2012 - Aug 29 - What It Is All About

The last stalk from the batch of Red Sunflowers has finally bloomed with lots of little buds along the stalk.  Luckily it is a short stalk, so I can enjoy it better from down here versus it's seven foot tall cousins.  It's deep red hues are very beautiful, but I still prefer just the plain ole yellow happy sunflowers that smile back at you.

I got a little impatient and wanted to pull the Carrots up.  I wanted to see how they were doing.  They are small, but I was happy with the length that they were.  Tasty too.

The drip hose has been really helpful in getting the Mesclun to sprout.  Lots of fresh new leaves have popped up on the back side of the Raised Garden.

The Kentucky Pole Beans are doing well and are climbing the trellis on it's own with out my training.

Just to the right of the Brussels Sprouts new growth, I have three stalks of Leeks growing.  Sorry it is blurry.  I am so excited, because I had transplanted the Adult Leeks from my Mom's garden in Tulsa and placed them on the backside of the Garden to help stake them to the trellis.  Once it had shrived and turned brown, I pulled the stalk out and noticed it had garlic like bulbs at the end of the plant.  So I moved them into the Raised Garden to see how they do.  And here they come!

The Cabbage Moths have been mean to my Brussels Sprouts and Kale.  I plucked two wash buckets full of leaves decimated by the hungry caterpillars.  They will bounce back, but the plants look so silly with no leaves attached to them.

I have also acquired a new garden buddy.  Mr. Toad.  He LOVES the drip hose and enjoys the water spraying on him to keep him cool and moist.  Hopefully he is enjoying the bugs that like to eat my plants.  When I looked in the garden the other day, he was not there, a little (frog size) hole was dug out and wondered if a rabbit or chipmunk had gotten into the garden.  I was worried for the Mesclun.  So I decided to keep an eye on it.  The next day, I came back and I looked down at the frog and was startled and excited to see him.  I love critters that enjoy my garden.  Butterflies, Spiders, Bubble Bees, Wasps, Caterpillars, Beetles, and anything to the like of it as long as they don't eat my fruits and harm my plants, they are friends of my garden.

2012 - Aug 11 - A Spaghetti Squash Dinner

The day has finally come!  Evan and I are going to Roast our Spaghetti Squash!  We have picked EVERY thing out of our garden: Spaghetti Squash, Yellow and Cherry Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Parsely, Garlic Chives, and Basil. 

We roasted it in the Oven for about an hour.  Once it was golden brown on the outside, we cut it up and used a fork to pull the spaghetti strands out while removing the seeds.

Then we took everything and tossed it together into a bowl.  Added a little salt and pepper and then enjoyed it by the Raised Garden.

2012 - Aug 9

It is too bad that I waited until a cool day to install the drip hose that I bought at the beginning of the growing season along with a new hose to attach to the faucet by the deck, roughly 45 feet from the garden to the faucet, as most of the garden had suffered from the drought and the heat wave by now.  A much unexpected August brought cooler temperatures and a little bit more rain.

Through the drought, only a few tomatoes developed.  They were all small, but tasty.  This tomato is a yellow variety that I pulled off the vine as the skin was beginning to split from the intense heat.

It is not very big, but I did not mind.  I was happy to see a yellow tomato growing in my extra large pot with Oregano, Boxwood Basil, and Marigolds.

The Spaghetti Squash is just about ready.  It sits with our several small Cherry and Yellow Tomatoes from the garden, and  Peach we picked up from the store.

Once I cleared out the garden and installed the drip hose, I planted some new seeds. Mesclun, Beets, Radishes, Peas, Beans, Carrots, Cilantro, and Spinach.

The Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Basil, Carrots, Pepper, and Bean Plants still remain.

The Pepper is ready to pluck!  It has turned a nice red on one side.

2012 - Aug 5 - Powell Garden

The Festival of Butterflies were going on again this weekend at Powell Garden.  Last year we went, the weather was much hotter and we purchased a year membership.  This was the last time we could head out that way before our membership expired.

The heat has taken a toll on the butterflies and moths as well as the early spring and lack of rainfall.  Their numbers were fewer than last year.

Teddy Bear Sunflowers lined the walk outside the building.

This hungry caterpillar munches on Parsley.  It will soon be a Black Swallowtail Butterfly!

Evan somehow turned into a Monarch.  That's funny, because I thought he was allergic to Milkweed.

This Pipevine Swallowtail Caterpillar was cool to watch eating it's host plant.

Evan holds onto a Monarch Caterpillar as it crawls around in his hand.

This Monarch just emerged from his chrysalis.

Lily Pads in this island garden grow so large.  They are beautiful!

This Atlas Moth was almost a foot across.  The tips of it's wings are suppose to resemble snake heads.  Pretty neat.  There were about a dozen of these guys around the garden.

Evan and I sat down to paint some pots for memorabilia.   Evan painted his visit to the garden.  Butterflies and caterpillars.  I painted our garden.  Pepper, Sunflowers, and the Butterfly Bush. 

On top of the observation tower, you could really see the toll the heat and drought have taken on the area.
 

The garden also acquired a new trolley.  It is so cute!