Fall Foliage

Fall Foliage theme photograph for my camera club's November meeting...

Green Bean Season

Pole beans are one of the few edibles I grow in my garden.  I grow them because I love green beans -- nothing tastes like a fresh green bean -- and they are so easy to grow.  I have tried several varieties of pole beans, but I always come back to my favorite, Kentucky Wonder.  They are prolific, tasty and -- for the most part -- problem free.

I got a late start this year with my green beans, so my harvest is just beginning now.  Normally, the season would be in full swing.

This year, we had a pest problem with the beans -- rabbits.  The rabbits normally leave the beans alone once the plants are too tall for the rabbits to strip the leaves from the upper portions of the plant.  But this year, the rabbits chopped off six of my eighteen plants just above the ground, killing the plants entirely.  That's 2/3 of my planting!

Fortunately, I discovered the problem and got fencing around the plants quickly.  The remaining plants are doing well and starting to produce.  I have picked several handfuls already and used a few in meals.

Usually, I freeze several bags of green beans for winter enjoyment.  I prefer them over store-bought frozen green beans.  I'm hopeful that I will have enough to freeze this year.  Fingers crossed.

Why I am Worried

I have shown this re-blooming bearded iris before (here).  

It doesn't re-bloom every fall, but every time it has re-bloomed in the past, it has not lasted long before the weather changes and winter is upon us.  I associate the second set of blooms with the end of fall and the onset of winter.

So the reason I am worried is that it is blooming its fool head off right now.  I don't think it has ever bloomed as vigorously as it is this summer.  I hope this doesn't mean what it usually means.  I'm not ready for winter!

Blueberry Season - The Final Score for 2014

This year's blueberry season lasted from early July to about August 10th.  There were still quite a few unripe berries left on the Elliot bush when we stopped picking, but the birds picked the remaining berries as fast as they ripened.  There must be some fat, happy birds in our neighborhood.  I saw robins, cardinals, blue jays and catbirds in the garden.  And there were some small critters, such as chipmunks, enjoying the bounty too.

We picked a total of 63 cups of berries.  (Last year we picked 34 cups.)  Of those 63 cups, about 15 cups went to neighbors, a few we ate fresh, and the rest were frozen.  I gave a bunch of bags of frozen blueberries to my sister.

I have been enjoying peach/blueberry smoothies made with fresh peaches and frozen blueberries for breakfast many mornings lately.  YUM!

A successful blueberry season.

The Shed - At Work and At Play

I knew from the beginning that there would be a certain element of "play house" to my garden shed.  Up until the time it was delivered, I insisted to myself and to Eric that element would be small and temporary.  I warned Eric that the stinky, dirty lawn mower and gas cans would have to stay in the garage for a while longer.

But when I started filling the shed with stuff, it became obvious that the "play house" element was here to stay.  One of the first things in the shed (after the curtains and candle lamps in the windows) was a small wool rug that had been languishing in our garage.  And then a collection of children's tea sets...

And a spare picnic table, dressed for a tea party.  

The shed will always be a working garden shed -- storing rakes, shovels, grass seed, a wheel barrow, hand tools, outdoor furniture cushions, umbrellas, and etc.

It also serves as storage for my gardening books and a place for me to do garden planning and garden day dreaming.

That's my "grab and go" bucket of gardening hand tools by the door.

And this storage cabinet can easily be turned into a potting table by removing my tray of "curiosities" and adding the potting tray stored on the loft shelf.

But, to me, nothing says "Garden Shed" louder or more emphatically than this Waterford crystal table lamp that I bought at an estate sale.

Or the antique cherry drop leaf table that replaced the old picnic table.

It is Blueberry Season!

We have 11 blueberry bushes -- four different varieties.  I know that 5 of the bushes are Elliot, but I cannot recall what the others are.  Four of the Elliots are not even close to producing -- they are under 2 feet tall.  Our goal for them this year is to help them survive the rabbits.  We have them caged to protect them.  

Last year, 2013, I covered several branches on each of the 7 bushes that were producing with floating row cover to protect the berries from the birds.  I only picked from what was covered.  What was not covered got picked clean by the birds.  Between June 29 and August 11 of 2013, I picked 34 cups of blueberries. Wow!

This year, after pruning the bushes for the first time ever, I was worried about the bushes being less productive.  My fears were totally unfounded.  Actually, quite the opposite is true.  The bushes are more productive than they have ever been.  One of the bushes is so full of berries that the branches are bent over and touching the ground.  

For at least the last two weeks, the robins, blue jays and chipmunks have been feasting!  And I have been picking!  Last year at this time, I had picked 7 cups of berries.  This year's total, as of today is 12 cups.  And we haven't covered a single branch with floating row cover.  

A Gift for Lois

In the event that you are looking for that special gift to buy for me, I have discovered the one thing that will make my life complete:

The auto in the picture is a 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Convertible Sedan.  I am not too particular about the year -- I'll take any model from the 1920's thorough the 1930's.  But the color is rather important -- only green will do.  And, of course, it must be a convertible.  

If only every gift giving dilemma could be solved so easily...