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The rest of the tomato varieties are beginning to wilt one by one 😭. I read on line that you might be able to save them if you dig them up and pot them in new soil so I did that with my Roma, I can't imagine a full sized plant surviving that but it wasn't going to live anyway so I figured nothing ventured...
So far my peppers don't seem to be affected 🤞
My sugar snap peas are beginning to get ahead of me so I think I'll start freezing some, maybe I'll make up my own stir fry veggie mix.
I don't know what is going on with the zucchini, there are lots of little fruits but they aren't getting any bigger. I'll try giving them some fertilizer.
And my romaine needs to be harvested before it bolts but I'm only one person and I can't eat that much salad. Maybe I'll add some to the bag of frozen spinach.
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I'm fully into the annual disillusioned phase of gardening.
The Japanese beetles have shown up and are swarming the peas and beans....
Cucumber beetles won't be far behind (are probably here already) to kill the zucchini and cucumbers.
The corn I planted for decoration is tasselling at less than waist height, so not much decorative value there.
Still no sign of any little pumpkins.
And we haven't had a decent amount of rain in weeks.
Why do I even bother😞.
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The garden my DIL and her Dad planted is doing well, but not nearly as much as I would have liked to plant. But I can't get much done from a wheelchair. My stepson's vegetable supplier got me three bushels of half runner green beans from TN. I've stringing green beans all morning. I'll start canning in the morning. Going to get tomatoes later in the week.
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I haven't seen beans that you need to string in.... forever (other than my scarlet runners). And I've mostly given up on "schnippling" them too and just nib, blanch and freeze them whole.
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Don't give up on ridding the Japanese Beetles.
There are instructions online, using Neem Oil.

And plant garlic.
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Half runners have too many strings and they're a longer bean. Wouldn't can well whole. My family likes them canned not frozen. They're a family favorite so I can several bushels every summer.
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I found a little lilac "Charles Joly" on sale for only $7.50. The tag says 10' high by 8' spread. I have nowhere to put it....
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Becky, you have inspired me to get some green beans to can.

I am going to make some spicy pickled green beans as well. So yummy with sandwiches or in salads.
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🙂 "A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows."
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I am amazed and very pleased with my delphiniums which are just coming into bloom. My oldest plant has spires 7+ ft tall. The strangest thing is that for the first time I sprayed that bed (around the perennials) with round up last fall. I had no bugs on them this year and all the delphiniums are doing much better that usual, and they are usually reasonably good. Didn't expect that!

On the other hand my japanese anemones in front are being smothered by the shrub roses and I didn't have my usual show of those lovely graceful white spring flowers. My helpers have been doing a lot of pruning. I may do a bit more so the anemones survive for whoever buys this house. I have a dark red astilbe and a honeysuckle in the same bed that are being crowded out too. On the bed where not much survives except weeds and wild raspberries, my troilus has survived and reproduced another so I will leave it there and just spray round up around it and add some more cedar bark mulch.

Vinegar solution is doing a pretty good job of getting rid of the moss/mildew on the front deck. I will get some of the Natura deck cleaner to see if it helps get rid of what's left.
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I have never had good results with delphiniums.
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Me either. I loved my grandmother's beautiful shy blue delphiniums but whenever I've planted them they never come back the second year.
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Not sure what's going on with the zucchini, I thought it was dead but now there is new growth and even flowers🤔
My early beans are starting to produce, I've got a handful for my supper tonight.
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Delphiniums seem to like northern Alberta. We are zone 2 though some zone 3 plants survive here.. My main delphinium plant has been here for years and years and seeded many babies which are adults now. At one point I had a dark purple blue, a baby blue and a white one as well but they didn't survive more than a few years. This one is what I call an electric blue - a very vivid colour.

A friend in Edmonton had an enormous pale blue delphinium which she decided had to go when she had her garden landscaped to be more senior friendly. I was there when the guys were digging it up. The roots went down to China. They had to dig an huge hole to get it out. I was sorry to see it go.

Hoping delphiniums will do well on the cottage lot. It is zone 4a which gives me lots more options but the colder winters lower that to 2 or 3.

cw - I love lilacs - the leaves as well as the flowers. I am sure you found a spot for it.
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A few weeks ago I saw a post from someone that had snapped one of those little clam shell plastic containers left over from berries he'd bought over his ripening strawberries in order to protect them. I thought that was a brilliant idea and pulled one out of my recycling and snapped it over some blossoms on an ever bearing strawberry plant - then I promptly forgot all about it. Today I found a beautiful big strawberry inside, the only one I've picked this year😄🍓

I also dumped out my pot of potatoes: I've got a nice respectable 10 spuds, 4 of which are a good tennis ball size🥔.
I planted some zucchini in the pot, I know it's late but I've got the seeds so I figured I may as well try.
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Corn will ready by midweek. The rest of the garden has been very good this year. Just wish I could get out in the dirt myself. But My DIL and her dad have done a lot of work for me.
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Had a little trouble finding this thread, because someone started a new one:
"Gardening as Therapy, any advice". 😡

This thread, and the people posting here have nurtured my soul over the years.
There is also so much good advice!

So, even though it is so very hot-too hot for new plants, I am preparing two new, larger square planters. Drilling holes, adding cut up pool noodles in the bottom to save on rocks and potting soil. Then, will just place a smaller plant in a small pot on top, until the heat passes, maybe in October.

