"The watering of a garden requires as much judgement as the seasoning of a soup."
–Helena Ely
7/13/16:
I'm hoping to continue writing guest posts on other gardening blogs (so far, I have one up on the GrowIt! site). In preparation, I'm reading a lot on popular topics, such as home remedies for pests and diseases. I'd like to supplement what I've already learned from experience with tested advice from other gardeners. One new idea I've tried this week: using a 2:1 mixture of water and milk on the leaves of rosebushes, to repel blackspot and mildew. We shall see how effective this is.
Clicking on the small images below will bring up a larger version.
Lovely blossoms, damaged leaves.
Thinning kale and lettuce.
Fuchsia in full bloom.
Under the tulle netting, my lettuce and herb seedlings have grown nicely while staying safe from squirrels, bugs and snails. I've been re-labeling (there weren't any basil seedlings in a planter marked as such, but red lettuces seem to have sprung up there) and did a bit of thinning. These harvested tiny plants will be great in a salad tonight: my first using greens entirely from the garden! I'll throw in a few of the nasturtium flowers and radishes also... if only I could grow cheese plants and bacon trees.
The clusters of containers around the house, and pots hanging from the eaves, are getting to be a disorderly jungle again. Many plants are growing rapidly but also have dead branches and flower stems that have gone to seed. I started with untangling fuchsias and geraniums, and plan to continue tidying up by cutting back anything not currently blooming. I have all 5 days off from work next week, so I should be able to make time for some serious gardening.
