Am still raking leaves. At the rate i'm going will be through about the time leaves fall again.LOL
Got 3 solar lights where i want them and figured out where i want the rest. I bought some more large pots at General Dollar store. I looked on container gardening forum,and discovered i could plant sedum and daylilies in big pots than mulch the pots in winter with leaves. And that solves some of my problems with knowing what to do with some of the plants so i can still take care of them. If i can plant daylilies in pots i don't see why i can't plant iris in them too.I may try it with a few.
My walking onions are putting on bulbs at the stalk tops so i'll have little bulbs later on.
I need to fertilize a couple more beds and need to dig most of iris up and sprinkle them with comet and let them dry out as i have a little rot on some of the roots.
Shasta daisys are blooming away. Creeping phlox are creeping away putting down roots.regular phlox are blooming. I've hoed 2 flower beds and need to transplant one bed of daylilies that are just sitting there,i think the forsythia tree roots have moved in. I try to just keep the lower limbs cut off so the tree weeps down like a weeping willow.It.s gotten to be a pretty big tree 8' to 9' tall and about 6' wide.
I've noticed buds on some of my roses. one rose i fertilized is looking so much greener and thicker than last year. It was the only scrawny one.

Hot spinich dip
1 pck frozen chopped,drained spinich
1 -8oz.package creamcheese,softened
1/2 C. mayonaise
1/3 C. parmesian cheeze
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 slices crisp-cookedbacon,crumbled
2 tbsp chopped green onion

combine-all ingredients in microwave serving dish,mixing well.
microwave on medium for 3to 4 minutes,stirring several times.
serve warm on crackers
use a couple or three cups of fresh instead of package of frozen spinich to your taste. two cups is enough for my family.
vickie

My Orioles have been gone for a couple of days too. They did the same thing last year. I think it was too hot for them. I know they nest at my sisters place in Iowa.

Recipes sound good. I need to find more uses for the asparagus. We have it running out our ears.

Still haven't processed the row of spinach.....must do that today!

When it is gone, I will replant the row with bush beans.

I am still sprinkling annual seeds here and there.
Also sticking various potted things where I can find a spot. I am not much of a planner with my flower beds.

vicki, do you use the little bulblets on top of the walking onions? I have never done that. I just de-topped some of mine to keep them from spreading more.

Could you build a raised bed for the iris so you could take care of them? I still haven't done anything about the rot in mine. I just keep cleaning out the dead leaves....I may loose them all. They sure look sorry.

Time for breakfast.

anise, SIL hauled a load of trash off last weekend too.
gld, I've tried the green blades of the bulblets as they just come out an have used them in cooking a couple of times. If you're out of onions they're ok. I scatter mine all through my beds. The onions blend in with my daylilies and other flowers and help keep unwanted critters out of my flowers. Most of my flowers are in raised beds, i just need them higher and closer to the house.
I've kept most of my old cook books that i used for years, don't really cook for just me. But i've sure been tempted seeing your recipes. and i'm going to make the wilted spinich as soon a i go to town and buy some spinich and orange juice.
will share with DD and SIL.

Asparagus Parmigiano

1 1/2 lb fresh or 2 pkg frozen asparagus cooked
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp tabisco sauce
1 -1 lb. can tomatoes
1/4 tsp thyme
1 -8 oz can tomato sauce
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
2 tbsp, grated parmeson cheese

Drain asparagus, arrange in shallow baking dish.
saute onion and garlic in oil untill golden brown
add salt,tobasco sauce and tomatoes: simmer for 20 minutes. Pour sauce over asparagus;place mozzarella cheese slices over top; sprinkle with parmeson cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. NOTE for added flavor add 1/4 tsp tabisco sauce in cooking asparagus.

vickie

vickie, thanks for the recipe; just saved it to my recipe file. I have let the asparague go for a while and will have to cut it down and let some new come on.

Processed the spinach yesterday morning. Didn't get much else done except go to the library in the afternoon. We got some showers late in the day, but I think I can still work outside today (when it warms up!). It is 48° here this morning. Sure hope that is as low as it gets.

Think I will broadcast some seeds across the road in the ditch. Did some planting there last year and have a perennial sunflower here and there and lots of Grandpa Otts morning glories near the mailbox. I think I will just let them spread out on the ground for ground cover. Now if I can just keep the road mowers from coming right up to the box......

