Annie's Kitchen Garden

January 31, 2012 - Hello, Sunshine!

2012-01-31T12:57:00.001-08:00

In just a week, we went from this.....

....to this. When we left for Arizona in mid-October, all the flowers were still in bloom. I couldn't bear ripping them out, so now I have the job of pulling out all the dead ugliness of winter. Temperatures in the mid 50s and sunshine were all the motivation I needed to begin the cleanup.

That's better! The dead zinnias are gone, the leaves raked and put into the raised bed by the shed (they'll get removed, chopped and returned to the garden when I find the lawnmower), and the last section of fencing mended where the weight of flowers and snow pulled it down. There's still a lot to do, but at least I got something started.

January 30, 2012 - End of the Kitchen Redo (almost)

2012-01-30T16:32:00.001-08:00

With the exception of a few minor things, like new cupboard and drawer pulls and maybe a coat of fresh polyurethane on the cupboards, the kitchen is done. It looks so shiny and clean and so un-Harvest Gold! I must say, the beiges, browns and almond are much more restful to the eye.

I went for an old fashioned ceramic tiled back splash, 'cause I'm an old fashioned type of gal.

Remember how unhappy Mr. Granny was that I spent over $300 for a new sink, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with the old one? Now the sink is his favorite update in the kitchen! He didn't think he'd like the odd shaped tiles on the back splash, but now he likes those too. I have found I must dry off the counter after wiping it off, or it streaks. Each evening, when I clean up after dinner, I spray it (and the stove top) with an ammonia free glass cleaner and dry it with a micro fiber cloth, which leaves the surfaces sparkling clean.

I love the floor! If I had it to do over again, I'd pick one without knotholes, but I can live with it. It's so easy to keep clean. I wrap a terry cloth towel around the broom and sweep once a day, which does a much better job than the broom alone. Once a week I damp mop with white vinegar and warm water, squeezing the mop out really well.

I painted the six doors in the hallway white. It's so much brighter than those dark walnut stained doors! I still have to paint one hallway wall, where I removed and then replaced some door trim while John was installing the floor. Once that's done, I can start painting Mr. Granny's man-cave. I think son John and I will tackle installing new carpet in there once the painting is done. I have to hurry and get my inside chores done, as it will be time to garden before I know it.

January 27, 2012 - I Thought Christmas Was Last Month

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who left birthday wishes for me! You really made my day!

I thought Christmas was last month, but evidently not because Santa Claus came yesterday! Oh, I know he says his name is Ed, the gardener from Tales From the Mountainside, but I know his true identity.....he's Santa, alright. Just look what he left in my mailbox!

That's an entire garden, people! Oh, Mrs. Pickles, I think I will be Mrs. Lettuce again this year, don't you?

I sure was happy to receive the Mini Gold tomato seeds. I didn't save any from the plant I grew in 2011, thinking I had more seeds in the packet....but I can't find the packet! I'm definitely going to start a pot for the new grow shelf, and see if I can actually manage to mature a few tomatoes in the house. It's such a prolific little variety, if anything can make it inside, it will be Mini Gold.

Mr. Granny is already pacing. He says he's afraid I'm going to make my garden larger this year. Maybe not larger, but I'll bet I have more pots and buckets scattered throughout the existing space.

The new shelving unit is rather large, isn't it? I'm glad it's only going to live in my bedroom until (probably) April. I can't find my S-hooks for hanging the lights (I found the chains!), I think I used them all to attach the plastic fencing to the garden shed. Somewhere I have a new package of black cable ties to fasten down the rope lights....can't find those, either. I wonder where I put the power strip. Why am I so organized through the gardening season, and so completely unorganized at the start?

Daughter Amy brought cupcakes yesterday. She saw a cupcake container....I saw a seed starting container! Perfect for starting tomatoes in the small plastic Dixie cups!

Two of the Mini Gold tomato seeds (from Ed),that I want to grow inside to mature ripe fruits, were planted in the only two cups I could find. When I locate the rest of my stash, they will be joined by parsley and Johnny Jump Ups. That's about all I can start this early, since I don't grow my own onions from seed.

Son John stopped by with a pretty potted miniature rose bush and card for my birthday.

January 26, 2012 - It's a Done Deal

2012-01-26T12:53:00.001-08:00

Well, crap....I don't look 73, I look 93!

We watched Justin Bieber's Never Say Never. I heart the Biebs! Good heavens, his parents look like they're about 18 years old!

I got the plant shelf I wanted. I usually get what I want ;-)

We'll go out for dinner tomorrow. I already have spaghetti sauce simmering for tonight's dinner, with home made tomato sauce of course. I'll want to spend this evening putting that new shelving unit together!

January 26, 2012 - Today's Birthday's

2012-01-26T08:40:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthdays

Suleman octuplets - 3

Kherington Payne - 22

Kirk Franklin - 42

Wayne Gretzky - 51

Anita Baker - 54

Ellen DeGeneres - 54

Eddie Van Halen - 57

Lucinda Williams - 59

Gene Siskel - 66

Angela Davis - 68

Scott Glenn - 70

Bob Uecker - 77

Jules Feiffer - 83

Paul Newman - 87

Anne Jeffreys - 89

Douglas MacArthur - 132

Annie's Granny - 73

Mr. Granny wanted to take me out for a birthday dinner tonight, but granddaughter Alicyn wants to come over today and bring "10 movies" for us to watch. I hope that, in her 3-year-old world, that means no more than two movies! I know I'm in for Harry and the Hendersons and Justin Bieber's Never say Never. Two of my favorites....nothing is too deep for Granny's tastes, LOL!

I put a photo up on the computer last night, and showed Mr. Granny to what I really want for my birthday.

I know none of you would be surprised or shocked to know I would find this very attractive in my bedroom, in front of the window, with four shop lights hanging from the wire shelves and seedlings snuggled warmly beneath them. It's really the only place I'd have room for such a wide unit. In past years, I've always had my seedlings in the mini greenhouse in the shed or garage, but it's awfully cold out there, so I have to keep heat under the flats 24 hours a day. If I have them in the house, that eliminates the need for heat. It's only temporary decor, of course. By April everything could go back out in the shed.

January 24, 2012 - The Season Begins!

2012-01-23T22:04:00.000-08:00

The first garden seeds of 2012 were planted last night.

A hot glue gun, minus the glue stick, makes short work of making drainage holes in the bottoms of some plastic yogurt cups.

The yogurt cups and a bakery container were used for the first seeds of the season.

The yogurt cups were filled with potting mix and watered well with warm water. Four celery seeds (Tall Utah #527OR, Improved) were planted in each cup, and covered with a thin layer of dry vermiculite. I used the same potting mix to make the soil blocks. The bakery container held nine blocks, and these were planted with some Red Sails lettuce seeds that were left over from last year's seeds. I put two seeds in each block, as I'm not sure how good the germination will be with these older seeds. The flat containing the seeds was placed on a rope light for extra warmth.

The seeds were covered with a plastic dome to maintain the humidity. They will remain under the dome, on my bathroom counter, until the tiny seedlings emerge. They will then be moved to the laundry room window and placed under a grow light.

This is my first try at growing celery. Keep your fingers crossed!

January 23, 2012 - Where There's a Will

2012-01-23T11:05:00.000-08:00

There's a way.

I really needed some seed starting supplies from the garden shed, but the snow is still about 8" deep between here and there.

I've seen some of those cute boots a few of you wear, as well as some that are not so cute, but I've spent the last dozen or so winters in Arizona. We don't do cute boots down there! At least I didn't. What to do, what to do? Well, where there's a will, there's a way. Nothing is going to keep old Granny from that garden shed today!

Hmmmm. It's not snow any more, it's an ice skating rink. That freezing rain the other night, as well as a couple of days in the 40s and nights in the 20s have formed a crust on the snow that's thick enough to hold my weight. Getting to the shed is now a matter of just staying on my feet rather than wading through snow.

Aha! Once I reach the sunshine, I break through the crust. I still don't go deep enough to warrant wearing these fancy "boots"!

Proof as to where I've been.

This is all I could manage to carry while skating across the yard, but it's a start. The 2012 gardening season can now begin!

January 22, 2012 - Me Too! Me Too!

2012-01-22T16:37:00.000-08:00

OK, it seems as though just about everyone is posting plans for their 2012 gardens, so I need to get in gear and do some planning of my own! I pretty much know what will be planted in the North Garden.

North Bed #1 (hoop & bird netting, 3' x 4' raised bed)

30 Mixed lettuces

North Bed #2 (2011 compost pile)

One hill of 3 Waltham Butternut Squash plants, to be planted in a compost pile. Vines will eventually cover about a 10' x 10' area of the garden.

North Bed #3 (4' x 8' raised bed)

12 Sweet Peppers

*3 Corno Di Toro

*3 Quadrato Giallo D’Asti

*3 Quadrato Rosso D'Asti

*3 Red Marconi

24 Walla Walla sweet onions (for salad onions)

North Bed #4 (hoop & netting for leaf miner protection, 4' x 8' raised bed)

32 Tyee Spinach

8 Tall Utah #527OR, Improved celery

32 Walla Walla sweet onions

32 mixed varieties beets

North Bed #5 (4' x 8' raised bed)

Established Canby Raspberry bed

North Bed #6 (4' x 8' raised bed)

Established Tristar strawberry bed

North Fence (vertical growing)

Fortex Pole Beans

Green Arrow Peas

Cucumbers

Grandpa Ott Morning Glories

I haven't yet planned out the Kennel Garden or the East Garden, but they will contain, among other things, potatoes, carrots, parsnips (maybe), garlic, snap peas, bush beans, cabbages and whatever else I can crowd in there. Tomatoes will go in the west garden and along side the house on the west side, as well as by the patio. There's lots more planning to do!

January 19, 2012 - Let it Snow, Let it Snow....

2012-01-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

Bring it on.....Granny can handle it!

January 18, 2012 - Winter is Here

2012-01-18T12:28:00.000-08:00

We woke up to the first snowfall of the season. Having spent all of their winters in Arizona, Annie and Otto have never seen snow before. Otto was scared of it, and refused to go off the patio. Annie studied it for a few seconds, then tentatively stepped into the cold, wet mess. Of course, Annie's belly drags on bare ground, so you can imagine how deeply it was immersed into the snow! She wasn't impressed, and immediately returned to the patio and back inside through the pet door. Mr. Granny had to take both dogs out front under the pine trees, so they could pee on bare ground!

January 16, 2012 - I Wish I Had Married Norm Abrams

2012-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

Of course, I love Mr. Granny, but what woman in her right mind doesn't wish she'd married Norm Abrams? I mean any of us do-it-yourself women. The ones who are too ~~cheap~~ frugal to hire our work done for us. Thank heavens I have son John, but even with him helping I find myself hyperventilating from the time we start a project until we've finished. One thing about hiring someone to do your work is that if they make a mistake, they have to fix it on their own dollar. When we make a mistake, we (I) have to pay for it. That's why I hyperventilate. So far, so good.....knock on wood!

Last night I told Mr. Granny I wanted to replace the garbage disposal while we were putting in the new sink. Being Mr. Granny, he had to go on and on with the same old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" routine. I, on the other hand, knew the days were limited on the old one, and it would be only a matter of time before a replacement would be absolutely necessary. Why reinstall the old one, then a month or a year down the road have to take it back out and replace it? Well, I won the argument. When John pulled out the old disposal this morning, we discovered it had a hole in it and has been leaking. Chalk up a win for Granny, I have my new disposal installed.

Today's Projects

The new sink and garbage disposal are installed, the stove top is back in place and wired in, and we're finished for the night. Tomorrow we'll change out the plugins and switches, texture the walls where the old back splash was removed, paint the walls and do some small touch ups (filing) on the edges of the Formica. Maybe I'll find time to shop for tiles for the new back splash.

I....am....exhausted.

January 15, 2012 - Counter Tops Part 2

2012-01-15T20:16:00.000-08:00

Formica was installed on the first counter top today. Of course, the tile back splash is still missing. In fact, I haven't even looked for the tiles yet. I'm thinking a light brown shade. John is going to retexture the wall first, as 4" tiles won't quite cover the area where the old back splash was removed. We're also going to replace all the plugins, switches and cover plates while we're at it, so they'll better match the paint color.

Mr. Granny is not impressed with the granite look. He says it looks like someone threw up on it. The man is hopeless.

January 14, 2012 - The Next Project Begins

2012-01-14T21:22:00.001-08:00

With the floor finished, it's on to the next project.....new Formica counter tops. Son John came over after dinner, armed with a bunch of new tools from Harbor Freight. The new heat gun made quick work of removing the back splash and edge of the old Formica. If I never see Harvest Gold again, it will be too soon. Oh yes.....unfortunately, it's still present in the bathrooms :-(

Then the top piece of Formica was removed, and the back splash area given a coat of primer. Some of the old contact cement was scraped off, but John decided he was going to get something that dissolves it for easier removal, so called it quits for the night.

Leaving me with this mess! I swear, my kitchen was clean when he got here. Hmmm, I think I bought John a new router to go with his new heat gun. I'm easy.

Semi-cleaned up, I'll be living with tools in the kitchen and small appliances in odd places for the next few days.

The new counter will look similar to this (my daughter Amy's kitchen). It's called Butterum. Hers is the preformed counter top with round edges, where mine will have routed edges. I'll probably be using 4" ceramic tiles for my back splash.

January 13, 2012 - Talk About Customer Service!

2012-01-13T18:07:00.001-08:00

After we got the new flooring in, the old kitchen bookcase looked pretty ratty. I decided I'd replace it with a new solid oak bookcase, so I went shopping. Nowhere could I find a long, low bookcase. They were all 36" high or more, which made them way too tall for my TV. Last night I searched for one on line, and still couldn't find one wide enough and short enough for my needs. I decided to look at the "fake" oak ones, the kind you have to put together. I found one at Office Depot that fit my needs perfectly, both in size and in color. What's more, it was normally half the price of the smallest oak bookcase, and it was on sale for another $30 off! OK, I figured the shipping would be outrageous. I had seen some that were relatively inexpensive, but charged as much as $125 for shipping and handling. I decided to see just what it would cost, and was pleasantly surprised to find shipping was free in my area! Even with sales tax, it was actually just under $100 total. I ordered it last night, and got a notification this morning that it had already shipped. The estimated delivery date was next Tuesday. Imagine my surprise when the truck pulled into the driveway around noon today. Free delivery, and about 18 hours to get here....you can't beat that kind of customer service!

