Another Gardening Season Has Come To A Close

Good Morning to all.  Yesterday my husband had some free time and pulled out the remaining plants in the garden.  All that is left now is to turn the soil and and at the end of Halloween throw the pumpkins in and let them decompose.  Did you know that pumpkins are great for the soil.  Just remember to take the pumpkin seeds out first or you will have a great big pumpkin patch next year.

Thank you for reading my gardening blog this year.  We've had more readers this year than ever before.  Please feel free to comment on my blog and ask questions.  I'm more than happy to help you out with your gardening questions.  Until next summer when we plant another garden.

Stupid Animals

You know that very last miracle zucchini plant?  Well, it's no more because some stupid animal chewed the plant in the middle.  Oh well it's time to pull stuff out anyway I guess.  I did pick a handful of cherry tomatoes and one strawberry and if you can believe it, my roses have started to bloom again.  I don't remember my roses ever blooming at this time of the year before.

Does any of my readers have any apple recipes you would like to share?  I have a ton of nice apples just picked at the farm and I'd love to try out your recipe.  Kindly send them along.  Thank you

Weird

So it's fall and most of my garden is done for the year....or so I thought.  I haven't ventured out there due to the rain and cooler temperatures of late.  All that's really left are some broccoli plants and a few cherry tomatoes.  I went out back to the garden and imagine my surprise when I found a zucchini plant happily flowering and producing a small zucchini.  Didn't all of the zucchini plants die off?    Hadn't I pulled them all out and put the cages away for the year.  I guess I missed one and it's happy as can be.  Mother Nature is a wonderful woman.  I'm just going to leave it there and see what happens.  I'll keep you all posted.

Garden Partially Gone

It was a sad day out in the garden.....since summer is almost gone and fall is slowly creeping up I got out into the garden to get rid of plants that have either died are in the process of deteriorating.  I managed to save 3 zucchini plants that still look like they have a little life and a flower or two still left.  The corn is gone.  What a disappointment, not one good cob of corn. They sold cow corn under the guise of sweet yellow corn.  Liars!!!!  It was cow corn though and through.  The cauliflower never got one cauliflower on the plant.  At least the broccoli did very will and continues to do well.  The peas were ok but they were not exactly what the package said they were.

I think next year we need to find a new garden centre.  This place mislabeled their plants and sold seeds in wrong packages.  Not very happy with them.  We still are getting a lot of tomatoes and there are at least two more cucumbers on the plant.

I still have 7 massive zucchinis in the fridge.  I think I may try to make a zucchini soup.  I will post the recipe if it turns out well.

Had Corn For Dinner - YUCK!

So last night for dinner we tried the corn from our garden.  I boiled it in salt water like I do with all of the corn we eat.  We both thought it tasted gross.  Lesson learned.....we're not growing corn in the garden again.

At least the cucumbers and tomatoes that we've grown taste good.  The tomatoes taste like little candies.  Oh so sweet.  YUM!!!

Does anyone have any zucchini recipes they are willing to share?  I am getting tired of eating zucchini and we still have 7 more to eat.  And they are huge!!!  We've had a zucchini loaf, muffins, cake, crumble, stuffed zucchini and stir fry.  Anything else?  Maybe zucchini soup?

Oh No More Zucchini And What Could Be Our One And Only Cob Of Corn - August 11, 2013

 I went out this afternoon to have a look at the garden.  All I can say is Oy Vey there are more massive zucchinis out there.  6 to be exact and still more growing.  I'm getting to the end of my zucchini recipes so if anyone has any new recipes, please please pass them along.

Also there are many tomatoes ripening.  They taste so much better than the kind you buy in the store.  Oh and something I learned, don't put your tomatoes in the fridge they don't taste as nice if they are cold.

 Here is my one and only cob  of corn.  The stalk was dying so I decided to pick it.  It doesn't look as nice as the corn at the farmer's market but oh well, I grew it.

