What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

We had stuffed bell peppers yesterday for dinner.

It's the time when there are just too many of them to use 1 & 2 at a time. Along with chopped sweet peppers in the stuffing, a few jalapeños went in as well ... and cherry tomatoes. Under the cheese on top and the little pepper stem cap, of course there was rice, onions and ground beef.

Steve

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

Clipping and trimming rhody’s, pine trees , potinia’s and Rosemary . Took out a huge butterfly bush roots an all it was a whopper 20’x18’. It’s toast now. Stupid bush..

 

[flowerbug]

...Took out a huge butterfly bush roots an all it was a whopper 20’x18’. It’s toast now. Stupid bush..

i objected when Mom planted some where she did back next to another garden because i knew they could spread so easily. yes, it's been a large pain in the butt ever since then.

 

[digitS']

Recovered the southeast corner of the greenhouse (sunshed). I hope it was worthwhile. The uv-resistant film was new and leftover from complete replacement about 5 years ago. What was put up then cannot last much longer, however. Summer sunlight is what damages plastic film and it made it through 2025.

I say sunlight but wind puts stress on it. And, you know what else can damage it? Something trying to climb up that sloping south wall.

I don't know what it was but suspect — a racoon. I scared off one about 2 weeks ago but the damage was about 2 years ago and has already been patched by extending the bar caps boards. Raccoon because the original damage was a little higher up than a cat might has caused and probably because of toenails and trying to gain traction. And, for what? Trying to explore the roof? Damn him!

 

[Dahlia]

We had stuffed bell peppers yesterday for dinner.

It's the time when there are just too many of them to use 1 & 2 at a time. Along with chopped sweet peppers in the stuffing, a few jalapeños went in as well ... and cherry tomatoes. Under the cheese on top and the little pepper stem cap, of course there was rice, onions and ground beef.

Steve

Do you mind sharing your stuffed bell pepper recipe? That sounds good!

 

[SPedigrees]

Two recent frosts killed most of my potted porch plants, so I emptied all the pots, except for the still-hanging-on petunias and snapdragons. The next freeze will probably wipe out those remaining plants. Time to replace them with pumpkins I guess. I relocated all my windchimes from the open front porch to the enclosed back porch for winter.

Nothing living remained in my raised beds, so I chopped and dropped the tomato plants (will be surprised if I don't get a few volunteer tomato plants next summer) and the orange cosmos in the whisky barrel planter. Not sure why I haven't been using this method in past years, but it makes sense to use the spent plants as soil enrichment.

 

[digitS']

Dug out a good length of one bed and gathered frost-damaged/killed plants. Often, I am using a garden plant equivalent to straw, rather dried out material. I prefer not to do that and use those with a good deal of moisture still in them. Prepping for a 2nd planting of something, and dragging up zinnia stems with the spading fork 9 months after they were buried, that is not what I am hoping for in 2026. I should probably have put some high nitrogen fertilizer on them but quite a few green leaves, including cucumber vines, were included in the trench before a good 8" of soil covered everything.

Next should be a bed that mostly grew green beans this year. I expect to have some difficulty with the digging because the soil is so rocky in that area. A 3rd digging, maybe it will go better this time. Bean plants from elsewhere along with squash vines are available for additions.

Despite doing well, the squash were planted in a nearly unprepared ground this year. I think that that ground should be a prime location for compost. It would be great if I had sufficient compost for 100% of the garden this Fall but that isn't the case. Compost from the lawngrass sod removed for the additional beds of recent years was finished in the Spring. It's still proving value and that's true with what went into the soil in 2024. It isn't just zinnia stems that can hang around for 12 months plus.

Well, it's freezing outdoors again at 5AM and didn't hit a more comfortable 45⁰f (7⁰C) until 10AM yesterday. Fair weather gardener here . Finished my peanut butter and banana sandwich for a 1st breakfast. Should take advantage of the time with a mug full of herbal tea . Uh oh, now where did that hour go ?