New thread!!
Time to start thinking about fall colors and cooler weather...as soon as this heat wave passes anyways. lol
Hilo Laotian winter squash. This plant became squash bug fodder for me but I'm hoping I can get this one fruit to ripen and try it.
Here's my contribution for the first day of the month.
I haven't seen many caterpillars here this year or butterflies. I need to fill a hole I have with another native plant. Want to do a mum but need to resist. lol
I tried to send a video. You should hear the racket!
Wow you all have been very busy. Lots for me to read up on. Like reading about all your days. Everyone is so busy in the gardens and yards. It is way to hot here to even enjoy being out there. We have a vacation week next week. I want to get some things around and ready for autumn. Yes I did put autumn. Can not believe it is upon us.
Pepper you are a busy lady at work also. Nice how you get the plans in your head for a garden. I would like to get some mums for our yard this year too. My pots are starting to look yuckie for being in the sun all these months.
Patti wow the tree is finally coming down. Prolly glad that is done. We have a couple that will be taken down soon too. They are on my basically on my neighbor property. One in in the front yard we miss it for the shading of our house. It really did help lots. Very nice you have a guy that helps you in the yard. Your heavy lifter. lol.
Happ, is the shed and garden arbor coming along okay? It will look so nice when done. Big job for you. I am dreeding the shut in months for the winter.
gl, the garden shed is cleaned, the garden arbor....well. When I got home with the doors altho they are a matched pair, someone cut off the bottom of one so they don't stand even...lol Not a big problem I will cut them to match. They will not get done until later in the fall or maybe winter. I want to do some stain glass in the window panes. Would like to get them cut so they stand straight in the garden room tho. It might be confusing I have a 'shed' just a typical shed and I have an odd small room DH built me. It is not a greenhouse but a room with most of the glass in the front (south) and the side (east) that I can heat. Found a pic this is the east side, south side has two windows and french glass doors. Right behind the Garden room for my birthday 2014 he built me a pergola....now I need a deck under it, humm birthday 2016? lol
Second picture is the shed. I bought the shed but I built the garden bench on the east side of it. These are pics from when I was finishing it up in 2013. Wow look how clean the potting bench is...rofl, you should see it now...well used. I love working with wood and DH can do about anything he puts his mind to. Course getting his mind to go where I want it, well that is another subject.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qC4JFu-Oyw
This is the youtube video on the watering system I am going to try in the garden room. I can't afford to replace my tropical plants so this might help me. It looks like a great way to garden period. He also has one where you take growing bags fill them with dirt put them in a kids swimming pool. Then because of misquote problems he talked about those dunk donuts but then someone in Florida did the growing bags and filled the pool with pea gravel so no standing water per say. THEN...lol to make it cheaper and easier instead of buying grow bags which can be expensive he the reusable walmart blue bags and he says they work wonderful. He thought they were 2.00 but I noticed dollar general had them for a 1.00.
Sorry I have rattled on way too long! I will take pics when I get my growing gutters going. Hopefully they will work this winter and I can take them out in the summer and use them for vegtables. Oh yeah one more thing instead of using solid buckets on the growing gutters which worked great from what "everyone" said, they started putting holes in the sides and lining them with landscape fabric and they thought it worked more like the growing bags and got better production. I bought off Amazon several small laundry baskets and I am going to line them with landscape fabric.
Again I am so sorry for rattling on.....guess not enough sleep and too much diet pepsi...rofl.
One more thing Patti that tree is HUGE...OMG! How scary! Also which winter sowing are you following? I might try it.
Just got my truck fixed today. Needed front end alignment and tire pressure adjusted. Still need to replace a ball joint but that's for another day after we compare costs with a mechanic in town. My favorite mechanic closed his shop so I can't just go say hey I need this anymore. lol
Also getting plants ready for the RU. I have a few I need to take cuttings off of but need potting soil since I only have topsoil right now. I was gonna get it today but too many things going on and I forgot to stop and get some. I also bought me some plants today off clearance and was gonna plant them but the trowel was almost bouncing off the dirt. I'll wait til it rains again. lol
Joyce, I love sharing the "longest post" honor with you! ( grin) maybe I should keep my posts shorter?
I am so glad you sent pictures in of your sheds. I have been wondering and wondering and yes, they are wonderful. I took a cabinet making class at the technical college here years ago. I finished the class and then promptly got a frozen shoulder from sitting for way too many hours at a time, doing a marathon quilting session. That was the end of lifting lumber for me and truthfully, that's when the quilting ended too.
