| Tuesday, August 1, 2000 Rainy and humid all day off and on. Got nothing done in garden. Bought lumber and supplies for building new raised bed at street. Old timbers are not in the best of shape so we decided to go ahead and replace them now while it's torn up anyway. Will use lumber as we did for the new beds in the side yard. New bird feeder is working very well. Birds have found it and don't seem to be afraid of it. The squirrel is very confused because he can't figure out how to get that seed that he knows is in there. Picked 4 'Dasher II' cucumbers. |
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| Wednesday, August 2, 2000 Overcast all day with a shower late afternoon, and another in the late evening. Grass dried enough to mow just before the first rain. Too wet to work on bed. Added a wire support to porch post for clematis which has buds for sure. Potted up two Curcuma petiolata (hidden ginger) that Harry Boswell from the Gardens list sent me. They were basically bare-root when they arrived. Also potted up a lemon balm. Will plant this in the herb garden, but I'll sink the pot this time. Harvested some Four O'clock seeds to share. |
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| Thursday, August 3, 2000 Cloudy most of the day. Still too wet to work in the garden. Next door neighbor gave me some perennial chrysanthemums that she had thinned. Says one is a summer bloomer (lavender) and the rest are fall bloomers (either yellow or burgundy) Potted them up til I decide where I want to put them. One 'Jack O'Lantern' pumpkin is a little better than 2 inches in diameter. Picked 3 'Dasher II' cucumbers. They just keep going, and going, and going... |
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| Sunday, August 6, 2000 Away for the weekend, and when I got back I found my only 'Jack O'Lantern' pumpkin had fallen off the vine. Boo-hoo! I see no more little ones, and even if there were any, I doubt they'd have time to ripen. Squirrels are already eating dogwood berries, even though they're still green. Last remaining 'Sugar Baby' watermelon does not appear to have grown a bit. Had butter beans for lunch at my mother's. S-o-o-o-o-o-o good!! |
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| Monday, August 7, 2000 Framework for new streetbed finished today. Had first corn from second planting of 'Early and Often' for dinner. Only three 'Early Sunglow' corn plants left. Probably won't get anything from these--too few to germinate. Shower in late afternoon prevented me from digging up 'Dasher II' plants as I had planned. Tomatoes are just about gone. They look awful. Can't stand to look at them any longer, so I'll pull them up as soon as possible. I suppose the pumpkin plant will come on up, too, since the leaves are tuning yellow and white and there's no pumpkins to be seen. Still blooming, though. |
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| Tuesday, August 8, 2000 Clematis viticella 'Polish Spirit' is blooming!!! One very pretty purple blossom is open with two more to follow. Guess I didn't hurt it too bad after all. Now, if something doesn't eat it from below, I'll be OK. Glad I saved this one. I was assuming it was one of those large showy ones that I don't really care too much for, but I really like this one. |
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| Wednesday, August 9, 2000 So HUMID. Miserable working outside. Started trying to dig all the daylily roots out of the street bed and decided to check on having a load of topsoil delivered. If we can get it, I'll just dig out soil--roots and all, and fill with topsoil after lining with hardware cloth. Picking butter beans (both varieties) every day. 'Salad Bush' cucumbers growing well--will have a couple of these ripe by the weekend. Severe thunderstorm around midnight--strong winds and heavy rain with thunder and lightning. Total rainfall: 2 inches. |
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| Thursday, August 10, 2000 Lots of debris from last night's storm on the ground. Pulled up 'Dasher II' cucumber vines--any fruit coming now is misshappen and the vines look terrible. I will definitely plant these next year if I can find the seed or plants again. Viola seeds not germinating at all. Johnny Jump-ups doing well, however. Will probably put them in 3 inch pots this weekend after I take the collards out. Found some soil at Henry County Mulch and Stone. They call it "compost" and say it's basically potting soil like nurseries use. Cost: $21 per cubic yard and $20 for delivery. A pickup truck would hold about 2-3 cubic yards, I'm told. Hope this will work; even with the delivery charge, it's more economical than bagged topsoil. Checked out the topsoil--it'll work fine. Ordered 3 cubic yards. They'll deliver Saturday around 1 pm. Tonight I dug out half of the bed--the deepest half. Will finish Saturday morning and get the hardware cloth installed before the topsoil comes. Dumped out the deck rail 'Pink Wave' petunias. They were fading fast. |
