garden update

As usual, the gardening season has been triumphant and disappointing.

I let the tomato plants nearly dry out, and most of them haven't recovered, even with last week's massive rain. I think I put too much nitrogen on the peppers, so I got a lot of leaves but not enough peppers. And I got done in by the zucc and cuc killing bugs again, though I managed to get a few decent zuccs before the droopy end. Eggplant died, bigtime died. And I just plain ignored beans, which was stupid because I have seeds for purple ones.

But then, I done real good on the colorful annuals. They's pretty. And the new rose bush settled in and made itself at home -- it's now on it's third bloom. My thyme-and-stepping-stone experiment's going nicely. And, most amazing, I had a rosemary plant survive the winter, which is something my grandpa couldn't manage to do in his slightly more northern climate (I talked about his battles with rosemary at his funeral).

Oh yeah, the habaneros have been the culinary surprise of the summer. Hot fire! I'm a salsa-making freak (more on that later).

I'd like to spend the better part of every day out there. But I need some more plants or money or both. And maybe a little more time. The yard's getting there. But there are still a loy of areas that need filling in.

Well, signing off until the season-end report (unless those lettuses and turnips get me all inspired, which they probably will, I hope)

Click that picture up there for a flickr documentary.