Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, The report from my garden this week is rather brief. Plants grew in between all the rain we had last week. I have lost count of how many days it has rained. Maybe it would be easier to count sunny days? The weatherman said after last night’s rain, this is now the third wettest June in Indianapolis since they started to keep records. Between the rain, work, and other responsibilities of the past week, I had very little time to spend in … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 28, 2010
letters to gardening friends
Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 21, 2010
Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, I’m writing a bit later than usual this week. Been busy. Out in the garden. Out and about. I’ve taken on a new rallying call… Carpe Hortus. Seize the garden. Go for it. Plant it, pull it, hoe it, do it. And that’s what I’m doing. Out in the vegetable garden, everything is growing well, partly or mostly due to all the rain we’ve gotten. There are blooms on everything, but no squash or tomatoes or beans just yet. One of my co-workers is … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 21, 2010
Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 14, 2010
Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, Greetings! As I write this letter, I smell the distinctive, strong scent of my night bloomer, Epiphyllum oxypetalum, which bloomed this evening for me. I’ve been so busy outside that I just noticed the flower bud a few days ago, and then this evening I decided to check to see if it was getting close to blooming, and there was the flower. I’m glad I saw it, though I’m sure if I hadn’t thought about checking on it, I would have … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 14, 2010
Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 7, 2010
Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, Do you know how long it takes to shell eight cups of peas? I do! I can tell you from my own experience that it takes about an hour, and that’s an hour working steadily at it with no breaks. That’s a lot of peas and my fingers were sore afterward. People often ask me what I do with all of those peas. Well, mostly I give them away to other people who like peas. I just eat a few of them because peas aren’t my favorite vegetable. But I will … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: June 7, 2010
Dear Friends and Gardeners: May 31, 2010
(This is a continuing series of weekly letters exchanged between Dee, who gardens in Oklahoma, and Mary Ann, who gardens in Idaho, comparing how similar and different our gardens are, especially the vegetable gardens.) Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, Greetings from the garden on this last day of May, Memorial Day 2010! I’ve attached a picture so you can see what I harvested yesterday morning. That’s about 10 lbs. of strawberries, in case you are wondering, the … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: May 31, 2010
Dear Friends and Gardeners: May 24, 2010
Dear Dee and Mary Ann and Gardening Friends Everywhere, Summer has arrived! Or at least it seems like it has arrived. We went from temperatures barely getting to the low 60's last week to a high of 88 F yesterday (Sunday). Today it could also get up to 88 F and our record, set in 1965, is 90 F. No warning, just "Ta Da!"... summer. Oh well, it is better than the snow I hear you are experiencing in Boise, Mary Ann. You have my sympathies. Snow now would freak me out completely. As you can see … [Read more...] about Dear Friends and Gardeners: May 24, 2010
