Do I have your attention? What kind of embarrassing thing do I have to admit too? Well, I could think of countless things:
I am a bit clumsy
I am a very picky eater
I like to grow vegetables more then I like to eat them š
AND
I am not a perfect gardener
There, I said it. I am not a perfect gardener, or a horticulturist, for that matter. In fact, I make lots of mistakes.
But you know what? Most gardeners do. That is how we learn.
Now, I am not a perfectionist by nature. But, I do have some pride when it comes to my garden. So, I was mortified when I noticed that my vegetable garden had a severe case of spider mites.
Admittedly, I missed the early signs…..
The speckled leaves of my cucumbers and the webbing along the edges of the leaves.
Actually, my corn stalks and tomato leaves had a similar appearance.
But, what really caught my attention, was my basil.
I warn you, it isn’t a pretty sight…
You can see my basil peeking out from my cucumber leaves. See the tips of the leaves? I had a very bad infestation.
My first reaction, was one of embarrassment. I mean, how could I have let things get so bad?
Well, I could think of a million things that tend to occupy my thoughts….
my husband
my 5 kids
my father-in-law’s health
planning our 25th wedding anniversary trip
massive car-repair bill led to new car purchase
landscape consults
gardening articles to be written
last day of school for the kids
painting our kitchen & hallways
My second reaction was to rush out to the store as fast as I could to purchase insecticidal soap, which was listed as safe to use for vegetables.
I sprayed my little heart out as soon as I returned from the store. I made sure to not only spray the upper leaf, but the undersides as well.
I will have to reapply in 5 days to make sure that all newly hatched spider mites are killed as well.
So, how did I get spider mites in the first place? Well, they love warm, dry weather AND I do live in the desert. Spider mites ride wind currents like aphids do. They create webs which protect the mites themselves and their eggs. They puncture the leaves with their mouths as they feed on your plants.
If you have speckled leaves or see bits of webbing, hold a piece of white paper underneath a leaf of the affected plant and shake the leaf. Spider mites will fall to the paper and look like small brown dots that are moving about.
If your problem is not too severe, you can introduce predatory insects to the garden, such as lady bugs, which will feed upon them. Also, a periodic spraying of the foliage with your hose will help as well, since it will remove some of the mites and will also increase the humidity, which spider mites dislike.
But, if you are like me and you have a severe infestation, then more serious intervention is needed. I decided to use insecticidal soap since it was safe for my vegetables. There are other products such as horticultural oil, which is safe for vegetables and some miticides are said to be safe as well – but be sure to read the label of whatever product you use to make sure that it is safe for use with vegetables.
Thankfully, my vegetables should be okay.
*******************************
I must admit, that when I first saw how bad my spider mite infestation was, I was actually glad that you all could not see it. I was afraid that if you could see my mistake that you wouldn’t take my gardening advice seriously anymore.
But then I realized that there is no ‘perfect’ gardener or even horticulturist. I have made quite a few mistakes throughout my career and learned quite a lot because of them. So, I hope that you can be helped by telling you about my mistake(s) in the garden š
Contrary to what some may believe –
“There are no ‘perfect’ gardeners, just those who aren’t afraid to make mistakes in the garden and learn from them.”
Too Much Salt Isnāt Good For You OR Your Plantsā¦
A Second Chance for a Frost-Damaged Tree
TreesEarlier this week, we were enjoying our weekly dinner at Double S Farms, where my mother, sister and her family live. I must admit that I always look forward to these nights. I get to enjoy being with my family, plus I don’t have to cook dinner š
Usually after dinner, we take a stroll out in the back garden and check out what is going on in the vegetable garden – cucumbers, corn and tomatoes this week. The fruit trees are heavily laden with fruit – apple and plum trees will soon be ready pick.
What drew my attention this week was the young Sissoo (Dalbergia sissoo) tree that had suffered frost-damage from our severe cold snap last winter. The entire top of the tree had died.
Frost damage tree
For a few months, my brother-in-law and mother had waited to see if the tree was still alive and if any new growth would occur.
Well, the entire tree above the ground, was killed by the frost.
However, at the soil surface, by the tree trunk, there was new growth. There was vibrant new growth occurring.
So, I recommended that they keep the tree and remove the dead part of the tree. This was easily done using a pruning saw.
There were numerous new branches growing from the base and we selected the strongest one to keep and pruned off the others.
