TIMBER!!!

Everything is falling apart!!!

Well, I guess my trellis is now just leaning against the fence under the weight of the plants, and against the ghetto rigging that was applied a while ago.  Still, I am ALMOST ready for winter.  =)  Ask me about that again in December/January.

Testing Yew

No, it isn't a typo.  I know I have mentioned MULTIPLE TIMES that I really hate the landscaping out front that the previous owners left me.  It is entirely too many plants in one space and I hate rock.  HATE.  However, I know that I am stuck with it because removing all of that rock and digging out all of those mature plants sounds like time and energy that I don't have. 

Here is one of the plants that I hate. 

And I have two of these, ICK!  Normally it is green, but with the brutal summer, it is common for these yews to be burnt here in Kansas.  According to local gardening sources (aka the newspaper) you must trim just the burnt tips off of these plants so that they will not go into shock and will recover from the burn.  After a little while of doing this, I am almost certain it is a practical joke being played on me by someone.

This one is not that badly burnt, but it is still giving me nightmares.  As I sat on the sidewalk, patiently clipping just the burnt tips off my mind began to wander...

If I was in a movie, this would be Karate Kid.  And when I met my arch nemesis, I would have some amazing karate skill learned from this tedious work given to me by Mr. Miyagi, along with words to live by. "Angela-san: Burn on. Burn off."  Or maybe, "Woman who trim all burned parts off can accomplish anything."

Alas, this is real life, and I am pretty sure I don't have any new karate skills.  Maybe, just maybe though, my plants will live.  Below is half of one miserable yew, given the Miyagi treatment by me.  Ha!

Looks better already!  =)

Here it goes again

Music is so interrelated to everything I do in life.  Almost every song reminds me of something or someone... and if you ever drive by during nice weather when the windows are open, you'll probably hear me belting out a few tunes.  Fair warning.  =)  The OK Go song title pretty much sums up my craziness right now.  I can't believe it, but I am back to planting a fall crop of vegetables.

I pulled out the burned up sad corn, and my zucchini gave up the ghost a long time ago.  So, while at my local nursery, I picked up broccoli transplants.  (I am still on the hunt for lettuce to plant, just give me time.)  Then I gave my broccoli a new home with just a dash of compost from my worms.

Another beautiful thing about square foot gardening is the natural crop rotation that takes place.  Zucchini and corn were in these spots, and by just following mother nature's schedule, I have rotated crops. Also, with the addition of compost every time you plant, you are making sure your soil never gets depleted.  Voila!  Easy, breezy beautiful gardening.  =)  Here's to a successful (hopefully) fall crop!

Magic

I love it when something from my garden like this....

Turns into this...

And this...

A roasted veggie wrap with freshly made pesto... What could be better?

How does this magical thing happen?  I have kitchen elves.  They take my garden offerings and do all of the hard work.  I really wanted the shoe elves, but, hey!  Don't kick a gift horse in the mouth.  =)

A season for everything

I love fall.  I can almost hear all of my plants saying, "Ah!" Well, maybe that was me saying that.  The cooler temperatures and rain have made everything green and alive.  The two plants I actually like out front are blooming and looking great.

I have no idea what this plant is, but it smells great when you cut it, and the bees and butterflies really love it.  Is it a butterfly bush?  If anyone knows what it is, please fill me in.  It only looks pretty this time of year, though.

Also, my hibiscus are growing like crazy.  I love these plants.  They cheer me with their big, showy flowers and are very low maintenance.

Finally, I replaced my sad, leggy vinca on the front porch with an arrangement of pansies.

You bunch of pansies!!!  Hee hee.  I'm sorry, I really can't help myself.  =)

Creepy Crawly

Ah, the life of a Gardenerd.  The variety of experiences that I have had this year are enough to write a... Well, a very small blog with about 11 followers.  =)  I spent some much-needed time in the garden this weekend, as I have been neglecting to do that since I have been working a lot and in charge of mowing the yard.  (YUCK!  Mowing is not gardening, and I do not enjoy it.) 

First up, the Crawly part.

My cauliflower is huge, and still not showing any signs of cauliflower.  I think that might have to do with the fact that it has been plagued with pests of the crawly variety.

Here is the cauliflower.  You can see the holey leaves.  (No, it doesn't go to church.)  The culprits are crawly killer caterpillars. 

Can you see it?  It's kind of like Where's Waldo with insects.  They blend in very nicely and do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

These little buggers are my nightmare with an organic garden.  I have to hand pick them off, since I am opposed to using pesticides on something I want to eat!

AND, since some of them can be very tiny, this takes a lot of time!

Now for the creepy part... I saw a spider on our back porch which was unique looking.  I decided to take a picture, since it had a very tiny web.

Have I mentioned that I am really scared of spiders?  They creep me out.  But they are a gardeners friend! AND, they are more scared of you than you are of them.  

Yeah right.  Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. 

However, in the name of nature, I decided to try to get a good picture of its coloring.  And since the light was poor, I turned on the flash.

Bad idea.  All of the sudden I could see just how vast this spiders' web was.  I slowly backed away and walked into the house.  Every once in a while, I look out the back door.  I think he's watching me.  CREEPY!

Control Top Melon

Those of you who know me should know that I had a really hard time trying to keep the title from going towards my favorite guilty pleasure: middle school mentality.  I had such a hard time, in fact, that I had to mention it before I got down to the point of this post!  =)  I know, it's shocking.  I do sometimes have a point, and can sometimes (somewhat) contain myself.   

Ahem. 

Did you know that what we call cantaloupes are actually muskmelons?  Real cantaloupes are only found in Europe, mostly in France.  Between the cantaloupes and the love apples, I am beginning to think France is the place for me.  (For an explanation of love apples, click here.) 

My melon has been living the life of luxury for a while.  However, when I went out today, I thought it looked and smelled ripe.  Oh, I wish all of you could smell that intoxicating scent.  So, I gently picked it out of it's pantyhose hammock, and wouldn't you know it... That melon wanted to come on inside with me!  (The melon slipping off the vine so easily is a sign that the melon was ripe.)

Oh, sweet, juicy, control top melon. =)  Although a bit on the small side, I am pretty excited to reap one more reward from all of my labor! 

Side note: Thanks to my sis for making me laugh about my "Control Top" Melon.