Tons of Rain - Vegetable Garden Update

We are having unprecedented rainfall in North Texas during May 2015.  I don't remember my yard ever being such a soggy mess. It looks horrible.   I spoke to a friend of mine who lives nearby and has an underground weather station.  He tells me that we have had about 19.5" so far for the year.  Compare that with the 2014 annual total of 20" which was a drought year. 
The average annual D-FW rainfall totals is about 37".  http://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Texas/average-yearly-precipitation.php

The upside to all this rain is that our raised vegetable garden likes it so far (barring no fungal diseases taking hold).
 
I just noticed this morning that the onions are starting to fall over - that means it is time to harvest them.  I guess I'll get out there tomorrow and pull the fallen ones up.  It will be a problem laying them out to dry though - the air is so moist around here.

This eggplant has produced its first fruit.

Our squash look beautiful this year.  Lots of flowers and fruit.  We keep waiting for the squash bugs to appear but so far they are staying away.  We wonder if the extra wet conditions are helping that problem.

 I see tiny ants (not fire ants) on the blossoms - I assume they are helping with pollination. 

 The zucchini also looks great!  Lots of blooms and blossoms. 

My tomato plants are loaded and our experimental cat's cradle binding system seems to be working well to hold the plants up instead of using cages.

We will have lots of Tommy-toes this year.

The beans are also doing well.  We planted a bush stringless variety.  Note the horrible flooded conditions in my back yard.

The peppers are also doing well.  We planted both bell peppers and jalapeno peppers.

Jalapeno peppers
 

 Bell peppers

We also put some of the tomato plants in cages.  We're comparing results of which containment system works best.

More squash, carrots and parsnips.  The artichoke plant on top is getting huge.  

Okra in front, cabbage and squash in the back.

We continue to harvest blackberries now - but its not easy because our backyard is so sloshy.  This week our total harvest is 8 quarts.  Here is what we picked today.


This will probably be the last season our Asian persimmon tree lives.  It looks pretty rough.  However, it will still give us persimmons this year.  It truly has been the "Giving Tree."


Lower down on the trunk of the persimmon tree we noticed that mushrooms are growing.  Another sign that the tree is not long for this earth.


 Our fig tree is also loaded with fruit this year.


I'm also giving an update our our mail order chicks.  They are growing fast and getting their feathers now!

We take them outside so they can get fresh air.  Jonie is not pecking them and I hope her good nature continues.  

I have a few daylillies blooming but they don't have as many blooms this year as they have had in past.

Salvia is drought tolerant.

Butterfly weed attracts many pollinators.  It looks very pretty this year.  It is also drought tolerant and reseeds itself each year.

I'll close with another antique rose - Caldwell pink.  I took these photos last week. 

A close up.  Unfortunately roses don't do well in the rain and the blooms are gumming up and getting knocked off quickly.