T stands for AugusT and SepTember in the garden

Do you remember way back on July 29, when we were celebrating T #3?  I promised to update you when the harvest was ready.  After an internet search, I realized the Chamomile has to get little white flowers before it can be cut.  And, the flowers are the ONLY thing you use for tea.

Not too long after that, I took another look at the herb garden in hopes of seeing those little white flowers materialize.

You can see the Chamomile on the far right has still not produced any flowers.  This photo was taken mid-August right after the rains we had for more than four straight weeks subsided.

That very day I managed a decent crop of Mexican sage, basil, cilantro, and dill.

This would definitely be enough herbs for my August needs.

One final view before I dried them, or used them fresh in eggs, pastas, and such.

Last year I had tomato plants much taller than I.  But they were planted in the ground, not in pots.  Unfortunately, I got NO tomatoes because of the extreme heat and drought.  Imagine my surprise at the volunteers that came up in this pot.

Another volunteer that came up from who knows where is this plant.

I had no idea where this came from or what it was that grew out of the pot my dill was in.

Fast forward to last Saturday, and this is the state of my current herb garden.

Once more there are still no little Chamomile flowers for me to harvest.  The pot is in the lower right of the photo being hidden by tomato vines.

However, there are now a few tomatoes.  Note also the rosemary is dead.  I was really unhappy with the herbs I got at Herb Day this year. 

Of the eight plants I purchased, only the lemon grass (those tall thin leaves in the very back), the Mexican sage, and the blackberry plant lived. Not a good average.

Also note the cilantro has turned to seed, which we in the US now call coriander.  The dill (in the pot behind the basil) has been stripped by those little green and yellow caterpillars that turn into black swallowtail butterflies once they have consumed the dill.

However, I've also gotten more volunteers over the past few weeks, since the rains stopped.  The one in the back had little lavender flowers on it a few days ago.  Wish I'd thought to take a photo.  The one in front has leaves so chewed up, I wouldn't even guess what it is.  Looking at my legend, I see the fennel has also been eaten by those "adorable" caterpillars, too.

When I looked at my diagram I made when I planted the spring garden, the legend shows these should be cumin in front and anise behind it.  Obviously, that is not the case.


If you have any idea what this plant is, please let me know.  And the blackberry vine has really taken off this summer.  The experts say three years before I get fruit, so I may need to figure a way to string them up.

Now that this plant is a bit more developed, from photos I found on the internet, I have theorized it is either pokeberry or elderberry.  I couldn't decide which. 

Here's another view that might help in case you know what this is.  Again, please ignore the dill that is still growing in this pot.

What's on your mind for T today?  Obviously, you don't have to take the photos on Tuesday, but you do need to link below if you want to join us, which I would love.  And, obviously again, you don't have to drink anything, as long as you can tie the post to something drink related.

Edit: My dear friend Kathy called a few minutes before midnight (CDT) and told me she was coming to Wichita tomorrow morning (well, this morning, now).  So if I don't get to YOUR T post early tomorrow morning, I'll be by late in the day after she goes home.  Knowing Kathy the way I do, she's got some serious shopping planned.