I feel like a pioneer today. Didn’t they plant corn and sweet potatoes or something like that? I planted the sweet potato sets (roots? sets? what’s the proper name?) today. They’re in the big 16 square foot raised bed where I had the sweet corn last year. I rotated the vegetables around so they’re not growing in the same bed two years in a row. Sweet potatoes, corn, cantaloupe seeds, more winter squash and beet seeds all went into the vegetable garden. I think I was just in time; the sweet potatoes started to look unhappy in their vase in the kitchen, a little droopy, the roots starting to smell like rot. I don’t know if they were starting to go bad or if some of the packing materials decomposed in the water but the smell was unmistakable.
The vegetable garden struggles along this year. Two sudden frosts really took their toll on the tomatoes, and insect attacks that have almost killed most of my larger tomatoes forced me today to pick off leaves from the tomatoes festooned with clusters of golden insect eggs. The peppers look good, but I lost the eggplant to the frost. The cucumbers and some squash survived. John helped me make a string and post trellis today for the peas. I need to get more in this week too. The lettuce and spinach did fine, the only vegetables and fruits that seem happy right now, so I am going to harvest the spinach and make our famous Italian stuffing recipe later this week.
It was too warm today for us to work comfortably outside this afternoon so we wrapped up around lunch time. We measured the flower garden pathways and put down one bag of pebbles; it’s not what we want. I really do feel like Goldilocks with the pebbles for the pathway. Nothing is quite right! We know what we want but we just can’t find it in the stores – white colored, smooth pebbles around the size of lima beans or marbles. Nothing like that in Lowe’s or the local hardware and supply stores. The hunt continues….
I did plant the geraniums John snagged at the discount store. Only 94 cents each and some had really unusual leaves, a sort of bronze center with a light green rim. I planted those in the Mexican ceramic pots for the porch, so that I could see how they developed and hopefully get them to winter over. The rest went into the island bed in the front lawn and a few in the flower garden.
The hummingbird flowers throughout the garden have begun to open – trumped shaped blossoms, reds and pinks. I haven’t seen a hummingbird yet, but it’s probably about time to swap the seed feeder for the nectar feeder.
Too hot to work anymore outside, so I’m content to sit and watch a rerun of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe on television and blog. When will they get Prince Caspian on cable??? Have a wonderful Saturday and happy gardening!
