This picture has a bunch of stories to tell:

 

Usually by the end of the summer, the marigolds get tall, then flop over and break.  But these marigolds got planted after I harvested all the dill from this end of the garden.  So they are still fairly short and still pretty.

 

You can also see that beautiful basil behind them.

 

That leafless stem in the walk path?  That is what's left of a butternut squash.  I picked the squash, and the baby deer have gotten into the garden, and eaten all the squash leaves.  They nibbled the Swiss chard too, but Jon put some wire cages around them.  INSIDE THE GARDEN!!!

 

One more cool thing:  at the beginning of summer we put a bunch of dry leaves on the right hand walk path to keep down the weeds next to the fence, and it worked.  We didn't have to weed this walkway at all.  Guess what we're going to do with all those hickory leaves when they fall.  Cover all the walk paths, and save ourselves some work next summer.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

Isn't it funny?  Right when I thought there was nothing to talk about, a whole bunch of things to talk about presented themselves.  I love it!!!

 

Last week we got enough rain for the garden to perk up.  I saw this zinnia blooming out there, showing her real flowers.  See the little yellow flowers in the center?  That's what the pollinators are going for.  And when the flowers get pollinated they produce their seeds at the base of the bright pink petals.  Psst...I also have some screaming orange ones close to the pink ones.  They haven't perked up yet, but I love seeing these colors together.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

It's prettier outside, but inside is nice too.  It's also easier to access at dinnertime.  We use the leaves, the flowers and the flower buds.  The older ones are too hard, but the buds close to the ends of the stems are soft, and delightful on a salad.  

 

Grow basil!!!  Well, don't plant it now, it's too late in the season, but do plant it in May.  I usually put 8-10 plants in the garden, and a few in a 12 inch pot that we put on the porch.  If you keep it pinched, it will get bushy, and last all summer.

 

The best part is brushing against it, and releasing that gorgeous smell.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

Well, it's happened again.  I have run out of things to talk about, without repeating myself, yet again.  

 

So I will leave you with this happy thought:  the basil is hanging in there, now that we have gotten some rain.  So we are eating basil on everything.  I hear it's good for the digestive system.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I saw this on our walk recently, and thought you might like to know that Dog fennel blooms, and this is how it looks.  All that whiteness are the flowers.  Not big or showy, but flowers just the same.  It looks different than when it isn't blooming.  I like it, it looks softer, friendlier.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We are still harvesting eggplants and a few tomatoes.  The apples and pears are just about done.  But what a beautiful year we have had.  So grateful!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at this:  the end of the red apples.  We had such a great year for fruit.  

 

We picked about 100 cherries, a ton of blueberries, another ton of apples, and a whole bunch of pears.

 

Life is good here at Crazybrook Farm.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

I know this looks a bit odd, but lately I have noticed that the Redbud trees are holding onto a lot of seedpods.  Some of the trees look almost black with them.  

 

I think it's another sign of overfruitiing this year to make up for the last two years.  

 

I am hoping that one of those seedpods on my Redbud tree flies over the driveway and plants itself where my old Redbud tree used to be.  I'll let you know...

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

 

 

I know it's a common weed, but this pokeweed caught my eye with its red stems and purple-black berries.  

 

I just looked it up in one of my weed books, and I learned that the leaves, roots, and berries are poisonous.  My book also describes it as a malodorous upright perennial weed that grows up to 12 feet tall.  Now that paints a pretty picture.

 

Anyway, I thought it was kinda pretty, so I took its picture, and showed it to you.  

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

 

 

The tulip poplars are changing now too.  They are yellow and brown, and dropping their leaves as we speak.  They are easily recognizable from a distance by their conical shape, and up close by their fabulous tulip-shaped leaves.  You may even see some pointy cones with seeds on the ground underneath them.

 

Look for tulip poplars;  they are beautiful in the fall.  I will show you them again in the spring, when they bloom.  

 

 

HAPPY FALL!!!