Fenton Friday: Garlic Harvest

I dug up the Garlic bulbs today. They are the biggest I have ever grown. Waiting two weeks past my usual time helped! I believe they are all 'German White' (aka 'Music' or 'Porcelain' ) except for one with a bit of purple in it that I may have been given at an autumn harvest event and snuck in the ground later next to the others. The heads are on my laundry drying rack in the sunroom and Santino (pictured) couldn't resist inspect the robust harvest. He declared it "respectable."

Elsewhere in the plot, the 'Dragon's Tongue' bean seeds are growing fast and the 'Red Swan' beans have germinated and made a slow appearance. The 'Red Burgundy' okra seeds are still tiny, but the 'Rainbow' Swiss Chard is growing by leaps and bounds. More 'Sun Gold' tomatoes were ripe as well as some 'Sun Sugar' ones. The Basil varieties are holding steady -- not much new growth. I have let the lettuces bolt (go to flower and seed), in hopes of collecting some for next year's Seed Exchanges.

I think I will cut the heads on my cauliflower soon as we are experiencing several days of 90+ degree heat and even with a cover cloth I don't see them hanging on too much longer.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Win Passes to the Brookside Gardens Wings of Fancy Live Butterfly Exhibit in our June 2019 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest

For our June 2019 Washington Gardener Magazine Reader Contest, Washington Gardener is giving away five sets of passes to the Brookside Gardens Wings of Fancy live butterfly exhibit in Wheaton, MD (each set has two passes and is a $16 value).
   The exhibit runs Monday, July 1—Saturday, August 31, from 10am–1pm Monday–Friday; 10am—5 pm Saturday and Sunday, and then, Sunday, September 1—Sunday, September 22, from 10am—5pm daily.
   The Brookside Gardens South Conservatory features live butterflies. Come witness the butterfly life cycle as tiny eggs hatch into crawling, chewing caterpillars, which then encase themselves in jewel-like chrysalides and emerge as sipping, flying adult butterflies. Learn about the best annual and tropical plants, and hardy shrubs, to use as nectar sources to attract butterflies to your own garden.
   Note: The exhibit is in a greenhouse, which is usually 10 degrees warmer than the outside temperature and more humid. If there is a thunderstorm in the forecast or a code-red day, the exhibit may close.
   See more details at https://www.montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/brookside-gardens/wings-fancy-live-butterfly-caterpillar-exhibit/.
   To enter to win passes, send an email to WashingtonGardener@rcn.com by 5pm on Sunday, June 30, with “Wings” in the subject line and in the body of the email. Tell us which was your favorite article in the June 2019 issue and why. Please include your full name and mailing address. The pass winners will be announced and notified on July 1.

UPDATE:
Our winners picked at random from among the submissions are -

• Howard Clark, Montgomery Village, MD 
• Maria Ibanez, Washington, DC 
• Eileen Schramm, Silver Spring, MD
• Barbara Delaney, Bethesda, MD
• Katie Rapp, Gaithersburg, MD 

The Gardens of Bunny Mellon, Mosquitoes, Beautyberry, Pumpkins, etc. in the June 2019 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine

The June 2019 issue of Washington Gardener Magazine is posted online at:

https://issuu.com/washingtongardener/docs/washingtongardenerjune2019-ebook

Inside this issue:

• The Gardens of Bunny Mellon: A Private Space Now Public
• 9 Ways to Mosquito-proof Your Yard
• Public Gardens Spruce Up for APGA Visit
• Beautyberry Plant Profile
• 10 New Rain Gardens in Downtown DC
• How Do We Get Seedless Fruit?
• DC-MD-VA Gardening Events Calendar
• 8 Tips for Growing Great Pumpkins
• and much more…

Note that any submissions, event listings, and advertisements for the July 2019 issue are due by July 5.

Subscribe to Washington Gardener Magazine today to have the monthly publication sent to your inbox as a PDF several days before it is available online. You can use the PayPal (credit card) online order form here: http://www.washingtongardener.com/index_files/subscribe.htm

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Fenton Friday: Beans Up, First Ripe Tomato

first ripe 'Sun Sugar' tomato

I was away for five days in Denver for the Garden Bloggers Fling, but I flew out of Washington in a thunderstorm and returned during another one. Suffice it to say, I didn't have to worry about watering the garden plot this week.

The  'Dragon's Tongue' bean seeds are all up. No sign of the 'Red Swan' ones though.

One of the 'Sun Gold' tomatoes was ripe already, but that would be "cheating" to count it as under our care -- as the fruits had already formed on the seedling plants before we planted them.

Elsewhere in the plot, the 'Red Burgundy' okra seeds are up.  The heads on my cauliflower continue to grow larger. The 'Rainbow' Swiss Chard seedlings are growing fast. However, the 'Savor' melon seedling is not looking so hot. 

The garlic is past the point that I should have pulled it, but that will have to wait a few more days as I play catch-up from the time I was away touring in other's gardens.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

bean seedlings - 'Dragon's Tongue'

okra seedlings - 'Red Burgundy'

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the FentonStreet Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Fenton Friday: Bean Gardening

We pulled out the last of the peas and planted two kinds of bush beans this week - 'Red Swan' from Hudson Valley Seed Company and 'Dragon's Tongue' from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. I have never grown either variety before so am curious to see how they do for me (barring rabbit interference) and how they taste compared to my usual 'Blue Lake' beans.

I also put in some 'Rainbow' Swiss Chard seedlings and a 'Savor' melon seedling that looks a bit weak, but I hope it recovers for me.

The cauliflower is developing nicely and I tucked into under a cover cloth in case the sun gets too intense this coming weekend.

What is growing in your edible garden this week?

About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the FentonStreet Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 8th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above.

Garden Photo Show Opening Reception 2019

You are invited to view the winning images of the 13th annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest at an art show at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. All 17 stunning photos were taken in DC-area gardens. Both inspirational and educational, this show represents the best of garden photography in the greater DC metropolitan region.

The photo show reception is Sunday, June 30 from 2:00-3:30pm in the Meadowlark Visitor Center's lobby. The opening reception is open to the public and is free to attend. You may also come by and view the photos any time during the normal Visitor Center hours (10am-7pm daily). The photo show runs through July 30.

To RSVP and for updates, visit our Facebook event page at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1732870763525544/

Washington Gardener Magazine is already announcing the 14th Annual Washington Gardener Photo Contest. Start gathering your images now and throughout this year. Most of the entry rules will remain the same as this year’s contest. Photos need to be taken during the 2019 calendar year in a garden-setting in the greater Washington, DC area. We will again accept the entries during the first three weeks of January.

Washington Gardener Magazine (http://www.washingtongardener.com/) is the gardening publication specifically for the local metro area — zones 6-7 — Washington DC and its suburbs. Washington Gardener Magazine’s basic mission is to help DC area gardens grow better. The magazine is written entirely by and for local area gardeners.

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (www.nvrpa.org/park/meadowlark_botanical_gardens) is a park of beauty, conservation, education and discovery. Throughout the year at this 95-acre complex are large ornamental display gardens and unique native plant collections. Walking trails, lakes, more than 20 varieties of cherry trees, irises, peonies, an extensive shade garden, native wildflowers, gazebos, birds, butterflies, seasonal blooms and foliage create a sanctuary of beauty and nature. Meadowlark is part of Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority.


This event is a part of the Click DC celebration of photography.