We kept the stakes and simply readjusted downward to help hold up the new growth, which will help to train it upright.
Of course, the other option was to remove the entire tree and start over with a new one. However, there is a well-established root system already in place. So why not take advantage of that? When you first plant any type of plant, there is transplant shock and then it takes time for the roots to establish themselves.
By simply selecting the new growth, we have a huge head start. Yes, it is short, but with an established root system, it will grow very quickly.
Plus, just think of the $ saved – I just love a good bargain š
Ficus Treesā¦.Too Much Hassle?
Some of My Favorite Visitors…
Hummingbird GardeningEvery week, I enjoy seeing who happens to visit me in the garden. To be precise, feathered visitors.
Some of you may know that I also write a blog for Birds & Blooms magazine and as a result, I am always on the lookout for interesting and sometimes unusual birds.
But, often it is my regular visitors that bring a smile to my face.
Here are some of the visitors that I had last week….
Unusual Birds
House finches are some of my most common visitors. They just cannot seem to get enough of my sunflower seeds. I love the bright colors of the male birds during mating season.
Hummingbirds have to be one of my absolute favorite birds. I am fortunate enough to have them visit my garden all year round.
This little Anna’s hummingbird is enjoying the flowers of my Chaparral Sage (Salvia clevelandii).
Some of the larger birds who come to visit are Doves. I have four different types of doves that visit, but Mourning Doves are by far, my most frequent visitors.
My bird feeder, like many others, make it difficult for doves to eat directly from them.
Sometimes however, they do manage to get a quick snack, but it is difficult for them to perch on such a small area, so they usually content themselves from eating birdseed that falls to the ground underneath my bird feeder.
Okay, I must admit that I did not take this photo in my garden. I saw this little female hummingbird when I was taking a walk, She was sitting in a Palo Verde tree only a block from my house. I usually take my camera when I go for a walk, because I never know what I will see.
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I would like to thank you all for your kind comments about my post “An Embarrassing Admission”. I am so blessed to have such great people take the time to read my blog and I am always so thankful for you who take the time to leave me a comment š
This week is full of activity for me. We are busy painting the interior of our house. On Monday, we painted the family room, kitchen and all the hallways, which took about 14 hours of work. The next day, I certainly felt it in my muscles. There is no way that I am going to the gym this week…..I am getting my workout painting š
There is still some painting left to do, but I think I will give my muscles a bit more of a rest and work on making some plum jam tomorrow. – my mother’s tree is just full of ripe plums – yum, yum.
An Embarrassing Admission….
Vegetable GardeningDo I have your attention? What kind of embarrassing thing do I have to admit too? Well, I could think of countless things:
I am a bit clumsy
I am a very picky eater
I like to grow vegetables more then I like to eat them š
AND
I am not a perfect gardener
There, I said it. I am not a perfect gardener, or a horticulturist, for that matter. In fact, I make lots of mistakes.
But you know what? Most gardeners do. That is how we learn.
Now, I am not a perfectionist by nature. But, I do have some pride when it comes to my garden. So, I was mortified when I noticed that my vegetable garden had a severe case of spider mites.
Admittedly, I missed the early signs…..
The speckled leaves of my cucumbers and the webbing along the edges of the leaves.
Actually, my corn stalks and tomato leaves had a similar appearance.
But, what really caught my attention, was my basil.
I warn you, it isn’t a pretty sight…
You can see my basil peeking out from my cucumber leaves. See the tips of the leaves? I had a very bad infestation.
My first reaction, was one of embarrassment. I mean, how could I have let things get so bad?
Well, I could think of a million things that tend to occupy my thoughts….
my husband
my 5 kids
my father-in-law’s health
planning our 25th wedding anniversary trip
massive car-repair bill led to new car purchase
landscape consults
gardening articles to be written
last day of school for the kids
painting our kitchen & hallways
My second reaction was to rush out to the store as fast as I could to purchase insecticidal soap, which was listed as safe to use for vegetables.
I sprayed my little heart out as soon as I returned from the store. I made sure to not only spray the upper leaf, but the undersides as well.
I will have to reapply in 5 days to make sure that all newly hatched spider mites are killed as well.
So, how did I get spider mites in the first place? Well, they love warm, dry weather AND I do live in the desert. Spider mites ride wind currents like aphids do. They create webs which protect the mites themselves and their eggs. They puncture the leaves with their mouths as they feed on your plants.
