It’s always interesting and fun to view the familiar through someone else’s lens.
My longtime driver, Carlos "Uno" Villamil, is an avid photographer. In the evening just before the sun begins to set, he often takes my four dogs out for a walk around the farm, snapping pictures along the way - of the gardens, the trees and flowers, the colorful sky, the beautiful landscape, etc. Many times he shares his images with me and others who work here, and we're so glad he does - great work, Carlos!
You may have seen some photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. Here are a few more, enjoy.
Carlos enjoys capturing photos of the setting sun. Many of the images in this gallery were taken just around 8pm in the evening. This is what I call my “soccer lawn” – the area where my grandson loves to play when he is visits.
The structure on the right is my pavilion. It’s become a favorite warm weather gathering spot here at the farm.
And, nearby is my Pin Oak Allée. A recognizable trait of the pin oak is that its lower branches hang down. It also has horizontal middle branches and upright upper branches forming a most interesting growth habit. My pool house is in the background.
This gate leads to my orchard of more than 200 fruit trees. Since it was first planted in 2017, these trees have provided so many wonderful fruits.
Right now, the peach trees are so full. These peaches will be ready to pick soon!
Here at my farm, I have four miles of gravel-covered carriage road. Gravel roads are attractive and accumulate less pollutants over time, but most importantly they provide excellent footing for my Friesian horses, my Fell pony, and my five donkeys.
This is one of three beautiful weeping katsura trees outside my Winter House. The weeping katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Pendulum’ is an ornamental tree known for its cascading branches and heart-shaped leaves.
Carlos caught this beautiful sunset from the north end of my living maze looking at my home. All the maze plantings are so lush. The eagle was added here last spring.
Here’s my beautiful champion Chow Chow, Empress Qin.
Blackie is my greenhouse cat. Blackie is very friendly and is always ready for a good rub.
And this is Dahlia, one of my three Persians. She is a dilute calico Persian, meaning her calico coat colors are softer. She is just a year old, but so full of personality – she’s a big favorite here at my farm.
This photo makes the pool even more tempting, especially on such warm summer days. Don’t you agree?
Many of you have seen my long and winding pergola now with gorgeous clematis in a palette of blue-flowering cultivars blooming on the antique upright granite posts. Every year they give a vivid floral display. Carlos also includes the towering bald cypress trees on the other side of the carriage road. When I planted them, they were just a few feet tall.
This photo shows one of my blooming Cotinus, or smoke bush. I have many smoke bushes around my farm – in the sunken garden behind my Summer House, around my pool, in the beds outside my Tenant House where my daughter and grandchildren stay when they visit, outside my main greenhouse, and lining both sides of the long carriage road that runs through one of my hayfields is a gorgeous allée of dark burgundy Cotinus.
Here’s a fun photo of a wild turkey hen with her chicks walking by my pool pavilion. Good catch, Carlos “Uno.” Carlos is affectionately called “Uno” because there is also a Carlos “Dos” on my crew.
This is another photo, taken after 8pm – the skies show such beautiful colors.
It’s the beginning of blueberry picking season here at the farm. My bushes are full of berries. I check them every day and pick the bluest of them all.
Plump, juicy, and sweet, with vibrant colors from red to the deepest purple-black, blueberries are one of nature’s finest treats. I use them for jams, jellies, and pies, but they’re also wonderful with cereal, in pancakes and cobblers, on top of waffles, and of course, in handfuls on their own.
My dogs adore their “Uncle Carlito.” Aside from his love for photography, Carlos also enjoys helping me with the gardening. He feeds many of the plants for me. Have you seen our Miracle-Gro ads?
Here he is off to feed more plants. What do I always say? If you ate today, so should your plants. Right, Carlos? Thanks for sharing your pictures!
What a difference a few weeks make. Despite some really hot and humid summer weather, the growing vegetables at my farm are thriving.
I walk through the garden whenever I can. I've been picking artichokes, peas, fava beans, cauliflower, and others. Recently, my daughter also came up to harvest vegetables for her and her children. And, I always plant in succession, meaning I seed crops at intervals of seven to 21 days in order to maintain a consistent supply of harvestable produce throughout the season. It makes me so proud to be able to grow all this nutritious food for my family.
Here are the latest photos of what's growing, enjoy.
Do you know what this is? Here’s a hint… it’s in the Brassica family. It’s Romanesco – an edible vegetable known for its striking light green color and fractal-like appearance. It has a mild, nutty flavor and is often referred to as Roman cauliflower or Romanesco broccoli. It was first grown in Rome in the 16th century, which is how it got its name. It’s now grown around the world, including my vegetable garden.
So much is growing in this garden right now – it is so exciting to walk up and down the beds every day to see what is popping up or ready to harvest.
Look at this beautiful orange cauliflower. Most are familiar with the white cauliflower, but the vegetable comes in this orange, purple, white as well as green. Carotenoids are responsible for the orange coloring. Carotenoids are also found in carrots, squash, and other yellow and orange vegetables and fruits.
Here’s a beautiful head of purple cauliflower. Purple cauliflower gets its color from anthocyanin, a naturally occurring phytochemical that is also found in other red, blue, or purple fruits and vegetables.
… and of course, I grow lots of white cauliflower. All the colors can be eaten raw, roasted, grilled, sautéed, or steamed.
My broccoli is also growing so beautifully. This one looks ready to harvest.
And here’s just one cabbage. To get the best health benefits from cabbage, it’s good to include all three varieties into the diet – Savoy, red, and green. And don’t forget, cabbage can be eaten cooked and raw.