Brrr, how cold did it get at your house last night? It was in the low 40s here, and predicted to be in the upper 30s tomorrrow. That's not unheard of here, but not too welcome!
I think I will leave the tender potted plants out on the deck, and hope they will be okay. Too many big pots with coleus( the most tender) in them to tote back in. :-(

I am envying those who have asparagus. The deer took a liking to mine, and keep it mowed down. I tried putting wire tents over the log row, but fizzeled out on doing that. I gave up on vegetable gardening for the same reason. I used to grow a large one, with 'everything' in it ( even flowers). I'd start dozens of tomatos and peppers from seed, every March,....had to give that up. Sometime I wish I still could do that. There is nothing like having your own home grown vegs.

Hello everyone. Seems like I plant more all the time. My veggies are coming along okay. Here's a photo of my tiny little garden.

And I even have baby tomatoes on my Tiny Tim hanging tomato plant.
{{gwi:27663}}
Looking forward to having the nights get a little warmer though, although my more tender veggies like it just fine.

alys, your garden may be small but it sure is pretty.just one fresh tomato sounds good to me. anyone elses mouth watering?
vickie

I have a load of green tomatoes on my vines, but not many of those will ever get ripe. We like fried green tomatoes even better than ripe ones and my mouth is already watering in anticipation!
Next week, the following week for sure, they will be in batter and then in a deep fryer!
Couldn't find any Cayenne pepper plants this year. Guess everyone is growing some other type of hot peppers.
Those that like them very hot, grow Habanero or Thai, or else they grow the mild varieties, Jalapeno or Serrano.
I will probably do seed next year.
Rb

Hello!!

Anise, about the Baltimore Orioles. I saw maybe, two Orioles came our bird feeder last year. It stays in our yard for few weeks and then gone! This year we have about two male and one female Red Summer Tanager are still hanging around our yard for about a month now. I have not see Orioles yet, but my girl friend who lives in Batesville saw Orioles at her home!

Vicki, NO WAY!!! you are still raking leaves. It is so hard job to do it. I always riding lawn mower and mulch leaves in the fall and again last spring time. It is more faster/easier to do it. I HATE raking and burn the leaves too.

Alys, wow.. your Square Foot Gardening is so nice! We have tired it once long time ago, and really liked it. I ought to try it again! It really save the spaces. I saw the book which is update! I have mine book is little old. OH!!! I would love have some of your Tiny Tim tomatoe seeds for next year. Can you save them for me?? smile...

Well.. Well.. We have been doing lots in our yard! My hubby Dave built some big rocks for my "D" shaped raised bed for me. Yesterday, I was finished with horse manure spreading the new bed, and then spreading really thick newspaper over horse manure. Finally.. I added thick barks over on the newspaper. I got barks from our local sawmill. I thought it looks so nice! I also grow daylilies, herbs, roses, eggplants, tomatoes, squashes, and pepper bells. Now.. I am hardly wait to see colorful flowers very soon.. Kat

Looks good Alys! What will be growing on the lattice?

I hate to admit it but I've never tried fried green tomatoes. Do you just coat them in flour or is there a special batter?

Kat - You're so lucky! I've never seen a tanager in my yard. I think it must not be wooded enough in my area. I have still been seeing Baltimore Orioles but not nearly as much. My oriole feeder is drawing flies and they crawl in there and drown. Really disgusting. I've seen a few bees in there too and I hate that since I keep hearing we have a bee shortage.

I've been trying to plant out my seedlings a few at a time to see how they do. Most are surviving. I can't keep my ice plant seedlings alive though. The slugs must think those are tasty or maybe they're just dying. I'm not sure.

Christie.....
The way we like to prepare green tomatoes for frying, is to slice them into ¼" or slightly less, thickness. Salt & pepper to taste, toss in flour, set aside for 20 to 30 minutes and then toss in flour again. Heat cooking oil, we prefer Canola, to 350°F and fry until golden brown.If using a skillet, check closely and turn when brown on one side. Insert fork to test if they are done. There should be little or no resistance.
Try them, I think you'll like them!
Rb
Some people dip them in milk & a beaten egg, then dredge in flour, cornmeal or breadcrumbs and fry in bacon drippings, But I don't think they taste better that way, just more work!

Here is a link that might be useful: Green Tomato Recipes

Thanks Razorback. I'm going to try your way first.
We love fried zucchini but try not to eat too much. I don't know why. We eat fried stuff all the time when we go out to eat. lol

razorback, that is the way Mom did hers...not sure she redipped them though.

I think I mix a little cornmeal in with the flour when I fry zuchini....been a couple of years.