Planting Bulbs in Planters. 31 Aug 23.

I emptied some containers of their former occupants, removed the top half of soil, mixed fresh potting soil with the bottom half, and added some Osmocote slow release flower fertilizer, then planted these tulip bulbs in one.

Then I covered with more fresh potting soil and a little more Osmocote.  These are settled in for the fall and winter.  They do need to be kept away from squirrels, voles, and feral cats.

This time, I'll also treat the bearded irises as container plants.  I think it will be a lot easier for me to take care of them.  I bought two more, but will also try to clear out the rest of the old iris bed, which is taken over by thistles, and recover what iris rhizomes I can, from there.  Then that bed will become mowed lawn once again.

The daffodils will also be planted in a container.

Repotting Some Dendrobiums / Planting Keikis. 31 Aug 23

 I have a couple of dendrobiums that survive all the neglect that I give them.  I decided to restore them, and have been watering them and fertilizing for a couple of months.  I repotted them now.

One had several babies (keikis) growing on old stems.  I cut off those stems at the red lines.

Then I planted in orchid bark.

I mostly covered the old stems with more orchid bark.

Now they just need regular care again.  The keikis will grow fine with no special treatment.

Today's Harvest. More Apples & Sauce Tomatoes. Orcas Pears. 27 Aug 23.

 Today the temp was mid 90s, so I wasn't up to a lot of garden work.

The Gravenstein Apple tree may have as many apples remaining as I have harvested.  I cleaned up some fallen apples (chickens eat them, whereas if left on the ground, yellow jackets thrive on them).  I picked all I can handle at the moment.  These are just from today.

Also, the sauce tomatoes.  There is probably another crop as big, ripening in about a week.  Then they will be done.

I picked Orcas Pears, most of that tree's crop.  All I need is a batch or two, to can.

They are still pretty firm, but starting to fall from the tree.  It's a challenge getting them when they are ripe enough to can, without being so ripe they become mushy.

Seeds Planted Today. Radishes, Turnips, Spinach, Lettuce, Swiss Chard. 26 Aug 23

 I planted these today, where I dug the onions.  I think they should give sone vegetables in Sept and Oct.

That's all for today.

The tablet seems to be uploading better now.  That's good.

Gravenstein Apple Harvest. 26 Aug 23.

 Gravensteins are among the earliest apples.  My only earlier variety is the modern, disease resistant, yellow variety "Pristine".  This tree is a dwarf that I planted about 5 years ago.  It may be alternate year bearing, based on results so far.  I missed the first dozen or so apples that fell on the ground.   Gravensteins are delicious, heirloom type apples (from the 1600s!) that are big, early, but don't keep long at all.  They also cook into a softer result than other apples.

I made a pie with the first 8 or 9 apples.

There are about a dozen more apples on the tree.  It's a nice crop this year.

Dwarf, Heirloom Tomato Harvest. And Tomato Pie. 26 Aug 23

 These are from a couple of weeks ago.

This was today.

The tomato pie I made.  I substituted Mexican style shredded cheese mix for the original type, and switched 1/4 cup corn meal replacing that amount of flour in the crust.  Also added a few chopped Jalapeños.  It made for a very tasty tomato pie.

Sauce Tomatoes. 26 Aug 23.

 I'll try to catch up a few posts from last week or so, until current posts.

Here is the first batch of sauce tomatoes.  The modern hybrid, "Supremo", had larger, earlier, firmer, meatier tomatoes, compared to my own saved seed plants of Roma VF.

I cooked down about 40% of them, reducing volume by 50%.  Pureed the result in food processor, froze in 1-cup portions.

I made most of the rest into salsa, and canned it.  The salsa also contained home grown green peppers, Jalapeño peppers, garlic, and onions all from my garden,

I'm not sure, but I think I will have a second crop, just as large, from the sauce tomato raised bed.

Onion Harvest. 26 Aug 23

 I've been digging the onions.  Very happy with the crop.

The red ones are the heirloom variety "Red Wethersfield".  The yellow are a modern hybrid, I forget the name.  The harvest is more than 100 onions, a good crop that will keep until Spring 2024.

The image with Rufus was the first few rows, a few days ago.

I'm letting them dry and cure, out of the direct sun.

Last year, my onion crop was very disappointing.  I think the difference is, this year I had much better (nonclogging) drip irrigation.  I was also able to keep ahead of weeds this year.

Red Star Quilt, Completed. 26 Aug 23.

 Here is the red star quilt that I finished this summer.  This was made mostly from upcycled men's 1% cotton shirts.  The sides and corner blocks are mainly my own design, and the body of the quilt was based on a pattern from Today's Quilter by Lynne Goldsworthy.  

I'm happy with the result.  A couple of the shirt fabrics were a more delicate weave than I should have used, and not as durable than I wish it was.  Lesson learned.  I have started cutting multicolored batik fabrics for an entirely different take on this theme.  Something to work on next winter.

Resuming Posting. 26 Aug 23.

 I haven't been posting for a while.  It's been a challenging summer, and I can't do everything I once did.

I hope that continuing to post is a sign of resilience and hope for the future.

Gardening is as important as it ever was.  Good for health, mental health, emotional health, nutrition, outlook, community, and the environment.