Now the hard part begins. I used to be real good at this, but I kept putting this one together with the parts upside down or backwards! We goofed it up more than once, but didn't quite get to the point of filing for a divorce.

I am very happy with the finished product. It is really sturdy, and the Carolina Oak is quite close to the color of the living room furniture. It was 2" higher than the old bookcase, so I had to raise the picture a bit. It is also 8" longer, which is a good thing.

It blends in nicely with the kitchen cabinets, and I like the contrast of the darker color next to the flooring.

Now my computer desk looks a bit ratty next to the new bookcase and the new flooring. NO! I'm not going to replace it! Well....at least not right away ;-)

Hmmm, I wonder what time Office Depot opens in the morning.

January 8, 2012 - Time Flies

2012-01-08T07:58:00.000-08:00

Nooooooooooooooo!!! It hasn't been eight days since my last blog, has it?

I've been busy, busy, busy. The new flooring is done, but there are still some baseboards and molding to be cut, painted/stained and installed. I still have four doors to paint, and each one requires at least an entire day to remove, sand, prime and paint two or three coats of enamel. They were dark walnut stained doors that are being painted white. Just two of the six hall doors have been finished and rehung.

It seems as though every time I redo something, it requires something else to be done. In this case, we had forgotten the floor under all the vinyl had been overlayed with plywood when the kitchen was redone the last time. That meant the thickness of that underlay, plus the thickness of the laminate flooring, made quite a drop off into the laundry room and bathroom. It's not so noticeable going into the bedrooms and Mr. Granny's man cave, as the carpets conceal the actual height of the drop off. Now the two rooms that have vinyl flooring will eventually (soon) have to have new floor coverings, and they will need to have the floors raised up to match the hall. Sigh.....I really didn't want to do all of that, as those floors are in great shape. In the meantime, I think I'll install some 1/2" quarter round, stained to match the hall floor, just next to the laminate transition strip. It might keep Mr. Granny from tripping over the edge!

The gap between the vinyl and the transition strip is large enough to insert the end of a toothbrush.

I can't seem to get a decent picture of this flooring. I guess it's the sheen that changes the color when the flash hits it. It's the color of the closeup in the first picture, yet it looks yellow, red or silver in the other photos.

I'm getting quite used to living with tools and toolboxes in my living room. I will miss them when they're gone (NOT!)

I really do like the flooring, but if I had it to do over, I'd pick laminate that didn't have knot holes in the pattern. When you're looking at one sample board, it's not so noticeable. When they're in every board on the floor it looks like the pups came in with muddy paws! Really, one of the (repeating) knots looks a lot like a paw print. Another drawback of new flooring is how shabby it makes existing furniture look. Now I won't rest easy until that old bookcase in the kitchen is replaced, and a new solid oak one will put me back about $200. Gotta have it though, it's the only handy spot for my recipe books and my kitchen TV, and narrow enough to not block entry to the hallway.

There's not much gardening going on yet. I've received a few more catalogs, but with all the seeds that were gifted to me by Robin, and Ed being more generous than Santa Clause himself, I've only had place one order so far. I can't let a year go by without buying more sweet pepper seeds from Ohio Heirloom Seeds. I always find someone to share them with, and I'm adding a yellow variety to the two red ones this year. If I find a few moments to spare, I'd like to at least find the grow light and a container and start a pot of lettuce on the windowsill.

December 31, 2011 - Goodbye to 2011

2011-12-31T12:28:00.000-08:00

It was a good year, and it was a bad year. The good was that Mr. Granny and I are still alive and kicking, the family stayed healthy and happy, the Arizona property sold (that took a lot of weight off my shoulders), and the garden produced a lot of good food for our table. The bad was the tragic death of our little pet rabbit and the garden was the worst it has ever been in my entire gardening life. As far as the garden goes, I don't know if the blame should be placed on the purchased compost, which wasn't nearly as nice as in past years, the weather, which was so much cooler than normal, or the gardener, who is getting so very old and addlepated. Oh well, we'll try again, and hope the 2012 garden is beautiful and bountiful.

While many of you have already started your 2012 garden plans, I sit here in the middle of 20 boxes of Rhino flooring waiting to be installed. New counter top materials and kitchen sink have been ordered, and there will be much varnishing and painting going on in my house. We've lived in this house for over 20 years, and it was last updated in the mid-70s. It's past time to rid it of the Harvest gold sink and counter tops, and move into the present time with wood flooring. It's a big task to take on, and I'm not without worries that i'll absolutely hate it when we're finished, but Robin is holding my hand and giving advise through the entire process. I don't always listen to her, sometimes I just follow my gut feelings....If the floors look horrid, it won't be her fault. We each picked a different wood, and I stuck with my favorite. At least with the new laminate flooring, if I absolutely hate it, it can be pulled back up and used in the bedrooms!

Stacks of flooring in the front entry.

It's called "Embossed Oak". Yes, that's the new vacuum in the background, along with my step stool for reaching up to the ceiling. They really aren't part of my living room decor, LOL!

My vacuum cleaner decided to poop out on my just before Christmas. It wasn't old, maybe two years, and it was the best (most expensive) Kenmore that Sears sold, but I'd had a lot of problems with it. When a much less expensive Shark Navigator went on sale, based on the good reviews I decided to buy it. My goodness, I cannot believe how much dirt it is pulling out of my carpets! I'm definitely happy with the purchase. Of course, a new vacuum cleaner means I must clean the entire house. I've vacuumed floors, walls, ceilings, upholstery and fireplace brick. I've scrubbed baseboards and light fixtures. I've polished furniture and rearranged and rehung pictures. The dining room is finished, the living room is almost done, and I'll be moving on down the hallway by evening! There will be no New Year's Eve celebrations in our house tonight. Granny will by too worn out, and probably in bed by nine!

I'd like to wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year. May your gardens be blessed and bountiful

December 28, 2011 - The Seeds of Hope and Friendship

2011-12-27T20:09:00.000-08:00

The first 2012 seed catalog arrived today! Does that mean I dare hope spring will soon be here? Or that I dare hope our 2012 gardening season will be better than it was in 2011? I hope, I hope, I hope!!!

Thank you to Robin for the gift of membership to Mike the Gardener's Seeds of the Month Club! Seeds of friendship will grow in my garden this year.

How adorable is this card from my dear Sassy Butterfly? It looks like Otto and Annie walking in a wiener wonderland, LOL! And a stocking stuffed with two new varieties of tomato seeds! I'm very anxious to try them.

Of course, I can't leave out my gift to me! Free seeds from Wintersown. org! If you haven't sent for yours, be sure to do so ASAP!

Now, if that doesn't give us HOPE that spring is coming, I don't know what will!

December 27, 2011 - Christmas Past

2011-12-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

I made it through Christmas! I had 16 of us crowded inside for dinner, and we actually managed it. This being our first winter at home in probably fifteen years, maybe more, I wasn't sure I could find room to seat everyone. Usually our family dinners are during the summer, and we have outdoor seating. Our dining room table only seats six. We set up a card table, and brought in the patio table for another eight seats. The teenagers ended up in the TV room, holding plates on their laps, so we actually had empty seats at the tables.

Santa showed up......

.....and brought us presents to open.

Then we had dinner.

Corn Chowder
Baked Ham
Scalloped Potatoes
Green Beans (from the 2011 garden)
Cole Slaw
Deviled Eggs
Relish Tray
Crescent Rolls
Jalapeno Corn Muffins
Raspberry Jam (2011 garden)
Jalapeno Jelly (2011 garden)
Pumpkin Pie/Whipped Cream
Apple Pie
Christmas Cookies

Mr. Granny sneaked off for a nap while everyone was still here! I'll have to speak to him about his manners. Luckily, our guests were just our kids and grandchildren, so they really don't care if Grandpa goes off to bed.....just as long as Grandma keeps the food coming.

We had a wonderful day with our family. I hope all of you also had a wonderful Christmas day.

December 24, 2011 - Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Wishing each and every one of you a..........

Merry Christmas

Happy Hanukkah

Blessed Holiday Season

December 14, 2011 - I Just Can't Trust My Kids!

2011-12-14T17:07:00.000-08:00

The other day, Mr. Granny and I went out for a day of Christmas shopping. While we were gone, our daughter Amy came over to the house with her camera, determined to get some good photos of the kids. She wanted to get at least one that was good enough to frame as a gift for me for Christmas. The venture turned into a real comedy of errors. As soon as she would get them seated together and begin to take a picture, one or the other would move. At one time, the boy ran into the bedroom and hid under the king sized bed. Three year old Alicyn had to crawl under the bed and pull him out by his head.

Amy didn't tell on them, but I'm sure she interrupted a party when she came in. I have a feeling the moment we left those kids headed straight for the kitchen to mix up a batch of those "funny" brownies....if you know what I mean. I have no idea where they got "that ingredient". Mr. Granny and I have never been into that type of thing. It must be the friends they keep. Anyway, I doubt I'll ever trust them to stay home alone ever again.

You'll never convince me they weren't stoned!

November 26, 2011 - I Can't Find It!

2011-11-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

"I can't find it" are the most common words used at our house this week. When we arrived back home, the kids came over and unloaded the pickup for us. Not knowing just where I was going to put everything, we had them pile it all along one side of the garage. The plan was to bring in a few containers each day, then decide if we'd keep or donate the items. I really have no need for two food processors, two mixers, two blenders.......well, you get the idea. But, you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men. Or in this case, of mice and Granny.

I didn't plan on getting sick, but yesterday the sore throat and achy body, chills and fever, overtook me. I went to bed at 7:30 last night, and slept for 19 hours! I'm sure the stress and long hours of work the past few weeks were partially responsible for lowering my immunity. I just hope I can shake it real soon, because I still can't find anything (including my camera)!

Do you know that Annie and Otto snuggled up to me for those 19 hours and only left once....to go outside to pee! The devotion of those two is mind boggling.

November 23, 2011 - There's No Place Like Home!

2011-11-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

We're here safe and sound, and it's so good to be back. I have my internet again! I also have a truck filled with household goods to put away, a mountain of laundry, and I'm tired from driving 8 hours today. The rest of our trip, after the bad motel experience, went great. I'll tell you all about it as soon as I find some free time to like actually sit down at the computer. In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving to all of you, and I'll be back blogging real soon.

November 22, 2011 - The Saga Continues

2011-11-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

What does one do when someone's diesel truck is warming up outside of your room at The Motel From Hell at 4:45 AM? For a full fifteen minutes! I'll tell you what....you give up and get up. Then you take your dogs outside in the 28F chill of the early morning, and they refuse to pee because they're afraid of the noisy truck. And then you try to pass the time by reading your email, but the connection is flakier than the one I left behind in AZ, and I cannot get a connection. By 5:45 they must have reset their router, and I can finally access my email and begin reading all the blogs I've missed recently. Do you think that might just take me a while to catch up with all of you?

What? Only 519 blog posts to read? No problem!

Now what? It's only 6:00 AM, the next hotel is just three hours away, and check in time isn't until three this afternoon. We had planned on a relaxing morning in this motel room, just drinking coffee and watching TV, but this cable system doesn't even have ABC or NBC (I missed Dancing With the Stars last night....bummer). And the spout is broken on the coffee pot, so most of the coffee ended up on the dresser instead of in the cups. I wonder how long the dogs would be happy under their big blankets, in the back seat of the pickup, while we have breakfast and play a few penny slot machines at the local casino. I wonder how long our wallets will hold out! With the time change, there is still ten hours until check in time at Jackpot. I must admit, this trip isn't going as well as planned.

November 21, 2011 - Can You Believe.....???

2011-11-21T20:35:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting in one of the scroungiest, yet expensive, motel rooms in Ely, Nevada tonight. Don't always believe the reviews you read on line. This recommendation must have been written by the owner :-( We've never stayed in Ely before, but we wanted to break up our trip home so the drive wasn't so tiring. We usually drive about eleven hours the first day, and eight the second day. This time we decided to drive the approximately 8 hours to Ely today, three or so hours to Jackpot tomorrow, then 8 more hours home on Wednesday. Of course, we had to make sure we could reserve a room where pets are welcome, so I chose this one for the glowing recommendation.....HA! The first room they put us in turned out to have no cable connection on the TV, and no "free WIFI" as advertised. We had to pack up the dogs, their beds, the suitcase, Mr. Granny's freshly made cocktail and move to another room. At least this one didn't have a hole in the wall, and the closet door opens. I got an internet connection that lasted all of five minutes, so this may not get published tonight :-( :-(

(I'm already into double frowny faces, and I've just begun)

Maybe I should begin at the beginning...............

Two weeks after we arrived at our Arizona winter home, it sold! I didn't want to say anything until it was final, and the closing date had been set for December 5. However, both the buyer and we were receptive to an earlier closing date, which turned out to be today. The single, widowed lady fell in love with it at first sight, and would have written us a check right there and then if we hadn't had it listed with a real estate company. As it was, she made a cash offer that was acceptable to us. We didn't make money on the deal, but we had a winter home for seven years and we didn't take a loss on it. We just feel lucky that it sold in this bad economy. It's been on the market for nearly two years! She also bought the furniture, so we didn't have to rent a U-Haul to get it all home. The funny thing about the whole deal was that she actually lives less than five miles from us up in Washington (1200 miles from the AZ property)! She banks at the same credit union that we do, so the funds were withdrawn and deposited at the same bank. And.....her brother-in-law lives in LaGrande, OR. I mentioned we had lived in Baker City. Her b-in-l had (has) a Chevron service station in LaGrande. Mr. Granny had a Chevron service station in Baker City. We knew her brother-in-law well! REALLY small world.

Which brings us back to the trip home.

