Summer 2012

And just like that! The snap of the cosmic fingers and we have full on, hot as hell summer. Blam. Pow. Kaboom. The heat and humidity are outstanding; 90's with not a drop of rain in sight. Those itty-bitty parsley plants? One transplanting fried, turning to crisps, in just hours because I forgot to water them in. This is a very sad thing. Very sad.  So I did it again and am watering twice a day, because I really like cooking with parsley.
I pulled out all the broccoli yesterday morning, cut cabbages, and made way for field peas. Sure wish I liked cleaning house as much as I like gardening. Not really. There's a pained, face to go with that. If I stopped gardening, I would not clean more. When I am gardening, I am learning something. When I'm cleaning, I am bored.

2012 climbers

So here is what I learned this year. Climbing green beans really are the best. There is no bending down to pick them. This is a wonderful thing. Whose idea was it that bush beans are a new, great thing? We  planted both this year, more than once because of the cutworms, and I declare the climbers prettier, easier to pick and just as tasty.
About those cutworms: Full on assault with BT, Neem oil and small twigs pushed in gently near the newly sprouted beans worked.

Our harvest is on! We are picking three seasons of growth reaping Fall plantings of garlic and onions, Spring broccoli, beans, potatoes and Summer zucchini and tomatoes. We've had timely rain, warm days, cool nights and our world is lush and green again. Birds are twittering and frogs are croaking. The fig tree is loaded with fruit, blackberries will soon be ripe for jam and we're hoping for pomegranates.

There are three rooted figs in pots on the picnic table ready to be planted. Any takers?  No apples this year...I pruned them in late winter snipping off the blossoms. Three years and we still don't have a clue what they'll look like or taste like. 

Just in from Scott...The Bunce brothers in Stedman, NC have 2.5 million tomato plants and 80 full time employees. Me? I'm happy with our small-potatoes garden. It feeds us and the neighbors.