How Does My Garden Grow?

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• ...with her hands she planteth a vineyard

From a distance, my garden is starting to look just a bit ragged. We had a couple of nights of pretty heavy frost, and although I covered everything as best I could, where the cover touched the leaves of the squash, the leaves turned black and then brown. It looks terrible, but I left the dead leaves alone, thinking that it would protect the underneath part of the plant...

..where it appears to be still growing strong, full of blooms and...

...the beginning of baby squash! There are several, like the one on the right, that look like they're suffering from blossom end rot, so I pulled them off. According to what I read online, this could be from inconsistent watering or lack of calcium in the soil. Adding eggshells to the compost will help for next year, but for this year apparently I need to get some calcium foliate that I spray on the plants. So I'll be visiting the feed store or maybe Tractor Supply and see what I can find.

Meanwhile the chard is thriving and ready to start picking the outer leaves, I think.

I actually thinned the lettuce, I harvested enough for a couple of salads for myself and some to share with my mom and dad, as well. I think I should be able to just clip the outer leaves and let the rest of of it keep going. The carrots need thinning badly, I just love their feathery tops, though. I wonder if I can eat the tops of the ones I pull?

I have two new additions in a couple of the empty squares--my mom and I ordered a few small fruit plants, and I stuck them in the bed temporarily. When my husband is home over Thanksgiving we'll decide on more permanent locations. These are several varieties of blackberries...

...and these are some blueberry plants. It'll be a couple of years before we get anything off of these, but I'm looking forward to harvests for many years to come!

Since that last heavy frost, we stuck a couple of old tomato cages in the corner by the squash, and then partway down by the lettuce, so I'm hoping having a raised cover will protect the squash plants a little better, at least until the blooms that are already there have a chance to make.

Meanwhile, I'll be enjoying the salad!

Until next time...

This post is linked to:

Garden Party Tuesday at An Oregon Cottage

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Thrifty Finds

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• She looketh well to the ways of her household...

My mom and I were out bright and early Saturday morning, headed to one of our local churches annual Women's Bazaar. We were after homegrown honey--a little birdie had told us that there would be a booth there with our new favorite "brand" of honey. Of course while we there we browsed the other booths, one of which had flea market/garage sale items for sale.

My first find was this hurricane glass--$.10! The picture makes it look like it's bigger on one end than the other, but it's actually symmetrical. And then I spotted this "fake silver" as I call it, chrome serving tray for $.50. By this time my hands were full, so I turned a blind eye to everything else, except the honey, of course!

I can't wait to use these in my holiday decorating!

What thrifty finds have you made lately?

Until next time...

This post is linked to:

Thrift Share Monday at Apron Thrift Girl

Nifty Thrifty at Coastal Charm

Thrifty Thursday at Tales From Bloggeritaville

Giveaway at Secrets of a Southern Kitchen

I'm hosting a giveaway on my food blog, Secrets of a Southern Kitchen.

Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark will send one lucky reader a prize package of a bread basket, butter dish and spreader, coupon for one free bag of Pillsbury frozen Mini Grands biscuits, along with a $15 gift card to help you make a memorable holiday breakfast or brunch.

Be sure to drop by and enter, then check back again, I have several other giveaways lined up for the coming weeks.

Until next time...

Garden Update

• Who can find a virtuous woman? her price is far above rubies
• ...with her hands she planteth a vineyard...

Last night I woke up to one of the most beautiful sounds in the world--rain! I can manage to water my little garden with no trouble, but the farmers have been really suffering. Ponds are dried up, grass is dead in the pastures--so far we've gotten just over two inches of lovely, slow, soaking-in-the-ground rain, for which I'm very thankful!

Meanwhile, can you tell how much everything has grown since last week? We had a light frost last weekend while I was gone to visit my hubby, but it didn't seem to hurt anything...

...as a matter of fact, look what I found peeking between the leaves? Squash blossoms! (the yellow right in the middle) The leaves have all but swallowed up the whirly-gig I have stuck in the end of the bed.

The Swiss chard is coming right along...



...as are the carrots. I guess I'll try to thin them this week--I love the looks of the pretty, lacy greenery, though!

The bibb lettuce is beautiful...

...the onions not so much(!)...

...and I finally had enough of a show on my basil to bother taking a picture!

This post is linked to:

Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage

Three or More Tuesday at the Gypsy's Corner

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Until next time...