Happy Halloween!
by Leslie Cox; Friday, October 31, 2014
This spooky apparition typically hides out on a farm near us. Lately, he has been more visible…waving to us as we drive past on our way to the park for a Sadie-walk.
Tomato Tally – End of Season 2014
by Leslie Cox; Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Last Sunday was The Day. John and I stripped the last of the green tomatoes off of the plants in the greenhouse. Past time when all the tomatoes and cucumber vines should have been removed, the greenhouse tidied up and the slightly tender plants, the pots that are not frost-resistant and Mom’s driftwood bench were to be moved in for storage over the winter.
Next on the list was to weigh all those tomatoes, by variety, and enter the data onto my spreadsheet. I have been keeping a running total of the tomato harvest all season just to compare which ones ripened first, how much fruit harvested per plant and how long each variety kept up production.
Talk About a Storm!
by Leslie Cox; Friday, October 24, 2014
Rain! Buckets and buckets of it!
Last twelve days…311.0 mm (12.8 in). More than double the monthly average for October.
Record breaker day on Tuesday, October 21st…88.0 mm (3.5 in) of rain in 24 hours.
Probably broke another record as 85 mm (3.4 in) of that 88.0 mm came pouring down in just roughly thirteen hours. Someone literally had turned on a tap somewhere.
A New Gardening Column
by Leslie Cox; Sunday, October 19, 2014
For any writer, it is always an absolute thrill when we are asked to write for a publication. This recently happened to me!
I was contacted back in late August by a writer acquaintance and asked if I was interested in writing a gardening column as a guest writer for an online website and emagazine. The thrill was very real but first I had ascertain details as to length, subject matter, how many photos and what the deadlines would be before I could think of committing to putting one more item on my plate.
Keep Your Eyes Peeled for…
by Leslie Cox; Wednesday, October 15, 2014
While picking the Spartan apples off our tree the other day, John spotted some forest tent caterpillar egg masses on a few branch tips.
Autumn is a really good time to check all of your trees and shrubs for this pest, Malacosoma disstria. When the leaves have dropped. Much easier to spot the blobs of eggs. Pruning them out now will decrease the size of an infestation next spring.
