Morning at May Dreams Gardens
All gardens are especially happy, peaceful places early in the morning and in the evening right before the sunset.
The early morning sun hasn’t quite reached these zinnias, but is shining brightly on the false or oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides).
The oxeye sunflowers are a bit weedy but they are so bright and sunny that I let a few of them grow anyway.
The dew is still on the grapes.
These are the variety ‘Concord’ and from my one vine, I’m expecting a big harvest. Start sending me those recipes for pies, jams, and jellies, or let me know where to ship your share of the harvest to.
The corn is tall and tasseling.
I’m not watching my sweet corn as closely as last year, just hoping I’ll go out there one day and find an ear or two to harvest. The corn at my other garden isn’t doing too good, suffering from lack of rain. The corn here has been watered deeply once a week.
I have three long beds of green beans, the equivalent of two 24 foot long rows.
I planted extra because most years the bunnies eat so many of them, I thought it might increase my odds of getting a few if I planted more. Imagine, thinking there is a limit on how much bunnies can eat? But for whatever reason, the bunnies ate on these beans a little earlier in the season but have left them alone for the past several weeks. Look at all those blooms! I’ll surely get green beans this year!
My tomatoes are still green.
I dreamed the other night that I was harvesting my first ripe tomatoes, but when I woke up and checked out in the garden, they were all still green. Do you dream about your garden?
I’ve been reading about everyone’s first tomatoes and leaving nice comments when they post about them. My day will come, and then I can unveil the newly improved ritual of the first tomato. I’m going to need to borrow the bells from my oldest sister, as I think they might be part of the new ritual, but she might need some convincing to let me borrow them. I would probably have to leave a big deposit or something like that.
But it will still be a couple more weeks, at least, before my first tomato ripens so I have time to plan a ritual without bells, if I have to. What is it they say? Good things come to those who wait.
If that is the case, then I expect my harvest basket will soon be filled with red tomatoes.
In the meantime, I’ll enjoy this harvest which includes more squash and the first cucumbers and banana peppers.
And I’ll enjoy my mornings at May Dreams Gardens. What are mornings like in your garden?
You’re dreaming of tomatoes too? I dreamed about finding ripening (not ripe) ones last week sometime. Sigh.
Also, I would absolutely take some of your grapes off your hands. My husband loves eating them plain, and I want to try making grape jelly.
I don’t think we have had any ripe tomatoes yet either, but soon.
Perhaps, with supervision, the bells could be part of your tomato ritual. We will have to enter negotiations and see if we can come to acceptable terms. Like, what do bells have to do with tomatoes? If you have too many grapes, perhaps a neice could be persuaded to try making jam or jelly. It would depend on when they are ripe.
Kathy, the older sister
Carol – the the grapes look so pretty! Every time I read your blog I find something else I’d like to plant. Dreaming of tomatoes? Yes – i have nightmares that my Roma’s finally droop all the way to the ground and rot on the bottom because I can’t figure out how to keep them up.
Hey I saw you made 14 garden bloggers to watch. Congrats!
I’m jealous of your harvest there, Carol! I didn’t plant cucumbers this year, and now I’m wishing I had. And, yes, now I want a grape vine, too!
Mornings are my favorite time in the garden. There is no better way to start the day than with a stroll through the garden 🙂
Mornings in my garden are cool and peaceful, with only the sound of the birds chirping and the bees buzzing on the flowers. It is my all time favorite time of day, as I take a leisurely stroll around to see what new flowers are opening or which vegetables are blossoming or fruiting. It is a nice time to snap some photos, before the light of the sun becomes too harsh. Oh, and did I mention that it is my favorite time of day? 😉
I am so not a morning person at all, but since I’ve begun gardening I find I actually enjoy my morning stroll through the yard. I haven’t quite gotten far enough along to get to work that early, though I do make note of weeds that need pulling later (after much coffee is consumed!) and take pictures of new flowers etc.
We ate our first ripe tomatoes (full sized ones) on the 5th in BLT’s. Talk about heaven! I’d almost forgotten what real tomatoes taste like!
Carol: You will be way ahead of the New Englanders with ripe tomatoes. Since I started some heirlooms from seed, mine will be even later but I can wait since I have you and the others to live vicariously through! Your garden looks like a peaceful retreat in the morning! I love the morning walks with just the birds and the dog….great harvest! Tomatoes will spice up the color assortment.
your garden just inspires me to get it in gear and enlarge the garden for next spring 🙂
that is a bad thing, in case you’re wonderin’…at least I’m sure DH will think so 🙂
I think your harvest looks great, but I can understand your impatience-a ripe red tomato just completes the picture! Kudos on being a “gardener to watch”! As for my garden in the morning-just wistful looks as I race by to head off to work 🙁 and on weekends when I could be out there, well, I’m no morning person, either! (Heh, why do you think I put in a “moon garden”? 😉
Your veggie garden looks tasty, Carol.
Yes, I love mornings in the garden too. It’s too hot in the afternoon, but sometimes I’ll brave the heat and mosquitoes for some late-afternoon photos.
I’ve thought about growing grapes. Yours look so inviting and delicious.
I suspect, however, that they would be a deer magnet. Do you have deer problems?
–Robin (Bumblebee)
I love my garden in the morning, too…I eat breakfast out there all summer. My favorite day is when I decide I can eat without freezing and the saddest day is when I finally give in and realize I can’t eat ’cause my fingers are too frozen to hold my coffee mug 🙁 My neighborhood is always quiet then with only the birds for music. It’s worth it to me to get up early enough to have this tradition!
Jenny… thanks for confirming that I’m not the only one who dreams about their garden.
Eleanor… You have at least one ripe tomato. Your son-in-law showed it to me. He must have been hiding it from you. It’s from one of their store-bought plants, so it would be earlier than my seed-raised plants.
Kathy… Supervision? Don’t you trust me? By the way, I think the grapes will ripen too late for a college student to make jelly, she’ll probably already be back to school about the time they ripen, but we shall see.
Gina… Thanks! You should post about how you are trying to support your Roma tomatoes. Maybe someone will comment with some helpful suggestions.
Colleen… I agree, the perfect way to start the day is in the garden. I love my cucumbers, they are so good right from the garden.
Connie… I can tell that morning is your favorite time of the day. Mine, too!
Marvie… There is no taste like the taste of a home-grown tomato!
Layanee… I am happy to read that I will beat at least one other gardener in harvesting my first ripe tomato.
Mrs G. … Enlarging the garden is a very good thing. I did my garden all by myself, a little at a time.
Lisa… Thanks for the kind words and a moon garden is the perfect kind of garden for a ‘night owl’.
Pam/Digging… It’s been too hot here in the afternoons, too, though mosquitoes haven’t been a big problem. I do enjoy what comes out of my vegetable garden.
Robin(bumblebee)… No deer around here, but we do have rabbits. The Japanese beetles have eaten a few grape vine leaves, but I don’t think it will affect my harvest.
Leslie… I’d like to get in the habit of eating breakfast outside, but I’m usually scurrying around getting ready to go to work. I’m afraid if I went outside to eat, I’d never make it back inside to finish getting ready!
Thanks all for the kind words and comments!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Your garden is so roomy! It’s like, “Oh, the corn is way over there…I don’t think I can make it to the corn today. I think today’s better for zinnias.”
Mornings at my garden are a flurry of packing and potting and trying to figure out how I can swipe more plants for the move! I’m totally jealous of your harvest and am sad to have to wait until next year for my own. Except for the mass quantities of zucchini–I’m going to try and be sensible with those! ~A 🙂