Winter sow had its own forum until yesterday. It is now under the propagation forum. I did some major whining to one of the administrators on the " changes to the forums" thread. Little, quiet me – can you imagine? The stickies for winter sow are now at the top of the propagation forum. When I did a search this morning, there were 1420 entries for that subject. Yes, they needed the stickies at the top. Most of the information you need for this method is included in the stickies. Plus, we're already starting to talk about it, even though it's a little early in the season.
I told you guys that tree was big! It towered over the second floor. They got it all down, but they have to come back tomorrow to remove the trunk. I am absolutely exhausted from the noise. And I felt so sorry for the workers; it was 94° out there. Tucker used to have a pair of goggles. He outgrew them long ago, but they would've been perfect for his trips outside today. Sawdust was filling the air and I worried about it getting in his eyes. He is fine though. He loves having his face and eyes washed.
Will, what's the story? Inquiring minds and all that...
Sally, the multiple meals a day for the cats is working pretty well. I can't say they're totally pleased about it, but they are settling in. Mynx refused to get off her cat tower this morning. It is in the window and she wanted to know what all the activity was in her driveway. And she kept telling me about it. She can be one verbal cat. I wonder where she gets that.
I'm shutting up now.
Patti
Oh, just waiting on the company to get their mind right and ship me off for training.
Thanks for asking, Patti, I'm still around. Haha! The longest post?! Have you seen some of mine?! Lol Hope you guys have a great ru, wish i could be there. Who knows, I may just show up!
rofl...about shutting up....lol My basset loves having his eyes rubbed with a cotton towel.
Pepper it is a killer when you lose a mechanic you trust! They are so hard to find and can be so expensive if you don't find a fair good one!!!
Dont u hate buying dirt! lol Costco did have a great prices on miracle grow, I need more also especially if I am replanting most everything. Where r you going to get it? Wonder if I can get it from Amazon? lol.
Ran errands all day today and spent a dang fortune...I hate leaving the house it is expensive!
Went to the stain glass place, aldi's, walmart and dollar general so that tells you how broke I am. But us and the animals will eat again for awhile.
Comparing prices between Home Depot and Amazon and it's about the same. lol. Was hoping Amazon was cheaper.
Well, i'm gonna constructing my array of shoplites and whatnot for the big wintertime of overwintering again. i'll prolly start doing this soon, maybe tomorrow. I went to my storage unit today and got the shoplites. @ctually, i'm lookinv forward to it.
Well, i'm gonna constructing my array of shoplites and whatnot for the big wintertime of overwintering again. i'll prolly start doing this soon, maybe tomorrow. I went to my storage unit today and got the shoplites. @ctually, i'm lookinv forward to it.
Well, i'm gonna constructing my array of shoplites and whatnot for the big wintertime of overwintering again. i'll prolly start doing this soon, maybe tomorrow. I went to my storage unit today and got the shoplites. @ctually, i'm lookinv forward to it.
Ack! I'm using a tablet and things don't look right, sorry.
haha, Will. I have done that before also. Love the whole shed Joyce. Wow very nice, perfect for the whole potting up stuff. I just have a little potting table or my sons truck tail gate. lol. But hey it works.
It has been a scorcher for the last four or five days. UUUGGGHHHH. I am sick of this heat. Ready for the autumn and cooler weather. Not suppose to cool down until next Wednesday. High 80's and very humid. We are on vacation next week glad it will be some cooler for sure. I want to be outside.
Patti I am glad the tree is down now for your sake. I can only imagine how loud it was. There are two trees dying in my neighbors yard too. I do not know when they will be taken care of yet. They both hang over our house some what. But the tree removers hopefully know what they are doing when it is time.Pepper we are lucky here my brother is our mechanic. He just charges us for the parts. He is the best and very busy all the time. He sometime has to turn cars away cause he has so much work.... Love him to pieces and his whole family.
I have a brother who is a mechanic also but he no longer works on any of our vehicles. He's an excellent one who was taught by the guy who just closed up shop. Long story short he decided he didn't want to be helpful in that way anymore.
Busy again. I've just walked away from the computer to do different things since I get up later now. I miss my really early mornings.
DGS will be 11 Sunday. We'll have cake and ice cream at the park
I need to get a green tomato pie going and cook down the bowlful of tomatoes and see how much juice I have. Tomato harvest in Iowa is pitiful.
Potatoes did rather well.
Have a regular day :o)
What you lost in tomatoes you made up in potatoes....rofl. I think all the midwest had a BAD tomato year.... ;(
GL, funny you talk about potting and things on the tail gate of his truck, lol, I have plastic down in the hatch back area of my car and a gardening tool kit back there and if I am in the front of the house doing odds and ends I use it....lol The potting bench is in the back and I love it but sometimes when you have those quicky things to do....lol
Will you are not old enough to start repeating yourself telling the same story over and over...rofl. Don't ya just hate it when that happens!!!
