Sunday, August 22, 2010

Oh! I Remember....There's a Garden Out Back....

Like many other places, the heat got so bad here in July and early August that nothing much produced and the things that could have produced, died off to one bug or another. For some reason, things are growing again. Even though the days are still brutally hot with highs in the lower to mid 90's, the lows must have gotten back to where the eggplant and jalapenos feel they can flower again which is nice.

The newly planted peas, pole beans and cucumbers are ready to start climbing so I hooked up the trellis this morning. The cucumbers didn't germinate as I would have liked, but it's so hard to grow cucumbers in the fall here anyway because of the worms that it may be good not to have so many to search over for eggs.

I took out the remaining cucumbers on the side that never produced and the last yellow pear tomato which was looking rather sad. We've had three days of rain and every tomato was cracked, so out it came. I planted some bush beans in their stead. The place gets a good amount of sun, so I'm hopeful they'll mature before the first frost. My beans in the corner yard always seem so woppy and not nice and straight like others'. I'm wondering if they just need more sun.

The sweet potatoes are protesting against the haircut they got earlier this week and have grown twice as many shoots, twice as fast to compensate. It's nice to see them be so vigorous. I'm itching to get in there and dig some up!! I may be so impatient as to dig one pot and half the SFG out in September and leave the other until October....decisions, decisions.

The morning comes early. Sweet gardening dreams.

12 comments:

  1. It seems like yesterday we were wishing spring would hurry, so we could get our seeds planted. Now I'm wondering if I procrastinated too long and missed my opportunity for a fall garden. On the other hand, I'm already sick of the whole thing, and wouldn't care if it disappeared tomorrow.

    I'll get over it.

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  2. What variety of peas are you able to grow right now? I need to order some of those! Still so hot here too, I have been ripping out one thing or another every evening it seems!

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  3. Erin, I just put in some sugar snaps. The vines are growing well now and when they finally flower, hopefully it will be cool out.

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  4. Granny, that was me in August. Now I'm getting a bit antsy to have some more lettuce and broccoli.

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  5. The fall planting is ongoing here, too. I've pulled out the cucumbers (the powdery mildew and pickleworms hit my yard earlier this year, too). A friend who grew Beauregard sweet potatoes in a pot one year ended up with a split pot--the sweets grew so big! Hope your stay more reasonably sized.

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  6. The weather here is finally not in the 90s anymore, and the pole beans are finally growing again. It stopped for awhile because of the heat!

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  7. I procrastinated quite a bit for my fall garden. Just really fast things will have time to grow - I hope. I may be too late, but if so it is just another learning experience. I should have gotten my plant room all set up and started, but I'm waiting until winter for that.

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  8. I've been forgetting about the garden too. Should have planted the rest of the fall crops weeks ago. I'll do it tomorrow I swear :-)

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  9. I was just thinking about how much I missed lettuce. A couple of months ago I was sick of it and fed the rest to the chickens. Must be time for fall planting. I tried growing sweet potatoes for the first time this year. I fertilized and watered them faithfully before readying that they like poor, sandy soil that goes dry. They have beautiful foliage, but when I dug down to see if they were making potatoes, all I found was pencil-thin roots. Oh well. That's what next year is for.

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  10. I finally planted some of the seeds I have been hoarding for the fall garden, keeping my fingers crossed the birds don't eat all the peas before they sprout!

    Glad to hear the weather has gotten a little less intense!

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  11. Lou, give them some more time. They start to fatten up around now.

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  12. I thought about giving my SP a haircut, but will just let them continue to sprawl, I guess. It's cooled down just a tad here, too.

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