I've driven through Las Vegas at least twice a year for the last 12 years. No problems. This morning I missed the exit ramp to Interstate 15. I took the next exit, thinking it would eventually display a sign leading us back to the freeway. Nope. Not a single hint as to how to get back without heading south and retracing our route. We actually ended up 35 miles north of the city before stopping for directions. Directions were given to head back toward Vegas, and directions were followed. We ended up on a dead end street. We headed back to the main highway and took the next busy street heading east. Dead end. Back to the highway, inching closer and closer to Vegas, we came alongside a Nevada Highway Patrol car. I gestured for him to roll down his window, and hollered that we were lost and needed to get to I-15. He yelled back the directions (just two more blocks, turn east and it would take us right to the freeway). It only took us two hours of extra driving time to get back on the correct road toward home! The first time we drove through Vegas, Mr. Granny missed a turn and we got lost in a residential area. Our last trip through Vegas and I get lost. Now we're even!

We left the dogs in the motel room and drove to the business district for dinner tonight. We had stopped in Parker for a sausage biscuit at McDonald's at 8:30 this morning and, with our scenic tour of Vegas, had not stopped for lunch. By the time we arrived in Ely, we were starving! I downed a delicious dinner salad, a large salt baked potato with butter and sour cream, and two pork ribs from a barbecued half rack. I took out the leftovers and put them in with the frozen foods, so I'll have another treat once I arrive home. Mr. Granny had a huge breakfast for his dinner, for just $5. We'll definitely hit that place for breakfast tomorrow morning. We're ignoring our diets for these two days. After all, he's already lost 12 pounds and I'm down 16. It took me 2 1/2 months, it took him just 4 weeks. We'll get back "on the wagon" after Thanksgiving dinner at our daughter Amy's house.

Looks like I might be back on line for the moment, so I'd better get this published! Hopefully I'll be back soon, with my home connection and no more internet problems!

October 27, 2011 - Internet Woes, (continued)

2011-10-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

You are all trying to be so helpful! Let me explain what is going on down here...

The RV park across the street and the library are the only internet sources for me. In the past I've always had a so-so connection from the park. I do pay for it, at their going rate of $10 a month. When it was working better than it is now, it was $30 a month. In the past couple of years their equipment just hasn't been working well (translate: cheap router that has to be reset every few hours), so rather than upgrade the equipment, they just lowered the price. There is no password. I pay my money, and they enter my computer's MAC number into their data, which gives me access. Last week I was getting a strong signal, so I took my money over to the park owner to pay for this month's WIFI. She said they had been having problems with it, and might have to limit it to park residents only and allot time periods for different people to use it, and wouldn't take my $10. I am still in the system, and sometimes (like right now) it does work, but I have to sit outside to get the signal. There have only been a couple of times in the past week that I could get anything at all.

This is a tiny town, there is no cable TV/internet, and the only dial up provider stopped their services this summer. The only way to get internet is via satellite or through the cell phone company. Considering the length of time we are down here, so far both methods are way too costly. My cell phone provider is ATT, and I would have to sign a two year contract with them to get an affordable (and limited) connection. I'm just not going to do that when I have a reliable and unlimited cable connection at home, 7-8 months of the year. Amy (daughter) is looking into other prepaid plans, but only ATT and Verizon service this area, all others would entail roaming charges or have no coverage here at all.

So that's my dilemma. It's by guess or by golly for a connection here at the house, or drive down to the library on Tuesday/Thursday.

Really, I'm not doing anything exciting enough to blog about right now anyway! Today I pruned some of the oleanders (only three of the 16 or so I have to do), made a big pot of navy bean soup, picked two jalapeno peppers from the traveling plant (they weren't a bit hot) and made a dozen jalapeno cornbread muffins. Luckily I brought some jalapeno jelly I can put on them for heat.

Now, I'd better get this published before I lose the connection again....if it's not already too late!

October 25, 2011 - From the Library

2011-10-25T11:58:00.000-07:00

Here I am, at the local library. It's not as handy as having access from the house, but it will have to do. My daughter has looked into getting 3G or 4G for this area, but we're out of range for the Sprint network, which is the only one that would be affordable. That one (Virgin Mobile) would have cost over $80 for the devise and $50 per month. Unless I did a 2 year contract with my carrier, ATT, that cost would be prohibitive. I definitely do not want to be paying $60+ a month for the next two years, plus over $200 for the devise! I might mention, we are in such a remote area of Arizona that we don't even have a land line internet carrier here!

This first trip to the library will be a short one, just to read your comments and get my email. There is no way I'll ever catch up on my blog reading, but I'll be setting aside a few hours each week to at least skim over them and see what all of you have been up to. And I promise to find time to blog by next week!

Thank you to my daughter Amy for publishing your comments and taking the time to call and read them to me. I appreciate it very much.

October 20, 2011 - Easy Come, Easy Go

2011-10-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

This is Amy, Granny's daughter. After being able to access WIFI for the first two days, Granny is again without internet. At this time it looks like the park across the street is only going to allow access to park residents. She'll be going to town today to see if she can access through the local library's network. If not, you'll have a long winter with boring updates from me. In the meantime, I will also be publishing comments and reading them to her via telephone.

October 17, 2011 - We Made It!

2011-10-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

The trip down was uneventful, but the weather was great. We arrived yesterday, a full three hours ahead of schedule, even after stopping in Parker for a few groceries. We had five picnic coolers full of frozen or perishable foods, and all of it arrived in good condition. We had some of this year's Fortex pole beans with our dinner tonight, with garden fresh tomatoes (they're ripening faster than we can eat them!)

I am utterly exhausted. Mr. Granny wasn't feeling well, so I had to drive most of the way. I think I got in around 900 miles to Mr. Granny's 300. Of course, unpacking the truck in 97 degree weather and putting things away in a 97 degree house took a bit of a toll on me. I still have two or three containers out on the porch to unload. There's a lot of work ahead of me, weeding, watering and pruning. It looks like the summer was pretty brutal on the yard and plants.

I was happy to see the WIFI from the RV park across the street is still functional. The signal is weak, but at least I can post and get email.

When I get caught up around here, I'll be sure to find something about which to blog. In the meantime, thank you to each and every one for the well wishes for a safe trip.

Oh, there was one slight casualty. The lemon tree looks fine, but the poor pepper plant has an uphill battle. One of the picnic coolers slid off and landed right on top of it. I had some bamboo stakes all around it, so they did give it some protection, but it doesn't look very pretty now. I do think it will survive.

October 14, 2011 - Shut 'er Down!

2011-10-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

The pickup is packed, and the only thing left to do is clean out the refrigerator and pack the frozen foods and perishables into coolers and keep our fingers crossed the frozen foods remain frozen through the trip south. We've rounded up four large picnic coolers, and three will be used for frozen meat and garden produce. I'll take as many garden fruits and veggies as I can for use through the winter. All of the butternut squash and green tomatoes are already in the truck, ready to go.

We had a big dinner for the family on Wednesday night. There were 16 of us with kids, grandkids and one great-grandson. Amy (daughter) took pictures with her cell phone. It doesn't have a flash, so the photos are grainy, but here we are, getting ready to eat way too much Chinese food.................

The family

Mr. Granny and me.

It's time for my yearly fight with my local Charter Cable. They'll tell me I can't snowbird my internet, and want to charge me $75 to cancel the service or keep charging me $40+ per month when I'm not using it. Then I get a call from the company telling me I can snowbird it. Then they charge the $75 anyway, so I have to call and go around and around with them over the bill. Happens every year. So....I'm going to pack up my modem and take it to Charter with me. I have a copy of every monthly charge for the past 2-plus years. I'm going to lay it on the line. Do they want $75 and the modem now and lose me as a customer forever, or do they want to snowbird it and continue to get my forty bucks a months when I'm actually using their service? I hate to switch to another carrier, but if I have to I will.

We'll be leaving very early tomorrow morning, so I'll say my goodbyes to all of you now, and hope I have an internet connection again soon.

Love you all,
Granny

PS: We found room to take both the lemon tree and the pepper plant!

UPDATE! I didn't have to fight with Charter Cable this time! I actually got a very nice lady, who had no problem snowbirding my internet for the winter.

October 11, 2011 - Thank You

2011-10-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all of you who sent such heartfelt condolences over the death of Cookie. Having so many wonderful friends, even though we've never even met, means a lot to me and helps lessen the pain of the loss of a loved fur baby.

October 10, 2011 - A Sad Day

2011-10-10T08:06:00.000-07:00

Our little Cookie Buns is gone. Something got in his cage last night, out on our patio, and killed him. Annie and Otto won't stop barking, and have been running around through the flower bed near Cookie's cage, but I can't find any evidence that would shed a light on what did the deed. There has been a strange cat in the neighborhood lately, and I saw it on our patio once. Would a cat kill a rabbit? He was a tiny thing, barely two pounds. Whatever it was, there was quite a struggle and a lot of bloodshed.

Cookie Buns
2001 - 2011

******

October 10, 2011 - Final Harvest Monday

2011-10-09T15:32:00.001-07:00

This will be the final harvest post for 2011. Everything has been harvested from the garden, with the exception of some strawberries and a few tomatoes, which may or may not be added to the final totals. I will try to do an overview of individual crop totals soon, as well as what worked and what didn't turn out so great this year.

Harvest Totals October 3 - October 9

Beets - 2.94 pounds
Carrots - 6 pounds
Lettuce - 1.69 pounds
Peppers, sweet - 10.69 pounds
Strawberries - 1 pound
Tomatoes - 10.69 pounds

Total harvest for the week: 33.94 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: 543.31 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

October 9, 2011 - The End of the Season

2011-10-09T14:28:00.000-07:00

The end of the gardening season has arrived. In six days, we'll be leaving to spend the winter in Arizona, so the Washington garden has been harvested, with the exception of a few tomatoes and strawberries, and is being cleaned up and "put to bed" for 2011.

The east garden has been cleared of everything but the flowers, parsley, and the cantaloupe plant that has no chance of ripening. It's still trying though, so I'll give it a reprieve and have my son come over to check on it in a couple of weeks....IF we don't get a freeze before then. Garlic was planted in the small fenced area, then covered with grass hay mulch. I was tearing out my hair, trying to find a suitable place to plant it. I wanted it behind the shed, next to the lettuce bed, but the cosmos and sunflowers have completely obliterated that spot. My second choice was against the chain link kennel, at the back of this plot. I tried to dig there, but the neighbor's walnut tree has put out so many roots in that area it was impossible to work up a decent bed. I want to till this east bed next spring, so I really didn't want anything planted in it. I finally gave in, and used this year's onion bed. This end of the garden will have to be left untilled and dug by Granny power.

Yesterday I pruned the raspberries for the second time. They had grown so tall and lush, they were nearly as large as they were before the first pruning. Now the canes are all about 2 1/2-3 feet high, so won't suffer from being whipped around by strong winter winds. Mr. Granny began sawing down the sunflowers today. I'll remove the heads and put them in, or next to, the kennel garden, so the birds can eat the seeds this winter.

The "shed tomatoes" have all been removed, with the exception of an unknown variety volunteer. I'll leave it and hope the fruit gets some blush before it freezes. I'll try to get my son to come over and keep an eye on it. The zinnias will be pulled this week.

The volunteer tomato.

I'm not sure what to do with the cosmos jungle. I've been bringing bouquets into the house, and they are so pretty! Only the ones that flopped over have blossomed, so maybe I can at least get the upright giants cut down.

These "semi-dwarf" zinnias grew nearly 6' high.

I wonder if I can sneak this jalapeno pepper plant into the back of the pickup without Mr. Granny seeing it. It's loaded with baby peppers and blossoms, and looks better than it has all year! It would make a nice plant for the porch in Arizona.

My tomato alley is beginning to look rather sad. They are still giving me ripe tomatoes, so will probably not be removed. I'll just have to deal with the dead plants next spring.

I've started cutting back the Cherokee Purple tomatoes, but they still have a lot of green fruits. I picked everything that had even the faintest blush of color today. I'd like to take some to ripen through the next month or two.

It doesn't look like winter, does it? It's hard to pull up plants and then leave the garden while everything is so green. I'm still hoping for a big display of Heavenly Blue morning glories on the kennel fence before I leave, but so far I only see about a half dozen each day.

The back flower bed doesn't know it's winter, either.

October 5, 2011 - Slow Down, People!

2011-10-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

Slow down, guys! I'm exactly 43 blogs behind in my reading. Well, actually only 42 since Robin scolded me for no recent comments! Not only have I been terribly busy, readying everything for our impending migration to Arizona, I've also been stuck on one particular blog for the past two evenings. I'm enjoying Two Men and a Little Farm so much, I've begun from their beginning, and I'm working my way up to the present. 1st Man has officially joined the rest of you in my love...love...love!

I did manage to get my closet cleaned out today. I packed everything that's going south, even my overnight bag for the hotel, and took two large garbage bags of clothing and purses to Goodwill. I now have one neat closet, and another that we won't talk about (Mr. Granny's, of course).

Ten days from right now, we'll be enjoying an evening in Jackpot, Nevada. Eleven days from right now, we should be walking in the door of home #2. Time is flying, and there's still so much to do!

October 4, 2011 - Harvest Monday on Tuesday

2011-10-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I'm late to the party! Honestly, this past week has just been a whirlwind of busyness. Along with the end-of-garden cleanup, I decided to clean out closets, haul the discards to the thrift store, and begin packing for our Arizona trip. Yesterday and today found me taking a grandson to the dentist for a checkup and fillings. I hate sitting for 2 1/2 hours, listening to my stomach growl because I missed lunch, freezing half to death in the frigid waiting room, and bored after having read every magazine in the place. I did find a sunbeam coming through a window, so I sat there and basked in its warmth until clouds covered the sun, then I had to go out and sit in my car to warm up.

That's why I missed Harvest Monday.

Harvest Totals September 26 - October 2

Beans, bush - 1.94 pounds (final harvest)
Beans, pole - 8 ounces (final harvest)
Beets - 1.06 pounds
Carrots - 2.69 pounds
Cucumbers - 4 ounces (final harvest)
Lettuce - 14 ounces
Peppers, sweet - 6.19 pounds
Spinach - 2 ounces
Squash, summer - 6 ounces
Strawberries - 1.06 pounds
Tomatoes - 11.44 pounds

Total harvest for the week: 26.50 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: 510.32 pounds

This week the harvests for the year broke the 500 pound mark, which is just slightly over half of what was harvested last year, but satisfactory nonetheless.

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

October 1, 2011 - I Did It!

2011-10-01T16:33:00.000-07:00

I didn't think I was going to hit 500 pounds of harvest this year, but I did it! That's only about half of what I get in a normal year, but this has not been a normal year for gardening, that's for sure. Here is what put me over the top today, a bit early for Harvest Monday............

