September 2011
17 posts
Monthly Garden Report for September
September can’t be over. It just can’t be. I’m not ready. I’ve been so preoccupied with putting up food in the kitchen that I’ve had to ignore the outside. I’ve been avoiding the perennial beds entirely. Despite the fall flowers, I’ll only see weeds that need immediate pulling and be reminded of plants I never got around to transplanting. Maybe in a week.
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Canned Thoughts
It’s harvest season, which for many translates as canning season. Despite the resurgent popularity of preserving, few put up their harvest in cans. Many don’t want to bother with the trouble and expense of purchasing aluminum cans and the necessary equipment. Most freeze their fruits and veg. Some like me still put up their food in glass jars, but for whatever reason, still refer to it...
“I froze sixty pounds of tomatoes last year, and they freeze brilliantly if you...”
– Tomato wisdom from Anna Pavord in The Curious Gardener, p. 83.
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This Rose Is Not Blue
I saw the headline for this article in Wired Magazine on the development and commercial availability of that Holy Grail of roses, a “true blue” rose. Roses genetically lack the pigments to produce a blue flower. According to the article, the Japanese company Suntory Flowers have managed to create the first blue rose, whicy they are calling ‘Applause,’ by inserting the gene...
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Too Hot To Handle, Too Cold To Hold
Most gardeners in the U.S. are familiar with the USDA hardiness zone map which chops up the country in to colorful growing zones based on average lowest winter temperatures. The problem with these zones is that using the lowest temperature at which a plant will survive is a poor gauge of its performance in your region. Average rainfall, soil composition and pH, humidity, average sun exposure,...
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Monthly Garden Report for August
I’ve delayed posting this because I’m living in denial that it’s September. September is the month when I have to put up dozens of jars of tomatoes, pears, and peaches, and raspberry jam. I prefer squeezing the last few thrills of summer out of late August afternoons.
Normally, it is a favorite time of mine in the garden with its late summer blooms. This year, it felt a bit...
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