August in the Garden

I saw an idea somewhere where they had put dried sunflower heads on a topiary for a fall arrangement and thought it looked pretty awesome. Since I still have some small size sunflowers hanging on, I decided this would be awesome to try for fall, as I can hardly wait for it to cool off and I am pretty sure the garden feels the same, as it's supposed to be 112 degrees today.



This little melon is called "Sakata's Sweet" from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at www.rareseeds.com and is listed as an asian melon & actually is known as Japanese. It's leaves are somewhat smaller than a traditional american melon, so far anyway, and as I have never grown this, but thought is looked interesting based on the description in the Baker Creek catalogue, I hope it bears fruit, because I would definately like to taste it. According to the catalogue, the author of Melons for the Passionate Grower, Dr. Amy Goldman, recommends this particular variety. I haven't read her book, but would like to browse through it the next time I am at the bookstore.

More YW Crafts

This little paper bag booklet was one made a few years ago by a friend of mine, Tiffany, and myself for the girls to have while at girls camp. If you decide to make this with the girls, I suggest having the paper bag book already put together for them and letting them add the embellishments as otherwise, it will take too much time for one night. It was basically a book they could put all their memories from girls camp into. The clip art came from http://www.pccrafter.com/ and the "Day 1" were foam stamps with black craft paint onto Bazill cardstock. Although only 3 pages are shown, this little bag book had "5 Days". This project didn't cost that much, as the main part of it, were paper bags and the embellishments were basically printed off the computer.

This little thing is so cute. I found these girly type kits at the dollar store that had a mirror, brush & comb in them. However, the mirror had a handle on it, which I didn't think would work for this project, so I simply trimmed them off on my scroll saw to match the curve of the mirror. And it worked. You would never know it. Then I created the sticker on my computer and added color also on the computer in a paint program. Then I glued it onto the back of the mirror and covered with another circle (cut using a 3 inch circle punch) of clear cold laminating plastic that is sticky on one side. And completely finished. Wrapped all up with a note, and given to the girls at girl's camp this year. Super cute.

To Do List Notebook.

Because I constantly lose my "to do lists" I decided I might keep ahold of them better if they were all in a notebook together. I do keep a spiral notebook and sometimes put my lists in there, but that notebook also has other things in it; things I read in a magazine, thoughts, ideas, etc. So I made a notebook based on a stamp from Stampin' Up. However, instead of stamping each page, I photo copied it and combined them all into this nifty little notebook. Love it! This one is for my friend. You could also add a calendar into it as well, which I might end up doing. The notebook has about 100 pages, but you could add or subtract depending on how many you would like. The paper is by Cosmo Cricket, & is their "Girl Friday" line. The cardstock is Bazill.

Other Gardens

So, recently we went on a family trip to Sandy, Utah. Of course, this is their main growing season there. We drove by some awesome gardens and so here are a few pictures. The picture below was so beautiful in person. The older couple who owned the home, had mixed in some really beautiful flowers along the border of the garden and it was truly lovely.

[caption id="attachment_174" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Garden in Utah"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_175" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Front View of House"][/caption]

This other garden was strictly as open area that they had tilled. I was not surprised to see the number of gardens there that we saw, just driving around town, from small to large ones, depending on the yard size. I really do think that gardening & being "eco-friendly" has become very popular. Awesome.

[caption id="attachment_176" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Tilled Type of Garden"][/caption]

Starting to get ready...(this post should have been posted on July 18)

[caption id="attachment_166" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Tomato Hornworm"][/caption]

So, I remember myself saying that,thank heavens I haven't had any tomato hornworms, and lo and behold, what do I see staring right back into my face? You guessed it! The dreaded hornworm! I really could only find one, but it had made a great meal of the tomato plants so out the tomato plants have come. Unfortunatly, most of the heat had done them in.

So, out with the old, in with the new! It's time to get ready for fall. YAY! My little tomato starts had to be restarted so they are about 10 days old right now, and looking good. All but 2 have sprouted. Which is a pretty great percentage, all in all. I hope to have some nice plants for next month. We shall see. I keep rotating them in the south facing window and in the mornings I put them out on the back patio. So they seem to be doing fine,with that.

Last year, in the winter, I decided to start some plants early, because I really had the spring planting bug, and all the plants sprouted, did fine, and looked wonderful. For about a month. Then, they all started wilting and dying. I discovered that they actually need some air blowing over them, like they would if they were outside, because otherwise they get wilt. Interesting.

[caption id="attachment_167" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melon growing up a trellis."][/caption]

The melons (canteloupe and watermelon) are really going to town right now! Love it! I discovered last year if I could just hold them through the squash bugs and the heat, that in late July early August, they would really take off. And that has held true this year again. So, my advice, when they look like they can't hack it anymore, baby them along, and they will reward your efforts with more melons! Awesome little plants. I have a variety of melons out there right now. And the melon in the picture above just got picked yesterday. Tasted wonderful, too.

[caption id="attachment_168" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Zucchini"][/caption]

These new little zucchini plants are doing fine. And just when I was congratulating myself on gettng all those dreaded squash bugs, what do I find infesting one of my little plants? More of them. I am telling you, these things are everywhere. I just keep picking them off and putting them in my little jar and this does seem to be a good way of killing them, but not preventing them. How about a magic wand?

I used my first compost the other day in the old tomato bed. I pulled out some new compost from the bottom and integrated it into the bed. I think that bed needs some calcium. A few of the tomatoes had blossom end rot, which I think means the soil needs some calcium. That compost had some egg shells in it, so hopefully that will help.

