Backyard
The Florida Weave: A Dance with Tomatoes and Twine
When I first started growing tomatoes, I bought those little conical tomato cages. Right from the start I began having problems with them. My tomatoes grew and grew and spilled over the tops of their cages, toppling them over. So back to the hardware store I went to get taller and sturdier tomato cages. But, … Continue reading
2013 Garden Layout
This year’s garden layout is a jumble of different shapes and sizes. I designed my large vegetable garden in 2009 in a well mannered grid, with all rows going east–west. Then in 2010 and 2011 things got a little more disorganized. The kale jumped its boundaries and began expanding in all directions. I created a zig-zag … Continue reading
The Aesthetics of Seed Catalogs
This post first appeared on goshencommons.org on February 9, 2013. Seed catalogs are arriving in my mailbox almost daily now. Some go directly into the recycling. Some go into the basket of magazines and catalogs near the door for perusal at a later time. Some come into the house with me for immediate consideration. What differentiates … Continue reading
Working in the rain
It rained three times so far this week. This morning a gentle rain was falling; a rain that reminded me of days in Seattle; a rain that would not stop any true northwesterner from being outside; a rain that never stopped me from working in the yard and garden. So outside I went. I’m expecting … Continue reading
Tomatoes!
It may be hot and it may be dry, but the tomatoes are loving it. Yes – I have been watering the garden – not a lot – but every two to three days I either run the sprinkler a bit or go around with a bucket to water individual plants and rows. Temperatures have … Continue reading
The Color and the Brown
Bushes are brown, but flowers still appear, giving color and hope in this dry summer. And it rained this morning (oh happy day!).
Flowers in the Dry Summer of 2012
In spite of all the brown surrounding us this summer (brown grass, brown leaves on trees) there is still a bit of color.
Trees in the Dry Summer of 2012
I must admit that I have not been a good tree keeper this summer. It has been hot. It has been dry. And I don’t usually water. A lot of times, that does not matter because many plants are pretty resilient. But sometimes I should be more vigilant. We’ve lost trees to hot and dry … Continue reading
Garden in the Dry Summer of 2012
This year’s garden (showing what I planted and where I planted what I planted). What this does not show is what is actually in the garden. I used the seed I had, some of which was pretty old. By the time I did my planting, it was already pretty hot and pretty late. So not … Continue reading
