September/October Garden

The weather has been so strange this year. The summer was mostly hot, humid and VERY rainy. So much rain, we barely ever had to water. Then August turned unseasonably cold. September was too cold then too hot. October is so far swinging from crisp Fall chill to summertime heat and humidity (seriously it was 85 3 days last week - crazy!). So it's no wonder that the garden has been confused.

Tomatoes (where they used to be)
In early September the tomato plants were D.E.A.D. from blight. The worst I've ever seen. Even the actual tomato fruits had spots. I pulled up the dead plants and just left the marigolds, which have been very happy with the extra sunlight.

Cucumbers (where they were), herbs
In early September I also pulled up the totally dead cucumber vines and harvested the last of the cucumbers. It wasn't a great year for them either. Or the basil. The oregano and thyme have done quite well though, probably because this is their second year in this bed so they are extra large.

Flower Beds
It was a GREAT year for the flowers back here. The alyssum and impatiens are just gorgeous right now. And so are the zinnias. I've been harvesting them all summer but the most recent ones I've been leaving because of all the butterflies. Dozens of monarch butterflies, stopping by to top off and fill up on their way to Mexico. I don't have the heart to take away their food source for the big journey.

Gardeners are optimists. Our mantra is that we'll try again next year in hopes that conditions will be better. I'll be trying again next year too.