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Countdown to Harvest
When I started seed for my fall garden last month, lingering summer heat and insufficient rain were concerns. High temperatures dropped into the 80s a few days after I planted everything. Rain, however, is still in short supply. My still unmet goal is a harvest-ready crop by the middle of December. Although seed got off…
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Getting Ready for Fall
The last of the tomato plants went to the compost pile last week. Bell peppers are still producing, but the other summer veggies are gone. Time to start my fall/winter garden. Experience helps. Wisdom accumulates with each new season. Lessons learned last year resulted in a few changes this year. I need to plant fall…
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Veggie Delight
For me, gardening is mostly about flower. A sense of obligation and a desire for fresh tomatoes motivate me to plant a few every year. Harvesting just a few is typical. Some years, I don’t harvest a single fruit. Lessons learned last year led me to switch things up a little. Overcrowding is much less…
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Deer-Resistant Annuals
Outside of my fenced in backyard, deer are a problem. Trial and error has taught me a few lessons about what they will and won’t eat. The bottom line: Hungry deer will eat just about anything. Deer won’t touch toxic plants. Most are perennials, but a few can be grown as annuals including castor beans…
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A Proper Spring
Instead of skipping from winter to summer, the weather in Athens the past month or two has been unusually spring-like. More rain would have been nice, but temperatures have yet to hit 90 with highs mostly in the 70s. The delayed arrival of hot weather has given transplants a better chance to get settled in.…
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Springing Forward
The eternal optimist in me believes a mid-March cold snap marked the end of freezing temperatures here in Athens. Locals say wait until Good Friday to plant tender annuals. Not me. I’m too impatient to wait any longer to jump into spring. The falling Mercury brought my seed-starting operation to a halt. I was out…
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The Case of the Missing Fish
In early 2021, I put five fantail goldfish (Larry, Curly, Moesha, Smokey and Bandit) into my little patio water feature. Early last summer, I added some platies (live-bearing tropical fish aka Moon fish). Last fall, four goldfish and a swordtail (Maude) were taken from th pond and moved indoors to an aquarium. Bandit and all…
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A Balmy Winter
I despise cold weather, but a move south isn’t in the cards. Living in an area with four distinct seasons is mandatory. Suffering through winter–my least-favorite season–enhances my appreciation for the other three. Fortunately, what passes for winter here is typically short and mild. Even so, spring can’t come soon enough for me. By January…
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Cold Snap Survivors
In late-December, the temperature here in Athens dropped to eight degrees (F) and stayed below freezing for several days. I figured the vegetables in my little garden were doomed, but took precautions anyway. After mulching with a thick layer of straw and covering everything with floating row cover, I crossed my fingers and hoped for…
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Testing My Optimism
I suspect most — if not all — gardeners are optimists. They have to be. Planting a garden is an act of faith. Lots of stuff can go wrong. A pessimist wouldn’t waste time and money on near certain failure. Gardening is seasonal. In my old Kentucky home (USDA Hardiness Zone 6), the garden went…