We garden as an act of freedom. Our founding fathers gardened for sustenance. Whether we grow our own food for survival or to enjoy beauty around us, we are free to do it in our backyards, front yards, parkways (thanks to folks like Ron Finley) and community gardens. Let’s celebrate our food independence with pictures of the abundance.
Red Creole onions came out small this year, but still plentiful.
Garlic cleaned and ready to be braided. Garlic is easy to grow – plant some this fall for a year-supply of home-grown garlic.
Our first ground cherries of the season. Harvest them when they fall on the ground. Easy peasy. Makes great salsa.
Did we mention it’s plum season? Santa Rosa plums are in full swing now.
Sweet corn and dry beans catch the sun.
Luckily all of our volunteer tomatoes are different varieties. This mystery red cherry is almost ready to pick.
Cilantro in a pot has a better chance of surviving the hot summer if it gets a little bit of shade throughout the day.
Escondido Gold melons are just getting going after our lettuce crop was pulled.
Beefy Resilient Grex Dry Bean is supposed to be a bush bean but it’s sending up runners. We’ll see if madness ensues.
Rats are eating our Triple Play sweet corn. Traps are forthcoming.
Fuji apples set fruit on new spurs. Time to fertilize.
Old and new Navel oranges grow in harmony. The green one will be ready in December, the orange one set fruit in January.
Santa Rosa plums ripen and drop to the ground. We pick them a little early and let them soften on the counter to keep the squirrels at bay. So far so good! And delicious!
Enjoy your summer garden and the freedom it brings. Share some of your favorite “independence” veggies and fruits below.
