Flowers are covered with Painted Ladies and Monarchs in August and September. They stop to drink their fill before moving south. Many linger through October’s warm afternoons, but are gone, like the flowers, before November’s chill. I envy them. I often wish I could migrate south during the cold months, too. Maybe someday…
Category Archives: Gardening
Frost Expected
I harvested almost everything from the garden this past weekend. Beets, squash and onions are stored in the barn to dry. They can remain in the barn until the nights are consistently in the mid-twenties. One or two nights will not drain all the summer warmth from the building. My houseplants have summered outside forContinue reading “Frost Expected”
Peppered Peace
I’m not a religious person, but come from a long line of God-fearing folks, and often misquote, or half remember Bible verses. This year my bell pepper crop is outstanding. I harvested a five-gallon bucket of huge green and red peppers and spent several hours chopping them for the freezer. It seems only right toContinue reading “Peppered Peace”
Butterfly Migration
In 2015 my place was designated as a Monarch Way Station. Many Monarchs migrated through my flower beds that year. I’ve increased the number of milkweeds to feed the Monarchs at the ranch. There are now perennials asters in several garden beds (like the flowers in the photo above), and planted wildflowers in the pastureContinue reading “Butterfly Migration”
Heat
I planted habanero pepper plants by mistake this summer. I meant to plant jalapeños. The habaneros are super hot by my standards. Perhaps the four-pack of peppers was misplaced in a shelf of jalapenos, or perhaps I didn’t read the label properly. Only two of the four seedlings grew, but each plant is producingContinue reading “Heat”