Busy Busy Busy

A baby is a blank cheque made payable to the human race. ~Barbara Christine Seifert

Yes it is true that the weather was hot here in Southern New Jersey for the past couple weeks. The bark and leaves were falling off the neighbors trees enough to warrant running the Billy Goat (leaf sweeper and mulcher)twice. It is also true that the hot weather has not stopped the tiny patch of bush beans from growing like mad.

I can't tell you that I didn't make another raised bed, put my banana tree in the ground and transplanted the mini hot peppers to put them on the patio.

But who cares!!!! My daughter Ellie Jane was born Friday at 429pm. She is beautiful, healthy and I love her.

Summer's Lease

"Summer's lease hath all to short a date."
- William Shakespeare

This is definitely a quote that is resonating in me right now. It has been at least a month since my last post and it feels like that time has whipped by. I could come up with 100 different excuses why I haven't posted. Not the least of which, would be that my wife beautiful wife Nancy is going to have our 3 kid any day now. These would ,nonetheless, be excuses. So, Ive instead decided to move forward. Forget the past and my neglect for this blog and get right down to brass tacks.

I've pinched and pinched my basil. For the last two weeks I've given up. Thus the basil has gone to flower. According to what I've read this changes the taste of the basil. Frankly, I have not eaten that much of the basil. Some made it into Marinara Sauce my wife made (Ala Giada De Laurentiis) It was really good. I have tried to dry some, we'll see. However, at least at this point in the summer I was tired of pinching. Truth be told I like the flowers.
The patio tomatoes we planted have done well. We had a number of nice ripe tomatoes. They were gigantic but you can't beat the flavor or fresh garden tomatoes. It has been dry that last couple weeks so we've had to keep their feet wet.

Same with the peppers.

It looks like three of the six variegated hibiscus cuttings that I transplanted are gonna make it. The plant that I took the cuttings from was really cool and I'm hoping that I will be able to pot these through the winter. I also number of hot peppers that I started from seed this year. There is little chance they are gonna make fruit this year so they are going in the basement with the banana plant. I was really hoping to get some flower on the banana this year but oh well. The leaves are still really cool.
Finally this wouldn't be my blog if I didn't lament some problem I'm having in the garden. Right now its tomato blossom end rot. The dry weather seems to have plagued my raised bed with what looks to me like rot. I hope I still get a few good tomatoes. Last nights rain should have helped.