Toadaly Stoked

Well as I mentioned before, I am more included to follow permiculture styled gardening than any other. In fact I found myself thinking I follow a 18th century diet - eating only fruit or veggies in season. yes, I have got a bit of square foot gardening mixed in with french intensive. But I try not spray anything, including organic sprays and am trying to create a natural balance. Although I already added water and the ducks as the predators, and the garden is now full of birds and recently a chipmunk has moved in (and enjoyed my currants and other berries).

But I wanted to introduce more wild life and no toads or frogs seemed to have being attracted as of yet. So when a friend, Anne, at work caught a few toads and brought them into the office, I was ecstatic. Keeping them alive from the ducks may be tough, but with lots of hiding places, they should be fine.

If only I could keep the ducks from dragging the mulch into the pond and the stop the raccoons from pulling out the pump?

Now anyone know were I can find a garter snake?

July Update

Toronto first half of summer has being far cooler than usual and with far higher rainfall.  The garden has responded with masses of lush green, yet lower than normal fruit for heat loving plants.

View from the deck

Zucchini

Garlic harvest

Its around this time of the year that I get tiered of summer squash, but this year I have have massive bushes and yet very limited zucchini's. The potatoes plants are looking good, in the new boxes, but I have yet to dig in them to see how the potatoes are developing. The masses of zucchini plants have nearly killed my artichokes by crowding.

Garlic harvest was a few weeks earlier this year and it seems to have really loved the cooler wetter weather. Yes people, I dont plait it, but tie it in bunches of 5's to cure. 

Main Raised beds

In the garlic's place, I planted a bunch of mustard as it is within the ducks territory and they not fans of the spicier mustard. Most of my lettuce started turning to seed and some new plants are just emerging. I want to collect some seeds from the lettuce, and am going to leave it fully turn to seed. The new broccolini is far larger than I anticipated and I have some major crowding out going on. In particular my purple peacock broccoli which is much much smaller. 

Kale

Kale

My kale is also liking the cooler wetter weather. Dino kale less so.

Morogo

Morogo is a South African  leafy green of the amaranthus family.  That I found some seeds for. I had eaten it there before and wanted to try grow some. Its currently about my height!

Now for a few things that are not doing as well. Tomatoes are very late this year. I also have some vines that are very stunted and only a few hitting the 6 foot range so far.

Pepperless peppers

Pepper plants look happy, but the fruit as well has being slow to ripen. This year I am trying some new peppers and although the Jamaican chocolate seeds, dont seem to be growing true to type at all (pretty sure something wrong with these seeds) my Padron peppers have being wonderful. I leaving a few to mature for additional seeds for next season. By Now I should be enjoying some grilled eggplant, but the plants are surprisingly absent of fruit.

Egg Plant

ButterNut

Lastly my winter squash is soo slow and the fruit just starting on a few of the vines.