The Pallet Garden in July

I was composing a full update of all three garden spaces when the near twenty photos began to overtake things. Instead, I’ll be bringing you three separate updates on the state of the gardens in July.

When I head to the pallet garden these days it is often to simply stare at the tomatillos. I am most excited by this new undertaking since they are actually doing well thus far and my previous attempt at growing tomatillos failed. Little did I know that these guys are not self-pollinating and so the year we had flowers and no fruit was most likely do to the fact that all but one of them was eaten by grasshoppers.

We have a row of about eight tomatillo plants and while many of the flowers have turned to fruit wrapped in their protective skin, there are still so many flowers being pollinated. The buzz of the bees and the sight of them hopping from plant to plant is enough to make you giddy… or at least it makes me giddy.

These guys are supposed to like sun and plenty of heat and we’ve certainly got that.

Next to the tomatillos, and next to just about everything else, are sweet potatoes. Everywhere you turn, actually, you see sweet potatoes. I think Stewart planted somewhere just shy of 100 of the slips this year and nearly all of them are in the pallet garden. They have always done well for us, despite the usual years of extreme heat and mostly drought, so we have planted them every year since.

Tucked in between all of these tubers are just a few plants here and there that needed a home. The above is Swiss chard in a sea of sweet potato leaves, which I’ll begin harvesting for salads and cooking greens soon – the sweet potato and chard leaves, that is.

There are also about a half dozen tomato plants scattered throughout. I pruned off most of the suckers a few weeks ago and what do you know, I do believe there are more flowers and fruit than previously. I’m always a bit scared of pruning, but the plants usually respond well.

There is also this huge Sweet Meat winter squash tucked away in our richest soil bed… … and a couple of peppers and collards in between the tomatoes. I might be imagining things but it does appear that interspersing plants instead of neat and tidy rows does seem to help with both bug control and pollination.

It will be at least a few weeks, I’d guess, before any of the tomatillos are ripe, if they make it that far. Peppers and tomatoes are coming along with more flowers and fruit, and the sweet potato roots are usually harvested in the fall. We also have boysenberries and garlic that were harvested a little earlier in the season and an entire corner of the garden that is overgrown with various forms of mint that I need to cut and dry.

Next time I’ll show you the annuals we have planted along swales in the food forest. I’d love to hear what you are growing!