Well out to plant before it gets miserable hot again, sides need to water.
Happ,
How true. I am slowly amassing tomato juice, but it's four quarts at a time....
We had potatoes for dinner today. CREAMY!!
I LOVE your car potting area!! And if you happen to find a ''ditch rescue'' or are offered a plant, you are ready for it!!
I tore out all the yellow Wapsipinicon Peach tomatoes. I was using them, but have to add a little lemon juice to make sure they are acid enough to can. I only planted them because we have the shallow Wapsipinicon River a mile and a half from town and my Grandparents lived just up the gravel from it.
I picked up another dishpan of drop Snow (Fameuse) apples. We picked as many as were ready the other day and are keeping them cool in the house till we can juice them.
I also ran a dishwasher full of canning jars for the day we need them.
I got my tomato pie baked and the tomatoes cooked before it was necessary to turn on the air conditioner. I'm staying in the rest of the day. Too hot and I've done my penance all week by working outside. I have two loads of line dried clothes to fold too.
I need to catch up on my plant journal. I have been given plants faster than I can record them. I need to update my ''canned so far'' list too.
We canned grapes too.
Billyp what is the recipe for tomato pie? I have a ton of pears ready. Don't know what to do with them. Me and Sam (the lab) are just eating them...rofl. He loves fresh pears. DH needs to restrict sugar so even if I made unsweetened jelly he wouldn't have anything to eat it on :( I don't buy bread so it is never here to tempt. As mucch as I love my family I rarely take the time to pick fruit and take to them (they live abt 45 min away).
any ideas anyone??
Pear Relish, just skip adding sugar. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/222276/pear-relish/
Too many ideas here. lol. http://allrecipes.com/recipes/1107/fruits-and-vegetables/fruits/pears/?page=5#3
Maybe I'm crazy but pear anything sounds good on oatmeal to me at the moment. Then again, I love oatmeal and I love bears. Pears, not bears – errors.
I give up
Hi I am laughing so hard I can hardly see the screen. Trying to talk text is insane.
Pears in oatmeal sounds good.
Here's a tomato pie. Love her little story on it, be prepared to lose it even more Patti! lol
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomato_pie/
Curried Squash and Pear Soup: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/curried_squash_and_pear_soup/
Yes, Pears and Oatmeal sound good to me too! The Cutleaf Coneflowers from Ju have many flowers on them. If I remember right I got the seeds from Ju and now I have many flowers.
They look good!! Just needs some companions to keep them company now. lol
Thanks pepper, I need to put some loose twine around them and attach them closer to the shed before they blow or fall over or something. Companions? A big grouping of flowers and stuff would be easy pickings for an overzealous mower and mower blade! Even at the base of that one is a blue marker, if it weren't for that or even if it comes off,THAT plant is toast I'm afraid.
It's a good thought, if I had my druthers I'd plant a bunch of flowers and stuff in that general area by the shed. I've had around 13 plants mowed down. I don't really get mad, they were accidents and they'll be back.
Happ,
I use Paula Deens recipe, but it can be tweaked. I originally saw the recipe on Dave's a few years ago. I use a tiny bit of oregano and like Parmesan cheese in the top layer. It's best warm. Not super hot, not real cold, but warm from the oven and it's delicious! Adicting too.
OH! Can those pears in a medium to heavy sugar syrup!!! They are SOOO GOOD! Or, make pear butter like apple butter. For DH, well, hard to make sugarless recipes.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/tomato-pie-recipe.html
Patti,
I'm rolling on the floor!!! That was too funny!! I like bears too!
Pepper,
Yep, she's got that right. Addicted from the first bite, LOL!!!
Will,
Nice coneflower! They might be tough enough to stay upright.
Seriously? Laughing, altho not funny, but they mow everything down? You need fencing!
I made this recipe the other day with hot peppers, then sweet marconi peppers. Sweet!, but so good! I should have paid attention and cut the rings wider. They are certainly candied. I left out the cayenne, especially in the hot peppers. Seemed silly. I had a habanaro or two in there and they are plenty hot! I de-seeded everything too. The syrup is really good on tomatoes too.
http://www.food.com/recipe/candied-jalapeno-or-cowboy-candy-453141
One more hot day. I gave in and sat outside yesterday afternoon. The breeze was nice. I ate grapes and watched the clouds go by. DH washed his truck and grilled steaks for dinner while I was working in the kitchen. You can't get much closer to the 50's than that :o)
Have a thoughtful Sunday!
