Learning ...

This year was my first growing veggies other than having a couple tomato plants around. Thanks to the weather I have learned more in this one season than I ever imagined. Having found a strategy for late blight on the tomato plants, colorado potato beetle on the eggplant and slugs everywhere, I now notice that the zuccini is getting mildew. "They" (the internet) say to spray with a 9:1 water to milk solution. I've done this once and they almost look worse (why spray wet on a mildew problem?) so last night I did what I always do with plant problems, I pruned back all the mildewy stalks and leaves. Not sure if this is good zuccini care but it opened up the bushes and so maybe they will get better air circulation.
Found a wierd looking thing on the eggplant which finally has flowers. Crushed it. Also found a ladybird on the eggplant in the raised bed. Congratulated myself.
Not exactly sure when to pick the corn, it is slow coming on due to lack of hot days, tassles were brown but cobs were a little small so need to leave them til tassels totally shrivelled. Plenty more cobs to come.

Fortunately the annuals that I grew from seed are doing great: zinnias, gomphrena and lavender. I love the gomphrena.

Garden blitz

Was away this w/e but took Monday off to drive back from The Shore so squeezed in a much-needed, 3-hour blitz on the garden. Very satisfying: mowed back (mid-setting) and front lawn (highest setting). Trimmed edges. Weeded. Swept. Picked beans and tomatoes ready for harvest. Checked zuccinis (one ready but left on bush) and corn (needs aday or two more). Offered encouragement to eggplant (first real flower - very exciting!). Replaced bricks in patio that we removed to paint/re-do porch screen. Re-installed rain barrel that we moved to do porch screening.
Then I pored over Johnny's Seeds catalog, BBG's Fragrant Design book and sketched out a new design for the front garden in front of the FR window.
Then yesterday and today i ached like crazy!

Veggies

Harvested the first zuccini this morning. They have come out of nowhere, I kept staring at the zuccini flowers wondering where hte zuccinis developed and all of a sudden I have zuccinis. Beans need picking and I have 2 ears of corn coming in. Still managing to get cherry tomatoes off the majorly pruned blighted tomatoes. This is my first year growing veggies - I get such a kick to pick something that I have grown. Crops are not great but I think the rainy summer has a alot to do with that.

Also found this booger on the tomatoes - a parasitized Tobacco Hornworm, I believe. Combo of fascinating and horrible.

DigginFood Recipe & Seed Swap PtII

I got to pick the first beans from the seeds I received through the DigginFood Recipe and Seed swap. I didn't intend to grow beans in this my first year of veggie grpowing but have found them to be one of the most satisfying and rewarding crops because they grow so fast. Funny thing was I couldn't make out one direction on the recipe: "add a handful of your favorite ?", Bob finally deciphered it as "nut". Der. they were yummy. Bob likes them raw straight from the bush.

DigginFood Recipe & Seed Swap PtII

I got to pick the first beans from the seeds I received through the DigginFood Recipe and Seed Swap. I didn't intend to grow beans in this my first year of veggie grpowing but have found them to be one of the most satisfying and rewarding crops because they grow so fast.



Funny thing was I couldn't make out one direction on the recipe: "add a handful of your favorite ?", Bob finally deciphered it as "nut". Der. they were yummy. Bob likes them raw straight from the bush.

Zinnias

Even though it's been a strange summer for gardening due to all the rain, the zinnias have recently started blooming like crazy to catch up. I always thought that annuals were a waste of time but these have been very satisfying to grow from seed. Plus I love the bee in the shot.

Zinnias

Even though it's been a strange summer for gardening due to all the rain, the zinnias have recently started blooming like crazy to catch up. I always thought that annuals were a waste of time but these have been very satisfying to grow from seed. Plus I love the bee in the shot.

Yr 4 - Day 166?: Reviving the porch

Bob, splining machine!











Before (day of viewing Winter '05/'06)


After

So ... it's not all about the garden, believe it or not. Summer project has been to repaint and rescreen the rear porch. Bob and I sanded, replaced rotten parts, primed, painted, installed ScreenTite track system, installed screening using roller and spline. thought we might have to buy a new door but the old one is looking quite splendid with new paint and having vacuumed the screen panels. The ScreenTite system is fab. Large areas are definitely a 2-person job especially if the width you are screening is close to the width of your roll of screen.

We have the other half of hte porch to do and are being thwarted/interrupted by CT's summer of heavy rain and thunderstorms.