Thurs. Sept. 26, 2019: The Chance of More Tomatoes

image courtesy of kie-ker via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 26, 2019
Waning Moon 4th Quarter in Leo
Celtic Tree Month of Vine
Pluto Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Sunny, humid, moving towards rain

We’re having a warm, sunny September, which is nice. The days are lovely, the nights are cool enough to sleep.

I have more tomatoes forming on my plants. I hope these will have the chance to mature, so we can actually eat them!

I haven’t started raking yet, although I will soon. Once again, a lot of acorns are falling. That makes the squirrels and the chipmunks happy.

Our yard is a rest stop for migrating birds. Since we are the yard on the street that doesn’t use chemicals, they stop, have a rest and a snack, and then move on. It’s so interesting to watch them interact.

We still don’t know who or what comes onto the deck every other night. I hoped it was the little black cat, but haven’t seen her lately.

Once the yard is mowed (I think, at some point this week), I’m going to put down lawn food one more time for the season. I’ve been cutting back, although I’m waiting for first frost to cut back the roses (that’s what the rose book I read suggested).

I know I have to take down the large bittersweet, but it provides such wonderful habitat for wildlife.

I’m longing for a place that I own, so I can plant and do exactly what I want. We’ve had a lot of latitude here, and I’m grateful, but that’s still different from truly being able to build a garden over years, and not worry each season if that will be the last.

Still, autumn is my favorite season. Even, now that we’ve passed the Equinox, it gets darker early.

Think happy growing thoughts for the tomatoes!

 

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Thurs. Sept. 19, 2019: Autumn Equinox in a Few Days

image courtesy of pixel2013 via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 19, 2019
Third Quarter Waning Moon in Taurus
Pluto Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Vine
Partly cloudy and cool

Not much to say. I’m starting to put the garden to bed for the season. Cutting back. I’ll prune the roses after the first frost. I’m pulling up the tiger lily stalks as soon as the bulbs pull down the chlorophyll. I’ll cut back shrubs and branches and cut down dying vegetation.

By next week, I’ll start raking.

We’re still not sure what’s eating the food I leave on the deck at night. Not sure if it’s the stray cat or something else. I’d like to know.

Some more tomatoes have formed. Let’s hope these actually get to make it to maturity and we can eat them.

We had a few sugar snap peas to harvest, and they were yummy. I’m going to start them earlier next year, and hope for a better harvest.

The morning glories choked the beans, so we didn’t have any.

The zucchini keep blooming, but not forming any zucchini. We have some blossoms on the eggplants, but I think it’s too late for them.

Well, one learns as much from what doesn’t work as what does, I guess.

Monday is the Equinox, and then night begins to win until mid-December.

 

Thurs. Sept. 12, 2019: Difficult Week

Thursday, September 12, 2019
Second Quarter Waxing Moon In Aquarius
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde

This past week was difficult. Last Saturday, our beloved Lucy died, due to an inoperable liver tumor. Yesterday was the 18th anniversary of 9/11, which hits New Yorkers, Bostonians, and those in DC very hard every year.

Hurricane Dorian gave us a bit of a slap last Friday into Saturday. It wasn’t too bad, although the ferries were cancelled to the islands.

Friday, we harvested all the huge basil plants we’d grown in and around our 120 tomato plants. The ones that were stripped last week. I made a LOT of pesto. It’s really good.

We took in some of the smaller plants. Some of them are done for the season anyway. We took in the hanging decorations.

One of our giant Geraniums blew over and the pot smashed. We don’t have that sized pot, so I’m trying to maneuver it into the closest pot we have in size.

Not a lot of tree limbs down, thank goodness. The leaves are already turning and falling. Rake season will start soon. The idiots with the leaf blowers are roaming around, waving their noisy penis extensions for a couple of hours every day.

I’m going to start cutting things back and putting the yard to bed for winter. Bit by bit, so I’m not overwhelmed just before first frost. It’s made such a huge positive difference to have someone come in and mow.

It never ceases to amaze me how my guy comes in by himself and gets it done in 20 minutes, and it’s perfect. Across the street, they have a yard less than half the size, and it takes 3 guys an hour and a half every week.

I think it’s the coyote who is eating the cat food I leave out on the deck. Which means I’ll stop putting it out. I heard him on Sunday night into Monday. And then, a few hours later, the creepy bird woke me. I’m getting superstitious about both of them, and now stressing about every little thing.

I’m sad and overwhelmed by the events of the past few months. Just sad and overwhelmed.

 

Thurs. Sept. 5, 2019: Unpredictable Gardens

Thursday, September 5, 2019
Waxing Moon First Quarter in Sagittarius
Pluto Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Neptune Retrograde
Uranus Retrograde
Celtic Tree Month of Vine
Humid/Tropical Cyclone/Tropical Storm Watch

So, the last two weeks, I’ve been limited in what I can do because of the hand injury.

We also had the heartbreak of coming out on the deck one morning to find that all 120 tomato plants had been stripped of the tomatoes growing on them. No debris anywhere, or signs that they were eaten. Just all gone. I’m very disappointed. I grew most of those tomatoes from seed and had plans for them.

The Rose of Sharon has bloomed beautifully, and the Hibiscus in the back of the yard is finally blooming. The hydrangea on the deck is already done — usually it blooms until the first frost. The Tiger Lilies have come and gone, and most of the chlorophyll is drained back. Early this year.

I pruned the two forsythia bushes in front of the garage. They were out of control. I pruned another bush that was growing quite large in the front bed. I’m waiting until the first frost to cut back the roses. I watered the lawn, and fed it, trying to get it green again (organically).

We saw the little black cat again — she was hiding in the roses. I left food out for her on the back deck, but I’m not sure if she’s eating it, or if it’s someone else. If she’s lost, I want to help her find her way home. If she’s a stray, then she’s welcome to stay, if she wants.

I pulled out the tired pansies in the front and replaced them with yellow large marigolds and yellow chrysanthemums in the front baskets, and red chrysanthemums in the barrel in the front yard. They look nice and cheerful when you drive up. I also replaced the tired old front door mat (which was growing moss — literally) with a cheerful harvest mat. That, and the horn of plenty I have hanging on the front door, and we’re joyfully celebrating the change of season.

Red sky this morning — shepherd’s warning. It’s an eerie light. I think we’ll be spanked by Hurricane Dorian harder than they’ve said.

We may have to bring in all the plants and most of the furniture from the deck. And then decide if it’s worth putting any back out for the last few weeks.

Thank goodness I hired someone to mow, or I’d be even more overwhelmed.

Trudging on, not sure what to do next.