This summer sure is different from last year

[aftermidnight]

Last year we broke all kinds of heat records, July brought us temps higher than had been recorded in over 100 years, we were in severe drought conditions and very strict watering restrictions.

Talk about tomatoes, we were eating fresh from the garden around the beginning of July. Although there was a lot of whining from me, can't take the heat and on top of that I'm supposed to stay out of the sun between 10 and 4 I had the best garden ever.

Having a fairly small garden to most I did manage to grow a dozen varieties of tomatoes, since I don't can we gave a lot away to the neighbors, most were heirloom varieties but I do grow Celebrity every year, my fav tomato to date is Cherokee Purple.

Beans on the other hand I grew 40 different varieties, mostly pole types, some were only samples in containers but all of them produced enough for a taste if not several meals, the rest being kept for seed, I've not had a problem with crossing but I always bag a few flowers to be on the safe side.
I have been growing Aeron Purple Star the purple runner developed by a fellow in Wales for a few years now, it is the sweetest, tenderest runner I've ever eaten and to top it off it's stringless. I did get a few green pods in previous years but this year not a green pod in the bunch the pods are at lest 12" long and are a deep purple.

*THIS YEAR*, different ball game.... as usual started my tomatoes early in the greenhouse in February and kept potting on until warm enough to plant out this year June 1st, last year beginning of April. We had a cool wet spring, a few very hot days in June, unusual for here, most of July cool and raining.
Drum roll.... we had our first vine ripened tomato yesterday, DH brought it in, rinsed it under the tap, placed it on the cutting board and cut it in half and said dig in. Would you believe the first ripe tomato turned out to be Indigo Rose, one taste and it was gone. Not a favorite with a lot of you but it tasted pretty gosh darnoodley good to me. Not another ripe tomato in sight, lots of green ones but none turning red yet .

Beans, only about a dozen varieties this year, I had 3 samples of Nuna popping beans given to me to try, not knowing how they would grow here I only grew two plants of two varieties and 3 of the third variety. Two turned out to be half runners so gave them something to climb on, the third was a true bush type. Seed has already been harvested from the two half runners but the bush container is still flowering and producing beans. So these beans will grow in my climate and the varieties I have are not day length sensitive. I have yet to try popping any thinking I'd better save the seed and grow a bigger crop next year, although... I might weaken later on. I love sharing seed but unfortunately I can't with these at this time, hopefully some time in the future....

I have about half of my bean seed already harvested but a few are just starting to produce now, like 'Sicitalian Black Swamp' hoping for a warm fall.

Living with a lot of weeds right now, flower gardens are a mess in back but we've managed to keep the front looking decent, summer this year has bean a bummer for both of us. I was laid up for most of June and DH is laid up now, this getting old ain't for sissies but we keep on truckin' what else can ya do? As long as I can hold a plant in my hands I will have a garden.

Annette