 According to Mary Irish, in her book, "Gardeing in the Desert Southwest, you can plant fast maturing corn right now. So, that is what went into the old tomato bed. I haven't really had much luck with corn fertilizing very well, eve though they are planted 4 across, 12 long. That should be sufficient according to all the literature I have read. I will let you know how it turns out. They are all just sprouting right now. I love to see those little plants poking themself up out of the dirt. I love to go out and count how many have come up since yesterday.

Last week I FINALLY got my automatic watering system put in. It works fabulous, except I need to adjust the length of time, I think. It's only watering about 1 inch depth, instead of 2-3. But it does save me about an hour a day. Which is great, if you ask me.

With the kids back in school, and the weather not quite as hot, I am finding myelf thinking about what I will plant in October. Time to plan...

Seed Starting Time

Believe it or not, fall is just around the corner (I say that sort of tongue-in-cheek as we are definately in the throes of the summer heatwave). At least, I am dreaming it is. And with the fall, I will be starting some new tomato plants. Some people just cut theirs back and keep them, as they really aren't annuals, although we treat them as if they were. But I always seem to do better with new plants, so that is what I am doing. I definately still have lots of new green fruit on the ones I have, so I won't be pulling them out any time soon. However, I am thinking I would like these new plants to be plenty big by September, so I am starting seeds now. I am starting seeds instead of buying plants at the nursery, because I have decided that I really do prefer the flavor of heirloom tomatoes. It is so hard to describe the difference, but take my word for it, they are so much better. And because it is hard to find heirloom tomato plants, although it can be done, I am starting mine from seed. I have purchased some of my seed from local stores and some I have ordered from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds at this link: http://rareseeds.com/ And I recently came across this wonderful pdf file at http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/farmgirl-connection/. If you haven't seen Mary Jane's Farm magazine, it is definately one to check out. Love it! And they have an awesome forum. You do have to become a "farmgirl" but since I consider myself one that is living in the city, that was easy! The pdf file link is: http://www.feldoncentral.com/garden/CaseysHeirloomTomatoesofAirdrie.pdf. It is full of really great pics of heirloom tomatoes. Love it too!

Listing of tomato plants started today in peat pots inside:

German Red Strawberry

Rutgers

Brandywine

Green Zebra

Sweetie

Big Beef

Sioux

Looking forward to watching them sprout!

It's HOT!

[caption id="attachment_145" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Just picked today."][/caption]

It is so HOT outside these days that in order to check out the garden, I seriously have to get up at 6am to beat the heat. We are hitting 108 degrees today, which feels more like 118 degrees to me. I simply can hardly hack it! And of course, most of the garden needs to be shaded from the brutal afternoon sun.

[caption id="attachment_148" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Armeninan cucumbers growing up two 4 ft. tall topiary forms."][/caption]

The cucumbers seem to be doing ok, though. You can just see the tip of the topiary forms.  They are producing more armenian cucumbers than we can possibly eat, and I keep giving them away to relatives and neighbors. We usually just slice them up to munch on, although my daughter likes to dip hers in the ever present ranch dressing.

[caption id="attachment_150" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="A small caterpillar on the pickling cucumbers."][/caption]

I found a little friend on my pickling cucumbers today, and it has found itself a new home in heaven. I did see a preying mantis that was quite large on the tomatoes today also, and that one I happily left alone. I cannot get rid of my infestation of squash bugs. They have moved onto my watermelon plants and as I now have some new starts of zucchini out there, I really want them GONE! I have tried insecticidal soap and picking them off as I see them and smashing them. I also have tried to look under all the leaves to get the little brown eggs and smash those. None of this has been working well at all. I have plans for the morning, to take a jar out there and pick off all that I can find and put them in the jar and then throw it away. I can hardly stand to touch the things. I think I will wear gardening gloves for this particular chore.

[caption id="attachment_151" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Asparagus ferns."][/caption]

The asparagus has gone really crazy lately, making new shoots, going to seed and ferning. They seem to be doing just fine, also, without any extra shading.

[caption id="attachment_152" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Overall view of entrance to garden area."][/caption]

I love the way those new pavers look at the entrance to the garden. Landcraft did such an amazing job on them. It has made the area feel like a little secret garden. To the left of the chicken coop, although you cannot see it, is a small garden shed. We put it in a few months ago, and it has been so handy to put all the supplies in there and not have them spilling about the garden like last year. One handy thing that I read about somewhere, is to hang an inexpensive shoe organizer on the back of the door. I keep all my garden tools in it as well as drip irrigation pieces and twine, zip ties, etc. It has worked out well.

Not much is coming out of the garden right now. It is just simply too hot. I am still getting some tomatoes and that is pretty nice. It should pick up again at the end of August.

[caption id="attachment_154" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="Zucchini starts under the shade fabric."][/caption]

The above picture shows the pvc hoops that the shade cloth is zip tied to. I went to my local hardware store and bought some 12 inch pieces of rebar and poked them into the ground on either side of the bed and then put the pvc pipes into them onto either side to create the hoops. Cheap and easy. In the winter, I use them also, but instead of the shade cloth, I put 4 mil plastic over them and make a kind of green house. I got the idea from Dave the Garden Guy, and it really works well.

[caption id="attachment_155" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="New planter box on back patio."][/caption]

Well, I believe that's all for now. Keep cool!