If you have speckled leaves or see bits of webbing, hold a piece of white paper underneath a leaf of the affected plant and shake the leaf. Spider mites will fall to the paper and look like small brown dots that are moving about.
If your problem is not too severe, you can introduce predatory insects to the garden, such as lady bugs, which will feed upon them. Also, a periodic spraying of the foliage with your hose will help as well, since it will remove some of the mites and will also increase the humidity, which spider mites dislike.
But, if you are like me and you have a severe infestation, then more serious intervention is needed. I decided to use insecticidal soap since it was safe for my vegetables. There are other products such as horticultural oil, which is safe for vegetables and some miticides are said to be safe as well – but be sure to read the label of whatever product you use to make sure that it is safe for use with vegetables.
Thankfully, my vegetables should be okay.
*******************************
I must admit, that when I first saw how bad my spider mite infestation was, I was actually glad that you all could not see it. I was afraid that if you could see my mistake that you wouldn’t take my gardening advice seriously anymore.
But then I realized that there is no ‘perfect’ gardener or even horticulturist. I have made quite a few mistakes throughout my career and learned quite a lot because of them. So, I hope that you can be helped by telling you about my mistake(s) in the garden š
Contrary to what some may believe –
“There are no ‘perfect’ gardeners, just those who aren’t afraid to make mistakes in the garden and learn from them.”
Too Much Salt Isnāt Good For You OR Your Plantsā¦
Unwelcome Visitors in the Garden…
AZ Plant LadyUnfortunately, there are times when unwelcome visitors make a visit to any garden.
Even mine….
Can you see my unwelcome visitors on my Lantana leaves?
Well, if you guessed that I have whiteflies, you would be right.
Whiteflies absolutely love Lantana. Now, I also love Lantana and have quite a bit of it growing and every year, I get whiteflies.
Whiteflies are soft-bodied insects that are related to aphids and scale. They suck the juices from the plant’s leaves, which can lead to yellowing leaves, stunted growth and even dead leaves.
Whiteflies are not particular. They enjoy many different types of plants and vegetables.
So, how can you tell if you have whiteflies? Just lightly brush your plants and if you see tiny, white flying insects, then it is a good guess that you have whiteflies.
So, what can you do if you have them?
1. You can a ‘sticky trap’ by smearing petroleum jelly over bright, yellow colored cardboard or poster board (you can always color the board yellow yourself). Attach the yellow sticky trap to short garden stakes throughout the area in your garden, affected by whiteflies. They are attracted to the color yellow and will become stuck in the petroleum jelly. One yellow board per two plants is recommended.
2. Using insecticidal soap can often help. There are other insecticides that can are effective such as neem oil, pyrethins and more. Read the label before you purchase a product to see if they help to control whiteflies. Be sure to spray both the top and bottom of leaves, since whiteflies lay their eggs on the underside of leaves.
3. You can use plants that repel whiteflies such as Marigolds, Nasturtiums or Calendula.
What do I do? Well that would be number 4…..
4. I do nothing.
Why? Because my Lantana flourish despite having whiteflies. They suffer no visible ill-effects. So, I ignore the whiteflies.
Now, if had whitefly problems with my vegetables, I would use a combination of methods #1 – #3 in my vegetable garden.
I would have yellow, sticky traps scattered throughout my vegetable garden along with judicious spraying of insecticidal soap. I would also plant Marigolds and Nasturtiums throughout my vegetable garden as well, (I already do that).
***********************************
I wish that whiteflies were the only unwelcome visitors in my garden, but sadly, that is not true. The other day, I discovered a severe infestation of……..?
Stay tuned š
A Fabulous Day in the Vegetable Garden
Vegetable GardeningOkay, after many of you read this, you will come to the conclusion that I am a bit strange when it comes to gardening.
A few days ago, I was checking on my vegetable garden. Specifically, I was checking to see if my corn was ready to harvest.
My corn was ready to harvest
The corn silk was brown, so I knew they would be ready soon. But there was one more test to perform. I made a slit with a knife through the husk so that I could pierce a corn kernel. The liquid that comes out should be translucent – not clear or opaque.
Thankfully, some of my corn was ripe and ready to be picked! I did plant three separate crops of corn, about 2 weeks apart so that we will enjoy eating corn for a longer period of time.
