garden

my life is not taken up with endless school meetings. This is the first fall I’ve had a chance to do fall things. One of those is weeding, rooting out troublesome things, turning the soil over, and planting trees (and, since it’s never really “winter” here, other plants)- hopefully that last one will coincide with seasonal rains.

The thing about gardening, though, is that you’ve got to go out and do it. So I’m off.

As it turns out, my ‘garden’ didn’t need me at all. Our backyard here at the duplex is rigged with a sprinkler system, so it was unnecessary for me to concern myself with watering. The bell pepper plant is still alive, though hasn’t grown in height at all, nor has it sprouted any peppers. The tomatoes, however, are now taller than I am and have probably over twenty beautiful, shiny green tomatoes waiting to ripen!

These are our drought-resistant tough guys. They love a 99-degree Kansas summer day.

are my favorite annual. They are so easy-going and sun-loving.

The garden grew more wild this year. Every year I like to add a little more to it. By Septmenber, it is a little out of control, overgrown with weeds. But that doesn’t seem to lessen my enjoyment. This sunflower grew over seven feet high.

I have been growing herbs on and off for years, but the recession and some newly discovered free time got me into the idea of doing some vegetables as well.
I currently have a bunch of tomato plants, two kinds of cucumbers, some leeks, basil, slow bolting cilantro and morning glories in pots on the front porch. The leeks are not in great shape, but at least one of the tomato plants is producing like mad. Not sure the rest will do much, as they were started much later, though they are bravely growing. One of the cucumber plants is flowering, which just happened this week. The cilantro and basil are going like gangbusters and the morning glories are twining wherever they can manage it.
On the back porch, I have garlic chives, regular chives,catnip in a cage to protect it from the neighborhood cats(who killed my every attempt last year), dill which has already reseeded itself, regular cilantro,tarragon, lavender, bee balm,peppermint and spearmint. The catnip has already flowered and is needing to be reseeded already. Next time I’ll be more vigilant.The chives are making a poor showing, but my mom said that is not unusual for chive and they are often better in the successive years. The dill went crazy this year, as did the cilantro. The tarragon needs repotting, the lavender and bee balm are coming along and the mints need weeding something fierce.

The heat and a summer of growth has sapped the soil of its ability to keep this little pepper plant in the water, so I’m bumping it up a pot size. I bet it will produce anaheims late into the fall. Mmmmm.

I decided to plant some basil, parsley, dill, and rosemary. Everything is almost gone now, except rosemary. I have to say, it didn’t take that much effort to grow some fresh herbs. I just planted them in regular pots with some potting soil and watered them regularly. I kind of wish they lasted longer, but, there’s always another year. :):)

I planted some tomatoes and bell peppers about a month ago. Unfortunately, I’m rather inattentive. One tomato is growing. The bell pepper had one started, but it shriveled up and fell off… Rats.

There are some wonderful profusion zinnias in a planter box in the front of the house, and as the flower heads have dried up, I’ve snapped them off and tossed them on the ground in front of the porch. Well, some of them have germinated, and we’ve got 4 new zinnia plants growing in the dirt. They look gorgeous. I’ve been wondering if I should pot them.

So now I know. If planted early enough in the season, zinnias will reseed and spread.