And lastly, my broccoli.  It tastes better than it looks.  So far no sign of cauliflower.  Next year no cauliflower.

August 7th - More Tomatoes, A Cucumber And A Pea

It's August now and the growing season should be slowly winding down.  Thankfully it's gotten a bit cooler and my garden has gotten it's second wind.  I have a ton of various types of tomatoes growing, the peas have finally started to grow and I've picked my 4th cucumber.  And yes we have many more zucchinis in the garden.  I think by the end of the summer I will not want to see another zucchini for a very long time.  I made a new recipe, stuffed zucchini boats.  You scoop out the seeds and some of the flesh with a melon baller, par boil the zucchini sections and cook the ground meat, onion, rice and left over zucchini flesh.  At the end, add tomato sauce and place the mixture into the zucchini boat and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  YUM!!!  It was good.  You can even top it with a little grated cheese if you want.

Until next time, keep your hands dirty!

Tomato Time And Some Strange Cucumbers - July 27th, 2013

It's been so much cooler out this week.  I think my garden is breathing a huge sigh of relieve.  It's starting to perk up again.  The tomatoes are ripening as you can see.  My huge cherry tomatoes and the Roma tomatoes are ripening so quickly now.  As you can see here I even have two very strangely shaped cucumbers.  That might be the very last zucchini of the season.  But you just never know because there are still flowers out there.  Even my flowers are starting to bloom again.

Summer is just going by way too quickly.  I wish we would have more summer and less winter.  It would be perfect.  A longer growing season would be the best.

More Giant Zucchini, Some Peas And Tomatoes - July 20th

 So when I went out this morning, the damage from yesterday's storm wasn't as extensive.  The corn has stood back up on it's own and the zucchini plant and the cage are now righted after I cut this massive zucchini off of it.

In the photo on the right you can see our first peas of the season.  Yay!  They have finally started to grow.  We also picked two more cherry tomatoes.  Everything tastes amazing.  YUM!!!

Another Round Of Nasty Storms Some Damage

So after many days of hazy, hot and humid weather the heat wave finally broke with quite a bang.  We had another nasty storm.  As a matter of fact some places had a tornado and others had straight line wind damage (which is a baby tornado....the winds are there but not the funnel cloud).  I wasn't home at the time of the storm but I suspect that the high winds knocked over some of the stuff in my garden.  One of the corn stalks fell over and a tomato plant is now leaning.  I think with some string and a stick all should be ok.  One of the massive zucchini plants has tipped over as well.  I think that the tomato cage that is holding it up may have come loose.  I will go out this morning to assess the damage.

My brother and his family came over last night between storms for a visit and couldn't believe the size of my plants.  He planted a garden but a few weeks after mine.  He doesn't believe me that it will get a lot bigger now that the heat is not so bad.  The one thing you learn as a gardener is patience.  For everything else in my life, I am not a patient person.  I have learned that I have to be patient with my garden.  I cannot control what Mother Nature does or doesn't do out there.

July 17th - Feelin' Hot Hot Hot

 So we are in the midst of a heatwave here in the city.  You know you're in trouble when you wake up at 5:30 a.m. and it's already in the 80's.  We really need some rain desperately!

So here you can see my cherry tomatoes that are just starting to ripen.  So far I've picked two.

 Here you can see just how high the corn has grown.  Yes folks it is now taller than our fence.

 Here you can see some of the cucumbers that are just starting to grow and get bigger.  I don't think that they will get very large as the plant isn't all that big.

And here is a photo of my 6 zucchini that I picked tonight, one cherry tomato, 2 patio tomatoes and some broccoli.

Here are some zucchini and broccoli that I just picked

Here is a photo of the zucchini and broccoli that I just picked from my garden.  Those were only the zucchini that I could reach.  There are many more but the plants have grown so large they are covering my walkway.  If anyone has some tasty recipes that you like to make with zucchini feel free to share them with me.  I love to bake.