Kale or leaf cabbage is a group of vegetable cultivars within the plant species Brassica oleracea. They have purple or green leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head.
I’ve been picking so many peas. Along the sides of this center bed is one section for shelling peas, which need to be removed from their pods before eating, and another for edible pods, which can be eaten whole, such as our snap peas. They are best grown on a fence to keep them off the ground and away from pests and diseases.
By early July every year, these peas are plump, and ready to be picked. The pea, Pisum sativum, is an annual herbaceous legume in the family Fabaceae. The pods can range in size from four to 15-centimeters long and about one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half centimeters wide. Each pod contains between two and 10-peas.
The onion plants look wonderful too. I planted a lot of white, yellow and red onions, as well as shallots, and leeks. Onions are harvested later in the summer when the underground bulbs are mature and flavorful. I always look forward to the onion harvest!
Here are the stalks of my rhubarb. The leaves are toxic because they contain high levels of oxalic acid, but the fleshy stalks of rhubarb can be cooked and used to make a variety of delicious pies, tarts, cakes, cobblers, crisps, and pavlovas.
Here’s a green bell pepper. I love serving them stuffed.
There are lots of hot peppers too. The jalapeño is a medium-sized chili pepper of the species Capsicum annuum. It is mild to medium in pungency depending on the cultivar.
These are garlic scapes. Scapes can be cut when the center stalks are completely formed and the ends are curled. The garlic will be ready to harvest when all the tops of the garlic plant begins to die back.
Here’s a perfect artichoke ready to pick. Globe artichokes, Cynara scolymus, are popular in both Europe and the United States. Artichokes are actually flower buds, which are eaten when they are tender.
And in this section is for my growing tomatoes – all staked and ready to be tied as the fas-growing vines develop and grow. I always grow an abundance of tomatoes to share and to make all the delicious tomato sauce I enjoy through the year. It’s a good idea to grow a range of varieties, including at least one or two disease-resistant types.
Back in my Winter house kitchen, I’ve cleaned lots of fava beans. This bean is an ancient member of the pea family. It has a nutty taste and a buttery texture. I always grow lots of fava beans.
These freshly picked artichokes will be so delicious – I prefer them on the smaller size when they are less fibrous and oftentimes sweeter and more delicate in flavor.
And more peas. I’ll freeze a lot of these for use later. I am so excited about this year’s growing season. There will be a so much delicious produce from my garden this year! How is your garden doing this week?
How are your tomato plants doing? Mine are growing excellently with careful planning and maintenance.
Tomatoes, Solanum lycopersicum, grow on vines, so it is crucial to provide strong structures to which the vines can cling and climb. Some use pre-made tomato cages. I like to use tall bamboo stakes for supports. Bamboo is attractive, easy to find, and can be reused year after year. I also use natural jute twine to carefully secure the plants to the bamboo canes. Last week, Pete from my outdoor grounds crew, worked hard to put up all the tomato stakes, so the fast-growing vines can stay off the ground as they grow.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
With nutrient-rich soil and warm days my tomato plants have grown pretty quickly. Tomato leaves have serrated, or wavy and pointed, edging along the entire perimeter. They are compound with multiple leaflets growing along a common stem, called a rachis. These leaves are also slightly fuzzy to the touch, which is caused by the trichomes, or multi-cellular hairs, on the plant.
Once the plants are about knee-hi, it’s time to support their growing vines.
Some fruits are already growing so perfectly.
I like to use strong bamboo. Bamboo canes are easy to buy in bulk, and can be found in a variety of sizes. These canes are about 10-feet long.
As with all our projects using twine, we use jute – everything is kept uniform and as natural as possible.
Pete secures three stake into the ground next to each tomato plant. They will form teepee like structures. The plants will use these upright stakes as supports.
Each one is pushed into the ground about eight to 10-inches deep and at a slight angle. The important thing is to place them deep enough, so they remain secure for the duration of the season. And never use chemically treated wood or other material for staking climbers, as the chemicals would likely run off and go into the soil.
Pete gathers the three bamboo stakes at the top and uses zip ties, also known as tie wraps, to secure them.
Then he cuts off any excess.
Next, he secures them with twine, so the joint is extra tight and strong enough to hold the fruit laden vines. Securing the tomato plants is a time consuming process, but very crucial to good plant growth and performance.
I have three rows of tomato plants running down this wide bed. Here are some teepee structures partially done.
And here is the bed complete. Each plant is now surrounded by designated stakes. As plants are groomed, the long wines will be tied to the bamboo where needed. These supports really help to keep all these beautiful fruits off the ground and free of rot.
These stakes should last through the season nicely. It takes about 50 to 90 days for tomato varieties to reach maturity. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
In a more narrow bed, two stakes every three feet are pounded into the ground at an angle, so they touch each other at the top. Pete starts at one end and continues down the length of the bed.
Using a line of twine secured above from one end to the other, Pete ensures the stakes are all centered perfectly.
He ties the two stakes securely using the same zip ties and twine.
Next, at about three feet up from the ground Pete secures horizontal bamboo pieces across the length of the bed and the already secured bamboo. He can add more rows of horizontal supports as the plants grow.
There is plenty of space to tie and support every tomato vine.
Here is the bed all done. Looking through the center of the bed from one end, there will also be just enough space to carefully walk through for any maintenance work or harvesting.
Maintaining the plants and checking them regularly will go a long way in keeping them healthy. Another key to maintaining a rich vegetable garden is to rotate the tomato bed between a few spots in the garden to diminish the risk of soil-borne diseases such as bacterial spot and early blight. These tomato beds located on the south end of the garden this year. Very soon, we will have many, many tomatoes to enjoy.
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