Today I pulled out all the bush and pole beans. I had wanted to wait on the bush beans, hoping I could beat last year's yield, and today they did just that. Just barely. So garden cleanup has really begun in earnest. The non-yielding zucchini was uprooted (what a disappointment that was this year), three more tomato plants are gone, and one bed of marigolds is no more. The old tomato fortress bed has been cleaned out and readied for next year's planting. I'll leave the alyssum to reseed, and probably do the same with the nasturtiums. Marigolds will probably pop up like weeds next year, as they have already dropped a lot of seeds.

I am hoping to have the entire garden cleaned up and put to bed for the winter by a week from tomorrow, as I'll be extra busy the following week, packing for the trip to Arizona.

***

September 30, 2011 - The End of September Garden

2011-09-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Better late than never! I thought we'd be leaving for Arizona before the Heavenly Blue morning glories blossomed this year. I doubt we'll get to view the vines in their full glory, but at least we are getting a few blooms to admire each day. Next year I'll try to plant an earlier variety, like Grandpa Ott.

Baskets of produce are still being picked. Even though the quantity is less, the quality is good.

As much as I love cosmos, I really need to plant a shorter variety in the future. Many of these were over 8' high.

The cosmos and sunflowers were tied up against the fence, but they got so tall they still toppled over. Only the toppled cosmos blossomed though, the upright plants have yet to show any color.

The squash patch has been cleaned out, and I moved the top of the compost barrel there. I'm filling it with vegetation and kitchen scraps, layered with dry hay and composted cow manure. I'm going to plant my Waltham Butternut squash on top of it next spring. Two pots of basil, cinnamon and lemon, were moved from behind the zinnias, given a trim, and set out where they can get some sun.

Hollyhocks were cut back to the ground when powdery mildew and rust took a toll on them. This little beauty popped back up and is giving me some pretty blossoms on a healthy looking plant.

The strawberries didn't send out as many runners this year as usual, which was a good thing. I got over 22 pounds of berries from this little area, and I'm still picking them a couple of days a week.

Poor Leona the Meyer Lemon. Last spring I put her over by the shed, where she would be protected from strong winds and harsh sun. She was happy there....until the zinnias took over and tried to smother her. By the time I discovered what was happening, her bottom leaves were all mottled with bright yellow spots. When I Googled for the problem, I though she was diseased and doomed to die. However, after I moved her out to the sunshine, she grew some healthy new leaves on top. That makes me think she had a fungal disease from lack of air circulation. The sickly leaves are falling off, but her two full sized lemons are hanging on. I hope I can nurse her along until we at least get our first lemon harvest from her.

Maybe I pruned my summer bearing raspberries a bit too soon, as they're growing out of bounds already. I may have to crop them back again before we leave.

Powdery mildew is spreading fast on the zucchini. The summer squash and cucumbers were a total bust this year, and the yields were pitiful!

Do you remember the tomato fortress? It's all gone now. I lost all my Brandywines to diseases this year, so this spot won't be used for growing tomatoes again. These bush beans are still giving us enough to eat and some to freeze, but about one more meal of them and I'll be ripping them all out and cleaning up the bed.

This bed is actually more productive than it appears in the photo. The baby beets are now being harvested, and the lettuce has been feeding us and the rabbit for probably a month or more. The tiny patch of spinach in the back was all that germinated after sowing the entire bed. The beets were covered with netting, and didn't suffer much leaf miner damage, but the spinach was left uncovered and is mostly unusable. I did pick a few leaves this week, but not enough for a meal. I'll probably just toss them in with a salad or some scrambled eggs.

Awww, my two baby melons are developing their netting but won't have time to ripen before frost. The seeds were planted on a whim in late summer, from a store bought melon. I knew they wouldn't have enough time. I was surprised at the number of blossoms that developed on it. I cut the vines way back so it could put its energy into ripening the fruit, but it was too little too late.

Peppers, peppers and more peppers. At least I'm getting some red ones, and they are as sweet as sugar. I'm watching the weather reports, as I will soon have to harvest all that are left before they freeze.

The north garden is beginning to look a bit emptier. I only have two weeks left to get it all harvested and cleaned up.

The east garden still has a lot of carrots and peppers. Absolutely tons of parsley is still growing here, I just do not need another sprig of it!

I hope the new pickup is large enough to carry all the butternut squash, all the carrots that remain to be pulled, Leona the lemon tree and three or four coolers full of frozen produce to Arizona. We'll be leaving early in the morning of October 15th, and that's not very far off. Granny has a LOT of garden cleanup to do in the next two weeks, not to mention packing for a 5-month trip away from home.

September 28, 2011 - I'm a Versatile Blogger!

2011-09-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

My dear blogging friend David P. Offutt, from Adventures in Foodland and A Midwest Garden, has been so kind as to award me with The Versatile Blogger award. Thank you, David. I love getting awards, and will proudly display it in my sidebar.

According to "Versy" tradition, I have to give thanks and a link back to the person who gave me this award. Thanks again, David!

Next I am supposed to divulge seven (7) obscure facts about me.

1. I've exposed myself way too much on previous awards, and there's nothing worse than an old granny exposing herself, LOL!

2. David said "I smoked for more than 20 years. Glad I quit, but there are times....nah... not worth it." Well, I have him beat. I smoked for 42 years, and quit 11 years ago. Yes, there are times.....but no, never again.

3. I started improving my eating habits on September 5, and I've already lost enough weight that I got out my size 12 jeans that haven't been worn in probably two years. They not only fit again, they fit comfortably loose.

4. If I didn't have Mr. Granny to gripe at all the time, life would get very boring.

5. I once stood still (as bait) when a huge black bear came lumbering toward me, while my husband got our two small children back to our vehicle to safety. The bear approached me, brushed up against my side, stopped and looked into my eyes, then passed on by and went on his way.

6. I also jumped over the side of our boat when a large Kamloops trout broke my husband's line, and I grabbed the fish and the line and held them until he got the fish in a net.

7. My husband took me elk hunting once. We were hot on the trail of a herd, when we had to cross a stream by walking across on a log. Mr. Granny went first, and I followed. as I reached the center of the log, the bark split and I went down...straddling the log. OUCH! I let out such a yell, any animals within ten miles would have run off in fear. He never took me elk hunting again. But the man never killed an elk in his life, with or without me, so no loss.

Now I am supposed to nominate 15 other bloggers. Like that's going to happen! You know I love you all, and there's no way I could pick. I will, however chose a couple or six of my newest favorites.

I love Prairie Cat and her significant other, Tad, at Back to Basics. They have just moved into their new home, and her "farm" will probably show us all up next gardening season. Right now they're in the middle of wallpaper removal in their house, and I'm looking forward to seeing the improvements on their new property.

I don't know how Tosh, over at Charm City Balcony Garden, manages to get such lovely, large harvests from a bunch of pots! I was never a good container gardener, and I really admire those who are.

Have I ever told you how much I love Ed at Tales From the Mountainside? Well, I do....love, love, love him. Don't tell Mr. Granny!

OK, so I have a little Jody love, too. OK, maybe a lot of Jody love. Jody and his Belle work really hard at Spring Garden Acre.

I can't leave out Mrs. Pickles from Mrs. Pickles Garden. Not only does she excel at pickles, she thinks she can beat me out on lettuce production, but she doesn't have a chance. She grows a great big garden in a very short growing season.

Roberta (Robbie) Palm's potager garden is a sight to behold, as are her photos of flowers and butterflies. Do visit her Palm Rae Potager, where she does "intensive succession planting in the city for food, herbs, flowers + beauty".

OK, I could go on all night naming favorites, because you're all my favorites, but it's past my bedtime. That's my story, and I'm stickin' with it ;-)

September 26, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-09-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

My, my, my, it's been an entire week since I've blogged. That must mean the gardening season is running down, or maybe the gardener is just getting tired. This gardener is, that's for sure! I've had a busy week, and it's going to get busier yet, because...............

In three short weeks we'll be heading for Arizona. I've been trying to dismantle some garden structures, pull slow or non-producing plants, and do some general garden cleanup in preparation for winter. I've given up on the summer squash and cucumbers, neither of which earned their keep in this year's garden. They will be brutally uprooted this week. I still have some very nice tomato plants, but they are ripening slowly now. That's fine, as I'd like to take a box of green fruits south with us, to ripen through the next month or so. Beets have just a short time to mature to a good, edible size. They're about as big as golf balls right now, so I'll definitely be pulling some to eat before we leave. If they're large enough, I'll pull them all and take them with us. If not, my youngest son will get the bounty. Carrots are still sizing up beautifully, and there are quite a few of them left out there. I didn't even get pictures of the lovely bunch I pulled today, as they came in and went directly into a pot of stew. The peppers continue to blossom and fruit. It's sad that they'll soon freeze, just as they are finally growing so well.

On with the week's harvest.......

Harvests are definitely slowing. Our temperatures plunged from the mid 90s earlier in the week, to the high 60s today. Forecasts are for low to high 70s this coming week, with lows dipping down into the 40s.

Harvest Totals September 19 - September 25

Beans, bush - 1 pound
Carrots - 11 ounces
Cucumbers - 4 ounces
Lettuce - 13 ounces
Peppers, sweet - 1.5 pounds
Squash, summer - 1.75 pounds
Strawberries - 12 ounces
Tomatoes - 11.38 pounds

Total harvest for the week: 18.13 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: 483.82 pounds

It's touch and go whether I'll even break 500 pounds this year. It's all up to the tomatoes, beets, carrots and peppers.

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

September 18, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-09-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

This week saw varied harvest.

My mutant carrot. It actually has five carrots growing from the stem, none are connected to the others.

Harvest Totals September 12 - September 18

Beans, bush - 5.81 pounds
Beans, pole - 7 ounces
Carrots - 3.81 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.31 pounds
Lettuce - 12 ounces
Onions - 3 ounces
Peppers, sweet - 7.25 pounds
Squash, summer - 1.63 pounds
Strawberries - 1.5 pounds
Tomatoes - 11.25 pounds

Total harvest for the week: 33.94 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: 465.69 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

September 12, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-09-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I got my harvest pictures out of sequence this week so I won't title them. The last picture speaks for itself, I forgot to take the photo before I ate the tomato.

The last of the butternut squash were picked on Friday, just two small ones, and the squash patch has been cleaned up and readied for next spring.

The Brandywines were finally removed, and the "tomato fortress" is ready to be dismantled. No more tomatoes will be grown in that bed, due to the diseased tomatoes this year.

Pole beans are all but finished. I still have one small planting that gives me a handful every couple of days. I'm very close to exceeding last year's pole bean harvest, so I will continue weighing these small amounts until I reach that goal, then I'll just toss them in with the bush beans after that. The bush beans are coming in strong again, and in dire need of picking. With the temperature being over 90F in the shade today, I'm in no hurry to get anything done outside! It's supposed to start cooling off by Thursday.

The peppers are looking gorgeous now, tall and green and bushy, and loaded with fruits.....finally!

I'm getting a few summer squash and zucchini, but nothing to write home about yet. I have been eating green beans cooked with yellow crooknecks almost every day, and never tiring of them.

The late carrots are beautiful and sweet.

I have two small (and lots of teeny-tiny) cantaloupe growing from the seeds I tossed out there a while back. I doubt they will have time to ripen, but the vines are loaded with blossoms and fruits. Next year I may have to give them another try. This plant was from the seeds of a store bought melon.

I'm still picking strawberries every few days. Not many, but enough to occasionally give us some smoothies, sundaes and/or shortcakes.

Harvest Totals September 5 - September 11

Beans, bush - 2.13 pounds
Beans, pole - 11 ounces
Beets - 6 ounces
Carrots - 1.81 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.25 pounds
Lettuce - 1 pound
Onions - 9 ounces
Peppers, hot - 5 ounces
Peppers, sweet - 1.63 pounds
Strawberries - 1.06 ounces
Squash, summer - 2 pounds
Squash, winter - 2.81 pounds
Tomatoes - 23.88 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 39.5 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 431.75 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

September 9, 3011 - Out of the Mouths of Babes

2011-09-08T22:22:00.001-07:00

She looks angelic and innocent, doesn't she? After all, she's not quite three years old so just how bad could she be? She is Granny's sweet little, Alicyn. We all know she could do no wrong.

Well, maybe just a little bit wrong.

Last year I gave her a small TV/DVD combination, so she could watch her favorite videos. Yesterday it stopped working, so her mom was fiddling around with it, trying to figure out why. Amy said there was a strangely familiar smell coming from the DVD player, so she asked Alicyn what it was. Here's Alicyn's story....................

Amy: Alicyn, what is all over your DVD player?
Alicyn: I sprayed Fubeese (Febreze).
Amy: Why would you spray Febreze inside your DVD player?
Alicyn: It stinked weally bad!
Amy: Your DVD player smelled bad?
Alicyn (completely straight faced) : Ya. I think probably a monster farted in it.

Those darn monsters are responsible for a lot of things around her house lately. Yesterday they "stole" the computer mouse, and the day before they took everything out of Mommy's purse and dumped it on the floor!

September 7, 2011 - Did You Ever Have Blogger's Block?

2011-09-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

I can't think of a thing about which to write. I figure there are two possibilities....either I take a little vacation from the blog, or I write about my daily harvests and then just do a recap on Harvest Monday. I think I'll try the latter, and maybe something exciting will happen along the way :-)

On Monday I added all of these tomatoes to my stash, which meant only one thing....SALSA!

I checked my four pots of jalapenos, none of which had yet been picked. The three plants in the front yard, planted in with the flowers, were disappointing. I only picked one from the first plant, two from the second, and there was not a single pepper on the third plant. I had one more pot in the back yard, and luckily there were plenty for the recipe. I'd had a problem with mild peppers in the past, so I talked my daughter into sampling one. You can see where she took a big bite. It was hot! There were tears and milk, and finally the burning stopped. That told me I had to wear gloves for the preparation of the jalapenos.

Using my own garden onions, tomatoes, garlic, sweet and hot peppers, I made 1-1/2 batches of pineapple salsa, which turned into 11 pint jars. One of the 11 didn't seal, so it was refrigerated and will be sampled this week.

