Dog Day Evenings

Now that mid-August is here and it's a bit shady in my yard by 7:00 p.m, I can manage to get some weeding done after work. When I get home from work in early summer, it's way too sunny and hot in my yard to do anything resembling labor. I'm a wimp in the heat. I guess I could garden in a skimpy bathing suit, being refreshed by the sprinkler, but if anyone saw me my property values would plummet.

Anyway, I have been pulling weeds these past three nights, and I can actually glance at certain portions of my garden without screaming. Progress!

Here is my beautiful little euonymous fortunei, Green and Gold. It's 2 years old, and thriving.

The Earthboxes have been amazing -- lots of vegetative growth, and the tomatoes and peppers are finally coming ripe. They don't taste that good, though, very bland -- like the ones you buy at Dominicks over the winter. This summer of 2009 was just too cool for the 'maters. We hardly had any hot, sunny days. This summer has been very comfy for humans -- we have used air conditioning twice in 3 months -- but the vegetables aren't happy unless they are basking in the hot hot sun.

Notice the cayenne pepper thrown about with complete abandon. It seems to be working keeping the squirrels at bay a bit -- I have been able to leave some red tomatoes on the vine to fully ripen! But the squirrels will probably grow immune to the cayenne, once they realize that it will not kill them. And I say "too bad it won't kill them!" Don't tell PETA where I live........

Note to self for next year -- squirrels don't bother pepper plants! No more tomatoes for me, I'm afraid. :( I'll have to look for something else to plant in my Earthboxes. What else do squirrels spurn?