Me and Root Crops Don't Mix

Yeah, I obviously have been doing something dreadfully wrong when it comes to root crops! I dug up my carrots a few weeks ago – they should have been done mid-June. There were only 2-3 that actually looked like carrots. The others were so forked it was ridiculous. They looked like something out of a bad science experiment. Now the radishes in the Victory Garden are all misshaped too! I dug and dug and dug some more to make sure the ground was good and ready to plant the radishes and carrots, but still nothing. I do believe my soil is just too darn heavy. Next year I am making a root crop section and adding tons o’ sand.
As far as the potatoes they are growing like wild fire and toppling over they are so big. I have hilled them about 1 -1 ½ feet and still they topple. I know have them caged like friggin’ tomatoes! Who would have thunk it?
My asparagus continues to grow. What is that all about? It is almost August and I have 6 new spears coming up and that is not including the 5-6 that have already gotten o be about 8-9” high along with the original spears that are now all going to the ‘ferny’ stage.
The weather continues to be a challenge. If it isn’t raining buckets it is so damn humid and sticky. All this moisture is killing my zucchinis. They are starting to get moldy. My beans are being attacked by God only knows what and my cucumbers are the saddest looking things I have seen in a while. I have only picked about 10 cherry tomatoes and ONE yellow pear tomato. That is so not right. The only thing that is growing well right now is the parsley, which I planted to make gremolata for the beans that are not growing. S –I-G-H.

First Harvest of the Season

Not the best picture and surely not the best looking radishes but this is my first time growing them and the first I dug up this year. Obviously some should have been left in longer but how much longer? These are Easter Egg radishes and the package says 28-30 days - well that would have been about a week and a half ago. I mean really - for cool weather crops they are being awfully finicky about the weather!
And the aphids all over the rose bushes? Well I think I killed some green lacewings too. How sad. All the pictures I have seen I thought those suckers were like 2 inches long and then some. Apparently they are only 5/8 of n inch. Damn - I hope they don't take it personally and come back to fight the aphids and other pests floating around here. I guess I should always do a Google search on insects before plucking them off my flowers and vegetables.