watermelon martini!!
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This was the most crisp and sweet watermelon I’ve ever tasted! It was small but really yummy. My cantaloupes didn’t ripen fully, even in the long hot summer we had this year.
aerial after the storm
We were lucky and have very little damage in my yard from hurricane Irene. My rain gauge says we got 3.3 inches of rain. The town of Belmont had a number trees down and power was out in some areas. Tomorrow I’ll check out the other side of town where my community garden plot is. This area is low and sometimes has flooding.
hurricane irene
Liz at bisforbread.wordpress.com asked Hi Kathy! I wonder if you’ve come across any helpful advice for how to prepare a garden for Hurricane Irene this weekend. We’re in western Massachusetts and are of course harvesting all that we can, but I’m finding few other tips online. Do you have any suggestions for how to save our squash, brussels sprouts, etc. from the deluge ahead? Good luck with the hurricane – I hope you’ll enjoy a martini when it arrives! Liz Great idea about that martini!!! A super idea for a…
tomato spots
I have every type of spot on my tomatoes this year – except late blight, thank goodness. Big spots, small ones, orange and brown and black. The damage is pretty much limited to the fruits and is not on the leaves or stems of the plants. Its been perfect weather for fungi this summer – hot and humid. But I think much of my problem is that I planted my tomato plants too dense and between tall popcorn and sunflowers that reduce airflow. Other gardeners in our community garden have…
apples on the tree
There are about 20 apples on my dwarf Fugi apple tree this year. All are getting big and red and I’m tempted to pick one soon. I can imagine the crisp juicy bites! All summer, the apples have been covered with plastic baggies and I just removed them last weekend. I took them off on Sunday because it seemed some of the fruits were getting some black fungal/mildew growth. Its been such a humid summer that I think I have every type of fungus growing in my garden somewhere this…
first pumpkin
Is there a good way to know when pumpkins are ready to pick? I usually pick when they are deep orange or the stem is hardened.
Ah! sunflower
August is for sunflowers! I love all the tiny little flowers gathered together into one great big sunny ring of yellow. (Wikipedia says there are 1,000-2,000 little flowers per head and that H. Vogel proposed in 1979 that the polar coordinates of their arrangement is modeled by r = c sqrt{n}, theta = n times 137.5^{circ}.) Our community gardens are full of many 15 foot tall sunflowers this year. They stand above the fence tops. The sparrows, goldfinches and chickadees are singing as they flit among them. Ah! sunflower, weary…
my plot
Garden notes: Very late peppers and tomatoes. And small onions. That’s from planting outside too early this spring into my cold frame. An experiment. As usual, my garden plot is way overgrown – I like to squeeze in as much as I can. Beautiful popcorn, potatoes, garlic and eggplants. It may be a good year for my melons finally – fingers crossed as they continue to ripen and grow.
ripening melons
A nice hot summer and I have my first ever melons ripening! A Charentois and a San Juan. I think maybe a watermelon or two will ripen also. I can’t wait to try them!! How do I know when they are ripe???
Judy’s butterfly garden
I’ve never seen a hummingbird moth before. My sister helped me identify it. Amazing! Judy owns the community garden plot next to mine. She planted a butterfly garden along the path for everyone to enjoy. Its a moving experience of buzzing and color. Every time I go to my plot, I walk by and marvel. Last weekend I had my camera and took a bunch of photos.
This is a journal of my vegetable gardens. Skippy thinks the garden is his, even though I do all the work. We're located near Boston, in USDA zone 6. I have bees, chickens, fruit trees and berry bushes, too. I use all sustainable organic methods and strive to grow all of my family's vegetables myself. -Kathy
weeks and counting until my last spring frost
My garden this week
Skippy’s vegetable of the month – Egyptian walking onions!