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| Friday, August 11, 2000 Took up all the tomato plants. They were done for. I don't believe this!! Went to the basement to check on my Johnny Jump-ups and all except two were GONE!! Either eaten off by the soil or dug up. I can only assume I have a mouse or two in the basement. I am so upset; was going to plant them in pots this weekend. I thought they were safe inside. Guess I'll have to buy some now. Will get some mouse traps this weekend. |
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| Saturday, August 12, 2000 Finished digging out the street bed and lined it with hardware cloth. Found lots of bulbs in my digging. Many more than I originally put in, although I damaged quite a few beyond saving with the spade. Soil arrived at 3 pm and was promptly spread. Had 4 galvanized trashcans and the two large deck pots-full left over. Will let this settle for a few days before planting. I know why the 'Sugar Baby' watermelon isn't growing any, now. The branch it's on is withering up. Can't see any reason for it, but it is--and the rest of the plant is growing well. I will leave it for a while, although I doubt there is time to expect any melons this year. Lavender is blooming. Picked 3 'Salad Bush' cucumbers. These cukes are short and fat. Suitable only for eating--too fat for pickles, but very tasty raw. |
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| Sunday, August 13, 2000 Light shower some time during the night. Sprayed the 'Georgia' collard plants with insecticidal soap for what appears to be flea beetle damage, and planted them, 7 to a bed. Planted 'Curled Siberian' kale seeds and 15 feet of 'Detroit Dark Red' beets seedtape. |
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| Monday, August 14, 2000 Put some verbena 'Homestead Purple' in water to root for myself for the new street bed. I noticed that a varigated periwinkle that I put in water several weeks back had developed roots, so I potted that up in a 3-inch pot. Planted another old-fashioned lilac from my neighbor. Watered. Picked 2 'Salad Bush' cukes. They're not very attractive cucumbers. Dog had walked in the collard bed, but none had been damaged. Still pooped from Saturday's work-a-thon and company for dinner. |
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| Tuesday, August 15, 2000 'Salad Bush' cukes are fading already. That seems to be the way with late season plantings, at least in my experience. Still picking butterbeans--both kinds. 'Baby Fordhook' plants still blooming a lot, but the 'Sieva' plants have slowed down somewhat. Picked a small handfull of 'Blue Lake' snap beans. Mexican bean beetles are really out in full force now, especially on the 'Blue Lake' beans, where they've made lace of many leaves. Largest 'Sweet and Early' cantaloupe is changing from green to cantaloupe color even though is is pretty small--about the size of a softball now. Things are beginning to wind down for the summer now. Saw a huge raccoon raking food out of the back deck bird feeder early this evening. |
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| Wednesday, August 16, 2000 Saw some deer hoof prints in 'Georgia' collard bed this morning, but luckily all plants were spared. Covered both beds with wire fencing this evening. 'Curled Siberian' kale is coming up already! 'Sweet and Early' cantaloupe should be getting ripe, but they're awfully small. Checked the Burpee catalog, and their mature size is 4 1/2 by 5 inches, so maybe they are ready. Will check tomorrow. New street bed soil is settling nicely; will start planting this coming weekend. Picked a few snap beans and butter beans. 'Salad Bush' cukes are going fast. Might go ahead and pull them up and plant the 3 remaining collard seedlings in that bed. |
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| Thursday, August 17, 2000 'Detroit Dark Red' beets cracking the soil. 'Curled Siberian' kale is growing fast. Pulled up the 'Salad Bush' cucumbers. Picked one 'Sweet and Early' cantaloupe. There are several small 'Sugar Baby' watermelons on a very healthy looking stem. |
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| Saturday, August 19, 2000 Starting last night, and finishing this afternoon, we emptied, lined, refilled, and manured three old beds. Whew! Pulled up the pumpkin vines. Still picking butterbeans. 'Georgia' collards are growing fast--due to manure, no doubt. Something with small paws (squirrel, perhaps) has been digging in my new beets. Made wire fencing covers to try to keep them out. May need to cover with shade cloth too. While watering 'Porto Rico' sweet potatoes, I noticed that the soil was mounding and cracking around the plants, much as a mole hill looks. Knowing there was nothing getting in from below, I decided to check it out. There were sweetpotatoes the diameter of lemons in each of the four hills I checked!! WOW!! I'm so excited about this! I didn't check their length, 'cause I didn't want to scratch the tubers by digging too much, but at least I know something is happening underground! New bird feeder is emptying fast. Can only assume the raccoon is getting his greedy little paw in the opening and scooping the seed out. John attached a hardware cloth barrier to the accessible port. Hope this helps. Don't know what we'd do without hardware cloth! Planted the three remaining 'Georgia' collard plants in the small new bed. |
