What's happenin' in May?

May has been here for a couple weeks and it finally rained a decent amount with more supposedly on the way. The heat and humidity takes it's toll on the plants and soon there will only be a few Summer time items growing. Though I try to keep a good eye on the plants a few beasties sneak by every now and then.

Here is what I found munching on an eggplant. A tomato hornworm. Usually you won't even notice them when they are small but one day you will suddenly notice a whole branch of a plant pretty much stripped of leaves. Most of the time this is the culprit.

 Next a small portion of the tomato harvest. Most of these are Celebrity which is a determinate tomato. They produce a large flush of tomatoes and then they are done.

 How some of them ended up.

The Mici Hybrid Asian cucumbers are doing real well. After getting attacked by pickleworms I sprayed twice with Spinosad which seems to have taken care of them for now. Then aphids hit them hard but now the plants are full of lady bug larvae which feast on aphids.
 

A pic of the side of the yard where I have Carambola, Avacado, Papaya, Watermelon, and different flowers growing.

 

Some of the Avocados

 A Moon and Stars melon hiding in the foliage.

A smaller one.

And a larger one.

Red Lady Papaya loading up with fruit

 The flowers are some Sun Flowers, Calendulas, and Marigolds.

One of the Pineapple out front getting ripe.

My Brown Turkey Fig beginning to produce fruit and bud out a bit.

Here the Fordhook Lima beans are full of pods almost ready for harvesting.

 A shot of the Beef Master Tomato that just keeps on growing and fruiting. The vines have run up over the cage which is almost 6 feet tall and then all the way back down to the ground. Also you can see another Pineapple to the right.

A pic of the Juliet Tomato which is producing steadiy. Every day I pick several fruit off of it. This is the first year I have grown this variety but plan on doing so in the future. It is definitely a heavy producer. The Nutri Red Carrots in the bed with it are doing well, too,

One of the beds with Beauregard Sweet Potatoes beginning to grow rapidly. They should be ready to harvest in July.
 

Next my corn is growing rapidly. We had a storm the other night which pushed it all almost flat but it is now straightening up. Twice I have had to spray Spinosad because of the earworms infesting it.

Next we have the Butternut Squash which is doing okay I guess. They don't seem to fruit very much. Maybe I need to plant several more plants at once.

A small surprise on my Florida King peach tree. Looks like I will get at least one peach this year LOL!!

My Tribute Strawberry plants are still putting out berries to my surprise. I find between one half to a full pint or so each day of berries that haven't rotted or been eaten. Also they are beginning to send out runners which I am going to replant in flats to root them. Then they will be planted in strawberry towers. This will keep them off the ground and hopefully I will get to eat many more of them. As of now over half get bug eaten and begin to rot simply because they lay on the ground.

The runners that get trimmed off and replanted as new plants when they root. They will be planted in the strawberry towers.

The towers I ordered. Each pot holds six plants. I have 24 pots and will stack them 4 high. That should give me 144 plants which is more than I have now. In a much smaller space foot print even. 

Now to get back to work in the garden. That's all for today.