One of the things we did to make our patio more inviting was to put a few strings of white christmas lights up around the aluminum trellis which supports a network of ancient (read: inedible, sour and prone to disease) grape vines. It is quite lovely out there at night....white lights gently the surrounding the seating area, citronella candles lit and strategically placed, a bottle of wine, watching movies on the laptop. Yes, it is all very nice.
Guess who ate the lights? That's right, Senor Squirrel, El Bandito Bushytail. Aka: The F-ing Squirrel.
The lights were not plugged in at the time. Dammit.
Our weather in the Northeast has been just perfect for the garden. Not too wet, not too dry, alternating with hot, stickiness and cool dryness. The plants are loving it, from their outward appearance, all bushy and bright green. I read somewhere a long time ago, that you should pinch off the first set of flowers once you plant your 'maters. It diverts all the energy the young plant would use making fruit into growing a stronger plant, thus making more fruit in the long run. In a fit of disciplined gardening, rather than strutting around telling everyone "Yeah, I've already got flowers on my tomato plants, suckers!" I pinched off the little yellow blossoms. So far so good because there are tons of little yellow flowers all over the plants.
The only problem I'm having is that something is eating my basil in the garden, but not the basil in the pots on the patio. I will need to make a homemade insecticide and see if that works (fancy dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle...it doesn't get any easier than that). Otherwise, they will need to be transplanted. The other herbs? Amazing. I'm at the point of giving the stuff away because how much mint, sage and tarragon can one person use?
Sophie and I have decided to plant some more vegetables in the bed opposite our tomato and pepper plants. Supposedly, it won't take long for zucchini to sprout, flower and bear fruit so that's what we're going to plant, along with peas. It's a little late in the season but by late September, here's hoping we'll have plenty of zukes for grilling.
Or, we could just keep them cold in Biscuit:
Guess who ate the lights? That's right, Senor Squirrel, El Bandito Bushytail. Aka: The F-ing Squirrel.
The lights were not plugged in at the time. Dammit.
*
Our weather in the Northeast has been just perfect for the garden. Not too wet, not too dry, alternating with hot, stickiness and cool dryness. The plants are loving it, from their outward appearance, all bushy and bright green. I read somewhere a long time ago, that you should pinch off the first set of flowers once you plant your 'maters. It diverts all the energy the young plant would use making fruit into growing a stronger plant, thus making more fruit in the long run. In a fit of disciplined gardening, rather than strutting around telling everyone "Yeah, I've already got flowers on my tomato plants, suckers!" I pinched off the little yellow blossoms. So far so good because there are tons of little yellow flowers all over the plants.
The only problem I'm having is that something is eating my basil in the garden, but not the basil in the pots on the patio. I will need to make a homemade insecticide and see if that works (fancy dishwashing liquid and water in a spray bottle...it doesn't get any easier than that). Otherwise, they will need to be transplanted. The other herbs? Amazing. I'm at the point of giving the stuff away because how much mint, sage and tarragon can one person use?
Sophie and I have decided to plant some more vegetables in the bed opposite our tomato and pepper plants. Supposedly, it won't take long for zucchini to sprout, flower and bear fruit so that's what we're going to plant, along with peas. It's a little late in the season but by late September, here's hoping we'll have plenty of zukes for grilling.
Or, we could just keep them cold in Biscuit:
3 Comments:
Good luck with your veggies. Your stories about the squirrel crack me up! I stopped planting this year in my yard because it was iffy whether we would have to move or not. Now we just found out the house was sold and the new landlords are just buying for an investment, so they are keeping the existing tenants. Whew!! Now,I can go back to planting tomatoes.
You & that squirrel. Now just stop it....the tears from laughter keep on flowing. Love to all, my little chicks, Mom
I LOVE THE SQUIRREL STORIES! Keep 'em coming!
Post a Comment
<< Home