Last Sunday in August....Intense heat and humidity!
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I haven't posted anything, because frankly---being outside simply is AWFUL. When you get older, your body can't seem to adjust to the very hot or very cold temps. Even watering the pots was an ordeal, early in the morning.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Hubby completed Tomato-cide and Zuchinni-cide in the garden Friday, brought in all the produce and pulled the plants up. Despite all our watering the plants were simply dying.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
The ripe and unripe veggies were simply falling off the vines. I've never had soft green tomatoes before. Not rotten, just boiled inside the unripe skins. We experimented and put the green ones in the freezer to make green relish later.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Old photo of pickle relish...in the making.
Pickles are done...green beans are hard as rocks. My flowers are bursting, though---and we will have a few cool days this week, so I will take photos.
Late Lettuce is small and already bolting. To say end of August is the pits...from Hell...is pretty much the description of gardening here in NW Chicagoland. Grass is scraggly and long---Pumpkin vines are everywhere with only tiny pumpkins on them. We do have two larger pumpkins...trying to survive.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
I have canned tons of tomatoes and sauces this month. and made 77 zucchini muffins. We eat summer squash or zucchini at every meal. Sigh!
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| oldnewgreenredo |
What we still have in the garden are turnips, winter squash, pumpkins, lettuce, peppers (very unhappy), carrots, beans maybe if the vines can hold on. We have the first rain in three weeks, today---I don't know if it will be enough.
About Flowers, with the trends of hotter summers, late springs, and longer fall season---I will no longer be planting petunias along with no geraniums. Even my trusty marigolds have been struggling. Dead heading seems to be a career with them.
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| oldnewgreenredo |
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| oldnewgreenredo |
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| oldnewgreenredo |
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Sandi
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| oldnewgreenredo |
Great pictures!Those pink flowers caught my eye! Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks, Maristella, have a great week!
Delete77 zucchini muffins! Wow - that's a lot of baking! The canned tomatoes look amazing. I'm in complete agreement - I said no more petunias and marigolds next year - neither held up, and yes, the deadheading is a pain. I had great success with vincas - they will make a return next year, for sure!
ReplyDeleteLOL, they were small muffins, and once the kitchen is a mess---might as well do it all. Sigh, I know ===I've been gardening since the early 70's...and well..the climate has changed.PERIOD! thanks for visiting! Sandi
DeleteThat tomato haul has me in longing! I'll be getting Romas at the market this week and start my never-ending sauce-making task (hopefully on a cooler day!) Which means, I'd better start cleaning out the freezer! What a fabulous garden!
ReplyDeleteWe really had beautiful tomatoes this year, and especially tasty, except for the ones boiled on the vine. We usually throw bags of tomatoes in the freezer to can later, great when you have too few to make the mess worthwhile! Hugs, Sandi
DeleteSandi, I could live on zucchini and tomatoes!! My mandivilla vine got scorched and died..Happy Tuesday..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteAWWWWWw, on the Mandivilla...all three of mine (held over from last year) have been madly blooming. Hugs, and thanks for stopping by, Sandi
DeleteOne seems to eat a lot of zucchinis in the summer. They are hearty growers, aren't they. At the end of the Sommer growing season I cannot bear to look at them. You have had a lot of summer successes in your garden. Hollyhocks are up there on my fave list. You do make me laugh out loud! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kim. I really do want to do a painting of just Hollyhocks...! If I could find a place to put it! Grins, Sandi
DeleteHi Sandi! Wisconsin summer has been rough thus year, that's for sure. We planted just two tomato plants because we were moving in early August - they did horribly. Looks like you had some pretty good success though...I see lots of delicious meals in your future. Jane
ReplyDeleteYes, we really got a lot of tomatoes and sauces canned and ate until...well you know what fresh veggies do. Hope you can adjust to the 'South'. Pretty country, just ...well it's South. I'll make sure I take photos of snow for you, and every time I'm in WI. I think we will head to Old Wisconsin next week, since the weather has finally cooled down.Hugs, and hope you are settling in!
DeleteOh Sandi, this post is so evocative - sitting here shivering slightly in chilly, grey England, I could almost feel the heat and humidity emanating from the screen! I'm so impressed by your harvest, even though it has fallen short of your expectations. I had a glut of raspberries earlier in the summer, and was self sufficient in courgettes (zucchini) and lettuce for most of it, but every last cherry dropped off my little cherry tree before they'd ripened and the replacement blueberry bushes were too young to fruit this year, so I too have had mixed success, albeit on a much smaller scale.
ReplyDeleteHope the heat subsides for you soon - we had a week of record-breaking heat earlier in the summer and I was over it by the end of Day 1!
Amelia xx
Yes, the temps finally broke last friday---and upside watering will slow down hopefully. And, we did get lots of fruit, I still have a few things left, we will see if they hold on. Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteOh goodness, so sorry your beautiful garden is struggling...we've had more rain than usual this year, so our yard is not suffering from the normal August/September uglies! You are going to enjoy all the things you jarred this winter, wow, I am always impressed with people that can do that!
ReplyDeleteJenna
LOL, yes the August/september uglies...that's it, precisely. Hopefully this year won't be a pattern for anybody..so many extremes. Thanks for stopping by! Sandi
DeleteWOW! 77 muffins! That certainly is a lot of baking!
ReplyDeleteHappy Tuesday, Sandi!
They are small---LOL. Great for a quick breakfast or a snack in the afternoon. Thanks for stopping by! Sandi
DeleteOh I Loved seeing your beautiful bounty!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, it was a pretty good year, no beans and dismal pickles, but good peas...kinda a crazy year!
DeleteSandi,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for stopping by again!!finally by the end of the week, it is going to be in the upper 60's only...Fall is coming!! Stay safe, healthy and happy!!
Hugs,
Deb
We are so dry here again, can't keep up with the watering...sigh! You too, take a bit of time off and enjoy the weather!
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