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| Sunday, August 20, 2000 Still having my little digging friend in the beets, so I put some shade cloth over the wire supports, held down with bricks all the way around. Planted the Sedum 'Autumn Joy' in the new street bed. Bought a 'Pink' Aster (dark cerise) and two each of three hardy mums: 'Cheryl' a dark lilac, 'Marilyn' a white, and 'Goldcrest' daisylike with yellow petals and a bright yellow center. Will probably plant them in two large planters for the walkway, and then into the new street bed when they fade. The Aster can easily be divided into three smaller plants. Found some plants that at first glance I thought were weeds in the miniature rose pots. Closer investigation revealed that they are petunia seedlings. Apparently the 'Pink Wave' plant in the deck rail planter just above the pots dropped seeds. Took the largest one out and potted it in a 3-inch pot just to see what it will do, if anything. |
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| Monday, August 21, 2000 The shade cloth worked--no scratching in the beets. Will try to remember to uncover them in the morning--I think they need more sun. Planted in the street bed: 2 Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm', 2 Echinecea 'Magnus', 2 Coreopsis 'Early Sunrise', 2 verbena 'Homestead Purple' that I had rooted, a cupid's dart and cottage pink that I started from seed, part of an aster 'Pink' that I got at Lowe's yesterday, and a chrysanthemum that my neighbor gave me. |
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| Tuesday, August 22, 2000 Planted 15 or so salvaged and donated iris in the street bed. Newest old-fashioned lilac is still perky. Largest watermelon is growing well. The last couple of weeks have been atypical--pleasantly warm during the day and cool at night. |
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| Wednesday, August 23, 2000 Thinned 'Detroit Dark Red' beets. 'Curled Siberian' kale growing well. |
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| Thursday, August 24, 2000 Bought another New England Aster--'Purple'--and planted it in street bed. Also bought and planted three tall bearded iris: 'Edith Wolford' with yellow standards and purple falls, 'Sheer Bliss' a light blue, and 'Loop the Loop' white with dark purple margins on standards and falls. Bought 25 mixed crocus bulbs, as well as 25 mixed iris reticulata and 12 'Fortune' daffodils (dark yellow petals with an orange cup). |
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| Friday, August 25, 2000 Bought two more bearded iris: 'Prissy Miss' a medium pink and 'Dover Beach' with white to palest blue standards and light blue falls. Also bought 25 Darwin tulips: 'Easter Basket Mixed' with pink, yellow, peach, light purple, and bi-color bulbs. This I can't believe. My hydrangea has a few buds! Not sure if they'll have time to open before frost or not. |
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| Saturday, August 26, 2000 Hot and humid today. This week had been very pleasant up until now. Emptied, lined, and refilled the second small bed and the birdbath bed. Beets and kale growing well. Everything in the street bed seems to be doing well. Noticed that it dries out on the street side quicker than on the yard side. Will try to remember to put plants that will tolerate dry soil on the street side if possible. FOUR squirrels were in the front dogwood tree this morning at the same time, eating the red berries. Picked about a quart (unshelled) of butterbeans. I don't think they will last much longer--especially the 'Baby Fordhook', although they are still blooming some. A Ruby-Throated hummingbird had a grand time with the back deck impatiens. She must have visited every blossom in one planter, one at a time. |
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| Sunday, August 27, 2000 Potted the chrysanthemums in large planters. "Something" with little paws/claws still digging in the beets if they're left uncovered. Thunderstorm about midnight, with a little over 2 inches of rain accumulated. 'Autumn Joy' sedum blossom florets beginning to open--very delicate pink. |
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| Monday, August 28, 2000 Another shower today, with almost 1/2 inch of rain. Boo Hoo! One of my beautiful collard plants is broken below the bud--it's still hanging on by about a fifth of the stalk. I guess it happened in the storm; don't see any evidence of critters. |
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| Tuesday, August 29, 2000 Decided to try something with the broken collard since it is still semi-attached. I put it back in place, and piled soil up around it. It *could* work! |
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