Okay, so you may be wondering how I am weird about gardening. I was looking forward to my corn being ready to harvest, but truth be told, I forgot about my other vegetables.
The reason is, is that I get so into the process of planting and seeing my vegetables grow, that I sometimes lose sight of the fact that I will have fresh vegetables to harvest.
So, I was honestly surprised to discover that I had ripe cucumbers…
I was so excited about my new cucumbers and I realized that I had other vegetables to check up on.
In addition to the corn and cucumbers, I had quite a few tomatoes from my single cherry tomato plant. I still call tomatoes vegetables even though they are technically a fruit š
I then decided to check up on my San Marzano tomatoes. To be honest, I was a bit frustrated with them because I had been seeing numerous flowers on them, but no tomatoes. I had planted them the same time that I had planted my cherry tomato, which had been producing tons of tomatoes for over 2 months.
Well, guess what I saw when I looked closely at my San Marzano’s?
They are absolutely covered with tons of green tomatoes! I can’t wait until they ripen.
Why did I choose San Marzano tomatoes? Well, I love to watch the Food Network and all the chefs swear by them for making Italian sauces. I’m not Italian, but I absolutely love Italian food.
They should be ready next week for harvesting. I read up on them and found out that they do take longer to produce than many other tomato varieties, but when they begin, they go crazy.
I did not plant tons of different things in my garden this season. I decided to concentrate on our favorites – corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, oregano and….
Gourds!
This is the only one that I have found so far and it was hard to see behind the large leaves. I plan on making a bird house out of it later.
So, that is what is going on in my garden this week. I definitely learned my lesson – I will remember to always look for ripe vegetables š
********************** I apologize for my lack of posting this past week, but it has been a busy time with….
6th grade graduation
Doctor’s visits
Landscape consults
My son’s birthday party
Getting carpets cleaned and moving furniture
Babysitting my 8 month old twin nephews
I am so ready for summer vacation, how about you?
I am making some strawberry jam tomorrow. I have been waiting for strawberries to go on sale at our local grocery store and they are only $1.15 a pound. The kids are going to help me. I will post more later.
I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend and take time to remember those who have fought for our freedom š
Vegetable Harvest With Some Little Helpersā¦.
The Joy of Composting…
AZ Plant LadyI hope you are all having a great week. I am so looking forward to the holiday weekend, are you?
This Saturday, we will be celebrating my son, Kai’s, 9th birthday. I have to make a 3-layer icebox cake, which he is looking forward to.
To be honest, life has been rather crazy this week…
Landscape consults, kid’s doctor appt, buying a new car, preparing for my son’s birthday party, etc. have taken up much of my time.
I try hard to create new posts that I hope you find interesting, but right now, my brain is a blank š
So, I would like to re-run one of my favorite posts from over a year ago. I hope you find it funny and helpful…
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I would like to introduce you to “Mr. Compost”, a resident of “The Refuge“, (and my brother-in-law). He will be our guest blogger today. As you can see from his name, he knows a thing or two about composting.
Mr. Compost turning his composter.
“You may have seen those “Turn Your Gold Into Cash” commercials on TV and if you had a lot of extra gold lying around your house, it would be appealing. However, you have something even better that you are probably throwing away that can be turned into “gold” for your soil; kitchen scraps.”
Kitchen Scraps include apple cores, coffee grounds, egg shells, garden clippings, oranges and peels, bread and grass. The smaller the pieces, the easier it is for the bacteria to break them down.
Fruity Girl and Daisy Mom add kitchen waste to the composter.
“That’s right, instead of throwing away your vegetable scraps, you can create a place to compost those scraps and turn them into soil enhancers.”
“Black Gold”
“There are many websites about composting that you can visit to get you started on the composting process, but you can get in the habit of putting those scraps into a separate container so you can eventually put them back into your soil and enhance your garden.”
Refuge resident, Fruity Girl
“Get your whole family involved and have fun!”
*Okay, if you have been inspired, (and who hasn’t?) by Mr. Compost to start composting yourself, there is great information on how to get started here.
Many communities offer free workshops and compost bins to residents. Check out your local waste management department’s website to see if they are offered in your area. The majority of cities in the Phoenix metro area offer classes and compost bins).
**For additional information, please visit GippsLandGardener and read another post about composting.
A Water Bottle and a Little Imagination….
DIYDo you have a hummingbird feeder?
I have two. One is the popular plastic variety, above, and the other is a beautiful glass one that my sister-in-law gave me for my birthday.