The Day After The Big Storm - July 9, 2013

 July 8, 2013 will be a day that few people who live in the GTA will soon forget.  It started off as just another hot and humid day, but by 4:00 p.m., just as the rush hour was about to begin Mother Nature showed us just how powerful she is.  Within two hours we got 126 mm of rain.  That's more rain than Hurricane Hazel brought to the city back in 1954.  The rain stranded downtown commuters as the roadways quickly looked like lakes.  The DVP filled up with water until it was level with the Don River.  A GO Train filled with over 1,400 passengers got stuck in the water and threatened to topple over.  If that wasn't bad enough, snakes (I would hope they were the harmless garden variety) could be seen floating by in the murky water.  After being stranded for over 5 and 1/2 hours on that train the police marine unit came and rescued the passengers one by one.  The TTC quickly had to be shut down as the water levels rose on track level and platforms.  At one point during the storm more than 300,000 customers were without power.  It's now just over 24 hours later and 70,000 customers are still without power and there are rolling blackouts.  Another storm warning has just been issued.

But after all of the rain, heat and humidity I got out to visit my garden.  I have never seen it so lush and tropical.  Above you can see a Lily has bravely poked it's head out from under the rose bush.  The the Hostas are blooming beautifully.

 As promised in my previous post here is a better photo of the cob of corn.  The 4 plants are taller than our fence right now.

The zucchini have almost completely taken over the garden.  There are many zucchini ready to be picked just as soon as it gets dry enough to get in there.  The broccoli is also ready but the cauliflower seems to be all leaves at the moment.

I've now picked two of the patio tomatoes.  The cherry tomatoes are just starting to change colour and should be ready in a day or two if we get some much needed sun.

I Actually Have A Cob Of Corn

 We've been a way for a vacation and when I came back my garden looks like it's part of a tropical rainforest.  My Hosta plants are flowering beautifully.

 The zucchini are almost as tall as my waist and there are flowers all over the place.  As you can see this is just one of many zucchini plants.

 It's hard to see from this photo but there is an actual cob of corn on this stalk.  The plant is taller than I am now and as long as no animals fall off the fence onto the plant we should have some nice corn for the BBQ.

I have picked the first tomato off the patio tomato plant.  I haven't cut into it yet but it sure smells amazing.







It appears that my cucumbers are very happy now as well.  There are also very tiny cucumbers on each of the plants.

Lots Of Roses And A Zucchini Flower - June 20, 2013

With our cooler temperatures and lots and lots of rain we now have hundreds of roses on our rose bush.  They are absolutely beautiful.  Sadly my Queen Ann roses aren't doing as well.  We only seem to have four roses on the whole bush.  I think it's lifespan is sadly coming to an end.

 Here are my two Hosta plants that are just about ready to flower.  I think the smaller one needs to be moved as the bigger plant has taken over.  Can anyone please tell me how to safely move the plant without killing it?

 While watering the plants I noticed that some animal has jumped on the corn stalk.  I think it may be finished.  But as you can see the plants are doing extremely well.  We even have our first cherry tomatoes.

 Here are what's left of the cucumber plants.  These survivors are growing strong now.  I had to put a stick in them to keep them out of the wet soil.  I think they are about to flower.

 While watering the garden I spotted my very first zucchini flower and little baby zucchini.  Soon we will be overrun with zucchinis. I hope!  Let the baking begin. 

We also have the start of broccoli as well.  All of the plants have gotten much larger and healthier.  I've also grown some cauliflower but I think it must take longer for it to grow.  The plants are growing bigger but so far no cauliflower.

June 12, 2013 - First Strawberries Of The Season And Other Plants

 After many days of rain and cooler temperatures the sun has finally come out and it's warm.  My strawberries are very happy.  As you can see they are small yet very sweet.  It seems that the birds are loving the berries as much as we are.  Shoo birds go away!

