Good beginning to the New Season

Plenty of things happened in the last four weeks since I 'flagged off' the new season in June which I had scheduled beforehand.  And the rains, fortunately good so far till July, alleviated the water scarcity in the city that was looming large. Many seeds I sowed last month are coming up.  Rains helped weeds to grow fast and I spent two days to keep them in check, by removing the lush growth.  Today it looks like it had just had a 'hair cut'!  :)   Cleaned the rain barrels too as it is a must, lest the mosquitoes proliferated. Most of the water was diverted to the sump. A good monsoon so far and is expected to be that way for 2013.  So, 2014 summer should sail smooth. 

Today, 20th July, first blooms of Morning Glory "Pink Star" opened. Seeds came from half way round the earth with the kindness of Dee, from Dave's Garden. 

Last week, I shifted the Gerbera plants to another spot and made this bed ready like all the others. So with this, all the beds are in good shape.  Cosmos flowers sent by Dee is about to bloom too. It will be shown in the coming post. 

The kitchen garden beds are also providing some produce!   Today some beans were harvested. I ate some fresh raw ones.  It was really 'beany'!   Coriander is aplenty now proving how just a small bed would provide.  I cannot see them getting over-mature without being used in the kitchen.  

You see some tomato plants on the top right corner among the coriander.  I had sown seeds of Cherry Tomato my friend Ramaswamy gave 2-3 months ago.  But they had not grown. Now after I made this new sowing and turned the soil I see these!  They were carefully replanted with enough spacing.  The one tomato you see there is the ordinary tomato. It was a volunteer, mostly coming with the composted material from the kitchen-waste pit.  

Tomatoes.  I've planted 5 plants close together against the gate-trellis. 

Ten seconds are enough to run and stand there as if seriously admiring something!  That was the Morning Glory you saw there, but now folded up. The vine has reached 7 feet and touching the pipe above. See Cosmos grown tall. 

I rescued these volunteer cosmos plants from the workplace campus, to add some colour in my yarden. They were growing near a hedge. 

I thought this had gone, the Cardinal plant with white flowers.  These seem to be not as prolific in seed production as the red variety.  But I was so happy when this came up below the almond tree near a small sand pile.  Planted it at the base of the arch. The seeds of this was a trade from a DG friend some years ago.

I also planted the Evening Primrose sent by Dee in the bed. I have to look for a place for the Asclepias tuberosa [butterfly weed] which have sprouted very well.  Also Nicotiana plants. Space has run out already and I have to choose what 'annual' I have to put in the place where I moved Gerbera from. Gerbera went to the foot of Thunbergia erecta, behind the tomato trellis.  See picture below.

So much for now.