However, when I first opened the glass feeder, I couldn’t find the stopper and feeding tube. So, I went online and ordered a single stopper/feeder tube.
Imagine my surprise when I received the box in the mail and discovered that instead of just one stopper/feeder tube…..there were twelve. I had evidently not read the fine print when I ordered them. But, they were really inexpensive and I figured that I would use them someday.
Well, life has a way of getting busy and I forgot about the stopper/feeder tubes sitting in my closet until the other day. I figured that there must be some way to make my own hummingbird feeder.
Okay, you might be thinking that I already have two and isn’t that enough? My answer would be “NO” š
I am fortunate to live in an area where we have hummingbirds visiting all year long. My plastic feeder is the most popular one with my little feathered friends and they occasionally visit my glass one. But, I had the perfect place for my third feeder in mind….hanging from my Palo Verde tree in the back garden.
And so, I collected the tools that I would require:
– a plastic water bottle
– wire
-homemade hummingbird nectar
1 part granulated (white) sugar to 4 parts water
(I use 1/4 cup sugar for every 1 cup of water)
Boil 1 cup of water and then add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Boil for 2 minutes and then let cool.
Fill your feeder
1 stopper/feeder tube
I asked my husband if he wouldn’t mind wrapping the bottle with wire so that I could hang it from a tree. In the meantime, I made the hummingbird nectar.
You can see how one piece of the wire is wrapped around the bottle and then another piece is used to hook onto the sides of the wrapped wire. You will notice that the wire is quite basic and not ‘curled’ into decorative shapes. I didn’t have the courage to ask my husband to do that – but you certainly could š
It is important to not make any holes in the bottle since this interferes with the vacuum necessary to keep the nectar from leaking out.
I filled the water bottle all the way and then inserted the stopper/feeder tube and turned it over. This action forms the vacuum that keeps all the water from leaking out.
You might notice that my nectar is not colored red. It is not necessary and may even be harmful to hummingbirds.
You could decorate the bottle if you like and make the wire into decorative shapes using needle-nose pliers if you like. Since the stopper/feeder tubes were so inexpensive, I think this would be a great project for a group of kids. I bought my stopper/feeder tubes on Amazon.
I admit that our little water bottle hummingbird feeder is rather simple, but within 24 hours of hanging it up….
Believe it or not, rather plain feeder is the most popular one in my garden. I have two hummingbirds visiting frequently during the day and then they take some time to perch up in the tree.
***************************************
I hope you are all off to a great start this week.
I have a busy week planned. I have a landscape consult today and a doctor’s visit, carpet cleaning, as well as planning my son’s birthday party later this week. But in the midst of this busy week, my husband and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. My husband and I will be leaving the kids home and go out for dinner and a movie. Later we will go on a trip for a few days…..I can hardly wait š
“Talk” to you soon!
A Monthly Garden Bouquet for May
ArizonaIt seems just like I was creating a bouquet for the month of April. Where has the time gone?
My garden is in full bloom, but all I seem to see when I look outside is some plants in need of a bit of pruning š
I have had some exciting events occur in my garden, which I cannot wait to share with you next week.
Some of you wondered how my daughter, Gracie, was doing after having 6 teeth pulled last week and she is doing much better. She was able to eat a Rice Krispy treat last Monday, but told me that she it was too hard to eat salad – I don’t think so……
Okay, so back to my Monthly Garden Bouquet. You know, some months it is difficult to come up with a bouquet. In winter there are much fewer flowering plants to choose from. So, I really appreciate the warmer months when it only takes me about 10 minutes to put together a pretty bouquet.
So, I picked out two different flowers, one from a shrub and the other from a groundcover. I had the perfect container and was ready to take my photo when, my dog, Tobey, decided to get a closer look at my bouquet….
So once I got Tobey out of the way, I was able to take this picture of my bouquet.
Creating a bouquet
I love using mason jars for flower arrangements. I recently purchased a special lid that has a wire grid that separates and holds up each individual stem. I love it.
The flowers that I chose were yellow flowers from my Arizona Yellow Bells shrubs (Tecoma stans stans). I love the bright green foliage and the flowers are present from April to November in my zone 9a garden.
**You know what? Many people overlook the fact that many flowering shrubs can be used to make great bouquets.
The purple flowers are from my Trailing Purple Lantana (Lantana montevidensis), which add gorgeous purple to my garden for 9 months each year.
