July is often a great month for seeing visible growth in the garden. This year was no exception. The tomato plants are full of flowers and small fruits, I’ve been picking beans every two days, the first zucchini have been harvested. The flower beds are also taking off, dahlias, cosmos, marigolds, zinnias, and coneflower are all blooming.

I harvested my first grow bag of potatoes, the stems had been chewed on by some critter, so the plants didn’t have as much energy as the rest. Still, I harvested over a pound of potatoes.

The outdoor cucumbers are happily climbing the trellis, and I’ve spotted the first few female flowers. Should be harvesting the first cukes soon. The plants in the greenhouse are going slower, but should start flowering soon.

The greenhouse tomatoes are starting to size up nicely. I have slicers and beefsteaks inside, mostly cherry tomatoes outside.

The long outside garden bed is bursting with plants, and some weeds too. The whole left row is tomatoes; the center is mostly peppers and flowers, and the right row is lemon balm and bush beans.

The winter squash row is also filling in quite nicely, I have about a dozen plants, pumpkins, butternut, and acorn squash. They are flowering now and the bees are certainly around. I have spotted one fruit so far, there will hopefully be more soon.

The zucchini plants have gotten a bit wind-blown but thankfully none of them were uprooted. I harvested my first squash last week, and a second one yesterday!

My new, small yellow knockout rose has started blooming. I bought it this spring in a 4-inch pot. It’s put on a good amount of growth, and I’m looking forward to see how it does next year once it is fully settled in.

The corn patch is in production mode! Tasseling and forming ears, there are bees buzzing all the time. The winter squash below are also sprawling and I’ve spotted one small squash so far.

Many of the corn plants are over 5 feet tall, and it looks like we will get a nice harvest.

Spotted the first winter squash growing from beneath the corn patch, right on the edge. Not sure which kind it is, but it looks like a pumpkin at this point.

All the various pepper plants are producing, sweet and spicy. I’ve now had to clear the lettuce since they bolted when I went to camp. I’ve direct sowed some beets in their place and started some more lettuce seeds indoors.

Cut my first ever gladiolus flower spike this week! The variety is Blue Isle. There are more coming, and I can’t wait for them to start blooming.

The first compost pumpkin is growing, and there is a second one further along this same vine!

The compost pumpkin vines are growing quite well, sprawling all over the lawn.

The flowers are really starting to pop with color. I have calendula, nasturtiums, snapdragons, marigolds, dahlias, zinnias, and salvia. The bees and hummingbirds have been absolutely loving the self-sown borage that I have left throughout the garden.

Bright, sunny calendula plants are scattered throughout the garden.

New dahlia variety, finally opening. Very cool color gradient, at least on the first one. Will have a large white or yellow bloom soon as well from the largest plant.