Thursday, August 25, 2011

little prepping for the remnants of irene

hurricane irene should hit sometime on sunday. tomato supports will be brought in, as will the green tomatoes (for a chutney). the plants will be pulled up.  i have 6 red cabbage, a few beet seedlings, & the one pumpkin. all of which are fairly low to the ground & in soil which has fairly decent drainage.  they should be fine. not to sure about the 2 stray chamomile seedlings which have decided that it's still spring.....

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

awesome as usual

for those of us doing our best to life hack our way through the current economy, gordon has an absolute spot-on post. read it. read the links. great stuff!

Monday, August 22, 2011

nice rain yesterday

helping to encourage the pumpkin to spread. which it is doing at a nice rate. marigold & spreading petunias still going strong. next season, these are the flowers i will be planting in isas' patch. cut back the spearmint & mugwort radically. both are still growing. will harvest a little spearmint in the next week or two. am really understanding how quickly spearmint spreads!
the beets don't like this soil. thinking it is too compact for them to feel comfortable.
am seriously considering raised beds & square foot planting. to amend the soil properly & to maximize harvest.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

thoughts are turning toward autumn....yea!

autumn....it's getting cooler, days are ending earlier, ability to breathe is easier, michaels' is slowly getting thier halloween stuff out :)  recipes requiring ovens are coming to mind:  the english kitchen  has a lovely take on chicken pot pie.   as august is nearing an end, cortland apples are soon to be picked! canning time is nigh :)  and then there is Pie! courtesy of  october farm.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

soggy garden

we got a heavy-rainy day tuesday. the patch is still damp. the pumpkin is putting up 4 new leaves, so i think it's here to stay. the cabbage didn't mind the rain, but the tomatoes are looking wilty. i forgot to order heirloom seeds, so my daughter picked up seedlings from the local home depot. i'm not pleased with the way the fruits are ripening..very staggered & oddly in layers...majority in the mid section of the plant. the top is mostly leggy stems. i won't forget to order next season!
hopefully, within the next week local nurseries will have mums & seedlings out :)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

tomatoes & riots

tomatoes are ripening nicely. only a few were damaged in our hail storm the other day.  since i only have 4 plants, there isn't enough to make canning worthwhile. however, this  the english kitchen soup should do nicely to use what i have now.
on to london, & what has been on my mind these past few days.  riots may be an expression of frustration, however it is anger misplaced & hurts more than helps.  mary riddell puts the situation out ever so much better than i.  read it.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

last of spring/summer herbs

the chamomile was cut down yesterday. the stems were yellowing green & the flowers were noticeably smaller with fringed petals. this morning i pulled the last of the basil. will use it with the latest ripened tomatoes.
the more i read about tomatoes the more i realize i'm going to have to move them around next season.
the cabbages & pumpkin are being horribly munched by pests.  sprayed them thoroughly with 'safer'.
not pleased with how the tomatoes are growing. they are far too leggy & not producing enough fruit. will try pruning them tonight before watering.  the leaves are also curling & looking dried.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

113

113. i counted the number of blogs on my blogroll & this is the number.  which explains why i don't have a blogroll posted here as it's just too embarrassing.
i will point out that the majority post but once a month or so. it's not like i read 113 every day! still & all, there would far fewer if i didn't feel bad about deleting a blog when it has but a few subscribers.
the few that post nearly every day are: diamondgeezer, vegplotting, octoberfarm, londondailyphoto.
*sigh* in the spirit of fall cleaning, it's off i go to prune the blogroll with a heavy hand....