Once the canning mess was cleaned up, I baked a batch of Applesauce Banana Bran Muffins with Flax Seed for the freezer, for some fast and easy breakfasts.

It was almost dark when I finally got out to the main garden, so the strawberries and the main crop tomatoes didn't get picked. I did get a pretty good variety of vegetables though.

I picked beets, onions, carrots, beans, sweet peppers, cucumbers and a few tomatoes from the dying plants. The ones I still haven't had the heart to remove.

On my last blog entry, I meant to tell everyone that I got an email from EG. He's fine, just very busy due to work, weather and personal stuff. He said to tell everyone hello, and he hopes to be back to blogging soon. I hope so, I miss him a lot, as I'm sure you all do.

September 5, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-09-05T08:27:00.000-07:00

Where has the week gone? I almost didn't get my Harvest Monday post done today, I've been so busy this week. Not so busy in the garden, but busy getting my new laptop set up and my programs installed. Busy using Windows 7 after using WinXP for so many years. Busy trying to learn to do without Outlook Express for my email and newsgroups, and setting up Windows Live Mail, which I'm not liking so much. So far I'm loving the new computer for its speed, not to mention things like USB ports and CD/DVD drives that actually work. I'm not loving that I can no longer run many of my beloved older programs on this new 64-bit operating system. I have a couple that I use daily, so I have to keep the old laptop on standby. That's not something I wanted to do.

Anyway, on to the week's harvest.

8/29 - 22 oz. pole beans, 11 oz. carrots.

8/29 -112 oz. tomatoes, 17 oz. strawberries.

8/30 - 3 oz. bush beans, 4 oz. cucumbers, 20 oz. summer squash, 68 oz. tomatoes.

8/31 - 39 oz. pole beans, 4 oz. cucumbers, 3 oz. strawberries (not shown), 90 oz. tomatoes.

9/1 - 2 oz. pole beans, 10 oz. carrots, 7 oz. cucumbers, 32 oz. tomatoes.

9/2 - 6 oz. bush beans, 3 oz. pole beans, 12 oz. cucumbers, 15 oz. sweet peppers, 155 oz. butternut squash, 6 oz. strawberries, 31 oz. tomatoes.

A small amount of lettuce, the newest planting, was also harvested but not weighed or photographed, as were several handfuls of cherry tomatoes.

Harvest Totals August 29 - September 4

Beans, bush - 9 ounces
Beans, pole - 4.13 pounds
Carrots - 1.31 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.69 pounds (I hear you laughing, Mrs. Pickles)
Peppers, sweet - 15 oz.
Squash, summer - 1.25 lb.
Squash, winter - 9.69 lb.
Strawberries - 1.63 pounds
Tomatoes - 20.81 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 42 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 392.25 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

********

Yesterday, all the kids came over for a barbecue. It was a continuation of our 49th anniversary celebration, and they brought all the food and drinks and son-in-law Bryan did the grilling. A good time was had by all, including the four legged pets. Lola, Scott and Kris' new puppy, came of course. She is getting such long legs! I know, all dogs' legs look long compared to the dachshunds, Annie & Otto. Lola ran and played most of the day, but it finally became too much for her. She disappeared, and a frantic search found her sound asleep in the flower bed.....

Little Lola, sound asleep under a flower.

The end of Lola's busy day.

September 1, 2011 - In the Outback

2011-09-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

The Outback Steakhouse, that is. I finally got a night off, but only because we were celebrating our 49th. wedding anniversary. We had a really good dinner, and such a nice waitress. As we were conversing with her, I mentioned we were celebrating, and here she came, after dinner, with a giant hot fudge sundae for us to share!

I was quite busy in the garden today. The summer planted bush beans are beginning to bear, and I really do already have a LOT of beans in the freezer, so I pulled out the main crop of pole beans. It was difficult, as they were still producing and blossoming, but they were also shading the morning glories that haven't even budded yet. Maybe with a little sunlight the flowers will bloom before frost. The raspberry patch had grown a lot of small suckers, so I got all of those removed and raked up. I fact, I got the entire north garden and kennel garden cleaned up, weeded and raked out. A second Brandywine got removed, it was too close to death to bear ripe fruit. Of the Brandywines, only the yellow one is left, and it may go soon. I did get a couple of nice tomatoes from it, and had a delicious BLT from one for lunch today. I also cut a bunch of runners from the strawberries, many of which were growing outside the edges of the bed.

All the kids and grandkids are coming over for a barbecue on Sunday, a late anniversary party. We get to just sit back while they provide all the food, drink and even the paper plates and plastic utensils. I did insist on providing the pickles, relishes, sweet onions and tomatoes.

August 29, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-08-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

8/23 - 15 oz. pole beans, 8 oz. cucumbers, 21 oz. summer squash & zucchini, 11 oz. strawberries, 42 ounces tomatoes.

8/24 - 47 oz. tomatoes.

8/25 - 15 oz. pole beans, 17 oz. cucumbers, 14 oz. strawberries.

8/25 - 194 oz. tomatoes.

8/26 - 12 oz. green peppers.

8/26 -13 oz. pole beans, 8 oz. cucumbers, 26 oz. summer squash, 27 oz. tomatoes.

8/27 - 27 oz. tomatoes (no photo)

8/28 - 13 oz. lettuce, 60 oz, summer squash, 72 oz. butternut squash, 94 oz. tomatoes.

Harvest Totals August 22-28

Beans, pole - 2.69 pounds
Cucumbers - 2.06 pounds
Lettuce - 13 oz.
Peppers, sweet - 12 oz.
Squash, summer - 6.69 lb.
Squash, winter - 4.50 lb.
Strawberries - 1.56 pounds
Tomatoes - 26.94 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 46 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 350.25 pounds pounds
There should have been more. I didn't get everything picked on Sunday, so there are still strawberries and pole beans that should have been harvested.

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

*************

Too much of a Good Thing

The pattypan squash plant grew....and grew, and grew. It grew over the fence and into the tomatoes. It grew into the raised bed and smothered the spinach. It grew over the butternut squash plants and almost killed them.

It grows no more. The pattypans were good, but the butternuts are better. I had to make a choice, and the winter squash won. This is just one vine! Yes, one plant. It would be nice if I had an acreage, but it was too much for my small space. When it had been removed, I discovered two ripe butternut squash that had been completely hidden by this foliage.

Now the butternuts have room to grow.

August 28, 2011 - Tomato Mania!

2011-08-28T16:59:00.001-07:00

I took time out from setting up the new laptop to attend a tomato tasting at our nearby Mac's Nursery this afternoon.

We were given a pen and a sheet of paper that named the 77 varieties that were set out for tasting.

I started at the first long table, with romas and cherry tomatoes at the start. About half way down the full sized tomatoes began. I first tasted them without salt, but it didn't take long before I opened one of the provided salt packets.

By the time I got to table two I was getting rather tired of tasting. Even with a small sample of each, 77 little bites soon add up to lots of tomato consumed!

The tomatoes were nicely displayed. and well protected from any flies or insects that might want a taste.

Salt packets, toothpicks and hand sanitizers were provided.

All the varieties were grown on one farm, and will be for sale as plants next spring.

Click to enlarge the photo of the varieties that were available. Would you believe, that from all these heirlooms and hybrids, I picked two hybrids as my favorites? Celebrity and Super fantastic were my winners.

August 28, 2011 - I Might Be MIA

2011-08-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

Bought myself a new laptop this morning. I might be MIA while I transfer files, install programs and learn Windows 7!

August 27, 2011 - Sunflowers

2011-08-27T12:53:00.000-07:00

I wondered how tall my sunflowers were going to get before they blossomed. Judging by the fence, which is 6' high, I'd say the tallest is about 13'.

August 26, 2011 - Doing the Can Can

2011-08-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

I got the two containers of tomatoes preserved today, but not exactly the way I had planned. I wanted to can them all as "diced tomatoes". It's a very time consuming process that involves scalding, peeling, coring, removing seeds and gel, then dicing the tomatoes. I had a large pot full ready to heat to boiling, but my boiling water bath was still just at a simmer. I am still getting used to this new ceramic cook top, and I was expecting the pot to boil much quicker than it did. By the time it finally began bubbling, the diced tomatoes had cooked to mush! So....instead of seven pints of diced tomatoes, I spooned the mixture into four jars and processed them as crushed tomatoes. I quartered the other container of raw tomatoes into the leftover juice and crushed tomatoes, added some fresh bell peppers, onions, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and sugar, then boiled it down until it had thickened. I filled four containers with a total of eleven cups of the seasoned tomato sauce. It's cooling, and will be frozen then removed from the plastic containers and sealed in vacuum bags for the freezer. So ends my first day of canning in 2011, as meager as it was.

August 26, 2011 - One Jar at a Time

2011-08-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

With the slow garden production this year, canning and preserving has been "one jar at a time"

Tomatoes were put into bags in the freezer until I had enough to preserve. Three one-gallon bags cooked down to three pints of sauce and two pints of ketchup. The red ketchup tastes really good, and I thought the yellow ketchup would be good as well, but it has an off taste. I'll probably try to make it into a barbecue sauce for chicken or pork. There has been only one lonely jar of dill pickles for the refrigerator.

But......

See what I picked yesterday! All in one picking! I might get to, like, actually can a few jars!

August 23, 2011 - This Place is Going to the Dogs!

2011-08-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

Granddogs Lola and Kobe came for a visit this morning. Lola has never been here, and they live in an apartment so she's not familiar with that green stuff we call grass.

August 22, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-08-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

8/15 - 2 oz. pole beans, 14 oz. carrots, 6 oz. cucumbers, 18 oz. tomatoes and 7 oz. strawberries (not shown).

8/16 - 8 oz. strawberries, 15 oz. zucchini, 7 oz. tomatoes.

8/17 - 10 oz. bush beans, 8 oz. pole beans, 10 oz. carrots, 3 oz. onions, 52 oz. tomatoes.

8/18 - 4 oz.pole beans, 3 oz. strawberries, 41 oz. tomatoes.

8/19 - 11 oz. pattypan squash.

8/20 - 15 oz. bush beans, 16 oz. pole beans, 6 oz. beets, 13 oz. carrots, 19 oz. cucumbers, 43 oz. tomatoes, 8 oz. strawberries (not shown).

8/20 - 19 oz. pattypan squash.

8/21 - 4 oz. pole beans, 3 oz. cucumbers, 7 oz. pattypan squash, 80 oz. tomatoes.

Harvest Totals August 15-21

Beans, bush - 1.56 pounds
Beans, pole - 2.13 pounds
Beets - 6 ounces
Carrots - 2.31 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.75 pounds
Onions - 3 ounces
Strawberries - 1.63 pounds
Summer squash - 3.25 pounds
Tomatoes - 15.06 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 28.25 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 304.25 pounds pounds

In 2010 my harvest for the week was 116.7 pounds, and my total for the year was at 516 pounds. 2011 is running way behind in crops harvested

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

August 20, 2011 - The August Garden, Part 3

2011-08-20T15:26:00.000-07:00

The West, Shed and Patio Gardens

I let the Four O' Clocks volunteer around the patio this spring. I like them, and they certainly are low care and will self-seed for flowers each year. The old thyme plant was trimmed drastically this spring, but it survived. It's getting really woody, so probably will need to be replaced in the next year or so. Sweet alyssum is also a volunteer. Volunteer is good, as long as they aren't weeds.

This is one tomato plant. Not only does this Matt's Wild Cherry span across 10' of the patio and grow right up into the roof, it has been trimmed back multiple times! It was trying to come right into the house through the patio door. It is all vine, with few tomatoes. It does, however provide shade and privacy! It looks like two different plants, but if you enlarge the picture, you can see it grows up the center of the left patio opening, then I've fastened clothesline and wound the vines horizontally across the middle of the right opening where it has gone completely wild.

Another view of the MWC. It's growing from that bucket on the left. The plant on the right corner is Sunsugar. It's proving to be tasty and sweet, but I don't think quite as sweet as Sungold, but close enough that either is preferable to none at all. I eat all of them myself, they are that good. Maybe someday I'll be nice and share, but not yet. The Sunsugar is also very tall, so I have begun to train it around the corner and along the patio railing. Otherwise I'd have to use a ladder to pick the tomatoes.

The shed garden is becoming a jungle, but a good jungle. This is where the two Bloody Butcher tomato plants grow. I gave them tall stakes, not realizing they are quite a short variety. Next year they will be planted down my tomato alley, AKA the servant's entrance. Joining the BBs, are the remaining Coastal Pride Orange, another Matt's Wild Cherry and the Sungold. That Sungold was the tiniest of the seedlings, the last one planted, and the one I didn't think would survive. It is now the one that has grown up to the roof of the shed, and is bearing delicious little morsels for me to hoard. Bloody Butcher, besides being my earliest tomato, has become quite a tasty tomato too. Flavor has improve greatly from the earliest fruits, and they were pretty darned good then, too. Mr. Granny really likes the flavor of Coastal Pride Orange, even though it looks exactly like a peach when it's peeled. Basils (cinnamon, lemon and purple) are still loving this area of the garden, and growing great in pots. Same with the oregano and Leona the Meyer Lemon tree. I'm so happy I filled this corner with zinnias. Besides being nice to look at, and great as cut flowers for the house, I actually saw a hummingbird visiting them yesterday. I think that's about the first hummingbird I've seen around here.

The herbs, after a recent haircut, still growing healthy and full.

"Leona the Meyer Lemon " is fruiting again. She never has carried a fruit to full term, but this one looks very promising. I've never had a lemon grow this large before.

Leona's second child may not make it though. It's about half the size of its sibling.

Here we are in tomato alley, AKA the servant's entrance. There are actually only three tomatoes and a jalapeno, all in buckets, along this side of the patio. The plants are doing very well here, however, so I may utilize this spot for even more plants next year. They all have to be hand watered here, but they seem to like that just fine, and I have a lot of time to do it. The plant in the foreground is a Heatwave. I picked the first two tomatoes from it yesterday, and ate one for lunch today. It was really good, and exceptionally good for a "first" tomato....juicy and not a bit mealy. The plant is healthy, determinate, so not terribly large, and one I would consider growing again. It's a hybrid, but the trouble I've had with the heirlooms this year, maybe I should plant a few hybrids just in case. In the past I always grew Celebrity, and it grew disease free. The cherry tomato way down on the far corner is one of our favorites, Una Heartstock. I have bagged some blossoms for seed saving, and will grow it again next year.

