Harvest

The plants before you are gifts from the soil. The soil was hauled in from a garden that shut down. The tomato was so happy here that they came of their own accord. Best way to grow a plant I think. 

 The tomato plants yielded the first pretty little red tomato yesterday. In fact there were just enough for each of us to have two on our supper plate. The round ones are deep within the foliage.

 These are little golden tear drops.

Very pretty in salads.

 Looking close at the leaves you can see the white has heat damage on leaves. We had high heat fluctuation over the last week or so. The yellow/dark green variegation of leaf is a soil deficiency that called for some Epsom Salt sprinkled on the soil. Avoid the leaves getting wet during heat wave.

Those weeds in the midst of beauty

Click any image to enlarge it

 Have you ever notice that when there is beauty weeds of life come to distract your eyes from it?
Best bet is to yank those weeds early for the longer they linger the more likely they will disturb the roots that hold fast the beauty around and within us.

 It may not look like much yet. 

The poppy's are coming up and soon the color will burst~

The large center bed is coming along. One end of it gets too much shade and is not growing very well. One the spring solstice comes the sun will come more upon it.

 The sweet peas and the bachelor buttons are one the trellis. It will be so pretty as the blue bed comes into color.

 they are so pretty

just into the entry walk the close up is sweet

this what company will see as they come to the door

 Now the back yard flowers are sorta sad. Asylum is bursting, two of the self sewn tomato plants are still alive after the frost. We are having a winter with many more frosts than normal. As is the whole continent

 The broccoli it gone to bolt into flower.
You should see the BEES!
Must of been 100 of them easy.

This gets pulled up daily for the hens.

The hens love it.
Just hens having fun, kids too. They watched them as they debugged the compost.
Some happy birds, and kids. The hens got hold of a VERY large larva of a hummingbird moth.
Oh they fought over it

Weeded the bed a little. So not what I had hoped for and worked too hard on. Remember this is the garden I alone dug down 6 inches of stones. Removed them and trucked in all the soil that fellow gave me. I think it was his tomato plants that came with the soil. It will be fun to see what they are. They look as a bush variety so far.

Remember to pull those weeds in your life and in the gardens early. Don't let them mess up all the beauty within and around you.

Daily store of greens

 

 lettuce, corn salad

  

 turnips harvested today

  

 broccoli raab

  

kale

  

bok choy , celery , lettuce

  

 celery, beets

  

 spinach, chive

  

 Swiss chard

Supper in the garden

Christmas eve in the garden

 The Oranges over the wall are ready

I met the new neighbor who cut down the old fig tree and who will also be taking down the orange and a lemon tree. Good news of it is she said I could harvest the fruit.

 

 Dash gathered some for Christmas dinner

 

 Remembering to feed the wild birds is an act of kindness.

The wild foods are now parking lots and stores.

So They come to visit me and eat all the bad guys out of the garden as a thank you to me.

 

 The broccoli raab is flowering and Dash gave it a try.

 

The face  actually changed after he ate it and he likes it.

 

Better than the store bought for sure.

He also discovered kale and loved it too.

 

A radish harvest to serve at Christmas dinner.

 

As I sat in the rocker and trimmed the greens the dogs beg the imperfects and the trimming of the greens are a delight to the hens.

 

 This they just love

 

 At last a product to use for the powdery mildew.

Now perfume soap.

 

 The zucchini is suffering it.

 

 Carrots are thiving in their underground cave.

 

 The freezes are being kept away as I blanket it all every nigh.

It is like having babies again.

These are hung on the line to dry when the rains soak them or the dew refuses to dry.

I had a fun visitor in my garden with me we had a wonderful time of friendship.

I love having friends over who enjoy time in the garden with me.

 

My family gave me a family of gnomes for Christmas

Too fun!

Seets to sprouts!

click image to enlarge them

A garden tour gave me great hope yesterday the plants were still alive
The celery made it through transplant and the heat of the day.

This morning the beets gave ruby hope to crops in the harvest of all this hard labor...
Planted 7 days...after soaking the seeds in water overnight

Yesterday the turnips were also part of the cure.
Indeed life goes on.
Planted 7 days before germination.

Under umbrellas the radish wished me good day yesterday and show growth in even this one day, planted 7 days ago

Joyfully the pan squash have survived under the sheet my MILove gave us.
I used it to give the shade that kept life in the 107* temperatures.

The radish delineate the parsnip row, but it will be weeks perhaps before the parsnips begin their assent to the heavens and the decent to the depths of long healthy root.

It is a joy and a encouragement to see life come to
BEE BLISS to me.
It has been a long way way too long hot summer.
This summer began with a goal for a garden extension.
The goal in progress is come to success!
I have kept my vision.

Outdoor Wedenesday

This morning the garden called may name loudly
With a pitiful "save me"!

Our heat has been over the top.
As have gone the rain clouds...over the top of our neighborhood and onto the next!
92* with 32% humidity got to me and after two hours I started to throw up...
OPPS.
Inside went I to a cool shower a glass of water then another of carrot juice and I sit here a limp rag of a gardener imagining that I am with you dear Southerners in the sweet cool of your fall.

Working under the gazebo The pile of debris into the tin barrel to clear up the ground.
This iron bed frame was free on craigs list.
It was around the tank but as I was taking the hose back to the main yard I fell into the gap in the earth where we removed some of the concrete and brick boarder.
I think It will get set here after all.
I need to keep my knee safer.
Oh I am alright a little sore from twisting it a bit I think it is alright.

After watering, working the mulch straw around the plants and finishing up the 8 foot of bed I did.
The umbrellas were set for the heat of the day.

All of the straw that was in the extension space is now moved under the wheel barrow.
It is decomposing and will continue to be put to good use.

Now that area is clear so The work on that South bed can commence.
The main extension bed is 3/4 full and well decomposed.
To plant toward the end of the month.

That silk tree so beautiful
Well when it was inside my home the Lab lifted leg on it and spoiled it.
Needless to say he is an outside dog now.
Well anyway it was a gift from my MILove
It will searve me well to keep the compost and the storage can disguised.
The left over two straw bails are a nice sitting spot to rest in the shade.

This had a big problem.
Bermuda grass...no way except poison to kill it...or perhaps I have a good idea here.

That 8 foot span is screened and till with horse manure, bone meal, humus, 10-10-10, composted straw. I watered it and then went back and used the hoe to turn it again.

summer squash is still alive...
The Lab broke the water bottle to the dog bowl...
idea...I filled it and as the soaked filled the bed the jar leaked more slowly to water there. I think in principle it will serve well as a feeder jar or for compost tea later.

zucchini to the right and the spaghetti squash to the left
Some cosmos may have survived.

Pumpkin

Two lone bean plants survived

Two or three corn and a pea plant...

but the heat and drought got the better of my garden so far...
The earth is just to hot and I lost

cucumber
chive
carrot
raddish
corn
bean
pea
sunflower
a good $15. in seed to replace arg!

The soil temps matter more than anything the almanacs may tell you.

The straw pile moved it is much nicer out there.

I raked the grounds under the gazebo and had to call it a day or die.
Probably no joke for I got a bit of sun stroke this morning.

OH FOR FALL!!!!!!!!!