August 3, 2026
A weekend of pretty near continuous rain, at times practically a monsoon....170mm in the gauge. The grey overcast skies slowly cleared this morning, and now the sun is out in a blue, blue sky, with big fluffy white clouds. The 'monsoon' was too much for one of our old apple trees, and a big, apple laden branch broke, so sad. I had been thinning apples as far up as I could reach with a step ladder, but it is an impossible job. Here is the trailer load of fruit that fell with the branch.
In other news.... the igniter in my stove called it quits, and to replace it would cost more than half the price of a new stove, so new stove it is! This one has electric ignition, (vs battery ignition in the old stove), plus it has a glass door!! and a light!! Small luxuries, like fresh, sun-dried sheets on the bed, some of life's best things.
Someone has been getting naked in my garden...A garter snake has left his old garment in the garlic patch, found when I cleared out the rocks holding the mulch down, and dug the bulbs.
Peter Piper could easily pick more than a peck of peppers in my pepper patch. Green bell,
and sweet red. The celery is a beautiful green forest.Pumpkins are growing on the fencing with some Scarlet Runner beans, and I've been slinging the fruit up in pieces of old T-shirts for support, although they seem sturdy enough without. They are small sugar pumpkins, so they won't get too big. Cucumbers are really starting to take off, and despite rigorous pruning, I am beginning to be inundated. Note to self: plant fewer vines next summer! In the tomato department, the cherries are ripening slowly,
and there are lots of beefsteak and paste guys growing.This year I have tried to refrain from taking off the suckers, just pruning out some of the lower leaves for air flow, to see what, if any difference it makes for fruit production. The jury is out.
I had a bucket on the back porch. It wasn't under the overhang where it would get more water. It is FULL of water. Flower pots are floating. My poor flowers took a beating. Hoping the petunias come back to life.
ReplyDeleteI picked two gigantic brandywine tomatoes that had a significant blush. They should be ready in a couple of days. The zucs were growing lots of fruits but they have started to rot on the vine so I'm clipping more big leaves to give them more air.
There were puddles where we usually get 'snow melt' puddles, and the road up the hill is atrocious.
DeleteThe ripe cherry tomatoes cracked with the moisture, the phlox clumps all splayed out, but have re-grouped now. All the plants just jumped, seemed like about a foot!
Richies Nursery in Petawawa has a great sale on annuals so I went up and bought several pots of beautiful Lantana to replace my battered flowers. Their annuals are 40% off this week and they are just a riot of color. I need color until freezeup
DeleteWe all need colour....winter is coming with it's monotones!
DeleteIt's that season for summer harvests. You have more than we do, though we're picking beans, tomatoes and cucumbers, and enjoying them. We're simply finishing any left-over peas that come along, straight out of the pod. Supplementing this with Ontario peaches from a local farm market. It's all wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMy plan has always been to grow enough of basic veg., that will feed us throughout the winter. I'm getting better at knowing the amounts I need, of what I can grow. Sometimes, as things ripen and are ready for harvesting, it seems a mammoth task to do it all, but...plug away at it a bit every day, and it gets done.
DeleteThis seems to be the most recent of the slew of your posts that hit my Feedly this morning. I presume that I have previously read or commented on most of the others. Welcome back.
ReplyDeleteYou have. Thank you AC.
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