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.

Notes for September 2, 2007

Yesterday was a fairly productive day. Since I cut the grass on Thursday, I had the required chores out of the way.

The first thing I did was to move both of my compost piles. The one was too close to the veggie patch and was getting in the way of picking cucumbers. I moved this one one block length further away. The other I moved from behind the shed to the backside of the first one. Now I still need more cinder blocks for it. I use cinder blocks for holding my compost piles.

After moving the piles, I got out a new toy. My neighbor gave me a used string trimmer a couple of weeks ago and I made my rounds around the whole yard (1st time completely). I'm still learning how to work it.

After trimming the yard, I finally was able to put the concrete edging in the ground that I had sitting in place for about two months. Now I can prepare the soil inside for another perennial bed. I still have enough edging for another bed and I had to start it yesterday but the big boss had other things on her honey-do list. I then cleaned up the grill and cleaned off the back patio for possible picnic/barbecue on Monday.

While picking tomatoes and cucumbers yesterday, I found two tomato hornworms. One was covered in egg sacks, so I left him alone and the other I pulled off and buried him under some mulch before stepping on him. I also picked green beans and will pick more next week. Next week I will pull the plants and plant some more radish and spinach.

I also thinned the radishes that are coming and did some pre-thinning on the spinach and beets that are coming up. The carrots that I planted are now coming up too.

Notes for August 27, 2007

It was so hot and humid on Saturday morning that I cut short my work list since it felt like I had been swimming in my clothes by 10 AM.

I did pick tomatoes and cucumbers and green beans, pulled a bunch of weeds (enough that I had to use the rake to gather up the piles) and then I planted new seeds. I planted carrots (first try), beets, radish and spinach. My harvest of tomatoes and cucumbers is starting to slow. Instead of picking a bag and a half of tomatoes, I only picked a half a bag.

While picking tomatoes, I removed two tomato hornworms and I tried not to disturb the praying mantis. While picking green beans I noticed that the lima beans are starting to form pods and that several green beans have wrapped themselves around the sunflowers.

Notes for August 24, 2007

If all goes well to plan, which its rarely does, I will have planted this weekend: carrots, beets and spinach. I have some empty space where my onions and green beans were.

I have two sunflowers in bloom. They are only 5 feet tall this year. The past couple of years they were 8 to 9 feet tall by now but they are stunted from the rabbit I had in my yard earlier this year. Then the plants were small when they were attacked by the carpenter (or large black) ants. Usually when they get attacked by the ants, they are already 4 feet tall and can survive nicely. But this year they were smaller due to the rabbit. I almost pulled out the plants when they were 18" tall and looking ghastly.

And guess what, I have more green beans to pick.

What's this wet stuff?

Hey, what's that wet stuff falling from the sky? Finally liquid help.

I emptied 0.25" on Saturday morning and I emptied 1.15" this morning and its still raining. Yea!

The unfortunate flip side is that I had intended on working outside yesterday when I got home from church and lunch but it started drizzling when I got home. So I just worked inside.

I did stop and purchase carrot and beet seeds.

I also noticed over the weekend that I need to pick beans soon.

Notes for July 27, 2007

I watered the gardens and cut the grass but didn't do much else due to the sweat running in my eyes and the bugs in my ears.

The beets I planted a couple of weeks ago seem to be dying off. I guess its too hot for them. They were supposed to be in the shade but the sunflowers they are planted behind have taken hits from the rabbit and ants so that they are only 3 feet tall right now. The last two years my sunflowers were up to 9 feet tall.

While watering I have noticed that I have lost a couple of the perennial seedlings I planted a few weeks ago as well as a couple of my hostas I planted this year (all of my hostas are from a friend who can't grow them due to the deer in their yard).

I also need to mulch heavier. I have weeds coming up in the exposed soil spots in my veggie garden.

Notes for July 13, 2007

The picture is of another daylilly in bloom. Of the five I purchased and planted last fall, this is the second to bloom. There are two more with buds but the fifth does not have buds yet.

I did walk through my garden last night and did see that the beets have germinated, I just had to look closer (its easy to see germinating beans from further away). I also saw plenty of tomato suckers that need to be trimmed and numerous cherry tomatoes getting ripe.

My peppers are doing worse than they usually do. Every year at this home, I don't get peppers until September. This year the plants don't even look good. Has anyone out there had the same problem of no peppers until September? Is it something lacking in my soil? Or is it just the fact that my garden doesn't get but about 3-4 hours of good sunlight?