July 07, 2019
I won't be planting Wando peas again. They were not as sweet as the Iona's, kinda tough and brutish, needing to be cooked into submission, like peas from Mother Russia. In all fairness though, we might have not picked them at their prime tenderness stage, and not cooked them enough. They were more like canned peas than frozen ones, which made me think that since they are heat tollerant, they could have been grown commercially in the south, specifically for canning..
Part of the reason I started gardening was to grow the tenderest, sweetest, healthy veggies possible, so I don't want to grow canning peas. I tend to pick broccoli and cauliflower before they are fully developed so they are primo, and the corn gets eaten the day it's picked. Beets seem to be the exception to picking when tender because even when they get to five inches I hate throwing them away, and will instead just cut them into smaller pieces so they will cook into more tender morsels..
July 08, 2019
I've set up my shade shelter three times so far this week. As we get older we become more sensitive to the sun, and begin to feel stressed by too much of it. Even young farm laborers wear large brim straw hats, long sleeve shirts and gloves because too much sun will wear them out. That which brings us life can kill us. A large brim hat is also eye protection. A whole day out in the sunshine should be accompanied by sunglasses. I try to get the areas watered that will get weeded the next day..
Dusty dry soil is not a good time to weed it. Roots should pull easily from the ground so that they don't break off and send up new plants a week later. Even using the hula hoe on dry ground is less rewarding because the dust is not a part of why we garden. A small subconscious part of our brain is always aware of staying away from dust, because it's not good for our lungs or eyes. We can only process so much of it before it becomes a problem..
July 09, 2019
The hollihocks are starting to flower in my garden. I didn't even know I've missed them until the bright pink flowers began opening. They take your focus up off the ground and give added dimension to your view. Their tall, unruly development does not lend itself to formal gardens, but my little patch of ground welcomes their frivolous nature. Having to walk around their clumps gives me new pathways, and I'm constantly looking into their flowers to see if baby bumblebees are foraging..
They add constant movement by their suseptibility to the slightest breeze. I've been enjoying the poppies for a month now and the first batch has already formed seed pods. I always leave them dry out because they are enjoyable as little tan bushes so they will get to reseed multiple times this summer. The garden will be changing as they do, and they will soon be vieing with the Love in a Mist for patches of ground along the walkways..
