Fall Vegetables Emerge

 

Lettuce seedlings

Back earlier in September I planted lettuce and carrots in a large planter, so that I'll have fresh veggies on into the winter for myself and my bunnies. Both are plants that can handle cooler temperatures.  Plus, once freezing temperatures come, I'll move the planter into my pop-up greenhouse, which should keep them going quite a while.

Vita brevis

Why is it that plants start to really flourish when it's so close to frost!




"Blushing Susie" vine (thunbergia)

Bringing Plants Indoors

With the coming of fall, I've been watching the weather forecasts for a different reason.  As the nights grow cooler, it will soon be time to bring in for the winter any tender plants that I want to keep.

Fall Planting Time

Don't forget as temperatures moderate, that fall is the best time to plant not only spring-blooming bulbs, but also shrubs, perennials and most trees.  By planting in the fall, you give the plants three seasons to establish a good root system before summer's heat.  Do go ahead now; it's best not to plant after the end of October.  You want to give the plant time to establish some roots before winter hits.

Fruit Flies

Fruit fly trap in covered box

In late summer, when so many people are bringing harvested fruits and vegetables in from the garden, or home from the farmer's market, is the time when we are most likely to find tiny gnat-like insects flying around in our kitchens.  These tiny insects are fruit flies.  They are brought into our homes as unwanted guests on the fresh produce, or are drawn to the smell of the produce, and squeeze in through even very small cracks around windows or doors.

Mid-September Harvest

Here's a photo of what I picked from my garden today.  I enjoyed fresh tomatoes at noon, and this evening, had sweet corn and cantaloupe.  Tomorrow evening I plan to have pepper steak.

War on Weeds: Sandburs

In the late summer and into early fall, one of the things my dog and I encounter on our walks is sandburs: a nasty weed with prickly burs that stick in a dog's fur, and between the pads of his feet.  There are a few yards in the neighborhood that are infested with sandburs along the edges of the sidewalk.  Theo gets them in his feet and stuck in the fluffy fur of his legs.

After we get back home, I have to carefully work the burs out of his hair.  If I don't get them all, he pulls them out and drops them on the floor all over the house, or drops them outside in our yard, where they will try to populate my yard with the weeds.

War on Weeds: Climbing Milkweed Vine

Recently I noticed a vine growing up through one of my rose of Sharon bushes.  It has heart-shaped leaves like those of a morning glory.  It wasn't even noticeable until it grew over the top of the rose of Sharon, where it was so thick it nearly smothered my bush.

I've been pulling sections of the vine off, but yesterday I noticed that it was growing seed pods.  The pods are different--a tapered shape about 4 inches long. When I opened one, the seeds had white tails that reminded me of milkweed.  They also helped me identify the plant.

Morning Glories

Morning glories: Grandpa Ott's and Carnivale

As fall is coming, and temperatures are moderating, some flowers have wrapped it up for the year.  Others are taking advantage of this cooler time, and are blooming exuberantly.  My morning glories certainly are!  This morning the vines were just covered in flowers.

Here, morning glories don't start blooming until half-way through the summer, but once they begin, they certainly make up for lost time.


Starting Fall Vegetables

The flowers in one of my wheeled planters were dying off, so I pulled up the drying plants.  I dug in some fresh compost to revitalize the soil, and wet it through.  Then I planted lettuce and carrots.

Rain Barrel Refill

Raindrops on roses

Earlier this summer it seemed like it would never stop raining--we had a shower every day for weeks.  During this time, we had over 15 inches of rain.  My rain barrels were constantly full, but I never needed to use them, because everything was kept well watered by the rain.  Then when the rainy period ended, it went to the other extreme, and we had no rain at all for weeks.  I used up all the water in the rain barrels, and with no rain, they didn't get refilled.  Even with five rain barrels, I ended up needing to water my garden with city water.

Sinus Rinse

In yesterday's post I listed the sinus rinse as a very helpful method of dealing with pollen allergies.  I wanted to explain this a bit further for those who might be considering trying it.

Using a sinus rinse was first recommended to me by my allergist.  He explained that it would help with inhalant allergies such as those to pollen, mold spores, animal dander, and dust mites.  It helps your body get rid of the irritating allergens that have found their way into your nose, and clears out congested mucus.

Hay Fever Season

As fall approaches, we enjoy the more moderate weather. It's such a relief for people, pets and gardens when temperatures no longer get scorching hot day after day.  My dog and I both enjoy being able to take longer walks together without being overheated. The down-side to fall coming, though, is hay fever season.

This is the time of year when weed allergies come to the fore, the most infamous of which is ragweed.  This is the allergy that affects a lot of people who don't have other allergy problems. I've been noticing the last couple of weeks that I'm waking up with a bit of a stuffy nose, and other people have been mentioning stuffy, runny noses, sneezing, and itchy eyes.

Goldfish Update

In early August, I noticed that the goldfish in my pond were no longer coming up to the surface of the water when I came out to feed them.  This has happened before when herons or egrets from the nearby river have come to visit, and gone fishing in my pond. 

9/11 -- Never Forget

Here are the links to a couple of my favorite 9/11 tribute videos. Very different in content, but I find them both quite moving.

http://attacked911.tripod.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3eQmzw6n3k

Greek Salad

Tonight I enjoyed one of my summer favorites, a Greek salad.  I love this combination of flavors. What made it taste even more delicious, is that most of it came from my own garden.

Hollyhock Ladies

As I was writing about the rose of Sharon yesterday, it brought back memories of my childhood.  When I was young, we had a rose of Sharon tree that grew outside our living room window. It had been grafted, so that different branches had three different colors of flowers, red, white and lavender-blue. As is typical of rose of Sharon, when it bloomed, it had loads of flowers.

Favorite Flowers: Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon blossoms

Allergy Index Scale:  4
Deciduous shrub, zones 5-9
Full sun-partial shade, 10-12' tall

As I have been watching for the hummingbird moths this week, I have most often found them visiting my rose of Sharon bushes, which at this time of year,  are simply covered in flowers.

Hummingbird Moth

Hummingbird moth visiting flower

For the last several days, I have encountered a tiny winged visitor to my garden flowers; a visitor that hovers with flashing wings as it sips nectar from the flowers.  At first glance, I thought it was a hummingbird, but then realized that it was really tiny, with a stockier body than hummingbirds have.  My little visitor is a moth rather than a bird; one commonly called a hummingbird moth.

Tonight's Harvest

Marvelous Melons

Today I picked two cantaloupes and brought them inside. Cantaloupes, like tomatoes, have far more flavor when home-grown and picked at the peak of ripeness. When cantaloupe start ripening, it's one of the highlights of my summer garden.