I tried to look up the fall equinox in The Farmers Almanac, but it wasn’t there.  Hmmmm:  spring, summer and winter were all there, but not the fall one.  I did capture this picture though.  

 

Then I bumped into a bunch of ads, so I went to Wikipedia.  That description was way too complicated, so I am giving you my interpretation of the fall equinox:

 

It occurred this morning at 2:50 am, when the sun went into the sign of Libra.  And today the hours of daylight and darkness are approximately the same.

 

 

That’s all I know.

 

 

HAPPY FALL, Y’ALL!!!!

 

Ever since we saw them back in June, we have been keeping an eye on our Chicken of the Woods log.

 

Just the other day, I noticed that it is fruiting again.

 

I didn’t know that they would do that, but here it is sending out beautiful mushrooms, again!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at the dogwood tree!!!  This one is at the end of Scott’s driveway.  It has red berries, and the leaves are starting to change color, from pink to red to purple, and everything in between.  You can see others all around town.

 

When you are out and about, be sure to look for dogwood trees starting to change.  They are easy to spot right now:  they are small trees, and just about the only ones showing fall color so far.  

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

Even though the tomatoes and cucumbers are done, the peppers are really hanging in there.  This is when they start performing.  These peppers are Giant Marconis.  They are delicious sweet peppers.  

 

This is such a good picture:  you get to see the peppers, my beautiful parsley, basil going to seed behind it, and beyond that you can see blueish kale from last year.  

 

So even though some of the garden is finished, there is still a lot going on.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Not too pretty, but it is reality:  the end of summer.

 

These cucumber plants served us well this summer.  We harvested 120 cucumbers.  We shared a bunch, ate them in salads, made cold cucumber soup, and canned both dill and sweet pickles.  

 

But now it is time to clean off the trellis, and put these vines on the trash pile.  

 

Sad but true.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at this gorgeous cabbage.  There are 5 in my winter garden bed.  They are just starting to head up.

 

These colors make me so happy.  Can’t wait to show you as it grows.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

I cut a few leaves of parsley for our salad the other day, and look who came in on it: a Black Swallowtail caterpillar.

 

I didn’t notice it when I first brought it in, but as it gets bigger, it is more noticeable.

 

When I was teaching at Sunnybrook, we had a 55 gallon aquarium in the classroom.  I brought in caterpillars as I found them on my fennel at home.  I put fennel leaves in little vases for the caterpillars to eat.  And when they were big enough they would quit eating and make their cocoons.  We got to watch the process through all the stages.  Fascinating for the children and for me!!!  

 

Here’s the funny thing…the caterpillars of Black Swallowtails will eat all members of the carrot family:  carrot, dill, fennel, parsley, Queen Anne’s lace, but only the plant on which they start life as a tiny caterpillar.  I tried one time to feed parsley to caterpillars that had been parked on fennel, and they died.  They chose NOT to eat the parsley;  they wanted fennel.  

 

So this little guy will get parsley until it is big enough to cocoon.  I love watching the process still.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

 

 

 

 

They are doing it again!!!  This time they are BLUE!!!

 

Last June they should have bloomed, but the deer ate all the buds and most of the leaves. 

 

Since that happened, Jim has been diligent about keeping that stinky deer spray on the Hydrangeas, and they are responding with gorgeous leaves and flowers.  This bush is about 6 feet wide by 6 feet tall, and as you can see loaded with flowers and buds.  

 

I love that Hydrangeas bloom a couple times a year.  They are so pretty.

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

Look at this beautiful Begonia. My friend went on an extended road trip, and gave me her Begonia.  I offered to babysit it for her til she got back, but she asked me to adopt it.  So I brought it home and tucked it into a safe spot where it gets some sun in the morning, and shade in the afternoon.  This fall I will cut it way back, and overwinter it in the basement.  

 

I don’t usually raise flowers:  I like to grow edible stuff.  But this little beauty makes me smile every time I see her.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

You may know this as Baker fern or Leatherleaf.  It is the fern that florists sell.  This one is growing in my garden.  Momma brought it to me when she and Betsy came to visit the first year we were here.  

 

I had never seen it actually growing, only cut in florist shops.  Well, it likes growing here.  It has been in the same spot for 19 years, and every year it gives me about ten to twenty nice leaves.  You can even see a few fiddleheads in the picture.  That is a happy plant.  

 

And, apparently the deer don’t like it, because they have eaten the Hostas right next to it, and left the fern alone.  GOOD!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!