A Day Later ...

A little baby robin got it's wings caught in my vines - it looked to me like it had gone into them to have a little snooze and I might have woken it up when I got to the garden early this morning. I talked very softly to it - encouraging words - and let it find it's way out on it's own without exciting it by over reacting ... it was exhausted and rested in between flapping and catching it's other wing after it had freed the first one ... funny how life mimics life (I left the water on and got caught this morning too ... nobody yelled at me - everyone was playing musical hoses last night at the taps and I turned someone elses off - maybe - then again - maybe not). Consequently though, my garden has had a really great soak (so has the garden next to mine)! I know they will be happy as it's been really hot and dry and the gardens are all parched. No harm done.


At 10:30am the sun began to creep into the garden ... kinda late I thought ... hmpf!


Not qiute making it to the pastes nor exotics yet ...


I'd already weeded as much as I was going to today ...


I tore up the rhubarb leaves I'd cut off the stalks and put the leaves into water to soak in the sun ... hoping to make bug poison ... I think I heard about this somewhere - maybe - I'll google it now ... OK - WARNING - hear yee - hear yee ... don't use it on veggies or edibles! That makes sense. Why didn't I think of that? But here's a very neat thing to do with the leaves - use them as little mulches for seedlings at the start of the season ... aww (too cute)


I cut off the garlic scapes and will make pesto today. I am going to soak the rhubarb in sugar and vodka ... the vodka - where did I put it ... it's around here somewhere ... I hope. I might have to go buy more or just make stewed rhubarb with sugar. And I'm going to make a cilantro mash using oil as well to freeze for later use.

Mid-July and all is well

I just got back from Ottawa & always like to go to the National Gallery ... outside Louise Bourgeois' spider guards the front doors! I was out-of-town for 9 days. Fortunately the garden and roof garden were fine even though there was a heat wave and no rain. I watered deeply before going (and put my pots into kids swimming pools - if anything the plants had too much water but I rescued them the minute I got home and all seem to be fine)! Phew!


The zucs haven't taken over the garden ... yet! The mint has now overtaken the creeping charlie ... there will be mint pesto when I return from the cottage ... (almonds, lemon, honey, garlic, parlsly) ... lamb! ... maybe some feta - yeah feta! Oh and there are some raspberries over on the far left ... I ate some ... the rest still need time to redden up.


The tomatillos were trying to get outside the fence but I was able to tuck them back inside ... also - notice at the back where the creeping charlie compost is doing quite well - it's not alive - I consider that doing quite well ... I was able to control it by throwing knu poo and chipped twigs on it ... the hose isn't manditory ... it's just 'there'!


This little tomato patch was the last one planted so all the plants are a little bit smaller than all the others - but they are catching up ...


I guess I only get two meals of peas - next year I'll plant more! The rhubarb at the back will be married with some sugar and vodka in a week - when I get back from the cottage ... (I'm going drawing and swimming) ...


This is the original tomato patch. For two years I put veggies into it so the soil would reconstitute ... these were the first plants in and they are really doing well ... some big green tomatoes already (I've trimmed every bottom leaf and anything off all my tomato plants that is the least little bit bitten by bugs ... or whatever makes those small brown freckles on bottom leaves).


Pesto ... tomorrow! Cilantro and Basil. Later I'll do the Mint. The Sage wilted so I'm hoping it perks back up with water! The rosemary thrived ... so did the stevia - that's worth a WaHOOooOooo!


Here's the entire patch. The wilted sage is way in the back at the left ... it's wilted - you can't see it ...


Flox. It's such a perfect perfumed bouquet to bring home.


This is the first time planting tomatoes in this patch ... these are my big exotics ... ruffles, blues, oranges, greens, yellows and blacks ...


This is the first time planting here as well .. these are my tiniest little current tomatoes ... some reds, whites and yellows ... over on the far right (there are about 5-6 plants) ...


The cucs are doing really well. This is a first ... (they are in the old tomatillo patch). Notice how fast the brown paper mulch breaks down - it's done it's job - no weeds of any consequence. I'll need to really mulch with leaves in the Fall though if I want there to be some weed control come Spring.


This is what officially (kinda) makes me a farm ... corn (it's a crop) ... I tried planting the 3 sisters but they are all kind of being like a dysfunctional family ... not doing what they're supposed to do ... the corn didn't grow quick enough for the beans to grow up them ... I planted the beans to the side where I could put poles for them and the pumpkins were supposed to be squashes ... what can I say ... dysfunctional (me maybe - not them) ... 'better luck next year' ... maybe!


Here's another view of the corn ... it all looks really good ...


Here's the old paste patch (can't remember what tomatoes are in here ... there's a piece of paper with it all written down somewhere that was supposed to get laminated ... (it could still happen ... theoretically ... if I find it before the year is over) ...


Well that's it.

If you look at the photos taken earlier you'll see how fast my garden grows! Soon it will be outta control & I'll be feeling like a real loser that knows nothing about how to keep it together. Right now - I & it looks as good as it gets! Enjoy ...