August is a busy month here. We have something going on every weekend, and some stuff in between, also. At least the worst of the heat wave seems to be passing by. Since we are heading, fast and furious, into autumn, there is hope that we won’t see too much more of the brutally hot temperatures we have had this summer.
It seems the veggie growing experiment I did this year was pretty successful. We did get some string beans (I only did a few plants since they are in a container), and the habanada and Big Jim New Mexico peppers are producing nicely, also. I wasn’t happy with the tomatoes and cucumbers this year, but I suspect that might have something to do with the soil I picked. I used a different brand than I have been using and I think it just compacted too much in the boxes for the plants to grow well. I have used those same boxes for years and always grew good tomatoes and cukes, so I think next year, I will go back to the original soil. I will likely move them into the yard, also, since (with luck) the garage will be built for the winter and they would be in the way next year. I also would like to put in a small raised bed garden for veggies in the spot where I have the containers now. Nothing too big since it’s only two of us and we don’t need a ton of things to try and use up.
The rest of the things we planted this year are doing pretty well. Out of all of it, I only lost one coreopsis out front, which isn’t all that bad. The black-eyed Susans are blooming up a storm, and a good number of the other plants bloomed, also. Not all of them were as profuse as the Susans, but with perennials, the first year is usually not the best. It’s “sleep, creep, leap”. The first year, they don’t do much visibly since they are establishing root systems, the second year, they begin to grow out, and by the third year, they go full on. So, for a first year, I think we did okay. Now, to start planning for the rest of the yard!
It’s cherry season! Cherries are one of my favorite fruits. They are expensive, but for a treat while they are in season, I do buy them. We had the in-laws over for dinner on Sunday. We made pizzas on the grill, and I made a polenta cherry cake for dessert. It’s a nice, light cake, good for summer, and gluten free so Steph can have it, too. It’s also pretty easy to make, other than pitting the cherries.
We’ve also had some nice local peaches from the farm stand. Yum!
And now it’s back into the busyness of August. I hope your month is going well.
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And So On... 