Posted on September 9, 2021September 9, 2021Experiment Abby kindly gave me her extra prickly pear cactus pads (Opuntia humifusa) which I shall attempt to grow. This succulent from Judy in my rock garden has a surprise pink flower!
Posted on September 8, 2021September 8, 2021Little babies Free seed packet – chijimisai greens, another Brassica. Bok choy! Mizuna!
Posted on September 6, 2021September 6, 2021Labor day, last of wild three day weekend Buckwheat about to bloom. The two honeyberries that I planted, then moved for geothermal, then planted again, have been very unhappy lately, but some long slow drips with hose have revived one. Hoping the second plant follows suit.
Posted on September 6, 2021September 7, 2021Holiday Sunday An outdoor dinner. Garden basil and oregano. Moved the chives and garlic chives that Judy gave me last year. Maybe they’ll like this spot better. Uzbek golden, little, and New Kuroda carrots. Gram helps me get seeds out. Fall seeds planted of cabbage, mizuna, greens, and cauliflower. Tomatoes and peppers for overwintering. And a few pots of Roman chamomile for the front yard ground cover. This is where I shall attempt peppers and tomatoes over the winter. This goldenrod was already here and is doing very nicely. A giant 1″+ horsefly on a backyard window sill. Never going outside again. I lied. Outside again. Chiltepin peppers. Frostweed doing alright after it died back earlier in summer. A little spider got this Eastern Tailed-Blue on the englemann daisy. Texas mallow blooming! The non native clematis. I’ll clean it out over the winter. Okra flower A bumblebee on the okra!
Posted on September 5, 2021September 5, 2021How are the baby cacti Two cacti on the middle level of the three-tier planter. There were 7+ of these last year on the top tier, but only one has survived. The third tier had one baby cactus that did not make it.
Posted on September 5, 2021September 5, 2021Even wilder Saturday Okra flower keeping its banker’s hours. Taco week leftovers include garden potatoes and garden sweet peppers (a few mini bells and one Jimmy Nardallo sweet pepper) and tomatoes in cheese sauce. Wet dog helping me water. A kind friend who was moving gave me a string of solar lights which I put in the trellises today. They have a switch, so I can have them on only as needed, so we don’t distract the night bugs from their business.
Posted on September 4, 2021September 4, 2021Wild times on a Friday night I am extremely excited to report that we have the first baby moon and stars watermelon!!! Same fruit. The other side is almost half yellow. A wasp mimic robber fly! Love finding predators in the garden. Butterfly milkweed in rainbow garden has grown quickly. Dog and I came back inside. Briar promptly sat by her little brother. I don’t think he minded, but her settling in seemed to remind him he could go places. Abandoned for kitty snacks.
Posted on September 1, 2021September 1, 2021New season jar Was almost full last year. Hope we get same this year. Two black swallowtail cats on carrots in front yard that survived the earwigs. The front one in focus.
Posted on August 29, 2021August 29, 2021Cream “wow! Cream!”. Gram attempts to sample the blackberry ice cream.
Posted on August 28, 2021August 28, 2021Friday dinner of mostly garden tacos Thursday evening, the Chef began preparing spices for meat in slow cooker. Two jalapeños, one chimayó (top). Mmm tacos. Everything except meat, tortillas, cheese, and spices are from garden. Beans are the last of last year’s California black-eyed peas. Potatoes are this year’s kennebec white. After dinner, Paula and I did some garden harvesting. New for the season are Alabama black-eyed butter beans. Also new for the season are slippery silks pole beans. While we picked, the ice cream maker machine worked hard. Vanilla with blackberries from home. Thanks Mom for sending some home with us!