Tag Archives: summer garden

High Temps and Low Productivity

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The monarch butterflies showed up a few weeks ago, and have been floating around the garden every afternoon.

August is almost over, and while we certainly have another month or two before the season ends, my gardening motivation is waning. The summer has been especially hot and wet, which has definitely caused some ups and downs for the production levels this year. That, combined with some visits from a particularly unruly masked bandit visitor has definitely impacted my oomph.

The season started out pretty well. We had a bountiful crop of asparagus, sugar snap peas, and then the garlic and onions were ready to be harvested. It was my first year growing peas and onions, and they each exceeded expectations. After that, we had a very nice crop of carrots and lettuce. The carrots thrived under the shade of some leeks and zinnias, which seemed to protect them from all the summer heat.

Slightly less happy were our potatoes, though we still managed a decent crop. And now, I’m harvesting green beans, peppers, and tomatoes. The tomatoes, especially, are having a tough year. They don’t love excessive rain showers, or temps in the 90s, both of which we’ve had in spades since May. They caught blight a few weeks ago, and are looking very scraggly and sad. Tomatoes tend to drive me a little crazy. Our weather isn’t really the best for growing them, but they are such a popular plant. Daydreaming Me would like a greenhouse someday, so I can truly control their water intake and keep them from catching blossom end rot, blight, or one of the billion other issues that impact them.

Another plant that didn’t grow as well as I’d hoped were our cucumbers. I did manage to harvest a few to enjoy in some G&T’s, but the plants caught bacterial wilt from an onslaught of cucumber beetles. It was my first time growing these, so next year, I’ll try some natural methods to contain the beetles before they do in the entire harvest.

We’ve had lots of insect visitors this year, like these carpenter bees, soldier beetles, american snout butterflies, hummingbird moths, ailanthus webworm moths, american bumblebees, and damselflies.

That wasn’t the end of the crop woes for the season. In addition to the cucumber beetles, we had a wily raccoon start throwing parties in the garden every evening. This little trash panda has really pushed all my buttons. He tips over pots on the deck, rearranges the rocks around the pond (???), broke into and ate all the black swallowtail caterpillars and chrysalises in the butterfly enclosure, and he ate all the watermelons and cantaloupes, in addition to biting the ends off a few peppers and munching on all the sugar pie pumpkin flowers. Everyone needs to eat, but he really took the wind out of my sails this summer. I’m still feeling salty about the butterflies (though I’ve spotted a bunch more caterpillars out in the parsley patch- which the raccoon has ignored, thus far), and I’m sad to not get to try any of our melons. I’ll have to step up my game next year, and try caging the plants they seem to enjoy.

So, crop-wise, it’s felt like a bit of a wash this year. As usual, though, our flowers are really crushing it. All the native plants have been thriving in the weather, and we’ve had a lovely display every day. Right now, the new england asters are starting to bloom, and their gorgeous purple flowers pop even more against the yellows of the goldenrod, which is also beginning to bloom. The pollinators are out in force all over those, as well as the joe pye weed, echinacea, black-eyed susan’s, blanket flowers, cappuccino rudbeckia, obedient plants, and sunflowers. And, while not native, the zinnias this year are also blowing me away. I grew a few rows of them in one of the raised beds, and they are covered in pollinators and birds every day. Every morning, a group of goldfinches swoops in and rips the petals off, revealing the seeds which they dine on. And, in the evenings, we see hummingbirds flocking to the zinnias, nasturtiums, and native coral honeysuckle vines.

There’s been plenty of other pleasant visitors to the yard this season. I’ve spotted hummingbird moths, lots of different bees, like the native (and endangered) american bumble bee, ladybugs, and other pollinators, like black swallowtail butterflies, monarch butterflies (now on the endangered species list), soldier beetles, american snout butterflies, and ailanthus webworm moths. The webworm moths don’t have the cutest name, but they are really pretty, with orange, white, and black markings. I’ve never seen them before, and it was exciting to spot them on the joe pye weed this year.

It always feels like such a win to spot new (to me) insects and pollinators enjoying the native plants I’ve set up in the garden. I know, every time I step outside and take a tour, that I’ll see something interesting and beautiful. Hopefully, your own gardens are having an interesting and beautiful season as well. Happy gardening!

There’s a lot in bloom and looking snazzy this week: zinnias, black-eyes susan’s, pokeberries, marigolds, joe pye weed, lantanas, cappuccino rudbeckias, autumn joe sedum, and northern sea oats.


Break Out the Binoculars: I Think I See Autumn!

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September is THE time for new england aster and goldenrod. Our yard is a blaze of yellows and purples.

We’re about a week into September, and it’s been deliciously nice out: sunny and in the 70s for almost a week now. Usually, our Septembers here in Central Ohio are pretty toasty still. We likely won’t have any frost for another month, but it does finally feel like autumn is in sight. The leaves on the cottonwoods are starting to turn a golden green, the hum of the cicadas is waning, and the days are starting later, with the sun setting earlier each night. They are little signs, but for a fall-lover like myself, the utopia of a Midwest Fall is almost here. I can feel it!