Has anyone heard from Garden Artist? Hope that she is still nurturing her own garden, and dreaming of Spring planting ideas.
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My small backyard has become my personal oasis since I began caregiving for my parents, 92&94 years old. Until I read this post, I never thought of it as therapy, but it definitely is. My personal activity, besides the general lawn care, is building fairy gardens. I have the outer edges of the yard fairyscaped by Spring...stumps, Goodwill finds, rocks, miniature houses, mushrooms, etc. Then when I get a visit from my granddaughters, I give them a box of fairy figurines and tiny accessories which they spend their visit setting up and playing with during their stay. After their visit, I have the most interesting gardens and spend the rest of the summer discovering the intricate settings and playing in them myself :) This involves a bit of bonsai pruning and maintenance of plants. This year I discovered that persistent pruning of the larger leaves from a morning glory vine (impossible to keep out at this point) will keep all the leaves small...they look beautiful and delicate in their setting. Then there's reading my book in my garden with my morning coffee, garden parties with my girls, and the joy of actually keeping old and new plants alive...to quote Sendhelp,'this activity has nurtured my soul over the years.' Love this thread. Happy gardening to all!
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The English Garden magazine for November has arrived.
Just wonderful!
Better than therapy.
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I was pleasantly surprised that most of my plants survived my 2 week absence, only the zinnias in the front yard were completely dead although everything else looked desperate for a drink. I had given up on that zucchini I planted but it sprouted while I was gone - it's very late so it will have to be coddled if I want anything from it. Some of my beans are re blossoming, I'm letting the rest go to seed. And I may get a few peppers and tomatoes.
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Be careful what you do in the garden.

The potatoes have eyes,
the corn has ears,
and the beanstalk.

🤣
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Even though it's still hot here, Fall is asserting its dominance and creating beautiful scenes in the highway medians and in the woods along the more rural areas. The colors are always so lovely, and so soothing. It's as if the trees are preparing for winter and encouraging us to do so as well.

I'm enjoying seeing the extensive hydrageas along my regular routes as some cling tenaciously to their summer colors, and others bow to the changing weather.

Gardening for me this year just didn't happen; too many health issues to even try. But there's always next year!
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GA, hope you feel better and have continued improved health.

We are just getting into our gardening season and I am a happy camper. I am so over this heat. Looking forward to being outside without melting.

This summer was so hot that even my watermelon and cantaloupes didn't produce very well, not enough pollinators in the heat.
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GA, sorry to hear you are having health struggles, wishing you some sunnier days ahead!
I was just outside, September is just another month of summer here, hot and humid, looking at my limelight hydrangeas. They have such long lasting blooms and when it’s finally fall, the blooms turn a pretty golden brown. I’m looking forward to cooler temps next month and being able to plant snapdragons and pansies that will bloom all winter. To get spring tulips I buy a 50 count bag and let them have a nice 6 week winter in the fridge then plant them in January. They bloom beautifully in March but sadly never return and I’m way too lazy to dig them up and store them.
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GA,
Hoping you are soon up and gardening!
I have felt the need to prepare for winter, we still have a little time.

Looking forward to Spring! 🌱
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I planted a bunch of milkweed last year to attract monarch butterflies. Didn’t do much to attract them last year. This year I had a bunch more pods and today I had four monarch butterflies. I am going to order some more milkweed to plant. I reseeded a large section of lawn last year with clover. I have more honey bees this year.
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Lots of frost this morning, I'm glad I brought most of my houseplants inside early this year. The weather network said we were getting a mild fall but it's actually like somebody pulled the plug on summer because ever since Sept 24 the temperatures have been below normal.
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Thanks to those who offered support for my challenges, which fortunately could be a lot worse, but they're not. That's one of the reasons I've been reading a lot of WWI and II novels, many based on real experiences. I remind myself that I'm nowhere near the nigthmarish situations those people suffered through, and survived.

I did have some surprises. The little blue flowers, the name of which I can't remember right now, appeared again, and bloomed for a very short time. I've never figured out why they don't appear in the same site; it's as if they're a "traveling bloom".

The goldenrod moved again, appearing in 2 places, and bloomed well until just a few days ago. I forgot to collect seeds; would it be too late now?

I really gave up on a garden this year; too many other interferences, but I'll have a good chance to plan one over the winter. Then I only have to figure out how to get it done.

I have decided to stock up on sturdy plastic and solarize as much as I can. The garden is just too big to turn by hand, although I might pick up a small tiller at the end of the season.

Anyone else use a tiller, and have recommendations on which to consider? The yard now is overgrown with grass, but years ago it was tilled by Dad, and I double dug areas that were tilled. Now I have nonnative plants, lots of grass, and still some durable daylilies, but almost all of the irises and special plants I bought are gone.
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Potatoes got dug and pumpkins all in. Ended up with 7 bushels of potatoes. Got all of them out in the attic on newspaper. Grandsons did all the work. Way too many pumpkins. Cleaned two to make pumpkin casserole and a couple of pies tomorrow.
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Rain today, rain yesterday, and rain the day before that😒. Predictions of well below freezing tonight so who knows, maybe even a little snow (areas near me have already had it). And then it's supposed to go up to almost 20°C by Monday???
The municipal leaf/yard waste collection ends next week and needless to say I haven't been raking, but then most of the leaves are still on the trees....
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