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About a week ago I went to Sauvie Island and bought a bunch of lavender at a u-pick farm for only $2. It’s been drying on top of the microwave since then, and today I made it into 5 little sachets! Lavender is one of my favorite smells and one day I hope to have a huge patch like there was at the farm, but for now I’ll be putting these inside my dresser and pillows. ☺
Top and middle photos are from July 24; bottom is from July 30, 2018
“Texas Roadside”
Here's the finished product of yesterday's canning session: 11 jars of peach jam! I had so much fun yesterday that I'm going to jar some more today. I got up at 6 to pick blackberries (they're weeds here, so free for the taking!) and they're cooking down on the stove now. I didn't get around the the tomato sauce yesterday so that's on the list, and the mangoes I bought a while back are ready too! I'm gonna have way more jam than I know what to do with! July 31, 2018
We’re deep into summer now, riding a 90+ degree heat wave with no end in sight. I’ve been watering my tomatoes for several minutes every other day to inhibit fruit cracking and Blossom End Rot. They get redder every day!
Hot tip: Water in the morning to allow the dirt to absorb as much water as possible before the sun and heat evaporate it from surfaces. Morning sun is gentle enough to dry off plants without burning foliage, unlike intense mid-day sun. Don't water at night because that invites disease to your plants by creating prolonged moist conditions. Morning is the best time to water.
The blossom end rot on my Red Zebra looks to have subsided somewhat. Its vines are super long and spindly but I topped them several weeks ago so that growth has slowed as well. I’ve been using its first ripe fruits on sandwiches!
The San Marzanos are ripening as well. I don’t know how long they’ll last on the vine, but I’m going to find out since I want to wait until as many as possible are red and ready to be made into sauce!
From here on it’ll be a matter of keeping my three plants fed and watered until they quit producing. In about 6 weeks I expect the determinate San Marzanos to be done fruiting, so at that point I will compost them. The Red Zebra, on the other hand, is indeterminate, so it will keep fruiting until the weather takes a cool turn (probably around late September).
Bonus tip: beware of overwatering as well. If you see any mold on top of the dirt or unusually spotted or furled leaves, water less often to allow those areas to dry more thoroughly between waterings.
July 25, 2018
Hi y'all! I’m happy to announce that this little blog of mine has hit 2000 followers! Thank you guys so much!
They’re not garden-related, but here are some photos I took during my weekend trip to the coast. My pup had a great time chasing seagulls on the beach!
For those who don’t know, on top of being a plant freak I’m also a huge whale nerd, so I was absolutely elated when my family and I stopped at a viewpoint above a cove that just happened to have a baby gray whale in it, playing in the surf! It was the first time I’d ever seen a whale from the shore and the first time I’d seen one in Oregon.
After a while of watching it, someone told us that she had seen adults to the north, so we headed to the next viewpoint and found a bunch of people covered in blankets and sitting in chairs facing the ocean, where a few boats were parked not far out. Clearly there was something out there to see! Sure enough, after just a few seconds we started to see spouts from two adult whales and a juvenile! They would dive and be out of sight for a few minutes and then would reappear to breathe a few times before going back under, which is characteristic of feeding activity. They’re not the most interesting watch, but I was thrilled regardless!
After that we headed to yet another viewpoint, not expecting or trying to see more whales, but that’s exactly what happened. I couldn’t get out of the car without seeing whales! I’m still in awe of the incredible, enchanting experience that I hope to repeat in a few months when I take a weekend trip with my fiancé to the coast to go whale watching again! 🌊🐋🌤
Photos are from July 16, 2018
Picked the first ripe Red Zebra today!! So pretty 😍 and it was delicious on the sandwich I took to work! Very flavorful. There's nothing like the taste of a homegrown tomato! July 19, 2018
For the first time ever I’ve found ladybug larvae in my garden! These beneficial bugs prey on aphids in both their larval and adult stages so I am very excited that they’re living in my tomatoes.
Today I discovered that one of them has pupated on the outside of a tomato pot! A short while later another larva appeared in its pre-pupa stage. I looked around the pots for more and found another pupa on the shady side. All three are on the same tomato pot: the one that gets the most sun. Two of them will be in direct sun while they pupate and I hope they don’t get too hot, but I trust that they know what they’re doing!
I really, really hope I get to watch one of them emerge! I don’t know how long it’ll take before they’re ready, but I’ll keep checking them and find out!
Top photo: July 7; middle and bottom: July 10
Tomato growth progression! I can’t believe I only transplanted them 2 months ago.
Top photo: May 6; bottom: July 7
