The hens are molting and taking dust baths. They’re so much fun to watch.
It’s another gorgeous day in paradise here in Huntington Beach–sunny skies, with temps in the high 70s. My garden is booming and blooming along, with some things newly planted and some things ready to harvest. Here’s a peek.

Raised bed #1 has tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow squash, chard, a couple of parsnips and a carrot. Yep. A single carrot.

Raised bed #2 has chard, tomatoes, cabbage, leeks, eggplant and some miserable Snow Wind peas that are past their prime and need to come out.

Raised bed #3 has tomatoes, radishes, Blue Lake pole green beans, a few Scarlet Runner beans, onions, lettuce, a lanky purple cauliflower that shows no signs of making a head, and some spinach that needs to go to the chickens.

The Katy Apricot has only three apricots on the tree, but they're big ones. Looks like they'll be ready soon.

The Snow Queen Nectarine is a young tree and only has a couple of nectarines on it, but they look really good. Betcha they look good to the squirrels, possums, raccoons, etc. too. Who will get this lovely fruit?

I have three Valencia oranges that I'm saving for a special occasion. I'd better come up with that occasion pretty soon because they won't last forever.

Next year's crop has already set on the Valencia orange. Ditto the navel orange, but I didn't photograph that tree.

I ate all of the ripe blueberries before I got my camera out, so I'll move on to apples. Looks like it's going to be a good year for the Granny Smith apple tree with about three dozen apples set.

Our semi-dwarf Fuji apple is still a baby, so we have only three apples on it. None on the Gala, which is a full-sized young tree.

My red and yellow onions are starting to bulb up. I hear that they form bulbs about three weeks after the summer solstice.

My Red of Florence bunching onions are still tiny, but their bulbs are already red. This is a new variety for me so I can hardly wait until they're ready to eat.

This is my first cucumber of the season, a Tendergreen. It has a long way to go before its ready to eat.

I like my Smart Pots so much, that I got two more. I'm growing winter squash, eggplant, sweet potatoes, German Butterball potatoes and sunchokes in them.

I need a bigger pot! These winter squash (mini Red Kuri, mini Green Kuri, and mini Blue Hubbard) are only 13 days old. Check out the size of those cotyledon leaves. Righteous Bovine!

As soon as the Peruvian Purple potatoes came out, I added more fertilizer to the pot and planted some German Butterball potatoes. So far, so good. I'll add more potting soil to the pot as they grow to encourage layers of potatoes to form.

The Garden of Infinite Neglect has patty pan squash, Millionaire eggplant, Scotch Blue Curled and Lacinato kale, collards, Golden and Lutz Greenleaf beets, Kyoto carrots, loosehead Chinese cabbage, lots of chard, and a row of flowers.

This is my first attempt at growing Komatsuna, a Japanese mustard green. A cabbage worm got part of it, but once I dispatched the worm, the plant recovered.

These are the Blue Lake pole beans that I replanted after the raccoon dug them up. They don't seem much worse for the experience.

I had 6-7 fruit set on the Littlecado tree, but the only avocado left is this one. It may fall off too as it's pretty small. If this tree doesn't produce any avocados next year with the Haas next to it to fertilize it, I'm going to cut it down.

My iris bed in back is pretty new. This is the first bloom on my Grandma's Purple Flag, an old time iris.

These yellow iris have been in the ground for several years and are reliable bloomers. The other four varieties did not deign to bloom for me this year. Or last year. Maybe next year.

Most of the front yard is heavily shaded by the two liquid amber trees, but the pink Mexican poppies and blue Lilly of the Nile bloom in June, along with Scabiosa, chrysanthemums, lavender, oregano and marjoram.

The backyard has been filled with nasturtiums since January. They've dropped a gazillion seeds, so I should have plenty more next year too.
Well done! Beautifully chronicled!
LikeLike
Thanks Glee.
LikeLike
As lovely as your photos are, they don’t do justice to the actual garden seen in person. Keep up the good work!
LikeLike
Thanks, Judi.
LikeLike
Sigh. I remember living in Huntington Beach. I could plant my shoe and little baby shoe’s would grow. Everything looks spectacular, as always.
LikeLike
Your garden looks more like a Farmer’s Market than…well…our Farmer’s Market! Your tomatoes are looking fabulous, and I’m curious to see how your sweet potatoes turn out. Sorry about the Haas…hopefully it will set for you next year. We’ve considered adding a cold hardy avocado tree here…just not sure I’m that patient! 😛
LikeLike
Clare, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Plant that avocado! Just don’t plant one from seed. They seldom are good bearing trees.
LikeLike
WOW! your garden is amazing, beautiful and edible. I am very envioues of those sunny skies. Love the blog, its a real window on another world!
LikeLike
Hi Freerangegirl from Yorkshire. Thanks for stopping by. Yep, it’s another world down here in southern California. We have to (get to) garden all year long.
LikeLike
Your garden is lovely and the hens adorable. I love lavender sugar, have you made rose sugar yet?, it’s just as yummy.
LikeLike
No, Jane, I haven’t tried rose sugar, but now that you’ve suggested it I’ll give it a try. I got the idea for lavender sugar from your truffle party and I just love it.
LikeLike