State of the Garden: July

This is usually the month where it all goes to hell. Though this year has been better than others, some plants have definitely taken a beating.

My herbs always do well except for the occasional bug attack that I can manage to defeat organically. However, it is the month of June where I normally have to break out the harsh chemicals to save my vegetables. I keep trying new things in order to stick to organic growing every year, but I always fail. I’m convinced we have super bugs in this city, and some kind of Katrina zombie caterpillars that can’t be killed. I chopped one in half with garden shears the other day and it was still moving an hour later.

Anyway, here’s a few pics of the happy, and not so happy edibles.

This mammoth spider plant crawling out from around my palm tree is almost four feet high and gets under half a day’s sun. I’ve been using it in Vietnamese and Thai dishes this summer. But damn! I don’t need THIS much of it.

Thyme does not like super hot weather and normally shuts down on me in summer, coming alive again in the fall. I don’t mind because I usually use it in cold weather soups and stews anyway. But right now I’m baffled as to why it’s doing so well. Guess I’ll have to find a summer dish to use it in.

Bay Leaf is the easiest thing to grow ever. It tolerates a lot of abuse. I left it out in the hard freeze and the heat wave, the bugs won’t touch it, and I’ve even skipped watering it for weeks, and yet it still lives. No Nola kitchen can be without this for cooking anyway, so get one!

And now for those struggling to hang on. Here are my poor Cherry Tomatoes, recently sprayed with a strong chemical to keep the zombie caterpillars from eating any more of them. My heart always sinks when I find a half eaten tomato hanging on the vine. Greedy little bastards bite off more than they can chew too. I love to stab them when they can barely move from gluttony.

My Yellow Bell Peppers are still alive, but as you can see, have suffered a lot of bites. They’re only getting a half day of sun here too, and are not looking as robust as they should be by now. I’m going to move them this month and see if that helps.

If I end up with anything left to eat by the end of September, I consider my gardening attempt successful. Urban gardening in New Orleans is hard. I know I still have a lot to learn, and I’d love any advice I can get.

Tagged as: Gardening