Maybe a fools fall? This drought has effected all the trees and the stress to them is starting to show. As much yellow and orange are showing as there is green. The other night we were eating supper outside and heard this rustling sound. Both of us looked over to the wooded area to see what critter would be coming through the under brush but, what soon realized we had heard was falling leaves…. so dry they were making a crackling sound as they fell and brushed against each other. In my mind ( and maybe out loud) I was shouting NO NO NO! Not yet! I’m not ready.
I’ve 3 peppers and 3 cherry tomato’s harvested from the garden so far! The garden went in a month (at least) later than normal and compounded by the heat its just hanging on and starting to show. We’ve been watering with the hose but this weekends rain has really made a difference.
The melons just are starting to develop. In the past we’ve eaten one for 4th of July and been eating canalope daily by now.
I’m hoping for a bumper crop, I want to make watermelon jelly and try my hand at pickling the rinds
This melon is 6 inches & was the same size as the one starting in the photo above 3 days ago. A good soaking rain is wonderful!
Mulching tomato’s and peppers, not as many planted this year
Larry mowed yesterday for the first time in 4 weeks. It was so dry he hadn’t needed to but, yesterdays mowing gave me more grass trimmings to mulch in the garden pathways
Combined with the cardboard or news paper under the grass It’s saved hours of additional weeding.
My 4 lonely beets. This was a row of carrots & beets. No carrots germinated and only 4 beets in a 20 foot row. It was my first time planting beets so I was kinda bummed by the showing. They are about 1/2 above the soil line so I think they are ready to harvest. I need to check on that. When we were in Poland we were served some wonderful cold beet dishes and I’m trying to find the recipes.
So how is your garden growing?
Katie
Katie,
ReplyDeleteWatermelon Jelly, hmmmm....very interesting. Do you have a recipe you care to share....I still have half of my very large watermelon (I could can some jelly).
Right now, the only thing growing in my garden is tomatoes. I've pulled everything else out that was dying or no longer producing. We've harvested earlier on most. Now its time to prepare the garden for our fall planting.
Sandy, this is the recipe I plan to try
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pickyourown.org/watermelonjelly.htm
If you make it please let me know how it turns out
The garden is 'resting'!! ;-D Plan to start afresh this year. Will report on the blog about that. :D I'll send you some of our rain is ya like! we go plenty! Sigh!
ReplyDeleteMy garden is just kinda sittin' there because of the intense heat and not enough rain. We did get 1/4" this morning and I think everything shot up about 6"! We have TONS of grasshoppers munching in the garden and have been bothered a bit by the "new" variegated cutworm that never could thrive up here before but with our warming climate, they are moving it. Drat.
ReplyDeleteBasically, everything is very slow this year. My peas are just now forming pods. I'll be glad to get anything from them because I didn't even know if they would produce in this heat
Watermelon jelly is THE best!!! Dear hubby says our garden isn't doing great this year which makes me sad but the weather isn't the best.
ReplyDeleteHey Sue, giving the garden a rest (and you) once in a while is a good thing. I loved watching your gardens progress though. You & your blog were one that got me started again
ReplyDeleteMama Pea, Bugs and heat we have. We had rain for 2 days and things are taking off now. I had itny watermelon and they've grown about 2 inches over night! I hope this growth keeps up! Trying to plan the fall garden but I'm iffy on when to start it. I'm afraid fall and winter are going to slam us early and hard...just that itchy feeling you get Know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteDebbie, didn't you have watermelon jelly on your blog a yr or so ago? Now that I think about it, you may have been the one that wrote about it....
ReplyDeleteYour gardens slow cause it misses you! I know your chomping at the bit to get home. It's been a long wait for you both