The four Cherokee Purple tomato plants in the West Garden are healthy and producing, but fruit ripening has been very slow so far. This is where the new (this year) rhubarb plant lives. It has given me two harvests so far, so I think I'd better let it grow undisturbed for the rest of the season. Strawberries have actually grown quite well in this bed, and the berries are larger than the main bed in the North Garden.

Cherokee Purple

Sunflowers down (click photo to enlarge, and follow the red arrows) . We must have had a good gust of wind this morning, as two of the big sunflowers broke their tethers and fell. The one on the left wasn't broken, so I pulled it back up and tied it to the fence with clothesline. Its top is slightly wilted, but I'm hoping it will survive. The other one (right) was completely broken off and will have to be removed.

That ends the saga of the garden in August.

August 20, 2011 - The August Garden, Part 2

2011-08-20T08:11:00.001-07:00

The North Garden

The west side of the kennel is covered with Fortex pole beans. These are my favorites of all the beans, and I've decided to plant them on all sides of the kennel next year. It's probably too shady at the back, but I'm going to give it a try anyway, I might get lucky. There is a small bed of carrots at the front of the beans, but they aren't growing long and pretty as they should. They're short and stubby like the early carrots. Maybe the seeds were old, but I've not had the greatest luck with the carrots this year. The soil is nice and soft and deep, there's no fresh manure in the beds, and no high nitrogen fertilizers were applied. The barrel was planted with strawberries this spring, and they are not performing as well as those in the bed. The borage in the foreground is a volunteer from 2009. I didn't even let any grow last year, but the seed has stayed viable in the ground. One volunteer stayed small, but the other has grown normally. Those are sunflowers in the background, more on them later.

The strawberry bed looks as though it needs a good feeding, so I really need to haul out that stinky fish emulsion......yuk. The berries haven't been performing fantastically this year, especially those in the barrels, but the yields have been acceptable. We've had all the strawberry shortcakes our bellies could handle, and 16 half-pints of jam were made. I have maybe three bags of sugared berries in the freezer, and would like a few more for winter desserts. Some whole unsweetened berries would be nice for future smoothies, too. This variety bears almost constantly until frost, but most of the berries are quite small. Just as I begin harvesting larger berries, the production slows down and the blossoming begins again. The raspberry canes that were left after the big summer pruning and thinning are looking really strong and healthy. They should provide a good crop next summer.

The raspberry canes are sporting new growth. I'll let them grow now, but the tips will probably suffer from winter damage, so they will be pruned back again in early spring. That's the neighbor's sunflower peeking over the fence. I get to enjoy them, as they always turn towards my garden.

The zucchini is doing better in the barrel than the strawberry plants, although I've only had two zukes from it and it's already showing some powdery mildew on its leaves.

Oh, dear. Now we are at the poor diseased Brandywines. My very favorite tomato, and I'll probably not get any this year. This Pink Brandywine was the best of the three just two weeks ago, now it has begun wilting severely along with the previously diseased leaves. There are a few good branches way up high, and a few green tomatoes. I'll leave it be for now.

The Yellow Brandywine looks just slightly better, as it isn't wilting. I doubt there are more than three green tomatoes on the entire plant, but I have never tasted this variety so I'll let it go for now and hope I at least get one or two ripe fruits from it.

The third, another Pink Brandywine. I might as well give up and pull it out, ya think? I've never had diseased tomatoes back here, but it looks like this bed won't be used for them any more. It gets the most sun of any of the garden beds, so it's unfortunate the tomatoes won't be planted in it again. Maybe it will be next year's hoop bed.

The tomatoes might be diseased, but the newly planted bush beans are loving the tomato bed. This is planting #3 of bush beans for fall, Gourmet Green French. I may have overdone the bean planting this year, the freezers are stuffed already.

The lettuce transplants of July, the ones I thought had burnt from the heat, actually survived. Unfortunately I didn't have them covered, and the sparrows took them right down to the ground last week. I grabbed some net and clipped it over the top, and it looks as though they'll survive the onslaught. I have a few beets growing in this bed, but germination was rather spotty. It's getting too late to reseed the bare spots, so I'll not bother with it. I had planted spinach in the bed to the back, but either very little sprouted or the sparrows got to it, as the bed is practically bare. I will reseed it soon.

The squash patch is taking over the world. The bush butternuts aren't too bad, but that one pattypan squash plant in front, the one just full of blossoms, is growing all over everything in sight. I wondered if I should just pull it out, and then......

I picked this. Is that not just the most adorable thing you ever saw? I cooked up some freshly picked Fortex beans, added some fresh sweet corn kernels, then sauteed the diced squash (I hated to cut the pretty little thing!) in some butter, added the cooked and drained beans and corn, seasoned with just salt and pepper, and I ate two big platefuls for dinner! The squash was tender, slightly sweet, very mild flavored, and absolutely delicious. I'm not pulling the giant plant. I'll be picking another squash or two today, and I'm going to cook them by heating a baking sheet in a 400F oven, slicing the squash in half and tossing them with a bit of oil, s & p, then placing them cut side down on the hot pan and baking them until lightly brown and caramelized.

I think the lettuce bed, which has served me well (to the tune of 53 pounds) this year, is ready to be cleared of all growth and replanted for fall. The few plants at the front will stay for a while, as they are still looking fine, but the next row has finally bolted. All the others were harvested last week, then pulled. I must say, this has been a really good spot for lettuce growing, tucked in the corner with fence on two sides, shed to the south and morning sun from the east.

The sunflowers are about 12' high now, and still no blossoms. I have them tied to the fence....I hope they don't pull the fence down!

August 19, 2011 - The August Garden, Part 1

2011-08-19T09:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted garden pictures, so I'll break this down into several posts because there are so many of them.

First, let me get the complaints off my chest. The neighbor's weeds. I can't get good pictures of the "East Garden", with all those weeds in the background!

Ugly, huh? You can see, in the bottom photo, how they are coming through into my pathway. Some of the weeds are taller than I am. Would I dare reach over the fence with a weed eater and whack them down?

My son Scott and I did cut back her hedge, but only where it came onto our property. It had grown so huge and wide, we could no longer get our lawnmower into the back yard! This narrow strip is the only path for the riding mower. Oh, how I miss my old neighbor Pat. she had the hedge professionally trimmed three times a year.

Oh, well. I'll just have to learn to live with it :-(

The East Garden

This side of the kennel, the entry to the East Garden, has been planted with Fortex pole beans, a pot of Bush Champion slicing cucumbers (not doing nearly as well as the Spacemaster I've planted in previous years), a Russian Baby tomato and some zinnias. There is also a pot of slicing cucumbers next to the fence on the left, moved from it's former location next to the weedy fence.

From left, a few late beets and onions, Topcrop bush beans are beginning to blossom, and Burpee A #1 Hybrid carrots are growing well.

In this bed the Rutgers tomatoes are struggling, and the one in the foreground really needs to be removed. I keep hoping it will come back, but it really won't and it's never going to get any tomatoes. The other two have set some fruits, and might yet have a chance. The carrots are being harvested on an 'as needed' basis, and any time granddaughter Alicyn is visiting. She knows exactly where the big carrots are!

These are the earliest planted bush beans, Gourmet Green French, which are still producing. This variety performs more like pole beans, it just keeps blossoming and producing non-stop. The leaves are beginning to rust badly, so I'll probably pull all the plants as soon as the other bush beans begin producing. Next to the beans are the Quadrato Rosso D' Asti sweet peppers.

The peppers are looking much better, but unfortunately a few are showing some sunburn. They got off to such a late start, they are just now developing a good shade canopy of foliage. Later fruits should be better protected.

This bed has newly seeded Little Gem lettuce. I decided to chance putting it here, as I thought the sparrows had moved on. It turns out they haven't, so we'll see if they can resist these tender morsels. Next to the lettuce, Ruby Queen beets have germinated. The peppers in this bed are Red Marconi. The fruits are getting huge, I hope they have time to turn red. Several of these also suffer from sunburn, and will have to be picked early.

Another new bed of Topcrop bush beans that are blossoming. Next to them is a triple row of Burpee A #1 Hybrid carrots, the final planting of the season. In the foreground is the volunteer Minigold tomato plant,, which has been pumping out a seemingly endless supply of good sized cherry tomatoes. What a work horse for such a small plant! I do wish I had stuck it in a pot, as it probably could have been moved to Arizona for the winter. I still have some seeds, maybe I should start another one.

The south end of the East Garden has a hill of yellow crookneck squash, which has a few male blossoms, and the cantaloupe that's growing from seed from one we ate earlier this year. I also moved this (and one more) pot of cucumbers from path next to the neighbor's fence, as they were tangling their tendrils in the jungle of weeds.

August 18, 2011 - Recent Happenings

2011-08-18T14:29:00.000-07:00

We went to see Lola today.

Our new "granddaughter" is adorable. She's a tiny one, but a little butterball. She was ready for her bottle, and only interested in sucking. First she headed right down the front of my shirt, but I got her before she hit her target. Then she latched on to my chin. I finally got her to settle with sucking on my fingers.

When we got back home, my husband looked at me and said "What in hell happened to your chin?" I asked why and he told me to go look in the mirror.

I have a dark colored hickey on my chin, as big around as a nickel!!! No, I'm not going to show it to you.

On the home front, I went to the doctor yesterday, after having all my lab work done a couple of weeks ago. The doctor looked everything over, then informed me I was "incredibly healthy for a 72-year old". It looks like I might be around for a while longer.

August 15, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-08-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

8/8 - Fortex pole beans are slowing down, but beginning to blossom again, while the one row of spring planted bush beans is beginning to produce a second crop. I picked the first cucumber that actually looks like a cucumber.

8/8 - The carrots are sizing up nicely now, and the strawberries are getting larger.

8/8 - A lovely big bowl of sweet, crisp lettuce.

8/9 - Slim pickings, just a handful of pole beans and a few tomatoes.

8/11 - The last two heads of cabbage were harvested. They were smaller than the Cherokee Purple tomatoes! Today's harvest was varied enough to make me happy with it. The large tomatoes were peeled and diced. Half went into the freezer, and the other half went into a pot of goulash for Sunday's dinner.

8/13 - I picked the first zucchini of the year. Strawberries are producing enough to pick about every other day. More stubby little pickling cucumbers for Mr. Granny's salads. I'm not counting on getting enough for more than a jar or two of refrigerator pickles.

We've had strawberry shortcakes twice in a week, put a bag or two in the freezer, and made another batch of jam. That makes 16 half-pint jars, enough for the year, so all the future berries will be eaten fresh or frozen for winter meals.

8/14 - Sparrows swooped down on the garden this week and ate my new lettuce plants right to the ground. The older plants, under mesh, were getting leggy so I pulled out half the bed and will replant it this coming week. The lettuce was still in really good shape, and not a bit bitter.

8/14 - It's not as big as it looks! I needed a green pepper for my dinner, so I found a nice fat one. It did weigh 5 ounces, so not bad for only the second one from that variety.

8/14 - The bush beans are really producing again. They aren't nearly as good as they were earlier in the season, but I'll continue to harvest them until the newer plantings begin to produce a crop.

Harvest Totals August 8-14

Beans, bush - 1.44 pounds
Beans, pole - 1.63 pounds
Cabbage - 1.56 pounds
Carrots - 1.31 pounds
Cucumbers - 1.06 pounds
Lettuce - 3 pounds
Peppers (sweet)- 5 ounces
Strawberries - 2.63 pounds
Tomatoes - 11.06 pounds
Zucchini - 11 ounces

Total harvest for the week: - 24.69 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 276 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

August 14, 2011 - She's Not Mine!

2011-08-14T14:44:00.000-07:00

When I wrote about the new grandpuppy, Lola, yesterday, I didn't mean to imply she lived with us. Lola and Kobi both belong to my youngest son. Max is son John's dog, Jake and Jasmine belong to my youngest daughter, Amy. Only Annie, Otto and Cookie live with us. The rest of them are welcome to visit and get some spoiling, then we send them home.

Daughter Amy walked in today and said "Mother, why do you have a laundry basket full of lettuce on your counter? Nobody has their laundry basket filled with lettuce!" What can I say, I'm ...............

Mrs. Lettuce!

August 13, 2011 - Meet Lola

2011-08-13T23:10:00.001-07:00

Our new grandpuppy, Lola. She's so tiny she has to be bottle fed.

She joins Kobi, who isn't quite sure if he wants her there or not. My son said Kobi has his backpack filled with his toy monkey and his winter coat, and he's moving over to Grandma's house to live with Otto and Annie.

Lola joins the other family pets, Kobi, Jake, Max, Annie & Otto (dogs), Jasmine (cat) and Cookie (rabbit). Luckily they don't all live at our house!

August 12, 2011 - What's Happening? Nothing!

2011-08-12T16:17:00.000-07:00

Robin just emailed me to see what I was doing, as I hadn't blogged for a while. The answer is nothing! My garden is at rest, although I don't know why. It certainly hasn't exerted itself this year!

I've picked a few tomatoes, plenty for eating fresh and the rest for freezing. They're being stingy, so I hope I can get enough in the freezer to at least make a few batches of pizza sauce. The Brandywines are diseased. I'll be pulling one, and hoping the other two can survive with some selective pruning. One of the three Rutgers is also a goner, and the other two not far behind. All the other plants are healthy, but not yet giving me much of a harvest.

I did get a Cherokee Purple that weighed in at 1-1/2 pounds.

Granddaughter Alicyn spent the morning with me. I took her out to the garden and let her pull a carrot, then I had her scrub it clean at the sink. Would she take a bite of it? Absolutely not! I cannot get her to eat anything from the garden, not even the sweet berries! She had just awakened from her nap, her hair normally doesn't look that bad.

I might get my first zucchini this week.

August 8, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-08-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

It was another disappointing harvest week, when compared to previous years. Pole beans, carrots and lettuce were the stars of the garden. Tomatoes increased to double digit harvests, but are still lagging way behind. The Cherokee Purple produced the most this week, but the Bloody Butchers decided to take a bit of a rest. The volunteer Minigold is producing the most cherry tomatoes, and the Sunsugar is close behind. I'm still picking strawberries daily, and although the amounts aren't huge, it has been enough for fresh eating and ten half-pints of freezer jam.

