I'm beyond pleased that I am able to see the blogs and actually blog again! Thanks admin!
John Denver in his song, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" starts out with "life on the farm is kind of laid back..." Well, I'm not exactly sure how accurate that is, unless he means it is less stress than corporate life. I know there is a never ending cycle of things to do, but I am not complaining.
Last week I did a bunch of work in the gardens. The Rosemary I planted just didn't do very well because another plant overshadowed it and it didn't get much sun. I dug it up and potted it and brought it into the house. Hopefully I can keep it going over the winter and then replant it elsewhere next spring. I also did the same with the Sage. I cut Oregano and Thyme and washed and then stripped the stems of leaves and have two platters (one each) to dry on the sunporch so I'll have dried herbs for cooking. I then cut back the plants for the winter, although later this week it is supposed to get very hot (90s).
DH and I had planted sunflowers last May, but they didn't come up. I had some seeds left so I planted them in a different area and lo and behold they came up. My plan is to let them dry and then keep seeds to plant next spring. I also hope to have extra seeds to put in the bird feeder.
I pulled up the cucumber plants after picking the last of the cucumbers and made my last batch of sweet pickles. The pantry is looking fuller.
We went to a local orchard and bought a bushel of seconds of locally grown apples. I made a pie and then processed the rest to make and can apple pie filling, applesauce, and apple jelly. Again, most of this is for the pantry, but some of the jelly will be gifts. I have used all of the half pint and pint jars I own, but it sure is a nice sight seeing all these full jars of goodness.
Now I'm concentrating on getting things ready for winter as far as outside. I started on the herb garden as I said before. I am working on the flower garden and will be cutting back those plants that need it to come back stronger in the spring. I also hope to add to the garden with more tulip bulbs and daffodil bulbs. I planted some last year, but realize this is a work in progress, as are the flower gardens. I intend to add to them as time and money allow.
I started a compost pile and that needs some attention. The soil here is very clay like and not very rich. I like the idea of recycling things like vegetable and fruit scraps as well as grass and leaves. I'm hoping to have rich compost next year so add to the gardens.
Speaking of gardens, the vegetable garden was both a success and a failure. We didn't get many bell peppers, but we did get 5 watermelons. We have one lone pumpkin. But we had a bounty of cucumbers which we ate both raw and I pickled as well as gave some away. The tomatoes did great. And we have had three growths of green onions. I'm waiting for the second batch of peas to mature. I got quite a bit of lettuce and radishes in the early summer. The garlic did great and I processed that as well as saving some to replant. I planted potatoes for the first time using some potatoes that had "sprouted" so basically trash and we got a few nice sized potatoes. I know social media has had posts about you don't save money if you garden, but I think you do, depending if you actually use what your grow. We have eaten so much of what we planted and although it cost money initially, if we priced it out on buying what we have had in the grocery, we would have spent more plus we got some exercise doing all this work. Additionally, we enjoyed the planning and look forward to enlarging our garden and make better use of the land.
September 11th, 2025 at 12:54 am 1757548459
But the initial vestment in canning supplies or purchasing a large freezer and building and preparing garden beds adds a lot to the cost which newbies need to consider.
My mom had a large plot in a community garden for several years. She enjoyed the work and the comradely of fellow gardeners. I have to say that for me, spending hot August weekends making pickles, canning tomatoes, blanching vegetables to freeze was not enjoyable. I had a demanding job and this work was not restful or relaxing to me. I wasn’t sorry when other interests claimed her attention.
But if you enjoy the process, nothing compares to the flavor of vegetables you grow yourself!
September 11th, 2025 at 12:55 pm 1757591756
I did pull up a zucchini and ailing cucumbers, but my snow peas are just now beginning to flower and should produce pods soon. I'm on my 2nd crop of string beans and still picking tomatoes and yellow squash.
I agree with social media that you don't really save money with a veggie garden. Compare the cost of veggies, even with today's high prices, with soil amendments, fertilizer, pest control, and in my case, construction of raised beds with fencing. I do it because it is very zen to go out there in the late afternoon and see what can be picked for dinner an hour later. I enjoy the process.
September 11th, 2025 at 07:11 pm 1757614264
September 15th, 2025 at 12:19 am 1757891968
September 20th, 2025 at 12:38 am 1758325133