Getting Back on Track or At Least Trying

I am finally motivated to spend time again in the garden; it feels good to resume my gardening tasks. The primary goal today is to harvest crops and "weed and feed" (five days late).

Here is a list of today's activities:

1. Pulled up the foam mat on the deck to give the wooden deck a few weeks to "breathe."
2. The portulaca is still going strong.  This is a picture of the urn just before its morning bloom. 
3. I have almost given up on this morning glory container.  It wilts back significantly in the heat of the day, but after last night's heavy rain it appears reinvigorated.  Next year I should plant seeds into a three gallon container. 
4. It was time again to pinch off the flowers on the thai basil. 
5. The lemongrass plant is doing well even in the six inch pot. 
6. The fig tree is looking very tired; its leaves are yellowing and there has not been new growth in weeks.  I pinched off many of its yellowing leaves. Hoping the feeding today is just what it needed. 
7. The dahlia plant currently has fourteen buds; only two flowers have been produced all season.  Its leaves are looking yellow; again, hoping today's feeding will restore a deep green color. 
8. There are lots of flower heads on the large container of thai basil. I snipped back the plant and will dry the leaves. 
9. I was able to produce very healthy cilantro in this deck container.  I will cut it back today and use it fresh in a salsa with tacos for dinner tonight. 
10. I have about 70 scallions still available for harvest.  Will include one in the salsa tonight. The container itself has been more decorative than functional. 
11. I picked the young leaves from the basil, large Italian container, destined for pesto. 
12. The common oregano was very healthy; will be dried for winter use. 
13. The fennel on the deck is grown for the seed heads, not the bulb. 
14. The Greek oregano has a very interesting leaf structure.  The cuttings are also destined for the dehydrator for winter use. 
15. Topped off the sage for drying. 
16. The rosemary and thye have been growing vigorously. 
17. I needed to pinch off the rusted leaves from the lemon balm plant.  The remaining leaves will be dried to make tea this winter. 
18. I will have plenty of dried mint for cooking Mediterranean food this winter. 
19. I do not plan to use any of the lemongrass growing in the large deck container.  I am hoping to winter over it in the basement. 
20. The muncher cucumbers in the containers near the deck are producing cucumbers even though they have been plagued with insect damage at the base of the stems. 
21. The Tiny Tim  and Principe Borghese tomato plants keep on producing.
22. The White Bush Lebanese squash is forming fruit. 
23. Traditional Row Garden #1 - harvested squash, trimmed yellow leaves. 
24. Traditional Row Garden #2 - strong gusts of wind yesterday downed the tall stalks in the middle of the bed
25. Traditional Row Garden #3 - pulled the majority of Red Wethersfield onions. 
26. Traditional Row Garden  #4 - harvested all of the kale. 
27. Masai Green Beans have done well in the two containers outside the gazebo. 
28. Threw away the okra that was growing in the container outside the gazebo.  They developed a bad case of leaf rust.  The ones in the row garden are doing well. 
29. The two Spacemaker Bush cucumbers were misshapen.  They did not do well in a container. 
30. The Homemade Cucumber plants succumbed to disease.  They did not do well in a container. 
31. I really like the flavor of the Masai green beans.  It was still a race to the end if the plants would produce beans before being killed by disease. 
32. The peppers have officially begun producing; the red cherry is first in line. 
33. Kale has been unaffected by caterpillars this year in traditional row garden #4.
34. Harvested potatoes in two large containers near hoophouse. 
35. Harvested all tomatoes in four raised beds, containers and oval garden.