 Here is my patio tomato plant and it's really doing well.  The green tomatoes are just starting to turn colour and in a few days we should have ripe tomatoes. 

 Here is my herb garden.  We've been enjoying the sage and parsley.  I can't say that I would go out of my way to plant this again but it's nice to have it right outside the kitchen when I need it.

 My cucumber plants are hiding under the table right now as we are about to get some nasty weather tonight.  These poor plants have taken more abuse than they should so I decided to give them a break and protect them.

 As you can see all of the plants have tripled in size with all of the rain and cooler temperatures.  It's rather muddy in the garden but everything is doing really well.

This is one of the two hanging baskets.  The other one is just as beautiful.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed this entry.  Please send me your garden questions and I'd be more than happy to answer them for you.  Get out there and get gardening!

June 2, 2013 - The Garden Is Doing Much Better

 For many days now it's been very hot and humid with a lot of off and on rain.  I guess the plants like this kind of weather because we have tomatoes in June.  The patio tomatoes are still green but as you can see they are there.

 Here's a photo of our frost damaged cucumbers.  I think we have lost three plants here.  If I happen to see any cucumbers on sale at the garden centre I will replace them.  If not we have what we have.  I think we can safely say that the threat of frost has now passed.

 In these two photos you can see just how much bigger the plants have become.  Even the pea plants have started to come up.  It won't be long now before we have fresh snow peas.

 Here you can see the first strawberries of the season.  It should be a day or two before they ripen.  I just hope that the birds don't eat them all.

Here is the very first rose just peeking out from the bush.  There are many many more to come.  The Queen Ann rose bush is sadly not doing so well.  We are down to one branch left.

Does Anyone Know.......

The sudden frost that happened a few nights ago has damaged the cucumber plants in the planter boxes.  Some of the leaves went crispy but there is still some green leaves and what looks like new growth.  How can I help the plants out and keep them alive?  Does anyone know?  Also the Marigolds are looking worse for wear as well.  The rest are doing ok.  It is expected to be in the upper 30's today so this should dry out the soil from our big rain storm the other night.  I think the tomato cages I have around many of the plants saved them from the hail during the night.  The pieces were rather large and would have crushed some of the smaller plants.

So if anyone has any suggestions for my cucumbers or Marigolds I would welcome any and all advice.  Thank you

Oh No Frost

Shortly after I had the garden all planted we had two days of cold temperatures and two very cold nights where we may or may not have had frost.  So far everything looks ok except for maybe the marigolds and the cucumbers.  I'm not sure if the marigolds have a little bit of transplant shock or they were affected by the cold temperatures.  Only time will tell.  Then there are the two planter boxes of cucumbers.  I'm not sure if they will survive or not.  Some of the leaves are damaged but it still looks like they are growing.  I brought them into the vestibule to keep them warm after the first night but I'm not sure if it was enough.  The week is suppose to be very hot and humid so let's hope this will help.

Let The 2013 Planting Season Begin

 The 2013 planting season has begun.  The weather has finally warmed up enough to plant and it was off to the garden center we went, bright and early before all of the crowds.  As you can see the strawberries are in full bloom and the planter below is looking great.

 Here is my lovely garden. This year we have planted corn along the back of the fence.  The last time I tried to grow corn was the year of the Barrie tornado so let's hope there are no tornadoes this year.  I've also planted peas, Sweet Million tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, zucchini, cauliflower and broccoli.  We have also planted Marigolds to keep the bugs away.  It seemed to do very nice as a pest control.

 Here are our lovely lilacs.  They are in full bloom and the backyard smells amazing!!!

 On the little table is a herb garden that my Dad gave me.  It has parsley, sage and thyme.  In the pot below is a patio tomato plant and in the two planter boxes are cucumbers.  Maybe they will grow better than in the actual garden.

In the two hanging baskets are two strawberry plants.  They have come back to life from last year.