After 3 weeks away and our house guests didn't eat much Oct 2025

 

Will the dahlia ever bloom?

Geranium going strong

I need to get zinnia seeds from these

I've given away 5 zucchini and 8 cucumbers as well as peppers but more are coming. I hate to waste anything but it might come to that.

September 2025 Lots of cucumbers, zucchini etc

 As it seems, September is a big month for the harvest.

Lots of tomatoes. Lots of yellow ones that I sent to Durango

 

20 + jars of dill pickles, 2 of bread and butter and 2 zucchini relish

pesto with almonds

Sauce.  Plus I made Carrot, ginger, lemon soup

2 cantaloupe.  Will eat those on Sept 9

Love the pink sedum

The Japanese beetles continue to be a pain, destroying leaves and flowers.  the Governor must have them as he wrote something about them.  

We are leaving for 3 weeks.  I hope that Brian and Hayley will enjoy the harvest and not let it waste.

August 9 Part 2

 I just drown 7  beetles. They were on the petunias.    So 8 jars of pickles.  Not sure what to do with the tomatoes.  

I had some overs ized cucumbers and made a nice cucumber, apple, mint drink.

 

I roasted cauliflower, cooked turkey bacon and pork bacon.  I make canneli bean hummus with all the parsley.  There is the Pico and the basil before I made pesto. I am making it with almonds not pine nuts or walnuts.  I like the taste better. 

July 2025 Garden pictures

 

Love having the Rio.  Sandy Timboe gave me the white one

Neighbor's dahlia. I took a Japanese beetle off of it as I took a walk

Swallow tail butterfly

The first of only 4 zucchini as of Aug 9

Is this something weird or a green pepper (supposed to be bell red)?

August 9, 2025 part 1

Not sure why I have not written.  Maybe because of the discouraging zucchini harvest.   Cucumbers were slow too.  But the cucumbers are coming now.  Only 2 zucchini growing now. I've picked two and Linda Coulson gave me  3. zukes.  I made chocolate zucchini bread, 3 loaves and gave the other two to the new neighbors. 

I've been enjoying killing Japanese Beetles.  I drown them, a few a night.  But the candle by the Pink cone flowers, also called echinechea I think, has been rather funny. I read somewhere but can't remember where to put a candle near the area where they are eating flowers.  When it is really hot, like it has been, the wax melts, they are attracted and fall into the candle. It's gross, yes.

Lots of tomatoes.  I had this huge one and Jodi Hook used it to make Pico.  It was green for a long time. Then what was supposed to be a mini colored pepper plant, Jodi said was jalapeno.  So one night while she was here, we made Pico and it was so good.

She loved having zoodle pesto one night during the class.

July 9, 2025 Will be 100 degrees today.

 Grass is no longer so green.  Lots of brown spots.  

There is a little bug eating the zinnias, very tiny and it is not slugs. Not sure what to do.

The vegetables seem to be okay, lots of male zucchini flowers but Laura said this is normal.  

Peppers and tomatoes seem to be doing well and harvest in another week or so

I did the big cutting/pruning of all the petunias, hard to do but hopefully by the time Ellen and the kids come, the flowers will be back.

July 1, 2025

 It's good to be home.

some notes:

1. 3 male zucchini flowers. where are the females?

2. I've not seen any pests and I have been spraying with the baking soda, white vinegar, gentle soap, water mixture.

3. Since the little zinnia seeds are partially eaten, I bought 4 zinnias at Plum Creek. Love that place

4. The echineachia  that I planted last year as seeds is huge and will soon flower.

5. So thrilled that the Oriental lilies bloomed when I got home.

6. I have to mercilessly prune the petunias again and that is always hard but they look fantastic and I am going away on the 10th.

7.  Peas are gone. I am going to make shepherd's pie with them

8.  Enjoying the parsley, basil and dill!

9.  I am making pesto and basil/oil cubes today or tomorrow

10.  I took a funny gardening towel to Laura F. 

11. Will need Laura to water the coleus while I am gone.