super Sweet and Early Girl Tomaotes, Bush Green Bean and a Cucumber

This was the harvest on 22 August 2012

Black Krim, Super Sweet, Husky Cherry, orange tomato and cucumber for the fruit. 'Alabama Scarlet' Honeysuckle, New England Aster, hibiscus and Thai Basil for the blooms.

I thought you should see the fruit cut into cross sections. Plus I added some garden blooms of the 22nd. The orange tomato was harvested the day before and is a mystery. I purchased started plants and in one pot were two started plants. I expected Mr. Stripey. I am not sure what I have.

German Johnson

There are still more to harvest. If the weather stays warm at night.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Grape Tomatoes 23 July 2012

I haven't spent much time in the garden because of the heat. Fifteen of the twenty-three days in July have been over 90ºF/32ºC. I worked outdoors for 34 years and I really don't want to go into the hot sun anymore than need be.

weather underground

I watered when needed but I haven't done much more than that.


I have been harvesting. Lettuce is all gone, several varieties of tomatoes, one cayenne pepper and two potatoes.


All the tomatoes are delicious. The cayenne wasn't as hot I it might be, but it was green. It had fallen off the plant when I took up the soaking hose and put down a new piece. The old hose sprung several holes which gushed water and the plot was not evenly watered because of it. The lettuce was great and the potatoes super.


To get the potatoes I just reached into the tower where a potato stem was growing, dug around until I felt a spud and brought it out. The potatoes were small, one the size of a golf ball.

Super Sweet

There are three grape/cherry tomato varieties, Chocolate Cherry, Husky Cherry and Super Sweet. So far, of the three I like Super Sweet the best. The skin on the Husky is too thick as was the skin on the Chocolate Cherry. They were the first of the season and I will give you my overall favorite at the end of the season.

The Super Sweet vine has really taken off and I had to tie it to the remesh I attached to the square foot plot support for the cucumbers and watermelon. It has grown quite long.


I hope the heat goes down below 90ºF for the remainder of the season. I really can't take the heat.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Snow Peas Are Finished, One Cherry Tomato Harvested

Snow pea seeds were planted on 4 April. On Sunday, 17 June, all the snow pea plants were cut at the soil line. Snow peas are finished for the spring.

Once cut down, a total of 57 plants were counted. From those 57 plants were harvested 298 grams/10.5oz of fresh, crisp, tender snow peas starting on 28 May and ending today.

Already planted are watermelon and cucumbers seeds in the four squares in the rear of the square foot plot recently occupied by 2/3 of the snow peas. A tomato plant is also already in one of the interior squares occupied by snow peas.

A Husky Cherry tomato was harvested today. It weighed in at 18g. Waiting to taste that with a salad.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Garden at Mid-June Zone 6B

The growing season is underway, big time. Here are a few images captured 16 June 2012.

First ripe tomato - Husky Cherry

Super Sweet 100

Orange Bell

Mixed Loose Leaf Lettuce

Watermelon-Little Gem sprouting amongst the no longer producing snow peas

Butterfly Bush - Buddleia davidii "honeycomb"

Hydrangea macrophylla 

I need to add some sulfur to the soil around the Hydrangea to change the color of the blooms to blue. I will do that on 17 June.

©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved

Square Foot Garden Yield 2012

In order to quantify the production of my square foot garden, I will be weighing all the produce that is harvested over this growing season.

Available at Harbor Freight

I will be using a digital kitchen scale to do the weighing.


I saw some snow peas forming on the vines at 20:00 on Thurs., 24May. I was unable to capture any good quality images at that time because of the low natural light level.

I grabbed the above images the next morning.

There are also cherry tomatoes and some bell peppers showing signs of fruit. My expectations are high, especially with the potato towers.


I will start to harvest the snow peas on Sun., 27May.


We shall see.


©Damyon T. Verbo - all rights reserved