Has been a very "squirrely" year for growing with as much as a 40 degree temp differance between day and night, day after day. The cool weather crops, and a lot of the flowers, have just LOVED it but the poor tomatoes have suffered drastically as a result! The big, lush plum tomato plants are about to be pulled up as they're suffering extreme blossom end rot despite soil treatments AND spraying for the problem..so much for the salsa this season! However, have other tomato varieties that are doing quite well, picked 5 this morning that are as big as baseballs, totally blemish free with several others "coming" on each plant: all is not a total loss in that category anyway, and there's always Green Tomato Pie or green tomato relish to be made if they don't get a chance to ripen on the vine.
Curcubits have produced nicely; Swiss Chard is more than I could hope for (as was the Red Russian kale); Nadia eggplants (a purple Italian variety with no bitterness and very few seeds)are setting fruit FAST! The zinnias, double petunias/single blossomed ones, pansies, hanging ivy geranmiums and zonals have far outdone themselves as have the herbs with the cooler nights we've had, have been little hummingbird magnets, especially in the evenings. Did have lovely roses and tiger lilies til the ANTELOPE discovered the "delicacies", DENUDED the plants along with a few other bushes in the front yard as the browsed their way thru to greener pastures. Enjoy seeing them, tho': (the does..or females) have the longest BLACK eyelashes imagineable; the males sport very ebony black horns (that they never shed like other members of the deer family) and this years' kids are just adorable! Have had as many as five in front yard at once, others are here on a daily basis looking for fallen apples off trees on property, so is a busy place at times (is sad, but the antelope are being pushed off their native feeding grounds by the never-ending building in this area, are seeking new areas to graze and it just happens to be in the residential ones).
Lost my "Big Buddy", my constant companion Saint Bernard, last week. Was expected because of his age, was..at least..a peaceful passing and he's now interred in a nice "doggie cemetary" out in the quiet countryside. House is too quiet without him; is hard to water plants every day and not have him there by my side; think something of me left with him as he was such a sweetheart! Am still not "right" over the loss, will be very hard to find a replacement when the time comes.
Sorry to hear of the loss of Big Buddy. I know how you feel, we had to have our Field Spaniel Rambo put down a week ago last Wednesday when the cancer hit his brain. It still hurts and we all miss him so much.
We had decided when we got his cancer diagnosis in January that he would be our last pet, just don't want to go thru that again...have done so too many times in the past.
Sorry to hear you lost your canine pal Weeds N Seeds :( Big hug.
So sorry about your pooch. Your wildlife sounds beautiful though. The vegetable crop sounds good. It seems i've heard many people say their tomatoes have been a loss. Enjoy.
I'm so sorry for your loss. Our beloved pets leave such large, empty spaces when they depart, disregarding their size when they were with us. I'd love to see your antelopes, maybe you'll manage to photograph them some day?
Oh so sorry to hear about your Big Buddy.I know you will miss him so very much.I would for sure miss my little buddy Oreo.
Your pants other than the tomato plant is doing great.
I'd like to thank you all SO VERY MUCH for the lovely thoughts on the loss of my Paddy, has eased the daily pain of missing him greatly!