First little group of harvested carrots.  I couldn't stand waiting any longer so pulled a few, washed them and ate them.  Left the rest in the garden to grow a little more.

We've had so much rain I was concerned about the potatoes and garlic rotting in the soil.   A few days ago I dug the garlic and hung them in the garage where they'll dry for about six weeks.  From the thirty garlic set last October, I harvested twenty-seven heads.  This fall I'll do at least thirty again.  Compared to other years, this year has had different challenges.  I've only picked Colorado potato beetles a few times but found potato leaves yellowing and plants rotting. 

So I started harvesting the sad yellow potato plants.  It'll be a sparse potato crop this year.  Whatever doesn't produce, I'll buy at the Farmers Market.  We bought local fresh picked strawberries, beet greens, and crunchy beans sprouts this morning at the market.  Summer is a great time for eating fresh  melons and berries.  I've begun freezing the excess fruits for fall and winter blender shakes.

With such an abundance of rain lately, Cliff's been admiring his lily blooms and numerous buds ready to burst open.  Each morning he looks out the kitchen window to see how many new lilies have opened. 

Yesterday morning I noticed the full fat ready-to-blossom buds had been chewed during the night.  These were the only flowers that had a chance to open.  Since then we've been sprinkling baby powder on the leaves and around the front flower garden.

As I've written in previous posts, I support our local family-owned Wayne's Feed Store and try to buy as many gardening items as I can, ask advice for handling garden pests, neighborhood dogs, or deterring deer.  I drop by often to check out his new delivery of companion planting flowers, new herbs and potted plants.   I always grab one of the plastic baskets to fill with flowers I haven't yet tried in the garden or more herbs to put in window boxes on the porch.  Dill, Italian parley, chives, thyme and catnip are few herbs that deter bugs and pests in the garden.  I bought what I thought was a bronze leaf dill.  Had never heard of it so thought it would be a new herb to try and stuck in the raised garden where the rhubarb grows.  The other day when watering it, I noticed it looked like fennel not like a dill plant so I decided to read the label more closely.  I had picked a bronze leaf fennel which resembled a dill in its early growth.  I had only recently used fennel in Mediterranean recipes which, surprisingly, added a nice flavor to a dish. 

Fennel will definitely be added to the garden this fall and next spring.  Gardening is full of surprises.