Wasp Sting - Tour of West End of Kitchen Garden

The weather is still the same here except for our last little ¾ inch rain.

I have been partially out of commission because of a wasp (?) sting on my right hand. Any kind of a sting causes me to swell double and lasts for a few days. They seem to hurt me worse as I get older (more good news about aging!). I have already alerted DH that if I ever get multiple stings to take me to the ER. I do keep antihistamines on hand.
My hand is still sore and puffy but I can use it pretty well.....except I put off bread making because of the kneading.

The Beetles are still here. They may be slowing down.....I am hoping soon to disappear!

I managed to weed my little annual bed that I planted very late. I even have one yellow zinnia in bloom. It is behind the Cellar Bed so I have to walk across the drive to appreciate the flowers. It was the only vacant spot that could be tilled easily so that's where the seeds went. I have a few red sunflowers, several varieties of zinnias and bachelor buttons up and growing.

The Kitchen Garden is beginning to look like a jungle. I failed to get the tomatoes staked but they are all on heavy mulch. I will probably loose a few but so be it.

We set a trap for the visiting raccoon, but haven't caught him yet. I don't think he has been in the corn again.

I took lots of pictures the last two days .... that was the easiest gardening to do with my semi-useless right hand. I am left handed so that was a blessing it chose the 'right' hand to sting.

I am heading to the west entrance near the old chicken house and where the chickens are. I have the garden sort of in halves. The west end is easier to get into if I use the west entrance. I use an old cattle panel for a gate that I am now leaving open so the dog can chase varmints if he needs to.



The West Gate and entrance into the loosely kept garden:



Just to the left of the gate I planted a purple hyacinth bean (forgot about it) and then planted a new melon, Jenny Lind. I may have to trim the bean!



This end is where the hoophouse frame is for pole beans and another cattle panel held vertically for the Trail of Tears pole beans. I also have more melons here.

This is another new one, Green Nutmeg. It is looking good so far. I am keeping my fingers crossed the vine borers don't find it.


The 'dirt' on the vine is dust from the hay flakes I used to add more mulch so the vine wouldn't be on the ground at all.

Behind is the 15 feet of Cherokee Trail of Tears beans. There is one giant plant in there that I am keeping my eye on.



This is the back side of the beans on the panel, looking west into the chicken yard.


Just east of the west gate is the cattle frame hoophouse that I grow beans on. This side of it in the same area as the other melon and near the base of the frame is Ambrosia melon,



I have grown it before and it is an incredibly sweet melon.

Walking past the south end of the hoophouse is the garden proper. I have a short row of Cajun Delight okra growing along the hoop frame:

Notice the two volunteer tomatoes in the mix. I rarely pull up a living plant!



That is my one yellow crookneck squash plant that is loaded with babies. I am patiently checking and waiting.

Behind is the two rows of tomatoes... a real jungle as I said. I should be embarrassed to show you this as an old-time gardener and I am but not too much. Age does have some benefits!



It isn't quite as bad as it appears. They are mulched on both sides and can be accessed without much trouble from all sides. The basil is just growing wildly amongst them.

See what I mean about volunteers. I grew tomatoes on this fence last year and have maybe 6 plants that are growing there, I am not sure I gain anything by starting plants inside. The volunteers all catch up quickly. These all have tomatoes on them. I only grow heirlooms so they will be the same as last year.



I will just show one picture of a flower,a tiger lily. I have just a single plant. There used to be beds of them here and there but they have disappeared. There are lots of little bulbils on this one and I am hoping they fall to the ground and survive.



and one butterfly picture. At long last we have lots of butterflies, mostly only the garden phlox and salvia farinaces. I never spray either of these plants since, thankfully, the beetles don't like them!

A Red Admiral on the salvia: