With Thanksgiving this past Thursday, I started thinking about what I’m thankful for this year in my garden.
Veggie Goodness
Even though we had a rainy patch mid-summer, I’m grateful I did not get blight on my tomatoes. Spacing plants a little further apart for more air circulation does help. And even though I did get that nasty fungus—powdery mildew—on my squash, my cucumbers were only mildly affected because I trellised them up. Squash don’t trellis, but cukes do, and the extra air circulation around them helped.
Bees, Butterflies, and Lemon Balm
I’m grateful I kept the flowers cut off on my lemon balm so it didn’t reseed. Now if I could keep it from coming up between the slats in my deck.
I’m so thankful for every bee and butterfly I had in my yard. I still don’t have nearly as many as I did 20 years ago, but I had twice as many this year as last. The extra bee balm I planted seemed to help.
Is Gardening Contagious?
I’m grateful that my neighbor across the street, Lori, had LOTS of color in her yard. When I commented on how pretty her yard was, she said she was inspired by how colorful my yard was. Who knew that gardening was contagious?
My Deck Delights
I’m grateful for every sunny day when I found a few minutes to sit in the rocking chair on my deck and look at the Mandevilla vine I had in a pot on my deck. Mandevilla is a lush tropical vine with rosy pink flowers in the summer. Miracle of miracles—hummingbirds LOVED it! I had a couple fly before my face to get to those prolific flowers.
And, because my cucumbers were only mildly affected by powdery mildew, I’m grateful for the bumper crop I got. The cucumber I plant is an heirloom variety I get from the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange called Suyo Long. It is an oriental-type extra-long cuke—about 16 inches so getting even one is like getting two of a regular cucumber. I got enough to give away bagsful and pickle 16 quarts. Yeah, I’m DELIGHTED. I got so many—um, I think.
Family, Friends, And More
I’m grateful that I have family and friends to share the bounty of my garden with. And I am grateful for you, my readers. I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving.