Harvest

The end of summer is here and that means harvest. Every week I go gather what I can use or store. I'm also starting to do the sanitation and preparation for winter!

Today I went out quickly after dinner and filled a couple old colanders with:

1 gigantic cucumber - not as long as the others at only 9" long. But it had GIRTH, it was 10" around!
1 dozen or so cherry tomatoes
34 carrots, about 1/4 of my crop, to make baby food for Iris
2 dozen heads of calendula - I am swimming in calendula this year and will have to sell some on, I couldn't use what I have in 10 years. I harvest this much every other day.
Some basil for drying
Plenty of raspberry leaves, enough to dry and make several pots of tea.

Not bad for one evening's take!
-------------------------------

I pruned the birches back to my head height a few days ago and they look SO much better. Not just them, but the lillies underneath them can finally get some sun now. It was a lot of work but so worth it. Once I kill off the grass that has crept into the beds around their trunks I'll mulch heavily for winter.

I deadheaded the roses tonight and they all look fantastic. Nice shape, growth, lots of budding, healthy looking plants. Except the Little Mischief. I don't know if I can save that one, and I don't know what's going wrong. It is still growing and blooming fine, but so many of the leaves have what looks like a fungal disease (even though the little mischief is well ventilated) and when the blooms drop new leaves don't replace them - I just have bare twigs. I am not sure it will come back after the winter, and I'm sad about that. If not, I suppose I'll figure out a replacement next summer, but I'd love to keep the one I have!

The lawn is the bane of my existance this year. Hot and dry, the weeds all grew and the grass all died. It needs a lot of recovery. I need to kill off as many weeds as I can, aerate, then mulch and reseed the entire thing. Some spots more than others. Lots of water. Reminder to myself for next year: At least 1" of water a week, don't let it go longer. Keep it about 3" long, and never mow more than 1/3 of the blade off. We'll see if that helps.