The sweet peppers are finally growing well, and I was hungry for one on Sunday, so I picked a green Red Marconi. I shouldn't have. It was way under ripe, and not very good.

I continue to pick and dry the basils and the oregano, but I really have more than I'll ever use. I may just keep them for their beauty, and let them blossom and go to seed. The bees will like that.

Beans, bush - 6 oz.
Beans, pole - 3.88 lb. (Fortex)
Broccoli - a few side shoots, did not weigh
Carrots - 1.69 lb. (I'm finally getting lovely carrots)
Herbs - 5 ounces (oregano and basil)
Lettuce - 1.5 lb.
Peppers, sweet - 3 ounces
Strawberries - 2.44 lb.
Tomatoes - 12.44 lb.

Total harvest for the week: - 22.81 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 251.3 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

August 6, 3011 - I'm in a Jam!

2011-08-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

The nice thing about making freezer jam is that it doesn't take a lot of berries. I don't have a huge strawberry patch, and the day neutral variety I grow doesn't put forth a lot of berries at once, but bears almost constantly from July until a hard frost puts a halt to them. So far the berry patch has given us enough for several strawberry shortcakes, and today I made my second batch of jam.

I now have ten jars of delicious strawberry jam in the freezer, and the berries will continue to yield. But I'm in a jam with my jam.......I have no more room! Yes, I bought a second freezer last month.

It's nearly full. It was supposed to only hold meat, but I've already had to use it for cheese, bread and butter. There is barely enough room for a small basket to fit in on the left side, which I suppose will have to hold the jams and some fruit packages. That means no more chicken until the bread is used up.

The larger freezer was supposed to hold all the fruits and veggies, but there's only a small space at the left rear to put a few more bags of green beans, and I'll have a lot more beans to freeze!

Even the refrigerator freezer is packed full. It was supposed to hold breads and ice cream. It holds much more than that already.

I really should have bought a larger freezer, rather than a smaller one!

August 5, 2011 - Really, Mrs. Pickles?

2011-08-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Pickles mentioned she might become Mrs. Lettuce. My dear Mrs. Pickles, I cannot let that happen. Last year I was Mrs. Tomato, but I've had to give that up in 2011, so the title of Mrs. Lettuce must be mine. Really, it must. Today I picked 24 ounces of lettuce from my garden, which brings my total so far in 2011 to....

!!!TA-DA!!!

Exactly fifty pounds. Yes, fifty (50) pounds of luscious lettuce. And there's much, much more where that came from! My rabbit loves me. Well, I love me too, as the container on the right is for our consumption. We get the crispy young center leaves, Cookie gets the bigger, outer leaves, and the compost pile gets a tiny handful that wasn't quite fit for consumption. Compost lettuce is not added to the weight total.

The garden looked so lovely last night, in the pink glow of the sunset. I wish the photo showed it better. You'll just have to trust me.

August 4, 2011 - A Big Red Tomato!

2011-08-04T16:40:00.000-07:00

YES! I finally have a perfectly beautiful, big, red tomato!

Do you see it there....on the refrigerator?

My big red tomato even has a smile, and that makes me smile! But what really makes me smile are the friends I've made throughout the blogging community. Friends like Kelli, from Animal-Friendly Eating, who was so sweet to send me one of her hand made refrigerator magnets. I *heart* you, Kelli. XOXO right back atcha!

I think Kelli's tomato even brought me a bit of good luck. I finally picked a few large red/purple/yellow tomatoes from my garden today!

August 3, 2011 - A "Corny" Tip

2011-08-03T12:36:00.000-07:00

Do you make a big mess when trying to cut corn off the cob? If so, try this "corny" tip....

Stand the ear of corn in the tube of an angel food cake pan.

Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob and right into the pan.

There.....six ears of corn, cut and ready for the freezer, and only five kernels escaped!

Mr. Granny can't eat corn on the cob with his dentures. I cut these kernels from uncooked ears, put them in a microwave safe bowl, and added a tablespoon of butter. I zapped it for two minutes, stirred to coat the kernels with the butter, then spooned it into a jar. It should be delicious next winter when fresh corn isn't available.

August 2, 2011 - August's Babies

2011-08-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

Did I say I had just one little squash baby? Upon further inspection, it seems the nursery is full!

I only spotted one baby squash yesterday. Today I did a more thorough examination of the squash bed and immediately spied this butternut. It's not even a baby, but more like a teenager, as it's already about 6" long. There's yet another baby butternut in the lower right of this photo.

And another baby butternut. Nearby I spotted two more, but they didn't show up in their photo.

Two more. I think this makes #8 of those found.

This one isn't a butternut, so it must be an acorn squash. The plants have all grown together in the squash patch, so every new baby is a surprise. Ooops, there's another butternut top right...#9.

This one is definitely a pattypan.

Another butternut, #10 of those found today.

The zucchini have yet to blossom, but I can see two females and many males. Let's hope they all open at once.

August 1, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-07-31T21:15:00.000-07:00

EEEEEK! It can't be August already! Please, tell me I'm having a nightmare, and when I wake up it will still be July. My garden is just now going into July. Nobody bothered to tell it that it's August.

I did finish pruning the raspberries last night. That's usually a mid-July job.

The cosmos and sunflowers are over six feet high and haven't begun to blossom yet. That's usually a mid-July event.

The sweet peppers aren't anywhere ready to pick. I usually begin picking them mid-July.

I only have one butternut squash baby. I always have big green butternuts by mid-July.

The zinnias are still wearing their pretty July dresses.

OK, rant finished. On to Harvest Monday.

7/25 - Fortex pole beans, tomatoes, parsley and stubby little carrots.

7/25 - A big container of Red Sails lettuce from the summer planting, sweet and tender even in the summer's heat.

7/26 - Plump shallots. I'm extremely happy with the size of these. They were planted in the spring, and they are every bit as large as those I've planted in the fall for harvesting the following year.

7/26 - I pulled the last of the stubby carrots. No, they were not a stubby variety, and I have no idea why they grew like this.

7/26 - Baskets of bush beans, basil and strawberries.

7/26 - Tomatoes. Clockwise from top: Pink Brandywine, Bloody Butcher, Matt's Wild Cherry, Una Heartstock, Sunsugar.

7/27 - Sorry for the glare of the flash on the onions. The first Sungold tomato, and the first cucumber, puny and deformed as it is.

7/27 - More Fortex pole beans, being readied for the freezer. They are trimmmed, blanched in boiling water for four minutes, cooled in ice water, and drained. I love these beans!

Once they have drained, I place them on a wire rack in the freezer.

After the beans are frozen solid, they are bagged and sealed with the super sack sucker (Rival Vacuum Sealer).

7/28 - More of the sweet, succulent Red Sails lettuce. It is really making some nice salads for us and the pet rabbit.

7/28 - Pole and bush beans, strawberries and tomatoes.

7/28 - Oops! I missed a few in the previous picture.

7/29 - Rhubarb, the second picking of the year.

It was frozen and bagged for a future pie. I'm not baking in this heat!

7/30 - The Fortex beans are making Granny very happy! The Cherokee Purple tomatoes are getting larger and tastier.

7/30 - I'm still harvesting a few broccoli side shoots.

7/30 - Finally! Pretty carrots! These are from a later planting of the same variety as the ugly, hairy, stubby ones that were pulled this week.

7/31 - A final walk through the garden on the last day of July. First I harvested a big colander of Fortex pole beans. Have I mentioned how I love these beans?

Then I picked a few tomatoes and stopped to admire the zinnias. Have I mentioned how I love my zinnias? This is the first year I've grown pretty ones. They're usually eaten by bugs before they blossom.

By the time I reach the patio, my colander is full. Guess what we had for dinner.....Fortex beans, beautiful carrots and lots of tomatoes.

Then another quick trip to the garden to pick the strawberries. Luckily there were still some shortcake biscuits in the freezer, so it was a strawberry shortcake night.

Beans, bush - 1.25 pounds
Beans, pole - 4.19 pounds
Broccoli - 3 ounces
Carrots - 3.19 pounds
Cucumbers - 3 ounces
Herbs - 10 ounces
Lettuce - 2.38 pounds
Onions - 6 ounces
Rhubarb - 1.38 pounds
Shallots - 1.38 pounds
Strawberries - 3.31 pounds
Tomatoes - 5.63 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 24.06 pounds
Total harvest for the year to date: - 228.5 pounds

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

July 31, 2011 - The Raspberry Patch

2011-07-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

I may be cussing Mother Nature out for the slow tomato/squash season, but I can't be angry with her over the raspberry harvest. Cheryl was asking what I do for my raspberries, so since I was in the process of cleaning up that bed, I decided it was a good time to show her. Now, I don't profess to be an expert in raspberry growing and pruning. As with all my gardening, I grow them "by guess and by golly". All I can do is show you how I do it, and what works for me.

***Before I even begin, remember I grow Canby raspberries, which are a one crop summer berry. If you grow fall or everbearing, you will prune yours differently. ***

The first year for my raspberry bed was the spring of 2009. It began with four canes of Canby, which happened to be the only variety being sold at our nearby nursery, planted in the 4'x8'raised bed. I had been hoping to find Heritage, which was the variety I had grown for many years. This was my first experience with a summer bearing variety. I planted them in straight dairy compost, and I harvested a whopping 6 ounces of berries this first year!

Spring of 2010, I amended the bed by adding 2" of dairy manure compost. The canes grew so tall I ended up weaving them horizontally around clothesline rope. A lot of suckers were growing around the base, and I let most of them grow. Big mistake, as I ended up with a jungle of intertwined canes that were difficult to pick.

But the berry harvest improved quite a bit in this second year, as I picked 9 1/4 pounds of fruit. By mid-July the berry harvest was finished, and it was time to prune out the old canes. Of course, this was one of those trial and error things. I knew to prune out the old canes and any that were smaller than a pencil in circumference, so I did that and also removed several that were close to the edge of the bed. I left most of the larger canes to grow for the 2011 crop.

Later in July 2010, the wind began knocking down the tall canes so I decided I should cut the tops back a bit.

The shortened canes survived the winter well, and began to grow new foliage in the spring of 2011, and I again added 2" of composted dairy manure to the top of the bed.

I topped them again as they began growing, trying to keep them a manageable size for picking the fruit. I got a bit carried away, and lopped them down to about 4' high.

Lopping them down must have been the right thing to do, as it didn't take long for them to put forth a lot of horizontal growth and blossoms, promising a good crop of berries for summer meals. In fact, the harvest nearly doubled to 17.2 pounds of berries for 2011!

Now the 2011 harvest is finished, and it's time to clean up the raspberry bed again. I still think they are too thick for proper growth, so I'm being ruthless with the thinning this year.

A lot of canes have been removed from half the bed.

Raspberry canes tossed everywhere.

You can see that the old canes are brown, and the new suckers are light green.

Decisions have to be made as to which canes will stay for the next season. I try to only keep 4-6 of the strongest canes in each clump of growth, removing old canes, small canes and those growing at the inside of the clump, leaving outer ones.

This clump of eight canes will have to be studied a bit to decide which ones to remove. I'll probably end up removing nearly half of them. I've found the canes in the center of a clump don't bear much fruit, but the outer ones, those that get sunshine and fresh air, bear many large juicy berries.

I'm happy with the spacing in this clump of canes.

The results of a morning's work. Most of the thinning and topping has been completed, but it's too hot now, so the rest will be done in the cool of the evening.

July 30, 2011 - What's New?

2011-07-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Nothing. Well, almost nothing. The hot weather finally arrived, though not miserably hot like some of you have been experiencing. Just hot enough to keep me out of the garden except for mornings and evenings.

There is a lot to be done to prepare for fall.

Fall.....it doesn't seem possible that it's nearing the end of planting season, as we had no spring and such a cool summer. I have done some fall planting, a row of Ruby Queen beets and a row of Little Gem lettuce where some of the early bush beans had been pulled. I'm just taking a chance the birds will leave the lettuce alone, as it's in an unprotected bed next to the peppers. Yesterday I pulled a large broccoli. It was producing a few small side shoots, but not enough to earn a space in the garden. I amended the soil with compost, and planted some Tyee spinach. There are still two heads of cabbage in that bed, small and full of holes from slugs. I'll leave them for a bit, just to see if they are ever going to amount to anything. I don't really need that space now, I'm probably through planting anything but lettuce and radishes. Those can be tucked in wherever there is an open spot.

The tomatoes are a real bust so far. I'm getting just enough for us to eat, but not enough to preserve. There are some nice Cherokee Purples coming on, but the Brandywines are disappointing, and the only one that's bearing tomatoes looks diseased. One of the three Rutgers has been pruned down to two small branches, I might as well just give up and remove it. All the other plants look healthy, except for one of the two Coastal Pride Orange, which has wilted down terribly. I think the pot it's in is just too small for it. The other one, in a larger pot, is looking fine.

I have two cherry tomato plants that are unknown as far as variety. They came from a packet of mixed seeds, so the only way I can possibly identify them is from the website where they were purchased. The larger plant I'm guessing is Una Heartstock, a large plum shaped cherry. Whatever it is, the two tomatoes I've picked so far were delicious. I will definitely be saving seeds from this one for 2012.

Una Heartstock? It's loaded with large (for cherry) green tomatoes, and has grown up past the roof line of the patio! I'll need a ladder to pick these.

The other unidentified cherry tomato from the same mixed seed packet has much smaller, but plum/grape shaped fruits. It is just beginning to ripen, but I can't yet tell if it's going to be green, yellow or red. Green Grape is the only other cherry listed that looks anything like what is growing, so I guess I should test the one tomato that is beginning to show a yellow color.

Green Grape? It's also loaded with small fruits.

I've had two ripe cherry tomatoes from The Little Sungold That Could, the plant that had no chance for survival! It is alive and well and bearing fruits. So far, I can't tell the difference between it and the Sunsugar. Maybe later fruits will taste sweeter.

Heatwave is showing promise.

Thank you to Mr. H. for sending me the Bloody Butcher seeds. At least we have some tomatoes to eat each day, and the flavor is much improved now that the weather has warmed. I'll definitely find room in next year's garden for them.

