Welcome back! Thanks for stopping in! Things are still going on in the garden. You see the cabbage is turning more & more 'ball-like'. I don't know how long I'm supposed to wait; I keep comparing it to cabbage in the store. I keep using the EcoSense beetle spray since those damn things still seem to be hanging out, and keep watering.

Memo: even though the temps are cooler here (70's), outdoor plants, flowers & gardens STILL need water. I almost forget that every year. The dirt still gets dry; cool, but dry.

SCREAM! Is that what you think it is? Yes, it is! FINALLY, the watermelon has produced.... now that it's nearly mid-September. But I'm so excited to have it. It climbed right up the fence & did it's thing. The vine is still strong & sprouting those tiny yellow flowers & a couple more real tiny melons. Next year's lesson: start from plant as soon as the ground gets soft.

I love how this ivy looks against my garage that is screaming for a paint job. It's outta control & it's not good. I think I mentioned this before.
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See those little suctions? They latch onto the wood & completely cover whatever is still & flat! Bad for the wood & bad for paint. Yet such a nice photo subject :-)

ANOTHER SCREAM! FINALLY - the bell pepper plants are seriously almost tall as me & have finally sprouted!!! Yayness! I don't think I've ever seen the plants get this tall before sprouting. In the early years when I still had sun (before willow took over), I remember the bells being short, bushy & full of peppers.

The 'sometimes hot/sometimes sweet' peppers are still giving off tons o'peppers. Even the hot ones make anything delicious if you dice them super-fine. Then all you notice is the kick!

Rosemary is still hanging in - gone girl! (lol!) Now that the cucumber leaves have mostly withered, Rose can keep getting the sun she needs. You can't tell from this angle, but it's really bushy/hearty.

The cukes are still giving off fruit. These are new ones on the other side of the fence. Leaves that grew thru the wire & continued to grow. I am real pleased with how they did this year. Next year: give them more stability. I wasn't ready for how fast & crazy they grow... especially since in the early stages, I wasn't sure if they were 'zukes' or 'cukes.'

The 'Bells' coming on strong. Tiny white flowers mean 'lots.' Between these, Rosemary, the peppers, and abundant farmer's markets, I'm seeing this in the very near future @ the next grilling. Yum.

Oh yeah - the tomatoes are a real disappointment. Folks say here & there that theirs didn't do well either. I can count on 2 hands how many I got & they could be eaten in 2 bites. The plants still have green medium-sized fruit of them, but the bottom leaves are turning yellow, like it's time to close up shop soon. Waaahhh... maybe better luck next year.

Random thoughts for next year:

• I would like to go a little bigger. No one seems to have any interest in the huge lot, so my little piece o'earth isn't hurting anybody. I would like to give the melons more sun, as well as the tomatoes.

• I will have more herbs. When I grew before, I had every herb: rose, thyme, sage, basil, chives. I was over run w/them, but I used them a lot, passed them on to friends. The smell is something to behold

• I will have more flowers mixed throughout. I think that's so cool, plus it adds color. As you see above - everything is the same color. The 'Bee Balm', that is shocking bright pink, has gone to stick for the Fall/Winter. I'll put it in the ground so it can come back in the spring.

Well, that's all I have for now. Until next time :-)