Updates

I thought it might be time for a few updates

The carpenter finished the bridge over the bog garden. Isn't it pretty? Ignore the Monkey.

The pink containers are recycled cattle feed buckets. Some of the plants I want to use on this project can be invasive and we are hoping the containers will provide a barrier as well as holding more water around the plants roots.

I found a way to increase my rainwater harvesting capacity. It looks pretty redneck, but it works. This is another way to recycle those cattle feed buckets.

Remember our cute little pumpkin. Well, look at her now. There are a few spots that are beginning to turn orange. I don't think it will get really big, but I don't care. This is my first pumpkin success. I did not have to cull any of the other baby pumpkins. They shriveled up and turned yellow without any help from me.

Stupid Garden Center

Remember this morning when I was all excited about planning my fall garden. I even got out my handy dandy KCMG horticultural calendar and looked up what should be planted this month. The list included broccoli and cabbage among other things. I already have seeds for most of my fall plants. I also thought that this would be a good time to start some snap dragons and violas. With my nice list in hand, I go to the local nursery. I found no seeds and no vegetable bedding plants. All he had were mums and crotons. So here I go across the road to, horror of all horrors, a big box store. Not only had they gotten rid of all the seeds and had no veggies, but the rest of the plants were being allowed to die a slow horrible death without water. Why do some plant retailers think there is only one season of gardening? Our master gardener group spends hours sharing knowledge about gardening in our county only to have the poor gardeners go out and find not a single fall plant available when it is time to plant, or worse things that are not suitable for our zone. Fall is really the easiest time to garden here in north Texas. The weather is warm but not blistering or cool but not freezing. There is generally enough rain and if supplemental water has to be added it does not evaporate within minutes. The pest problems are minimal and the weather is much more comfortable for the gardener. I can even overwinter somethings like carrots, garlic, and onions. What gives with the retailers? Stupid garden centers.

Planning My Fall Garden

It is early Saturday morning and my family is asleep. I am all alone. This never happens. Shhh....don't wake them. I am not used to being alone and it turns out I am bored.

Boredom combined with nice cool weather has led me to begin planning my fall garden. A quick look at the seed stash revealed sugar snap peas, Swiss chard, lettuce, scarlet Nantes carrots, edamame, collards, pole beans, and broccoli raab. I will need to buy broccoli and cabbage plants. Hopefully, the nurseries have them already. I know I am really bored and I know I am going to regret this, but I am going to plant a sweet potato. I have just enough time to get it in the ground and maybe get some tubers. The morning glories are going crazy so certainly now would be a good time to plant their relative. Maybe I should put it in a container?

Oops, they woke up. Gotta go.

GBBD August 2008

Blooms are hard to find in my garden in August. It is too hot and there has been very little rain. All I really have blooming are zinnias. They reseed themselves every year. I used to have hot pink, light pink, green Envy, yellow, white, and orange. Now I have pink, white, and......

...one little lonely yellow. I think I need to increase my zinnia gene pool.

I found a May pop. This is the fruit of the passion vine. I wonder what I can do with it?

Here is a rainbow just because I thought you might like it. Look really close and you can see the faint glow of the double arch. These always make me feel special.

Thanks again to Carol of May Dreams Garden for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Weee're Baaack

We took the Monkeys to Oklahoma for a few days. They played in the water at Turner Falls and at Chickasaw National Park.

Here they are in the falls.

They fed a bunch of animals at a wild life park. BTW Giraffes have very long slimy tongues, just saying.

We hiked and saw some beautiful country. We all came back happy and tired. I can barely walk. If I had not started taking aerobics a month ago, I probably would not be able to walk right now.

I came home thinking maybe I need one of these.

Vacation

Going to spend a few days letting the monkeys play in a river. Be back soon.

The Golden Hay Bale

The hay bale knew it was destined for greater things than being eaten by bovines. So on the way to the farm, he jumped off of the truck and made a mad dash for freedom. But that left him stuck in the ditch. How would he get to the other side, the greener side? He thought he could hitch hike, but discovered he had no thumbs.

Night came and he began to fear the arrival of thieving gardeners who would come pull him apart to fulfill their evil dreams of free mulch and compost.

He saw flickering lights that grew larger and larger. The hay fairies had shown up to transform him into a golden carriage for Cinderella. They had saved him from the fate of cow chow and mulch.

Thanks to everyone who played in the comments. This is your story, not mine.