Out in the garden, our sedums are really starting to bloom. The salmon pinks of the autumn joy sedum, and the magentas of the autumn fire stonecrops are bursting, and absolutely covered in bees, stocking up on these last flowers of the season. The aster, goldenrods, blanket flowers, and black-eyed susan’s are still flowering away, and some of my favorite native grasses, like little blue stem and switchgrass, are starting to throw up seeds, the long green grasses lighting up with deep oranges and reds.

The tallgrass prairies at Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park are a wash a brilliant colors, with pollinators dancing around every petal.

We took a trip out to the largest metro park in the state, Battelle Darby Creek, to check out all the gorgeous tall grass prairie plants in bloom. There were more bees and monarch butterflies than I could count, hopping all over the goldenrods, ironweed, prairie dock, tall coreopsis, and tickseed sunflowers. And the tall peaks of the big bluestem grasses were softly floating along in the breeze. It was a gorgeous afternoon. The park is a big spot for bird-watching, and we always see lots of interesting wildlife there. Though, the largest stars have to be their herd of bison, which we saw lounging around in a muddy watering hole. The herd had a few babies this summer, and they were keeping close to their mothers as they all bathed in the afternoon sunshine.

Another local park, Prairie Oaks, is a sea of gorgeous big blue stem, swaying in the late summer breeze.

Visiting that park is always an inspiration for the garden. I know I’ve spoken in the past about how 40% of the US was once covered in prairies, and now only about 1% of that remains. Since learning about the importance of prairies for the ecosystem, I’ve changed my whole thought process in my garden. I garden because enjoy the process of doing so, and the beauty of living amongst the plants, but my garden exists to help give a space to the creatures around me so desperately in need of a home, and food. It’s why I use no pesticides in my yard, and why we added a pond, don’t mow every week, and have removed quite a lot of our lawn to make more room for flower beds. Wildlife really matters to me.

And, since much of the area where I now live, in Central Ohio, was once a prairie, called Darby Plains, I have aimed to include many plants in my garden that would have once lived here before the area was filled with farms and housing developments. At some point, I need to sit down and make a list of everything that I have growing here, but it’s quite a mix of natives, perennials that I just really like (such as my beloved peonies), the vegetable and herb gardens, and pots of annuals. All of these plants play an important role in the garden. The non-natives, like the sunflowers, basil (which I let flower after I’d harvested my share), and the stonecrop all provide food for the local pollinators, squirrels, and birds. Variety isn’t just the spice of life for us humans- insects and animals like a range of food options as well.

Our autumn joy sedum is absolutely covered in bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. It’s an amazing perennial garden, requiring very little maintenance or watering.

Aside from helping to provide habitat for the locals, and something nice to look at for myself, many of the plants I grow serve another purpose: I can harvest them for use in dyeing fabrics and fibers. So many common plants and trees in our yards can be used to make colorful dyes, like marigolds, dandelions, acorns and oak leaves, walnuts, and sunflowers. If you’re interested in learning more, I highly recommend the book Harvesting Color by Rebecca Burgess, or by simply picking my brain for a bit.

I added quite a few little blue stem plants to the gardens this year. It’s a native grass, and a perfect addition to the beds. It stays fairly small in height, about 2-3′, and in the late summer, the blades of grass throw up pretty seeds that sway in the wind, with green blades of grass that turn fiery red for the fall and winter seasons.

Currently in the yard, I have queen anne’s lace, madder root, goldenrod, pokeberries, marigolds, sunflowers, coreopsis, echinacea, tickseed, hardy hibiscus, walnuts, maple trees, and I’m sure I’m forgetting others… Anyway, I’ll harvest a few bits of each to ply with here as the weather continues to cool. Adding different metals and materials to the dye bath changes the pH of the water, which changes the colors of everything. It’s fun to play with- the colors you expect aren’t usually what you end up with on your fabrics. For example, queen anne’s lace, with its white flowers and green stems, gives off a lot of yellows, oranges, and browns, depending on the pH of the water. Things get rather “science-y” pretty quickly, (I think that’s the technical term), but it can be a lot of fun to experiment.

Also, I like the idea of using natural colors, from plants that I grew, to dye yarn that I’ve spun up myself, to then knit or weave into an item that I can wear. The whole process feels a bit magical to me, and is one I look forward to at the end of each summer, and throughout the fall.

These black hopi sunflowers are beloved by myself and the pollinators. Once they finish flowering, I’ll use some of them for dyeing, and leave the rest for the birds to snack on.

The cooler weather has also sparked some motivation for me to finally get out and do a bit of weeding and clean up. As I mentioned, we’re probably a ways off from our next frost, but a few of the annuals in the deck pots were looking quite shaggy. So, I went out and cleaned up the deck a bit. I took out the spent zinnias and added them to the compost pile, and I planted out the last of the little blue stem grasses I’d started growing from seed earlier this year. Late summer/fall is a great time to plant perennials and native plants and seeds. I wouldn’t start any bulbs quite yet, but I did add a few purple prairie clover plants to the newest front bed, and I plan to add in a few more grasses out back, like native switch grass, and more big blue stem along the fence.