Okay, so maybe some of you are wondering about this Monthly Garden Bouquet. Well, here are the details below…..
If you would like to participate in this month’s MGB, here are the guidelines:
1. MGB begins on the 21st of each month and runs until the end of each month. Bouquets can be submitted during this time (or even later š
2. Create your own garden bouquet as fancy or simple as you like.
3. I would appreciate it if you would provide a link back to my post inside of your MGB post, but it is not required š
4. Add your link to Mr. Linky below and that’s it!
It can be as simple or fancy as you like. Each month, I cannot wait to see what you all come up with.
Vegetable Harvest With Some Little Helpers….
Vegetable GardeningIn my last post, I showed you how my vegetable garden had gone crazy growing a multitude of different vegetables. I had the remainder of my winter vegetables ready to harvest as well as pull out.
So over the weekend, I put my kids to work helping me in the garden.
First off, I had to pull out our spinach and lettuce plants that we had enjoyed eating since last October. You know, it is so hard to have to buy lettuce in the supermarket when I have gotten used to getting it from my own backyard š
Old spinach growing in front of my garlic plants.
I love how easy it is to pull them out.
My winter vegetables
We collected all of the lettuce and spinach that we pulled and gave it to my mother for her compost pile. It is really embarrassing that I do not compost, but I have plans to start.
Now for the fun part….my son Kai got in the garden and started to pull out our garlic.
It is harder than it looks, but he got it out.
Then it was my daughter, Ruthie’s turn. I think this was our largest garlic.
We were almost done, but my daughter Rachele pulled out the last few.
Now it was time to start pulling out the green onions.
You know what? This is the absolutely the best part of having a vegetable garden – harvesting your vegetables and figuring out how you are going to prepare them.
I checked my cherry tomato plant and found some delicious tomatoes for our salad.
As we were harvesting our vegetables, my mother stopped by with some extra bush bean plants that she had left over after planting her vegetable garden, so now I had something to put in my newly bare areas.
It was a wonderful Saturday and I got to spend the afternoon with all of my kids, including my four daughters.
My youngest daughter, Gracie, tried to smile but couldn’t because she had 6 teeth pulled the day before and her mouth was a bit swollen. By the way, she did great and is a real trooper. Thank you for your thoughtful comments š
Okay, so back to my vegetables. I will let the garlic cure for 4 – 6 weeks in a cool, dark place before using. Thankfully, my green onions are ready to use right now. I think my homemade salsa sounds good right about now, don’t you?
Vegetable Garden Gone Crazy…
AZ Plant LadyWell, it’s official….my vegetable garden has gone crazy. When I left for my trip to the Midwest at the end of April, it was nice and somewhat neat. My winter lettuce, spinach, green onions and garlic were doing well and my newly planted corn, cucumbers, gourds, tomatoes and sunflowers were coming up nicely.
I came home 10 days later to this sight….
My vegetable garden has gone crazy
My sunflowers were reaching over 7 feet tall and my corn, to the right, was not far behind.
My garlic leaves were starting to droop and fall over, indicating that I can harvest them soon.
My spinach and lettuce both began to ‘bolt’ and start to form flowers, so it was time for them to leave the garden.
My gourd has started to escape the garden, which is fine with me because it can’t crowd my other plants.
I think gourd plants have interesting flowers, don’t you? They open at night and moths are frequent pollinators.
I am hoping for some gourds this year that I can turn into bird houses.
I just love how sunflowers face the rising sun.
I plan on harvesting a few seed heads for the family and the rest we will feed to the birds.
My Alyssum and Oxalis that I planted as companion plants in my vegetable garden are still blooming. Soon the Alyssum will dry up with the heat of our desert summer and I will pull it out.
My tomatoes are enjoying being planted next to my Bachelor’s Button. I just love their vibrant blue color. They are going to seed and I am collecting it so that I can replant them next fall.
The first set of corn that I planted have corn cobs growing. I can almost taste my roasted corn on the cob in a few weeks š
I have to spend some time the next couple of days harvesting my garlic and green onions as well as pulling out my spent spinach and lettuce.
Now, I am off to my local big box store for shade cloth for my tomatoes, which will survive the summer heat if they have some shade. Temperatures are forecast into the 80’s this week, but it is never to early to get ready for the triple digits.
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I hope you all have a wonderful week!