All the Dirt on Gardening

Because the weather has been so wonderful, I'm spending 3 or 4 hours 'out there' every day. There are lots of tasks to accomplish inside the shed and the perennial beds had grown out of control since I didn't do much out there last year. Tropicals re-potted The tender tropical plants that are in the shade outside in the summer were desperate for pruning, pup removal, fresh soil and larger pots. Some of the succulents I've been starting with a leaf were ready for pots of their own plus pruning.  Agastache Apache Sunset seedlings The tiny seedlings needed to be transplanted to six packs, separated in the 72 cell trays and checked for true leaves and root length.  Perennial beds Salvia Azurea  Outside, I've been working on two large perennial beds that had become overgrown with phlox and other well-intentioned plants that need to be thinned regularly. I can't put photos of everything here because of space issues, but you get...

November in our vegetable garden has plantings that are the result of much earlier activity. If the weather is lovely like it is this year, we continue to have snacks from our little growing space. This week we are eating beans, peppers, arugula, radishes and broccoli raab. The snow peas are over a foot tall but do not have flowers yet. Snow peas in November Calendula   Bean flower Unlike those enviable, energetic souls who enjoy extending the gardening season into a 12-month cycle, we do not  put up plastic row covers or try to grow in greenhouses. By the time the hard freezes arrive, we are content to eat what we have preserved, shop in stores, and give ourselves a break. The calendula planted around and inside the vegetable garden to attract pollinators is working double time as most of our flying friends are finding shelter under leaf piles every night now that it's in the 30s after dark.  Fall beans The beets are about 3-inches tall, the Red Russ...

Before last night's hard freeze (26-degrees F) I took a photo of one of the pumpkins we tried to save by draping the vines with sheets. My cousin sent the seeds from Germany for this one because it's one they use to make their pumpkin soup. This teardrop shaped variety is more meaty and less watery than the variety we grow for Jack-O-Lanterns in the U.S. Stringer Nursery in Tulsa had the seeds last week but I didn't notice the brand name. If you see the seeds let me know what variety they are. When we were in Germany Kurbis soup was being served in the restaurants but we ate it at family and friends' homes. While searching the Internet for the variety of the seeds, I found a food blog entry about the soup. Click here to read more about the yummy cream of squash soup we love so much at the Matters of Taste blog. The butterfly bed by the front gate was gorgeous until last night. This is a sunset photo, just 8-hours before most of them turned black and began their long wi...