Notes for October 6,2008

Saturday afternoon I was able to work in the yard. I first used the leaf blower and cleared the leaves out of the driveway into the grass and then cut the grass throughout the yard (mulching the leaves along with it). There weren't that many leaves yet, not enough to bag really for mulch. I had a scare with the lawn mower. I ran over something (a stick I think) that bent the inner mulching housing. I was able to fix it by using a hammer and bending the housing back away from the blade which was hitting it. I had to do this one more time after I bumped into a stump. So I kept the hammer close by for the rest of the day.

I picked tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and peppers. I pulled the Lima beans and the string beans. The Lima Beans weren't really worth it (what I picked wasn't enough for a serving). So I may have learned that I need to plant them earlier. I then thinned the radishes and carrots and weeded the carrots as well. Then I watered the carrots and radishes.

Notes for September 24, 2008

Last night I picked tomatoes and cherry tomatoes and peppers.

I then watered my Lima Beans, Green Beans, radishes and carrots.

The radishes I planted on Saturday have not germinated yet.

Did I mention that some of my cosmos are nearly 7 feet tall?

The sunflowers in my garden are starting to get eaten, there are sunflower shells all over my veggie garden.

Notes for September 19, 2008

Tuesday evening I picked tomatoes and peppers and the last of the cucumbers. Then I watered the lima beans, green beans, radishes (which have sprouted) and the carrots.

On Thursday I watered everything in the veggie garden and realized why about 2/3rds of the radishes sprouted. One-third was one particular packet of seeds.

Tonight I cut the grass, thinned the radishes and pulled the cucumbers and their support fences. Tomorrow I plan on planting some more radishes, picking veggies, pull some weeds in the front flower beds and put the picnic table up against the house. And when I water the radish seeds, I will probably re-water the beans and carrots.

Notes for July 18, 2008

Last night I picked green beans from the second row. I almost hated to pick them, they were kind of limp. Everything needed water. I really should pick beans the day after I water. But unfortunately, we all have to deal with the cards we're dealt with and last night was the first chance I had this week to tend to the garden since the weekend.

After picking beans, I watered. I watered everything. When I say everything I mean everything in the veggie garden (tomatoes, cukes, peppers, cosmos, marigolds, beans, sunflowers, beans and onions) and then I water all the flower beds in the backyard (watering mainly the perennials I planted this year and not so much the iris or tiger lillies that are already established).

My lima beans have sprouted and looks like I got good germination. The yellow beans I planted two weeks ago are ready to be finished mulching. The cosmos are looking healthy (nice thick stem). Most of my tomato plants are averaging 6 feet tall (remember they only get about 3-4 hours of direct sunlight, so its like they are looking for sun, which gives me later season tomatoes but I am usually picking until frost in November), my sunflowers are over 6 feet tall. I will be picking some of the onions this weekend (about 97 percent of the stems have fallen over and some of them have turned brown, and that's when I know that they are ready to be picked). I plan on leaving them on the picnic table for at least a few days and then putting them in the shed for a couple of weeks. Anyone else do onions?

Surprisingly I did not find any hornworms on my tomatoes last night. I have two cherry tomatoes getting ripe so it won't be long. I'm pretty sure that both of those tomatoes probably won't make it out of the garden. I love to eat a few when I am outside. When I am picking, I usually eat about a half a dozen (at least, yum).

Notes for July 12, 2008

I watered everything again last night and in between watering I trimmed and tied my tomatoes.

I pulled off two hornworms last night and two this morning.

I picked two cucumbers last night.

I pulled out the first row of green beans and picked off all the beans this morning and then planted a row of lima beans.

The wax beans I planted last week sprouted during the week and are about 4" inches tall today. I am not very pleased with the germaination (only about 70 percent, which is low in the warm weather), so after the wax beans I have are used up, I may just stick to green beans.

Notes for October 18, 2007

Rain is forecasted tonight and tomorrow and it would be nice to get some more rain as well as getting it out of the way before the weekend.

I had the two servings of my Lima Beans the other day and they were very good. As a kid I didn't like Lima Beans. They were always starchy and I guess my mother never dressed them up with anything (butter, salt and pepper), anyway they were good. I will probably grow them again but not until the weather is warmer (since I couldn't get them to sprout until summer).

Today we are starting out in the 60's and going up near 80. Yes its mid October and 60 is supposed to be our high temp. go figure, but I am still not convinced of global warming. Two weeks ago we had the AC on, last weekend we had the heat on (night time lows were in the 30's) but haven't used since Monday.

Notes for September 22, 2007

I picked the beans finally although I am still not feeling back to 100 percent. I am still coughing which is making me hoarse. I really should have picked the beans about 2 weeks ago. I pulled out the green bean plants and cleaned off the beans and put the plants in the compost pile. I also picked some Lima beans. They were an experiment (about a 6 foot long row). I haven't been watering as much as I should the last few weeks and it has been dry so with the amount of Lima beans I picked looks to be about two servings.

I am still picking tomatoes and I think I picked my last cucumber. I even saw a pepper to be picked. I will pick again tomorrow.

It looks like I lost the beets and most of the spinach I planted most recently, I didn't water as much as I should have. However, the radishes look fine. The carrots are still coming along and every time I walk by them I thin them a little more. I thinned them pretty good today and probably won't have to thin them any more.