I also cleaned up a few of the sunflowers, that were finished blooming, and had been knocked over by the high winds and 4″ of rain we had from Hurricane Ida at the start of last week. I removed the flower heads, and set them out for the birds to enjoy, and the plants were tossed under our deck for the critters around the pond. The stalks will hollow out as it cools, and solitary bees use them for their homes.

I was standing on the deck the other day, when I saw this morning glory vine in one of the shade beds. I have no idea how it got there, but I removed the thing to a pot on the deck. These vines take over FAST, and can be hard to get rid of, but the flowers are quite nice. So, if I can control it in a pot, that seems the best possible scenario.

Things are warming up just a bit this week, but it’s only going to be in the low 80s, so I plan to get out to move around a few perennials in the back yard, and continue The Great Tomato Harvest of 2021. The larger Druzba tomatoes I’d planted are not quite doing as well as I’d hoped, but the little San Marzano’s have exceeded expectations. I should have enough here soon to start canning tomato paste. I finally harvested the last of the potatoes and carrots, and the green beans are still prolific, to say the least. I’m looking into planting some cover crops in the beds this fall… maybe some hairy vetch (which totally does not sound like a thing someone would want to possess) to help add nutrients back into the soil and keep the weeds out this fall. I’ve never actually messed about with cover crops, since I use our compost for the veggie beds, but I may see try it out this year to see what all the fuss is about. I can nearly always be talked into planting something, after all.

Anyway, hope things in your garden are thriving and that you’re having nice weather to get out and enjoy the fruits of your labor. The next month or two (in my area) is the last burst of outdoor gardening for the year, and I’m excited to get out to play before the frosts hit. Happy gardening!

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

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I harvested our second sugar pie pumpkin yesterday- isn’t she a beaut?

I feel like I begin every one of these posts complaining about the temperature, so to keep with tradition, I’m going to start things off with a weather whine. Friends, it’s hot out. Like, oppressively hot… the kind of heat that makes you break into an instant sweat when you leave you comfort of your air conditioning. The humidity has reached levels the local meteorologist refers to as “soupy.” I am not built for “soupy.” I’ve been racing outside to water the second my body is able to get moving each morning, but it’s already toasty out in the sunshine. I shouldn’t complain- I know the way that weather karma works. Every annoyed huff out of me now is going to equal that many more days of bitter cold next winter. Alas, here we are.

The yard has been full of these gentle carpenter bees. They are ridiculously cute!

I wasn’t able to get the weeding done that I wanted last week, but I did harvest quite a few veggies. We have two pumpkins sitting inside the pantry now. Every other day, I’ve been picking green beans to blanch and freeze. The tomatoes and peppers are also ripening quickly- we seem to have more to harvest each day. I managed to get the tomatoes tied up again last week. They have been growing like wild and needed a little more support. I have a few more leeks, potatoes, and carrots that I’ll probably pick this week. I’m hoping these last few carrots thicken up before the heat makes them bolt.

I couldn’t find any twine to tie up the tomato plants, but as a knitter, I do have yarn in abundance, which makes for a good substitute.

In Insect News, we’ve had a lot of wildlife activity in the garden. Our second black swallowtail butterfly hatched just this morning. I wanted to take her picture, but the second I opened the flap in our butterfly house, she took off. No paparazzi allowed!

The monarch caterpillars continue to grow. They are happily devouring the milkweed plant I have inside the butterfly house, and have tripled in size in just about a week. They have about a week more to grow before they will form their chrysalis’s. It really is wild to watch them grow so quickly. They look like different creatures every day.

The monarch caterpillars’ little antennae and stripes are much easier to spot now.

This morning, while out watering, I saw something really odd. On our pokeberry bush, there was a katydid, that was in the process of molting. I didn’t even know they did this, but a trip to Google informed me that katydid’s molt five separate times, shedding their exoskeletons just like our monarch caterpillars. They stop growing after that point, having developed wings to fly off and enjoy their little katydid lives. I’ve seen a handful of these well-camouflaged insects in our yard over the years, and I hope to spot even more as summer carries on.

An unexpected sight- a molting katydid in the garden.

That’s about all that I have for the week. We’re expecting some thunderstorms a few days, brewed up from all this hot weather and humidity. I desperately need to get some weeding done in our shade gardens and the compost pile needs to be flipped. Perhaps the mood will strike one of these mornings.

I also have some more herbs to harvest, and some bolted lettuce to add to the compost pile. We were able to enjoy quite a lot of it before the heat struck. There’s a bit more growing in the shade on the deck, and I’ll probably plant a few more pots in the shade next month so we can have fresh lettuce this fall. I’ve really become a total lettuce snob since I started growing it myself. It’s just so delicious straight out of the garden.

Hope you have a wonderful week in your garden!

This summer, the native plants are the star of the show: anise hyssop, obedient plants, maidenhair ferns, prairie blazing star, little bluestem, and pokeberries