A garden is always a series of losses set against a few
triumphs, like life itself.
~ May Sarton
In August, I’m participating in BlogHer’s
Blogging Challenge. The theme this month
is: Hot.
he garden looks like a
crime scene: corn stalks litter the ground, their tiny husks unripe and shriveled.
Verdict? Death by strangulation.
Damn psychopathic
cucs.
At least the tomatoes
proved too strong for the green creepies ~ my harvest this year is more than
last year’s, but not quite enough to give away or can. But they’re definitely producing enough to
savor in these last weeks of summer.
As for the cucumbers,
the murderous ones are beginning to turn yellow, but still have blooms that
should grow into fruit. Not sure what
that is about or why they’re dying. Must
be the guilt of the corn murder. Justice
prevails in the veggie world!
Meanwhile,
the volunteer cucumber plant near the patio keeps climbing the trellis, and
popping out cucs like a mini green factory.
They are the prickliest cucs I’ve ever seen, and the sweetest I’ve tasted. Again, not enough to pickle, but
more than enough to juice or slice, salt, and eat.
All in all, I can say that this year’s garden was a triumph.
Although it didn’t produce
any funny stories like last year. My garden
spider extends her apologies to Dan Arnold.
An
Autumn Harvest
In another week, it
will be September. Already, I’m eying
the condemned cucs and plotting to pull them up. Kale, spinach, cabbage seeds have been
purchased and will be going in soon for my fall planting/harvest. I would have planted them already, but the
soil has been too wet. As soon as it
dries out a little, in they will go.
Night temps aren’t quite cool enough yet, but I’m afraid if I don’t
plant them, my fall harvest will turn into a winter one.
Which might not be a
bad thing. And these guys are hardy and
like cool temps. And I can still
remember the taste of that Portuguese Kale Soup I made ~ great for cooler
autumnal nights.
The
Gardener's Journal of Sins and Hopes
While the mistakes I’ve
made are still fresh in my mind (lovely), I’m updating my garden planner,
making notes on sun exposure, amount of shade, and creating a winter reading
list. By next Spring, I want to have a
new plan for the garden, complete with companion planting, extension of the
existing bed, and the creation of at least two new beds ~ one which house
cucumber plants. And only cucumber plants.
No more greenie crime
scenes.
But the time for
the major garden planning is reserved
for those cold winter nights when it seems like Death has won and the earth
will never be green again. December and
January are the months for ordering seed catalogs, cleaning out the brush, and
staking out new beds, laying down newspaper, clippings, and composted hay.
For now, I’ll enjoy
the ample harvest of basil, tomatoes, arugula, and cilantro (nothing kills
those two!!) and watch the shadows lengthen earlier and earlier.
Oremus pro invicem,
~ Mikaela
Have you
already planted your fall/winter greens?
Now is the time to do it! For
more information, visit The
Tasteful Garden, one of my sources for gardening advice.