I am taking laughter where I can find it! Mercy, that recipe for tomato pie looks wonderful. I've never even had fried green tomatoes, let alone tomato pie.
I don't even know where I was yesterday, but I saw a post about making marinara sauce and using a hot water bath to can it. I know nothing about canning, but is it because tomatoes are so acidic that a hot water bath will work instead of the full blown pressure cooker – canner route? I do not have enough tomatoes left to do this now. I'm already thinking ahead to next year. Actually, I will probably be taking the plants out within the next week or so.
I am confused and need some guidance. When I pull up the tomatoes, should I go ahead and prepare the bed for next year? By that I mean to put any necessary soil amendments in now and let them overwinter?
The one thing I do know is that I have not seen a single worm in all the digging done around here this summer. That does not bode well. I have started a compost pile, but primarily have clippings. I am adding some kitchen scraps but I'm having to resort to shredded newspaper to get my browns. I guess I don't have to tell you is going to be a while before that pile is ready. LOL
It is only because of the upheaval in all the forums that I discovered that we have a soil and composting forum, which is now lumped in with something else and I don't know what, but it's there and I think can find it again. Glad there is a search button. In the meantime, would one of you be willing to tell me, "Patti, start with adding…"
I will be receiving bags and bags of leaves this fall to make leaf??? It is where you leave the leaves in plastic bags over the winter and I think you add a little bit of water to it. What is that called?
I think I would much prefer to watch the clouds roll by then spend time on the computer researching things I should already know.
I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday weekend.
Patti
It is warm today! Lots of wind but still warm. I was outside this am early and just now went out to water again....least on the west side. Didn't realize my phlox was looking wilty. Use to all the rain this spring and first part of summer.
Patti, I can't find any worms now. I had zillions when the ground was softer with moisture, none now to be found. I went digging for the chickens and nothing. I would prepare soil now, and then in the spring you can just add a few amendments and you are on your way. If you wait til spring and we have a wet one you won't be able to work the soil to plant anything.
gotta go
No worms here either. Just ants and squash bugs which are eating my one squash. Grr...
Patti,
Fried green tomatoes are heaven! Slice a good 1/4'' thick, dip in flour, dip in egg and back into the flour, or bread crumbs and fry on medium heat till crispy and soft in the center.
Yes that is exactly why the hot water bath works for tomatoes.
Sometimes I will dig in lime, compost or leaves to get ready for next year. It depends on how much time I have.
In the summer heat, worms go deep. You won't see many till it cools off.
Leaf mulch! Pure gold!! I've never left it in bags. I usually make a pile and scrunch it down and add a little dirt on top so I don't lose the leaves in a wind
We had the oldest GS's 11th birthday party and it was hot with a nice breeze. I took the camera but didn't even get it out. No one looked like they wanted pictures taken when sweaty and disheveled, lol!
I woke up at 3:30 am to thunder and lightning. I hustled to get the outdoor cats fed, but it was already raining. Luckily they are on a porch with a roof.
After the party I picked garden. There was another dishpan of apples down, tomatoes falling off and peppers ready.
It's still raining and it sounds wonderful. I have my window open so I can hear it.
Have a happy day!
So the worms have "gone underground". LOL. Can't blame them, it's so hot. We're going to be around 98 again today, then the temps are supposed to start coming down and hopefully, we will get some rain.
Jamie will be digging in compost tomorrow, if it doesn't rain. I bought one of those soil tester kit things, but haven't used it yet. I'm sure it's not as in-depth as sending a sample into the extension office, but it's a good starting place, and certainly much cheaper. It determines soil pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potash. I'm going to feel like the mad scientist out there. LOL
Uh oh, mom just called and requested donuts. She doesn't do things like that too often so I'm off to the store for… Donuts! I think I'll get some chocolate milk while I'm there too. LOL
Sally, I will be sure and try fried green tomatoes within the next few days. Thank you for the recipe. That was one of my favorite books, and movies, and I've always been curious.
I want to get going before gets any hotter. I'll check in later. I think Kansas City might be getting rain? I'm jealous.
Patti
Oh it I so hot here again today. I want it gone. No snow but cooler please. So sick of the bailring heat. I like it when I can turn on the oven and not sweat. Need to turn off the air conditioners too. Complain, complain. Right. We had a family cookout on Saturday my folks and all three of the grown children and the DGD too. We had a blast. Good food and company. Love having people over to eat. Just wish I had a bigger house.
