July 2009

A Little Bit of Deadheading

July 31, 2009

Just deadheaded for 15 min. Long overdue & makes me feel better, even though it’s the tip of the iceberg

My Man Grows Stupendous Lettuce

July 25, 2009

He Won’t Brag, So I Will My husband would tell you that he had nothing to do with it. Someone else sowed the seeds; he just stuck the seedlings in the ground. God provided the rain. Yeah, but who was up there weeding? All that cool and rainy weather has been good for something: great [...]

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Bindweed Battle in Progress

July 20, 2009

I just spent an hour snipping bindweed vines off the chicken yard fence. I think my sweet peas will be getting more sun now.

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Garden Bloggers Bloom Day July 2009

July 16, 2009

Checking back on last year’s bloom day post, I see that pretty much the same flowers are blooming, despite our thus far cool and rainy summer. Hollyhocks and bee balm being two notable exceptions: both have buds, but aren’t blooming yet. Other laggards: I have larkspur coming on, but I’m not sure it even has [...]

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Endless Summer Hydrangea: Where’s the Blooms?

July 14, 2009

Almost exactly a year ago, my ‘Endless Summer’ hydrangea was blooming. This year, as you can see above, it doesn’t even have buds. What Went Wrong? Okay, I forgot to feed it. Does it completely fail to make buds without fertilizer? I think not. It may not flower as profusely, and the blooms may not [...]

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Digging Colchicums

July 13, 2009

Digging colchicums. They are entering their dormant period, best time to move, make bigger patch, etc.

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Some Vegetables Balk at Cool Nights.

July 13, 2009

Low of 44F this morning. Yes, this is July. No, not Siberia, or Alaska. Tomatoes prefer 55F-75F at night. Peppers will not set fruit if temperatures drop into the low 40sF. And eggplants? Pollen production is curtailed when temps fall below 55F. But we can eat peas in July!

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Growing Peas in Cold Climates

July 12, 2009

Peas in July! Yes, we are harvesting the last of our peas this week. When you garden in a cold climate, you may grow the same vegetables as those in warmer areas, but you don’t follow the same schedule. I thought I’d run through our pea time line to give you an idea of how [...]

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Hardy Roses from Der Rosenmeister

July 5, 2009

Lee Ginenthal loves roses. And it’s a good thing for me, and for all you cold climate gardeners out there, that Lee decided to focus on hardy roses which thrive in USDA hardiness zones 5, 4, and even 3. Lee operates Der Rosenmeister nursery from his home outside of Ithaca, NY. I visited there in [...]

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Ethel Garden Gloves Winner Announced

July 4, 2009

Alina is the winner of the garden gloves. Her comment number was picked by the random number generator. Thank you to all commenters for participating. I hope you’ll come back again!

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