For the next few days the garden will be rather messy. I have flowers that need to be deadheaded or cut way back and spent raspberry canes to prune to the ground. It needs to be done soon, but my get up and go got up and went. I keep saying "Maybe tomorrow".

***

July 26, 2011 - Garden Dinner

2011-07-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

How could I not have a "garden dinner" tonight? The first real picking of the Fortex pole beans, the entire row of early planted carrots that were refusing to grow to a respectable size so got pulled out, big fat shallots and sweet onions, fresh red tomatoes, crisp green parsley for the new potatoes that were still fresh with soil clinging to them. No, the potatoes weren't from my garden, but they were grown within a mile of my house. Sounded like a winner to me!

Breaded boneless pork chop
Parsley buttered new potatoes
Green Beans with Caramelized Onion-tomato Relish
Oven roasted baby carrots

Guess what dessert was. That full pound of freshly picked strawberries was just screaming for some biscuit shortcakes, so I made enough for freezing while I was at it.

Mmmm, that looks good enough to eat. I think I will!

July 26, 2011 - Garden Happenings

2011-07-26T12:27:00.000-07:00

The first batch of freezer jam, chilling before going into the freezer.

The raspberries are finished for the season, and 15 half-pints of freezer jam, along with 11 pints of whole berries have been put in the freezer. Well, 14 of jars of jam made it that far. I had to keep one out to sample, and it is absolutely delicious! We also ate our fill of fresh raspberries. They gave me a record harvest of 17.2 pounds this year, compared to last year's 9.3 pounds and the first year's .38 pound.

Last week I pulled out the Royal Burgundy bean vines, and today I pulled all of the Topcrop and one row of Gourmet Green French. The Topcrop harvest had fallen to nearly nothing, but the French beans were still blossoming. It was a matter of them being too crowded, and the back row being too far toward the center of the bed, and my back just not feeling great while reaching across to pick them. The rest were left to bear their crop.

Bean vines (and one sweet alyssum plant) heading for the compost.

There are still plenty of Gourmet Green French beans left for picking, and removing the back row makes it much easier to reach them.

It also gives the sweet peppers a bit more room to grow, which they are finally doing!

New fall plantings of beans will soon take the place of those so ruthlessly pulled out. A row of Topcrop were planted on 7/10, and as an afterthought, a second row was planted on 7/18.

Another double row of Topcrop bush beans were planted on 7/18. A double row of Gourmet Green French bush beans were planted on 7/21 where the Royal Burgundy beans had been removed. They have not yet germinated.

The herbs, Lemon, Cinnamon and Opal basils and oregano are so pretty in their containers, I hate to clip them. but today, clip them I must.

Strawberries in both of the barrels are finally beginning to bear some decent sized berries.

The barrel berries seem to be a bit farther ahead than those in the raised bed.

Finally, the warmer weather is making the pickling cucumber grow. This, one of three pots, is beginning to grow tendrils, and will soon (hopefully) begin climbing the fence.

The bush slicing cucumber is just about ready to give us our first cucumber of the season.

I haven't given up on getting a zucchini crop this year. It's actually beginning to form some buds now. Of course they're all male....I don't think there is a female squash blossom anywhere in the garden yet.

Sungolds. YES!!! I should be taking my first bite of these delectable little morsels this week.

My favorite spot to sit and rest on a hot day in the garden.

July 25, 2011 - Harvest Monday

2011-07-24T19:24:00.000-07:00

Boy, did the harvest totals ever fall off this week! The tomatoes are coming in slowly, and there's just nothing of any weight being harvested right now.

Luckily there were some large onions, although not that heavy once the tops were cut off.

The summer planted Red Sails lettuce is coming on strong, and tasting sweet and mild. Beans are the star of this week's harvest.

More beans, strawberries and a decent carrot from the later planted ones. Hooray! These aren't going to be stubby, fat deformed carrots! I'm still getting a few broccoli side shoots, even though the weather has warmed into the mid to high 90s now.

Finally, enough tomatoes to keep us happy. Not enough to can, but that's OK, I can wait as long as we have our BLTs and fresh tomato topped tacos. Here I have harvested Pink Brandywine, Cherokee Purple and Bloody Butcher. Sunsugar and Matt's Wild Cherry have also been picked, but eaten in the garden.

Of course there's the basil, more than I need or can use, but it's pretty and makes the kitchen smell sooooo good! The basket of Summercrisp lettuce is for us, not the rabbit.

Beans, beans and more beans. Strawberries are getting a bit more plentiful, at least enough to keep us in strawberry shortcakes. More Pink Brandywines, Cherokee Purples, Bloody Butchers and a few Sunsugars that finally made it into the kitchen.

I didn't get photographs of everything this week. There were more green beans and strawberries, a few raspberries (finished), and some Minigold tomatoes from the volunteer plant.

Beans, bush - 5.6 pounds
Beans, pole - 4 ounces
Broccoli - 5 ounces
Carrots - 8 oz.
Herbs - 1.4 pounds
Lettuce - 2.9 pounds
Onions - 3.3 pounds
Raspberries - 3 ounces
Strawberries - 1.5 pounds
Tomatoes - 5.1 pounds

Total harvest for the week: - 21 lb.
Total harvest for the year to date: - 204.44 lb.

I have been whining about the yield from this year's garden, but it's actually not that far behind last year. Last year by now, I had harvested 226 pounds, this year I'm at 204. Considering I'm not growing potatoes, and the squash, peppers and cucumbers have yet to yield, that's not terrible. I'm just not setting my expectations very high this season.

Please join in the Harvest Monday at Daphne's Dandelions!

July 23, 2011 - Surprise!

2011-07-23T22:47:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was up late, trying to get everything caught up. I had made one batch of raspberry jam, and was ready to start another, but couldn't find more half-pint jars. The last place to look for them was in the cupboard over the refrigerator, so I dragged out the step stool, climbed up and opened the cupboard. There was a brand new box of half pint jars! But that's not what surprised me. My kids have been asking for more home canned salsa, but I was completely out. Or so I thought. I had completely forgotten about the dozen pints I had stored in that cupboard over the refrigerator! Not only were there jars of salsa, there were several jars of pickles and relishes, too. I thought we had used them all up!

Surprise! Sweet relish, dill relish, bread & butter pickles and pineapple salsa!

July 23, 2011 - Pesto Presto!

2011-07-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

It might be a bad gardening year for a lot of things, but certainly not for the basil. I have two rows in the main garden, which is way more than I need. I've already filled a pint jar with dried basil, and I have several pots of flavored basil in among the flowers and tomatoes, so I decided to go ahead and just pull up the garden rows.

It will give the bell peppers a bit more breathing room.

So...what to do with a big basket of basil?

Make pesto, of course!

Twenty-eight cubes of basil, a year's supply for two of us, ready for the freezer. Once it has frozen solid, I'll pop them out of the ice cube trays and into freezer bags.

Speaking of freezers, I was completely out of freezer space, what with all the green beans I've been picking. I debated buying another freezer, as I have one in Arizona that will come up here IF we ever sell the property. I caved yesterday, and bought a 5 cubic foot Kenmore. I figured it was small enough to go into the laundry room if we end up with three freezers.

I took advantage of the opportunity to clean out the larger freezer. There was quite a bit of food I'd packed into ZipLoc or Reynolds vacuum bags in 2009. They had all lost their vacuum, and were freezer burned, so out they went. Food doesn't usually get lost in there for two years, I normally empty and unplug it when we head south. Last winter, however, I had so much frozen food from the garden, I just left it plugged in. So....it didn't get cleaned out. Anyway, I had cooled off the new freezer, so I transferred everything into it and unplugged the old one. I got it all spiffy this morning, and plugged it back in. One freezer (the new one) will be used for meats and prepared foods, and the other for fruits, veggies, freezer jam and baked goods.

The freshly cleaned freezer looks rather empty with nothing but the pesto in it. It won't take long to fill it up, though. I have 8 half-pints of raspberry freezer jam in the jars, and a dozen ears of fresh corn to get into the freezer tonight. And I haven't picked beans in two days!

July 22, 2011 - The Good & Bad in the July Garden

2011-07-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

Before I begin my whining and crying over the lousy gardening year, I want to wish our granddaughter, Alicia, a happy 17th. birthday. I can't believe how quickly she is growing up! No matter how old she gets, she'll always be our "baby". She was the one grandchild that spent a lot of time with us when she was small, as both of her parents worked. If anyone wants a little taste of what it was like to have her around, I kept a journal of some of the funnier things that happened with a little one in our midst....A Year (and More) in the Life of Alicia.

Now, on the the lousy July garden.

One would think the garden would do well. Maybe better than ever, what with the mild summer we've had so far. Yes, the spring was cold, cold, cold.....many of the seeds rotted, many of the seedlings froze, but there was still plenty of time to plant once the temperatures came up to optimum. Alas, even with a bit of warmth, much of the garden did not flourish. Yes, the onions did great, the lettuce did great, and surprisingly, the bush beans are doing great. That's about it. The early planted carrots are ugly, hairy, stubby warty little things. The later planted carrots look like they will be beauties, though. I've only pulled one to check, and it was long and straight and sweet.

A year ago, I was harvesting big bowls of big, beautiful strawberries. This week I got enough small, deformed berries for two small shortcakes.

Last year I was picking baskets full of tomatoes nearly every day. This year, if it weren't for the bloody Butchers that have given me a dozen or so small salad tomatoes, I wouldn't have any to harvest at all. This year I only planted three Brandywines, as they have always been heavy croppers for me in the past. So far only one has set any fruit at all, the other two have just dropped their blossoms. Even the plants themselves are stunted, compared to previous years. They should be ten feet tall by now, and they are barely half that. In fact, it's the smallest, sickliest plant that is bearing the fruit. My in-ground planted Rutgers tomatoes began to show some disease, and one has been so heavily pruned of diseased leaves it may not survive. The other two don't look too bad after removing the bottom leaves, but like the Brandywines, only the sickly one has fruited. Luckily, all the other tomato plants are looking healthy, and the Cherokee Purples should be ripening soon.

The healthiest looking Brandywines have not set a single tomato. The small one on the left has fruited, even given two ripe but very small (4 ounce) tomatoes. Last year the Brandywines were over ten feet tall and loaded by the end of July.

The Cherokee Purples have several large tomatoes forming.

The Cherokee Purple plants are sturdy and healthy.

Matt's Wild Cherry is taking over the entire east side of the patio. I've strung twine to try to train some of the vine horizontally, so that I can reach the tomatoes. I've had a handful of tiny fruits from this plant. Are Matt's WC supposed to be so tiny? These are about the size of a pea!

Last year I was picking bell peppers nearly every day. This year they are just finally beginning to blossom. A few haven't even reached that stage.

The warmer weather has been beneficial to the peppers. They are finally growing and blossoming.

Even the ones I thought were goners have begun to bush out and blossom.

A year ago I was picking so many zucchini and yellow crookneck squash I had to give a lot of it away. This year....not even a blossom yet.

The zucchini has yet to blossom, the yellow crookneck squash plants are smaller yet.

Last year I was making refrigerator pickles from all the cucumbers I brought in. This year....one plant has blossoms, none of the picklers have even begun to climb the fence.

The bush slicing cucumber has blossoms, and one tiny deformed cucumber so far.

The pickling cucumbers are way behind, and haven't even attached themselves to the fence yet.

Last year the Fortex pole beans were the stars of the bean world. This year, although the bush beans have performed well, the Fortex are just putting forth three or four beans at a time.

Fortex pole beans looking healthy, but not yet producing much.

Last year I was digging lovely new potatoes. It's my fault I don't have any this year. If you don't plant potatoes, you can't harvest potatoes. Who knew? LOL

OK, I'm finished with my whining.

Yesterday I had grandson Kevin help me bucket some composted manure into the cleaned out brassica bed, so it's now ready to plant for fall. I'll be planting it right away with beets, then with spinach in a couple of weeks. I have some lettuce seedlings that are getting really leggy on the windowsill, so I'll likely set them in that bed this evening. It's supposed to turn hot for a few days, before dropping back down into the eighties, so I'm not going to hold my breath that they will even survive the transplanting. I have to immediately get the cover over that bed once the lettuce is in, as the sparrows have voracious appetites for young greens again.

The former brassica bed, amended with compost and ready for installing hoops. Fall crops will be planted here.

The raspberries are all but finished now. A small handful once in a while, just enough to nibble on in the garden, but not enough to bother bringing in to weigh. I'll be working on removing the spent canes in the next few days. Or weeks. I guess there is no real hurry, other than wanting the bed cleaned out so it looks neater.

The raspberries are ready for their summer pruning out of all of this year's fruit bearing canes.

The summer lettuce bed is performing beyond my expectations. I'm harvesting big, lovely outer leaves for our salads now, and it's growing faster than we can eat it. I noticed the leaves at the edges of the bed have been nibbled by the sparrows, back as far as their little beaks will reach through the openings in the netting. New plants wouldn't have a chance if not covered.

I've pulled the Royal Burgundy bush beans and replanted with Gourmet Green Baby Filet bush beans. The Royal Burgundy, while really good flavored, weren't giving me much of a crop for the space they took. The Gourmet Green Baby Filets are real bean machines! I can't believe how many beans I get from those plants. Unlike some of the other bush beans, these bear over quite a long period. I've been bringing in big bowls full nearly every day, and there are still medium and small beans, as well as a lot of blossoms on the plants. I actually picked 49 beans from one plant in one picking! The beans are small, but the sheer amount of them makes up for their size. I have but one complaint. They squeak when I eat them. I cannot eat squeaky beans, but Mr. Granny and the dogs don't mind them at all. I've actually frozen so many bush beans I'm out of room in the freezer now. I think we're going to look at buying another small freezer today.

I also planted more Topcrop bush beans where the beets came out last week. I think I have quite enough beans planted now.

About the only other thing happening in the garden is that the winter squash plants are finally beginning to blossom. Only males so far, so I hope it's not too late to get a crop from them. This is my first year for bush butternut, I've always had great luck with the vining type.

Bush winter squash are blossoming.

Sunflowers should be blooming soon.

I was very happy with the spring planted shallots. They were every bit as large as those usually planted in October. I have another large bunch of them drying in the shed. They are smaller, and will be used as seed for next year.