Went outside and cut down a few dead flowers. That's about all I could handle out there. Did not take long. Of course I always have to change the water in my bird bath... Love watching the birds in that bath. ere usually is so many of them they are waiting in line to get in there. So funny. They sure are pigging out on feed right now too. I can not keep the feeder full. That time of year now. On a weeks vacation on am so happy to have a week off.
Rained off and on all day today. Again tomorrow too. I'll be inside listening to it instead of watching it but that's ok. Have a lot of clean up to do from the crazy sale these last few days.
Nothing done today except a pizza consumed and a documentary on Bob Marley watched.
Thunder and lightning outside and I think I hear the sound of raindrops. Yep, the streets are wet and the rain is trying to come down. This feels like the kind of thing that will last 10 minutes and be over. But we really are supposed to get rain tomorrow. I sure hope so.
I have decided the best way to prep the side garden for plants is to put up short retaining walls and do a lasagna garden over the winter. By spring, it should be ready for plants. Because it is on the south side of the house, gets heat reflection from the driveway and is fairly protected from the wind, I think (hope) this area will shape up quickly.
I spent about an hour outside today. The heat totally drained me. Ronna, I'm with you – I am ready for it to cool off. It sounds as if you had a wonderful time with your family.
Sally, I need pure gold (leaf mulch). I was thinking back to when I planted the tomatoes. I didn't see any worms then either. I don't have a good area to just pile the leaves up. I wish I did because I'm pretty sure they would start the decaying faster. I need to do more research on it however. I don't really have a place for a pick up truck full of plastic bags either. LOL
I think it's a night to go to sleep early. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.
Patti
We did get rain. In fact, I woke up at five and it was raining then. It has stopped now, but we are supposed to have it again this afternoon.
I had something else happen yesterday which I forgot to tell you about.
A few weeks ago, I was driving down the street and saw a lady working out in her yard. She had a beautiful patch of cleome, which I have been keeping an eye on, wanting seed. I stopped and complimented her on her flowers, at which time she offered me seed. She even gave me a pill bottle to put the seed in. (pill bottle was from Humane Society as this woman fosters) I came home, spread the seed out on a paper plate so it could dry properly and promptly thought, "Why in the world didn't I get a picture, so I can remember what color it is?".
Yesterday morning, on my way back from moms, I swung by the cleome patch, hopped out of my van and snapped a picture. The cleome are really fading now, so I was circling the patch, taking various shots, attempting to find the prettiest specimen. I looked up and the lady across the street was giving me the evil eye. ROTFL Good for her! I love it when neighbors watch out for each other. I walked across the street, introduced myself, explained how her neighbor had given me the Cleome seeds and why I was trying to capture a picture now.
This lady was standing in her driveway and on the other side of her fence was a Huge black dog – lab and Great Dane? As I was talking to her, I kept looking at her dog, holding my hand out for the dog to smell and talking to the dog and… Well, Becca offered me seed from her yard.
I told her that I needed to get home but I would be right back, left and then I returned. The lady remarked on how fast that trip was, so I roughly told her where I lived, without giving an address. She then asked me "have you lived there a long time?" I shook my head yes and told her since 1996. She got a big grin and said, "Now I know! You rescued my dog!! In fact, Shadow even spent the night at your house!"
Big grin.
Tucker has now been invited over for a play date and I have potentially met a new gardening friend. BTW, the seed she shared was Hyacinth bean vine. It is not one I am familiar with and she did warn me that it is toxic. The more I investigate plants, the more I begin to wonder what isn't toxic? LOL
Have a wonderful day everyone. I'm going to see if I can get someone out here to fix my garage door today.
Patti,
Laughing over the Mad Scientist!
I adore that movie and we use the line, "I'm older and I have more insurance" all the time!
Ronna,
You had a good weekend! Luckily I have quite a bit of shade to work in, in the heat. I even try to get all the birdbaths in the shade too.
Pepper,
Menard's have had back to back sales too.
Patti,
Drop those leaf bags on your lasagna garden when you get it put together.
That is an AWESOME cleome story!!! How wonderful!
Yesterday the weather cooled a bit. We hauled all the apples out and washed them. I figure a gallon per bucket and so far we have about 8 buckets. I've got 64 jars washed. I need to haul down the gallon pickle jars from the garage. They are a lifesaver to put the juice in before I can it.
Our Dell printer went kablooey yesterday. The new ink pack leaked all over the bottom and there is no cleaning it up. It's a blessing in disguise. We never liked that printer. We'll get an HP this time. Nothing fancy. We scan more than we print.
We had rain yesterday morning and a bit this morning. It's wet and crappy out. I need to can the tomato juice I have and make an apple dessert. Maybe pie....
Have a great day!
