gc

hey Kimberly, I put all the potatoes in the shed to dry. It has rained too much to leave them out in the sun, and there has been no sun! We eat a lot of potatoes so none will go to waste. I have to say, they have a wonderful taste! gc

WG, thanks and yes, it could be the same thing, but my potatoes are just fine. I'm hoping to have a new home for tomatoes for next year. My husband is planning on building a new long raised bed which will house the tomatoes. We'll see :) gc

WG, I'm guessing that it was mildew caused by too much rain or some type of blight. There were beautiful tomatoes on all the vines, all small yet and lots of them. First the stems then the leaves started to turn black, the fruit was fine. Eventually the fruit got spotty. I picked some of the larger clean fruit hoping to save it and put it on the window sill indoors. By the time they were ripe they were hard and discolored. So I bagged everything up. gc

That clematis is beautiful Waysider!

Have I mentioned my potatoes?? I was so disappointed with my tomatoes, this was my third attempt to grow them here :( but when I harvested potatoes in one section of my raised bed I almost forgot about them. My gosh, I bet I had at least 20 POUNDS hidden under the soil. It almost made up for my tomatoes loss. I just recently harvest my 4 bins where I had more potato plants. I think I pulled out 10 to 15 lbs from each bin. Potatoes grow well here! I put in some lettuces and green onion in the place where my potatoes were for fall. Twinky, yes, it is so cool to eat what you grow. I finally have my first courgette growing. Almost tempted to put an electrical fence around it to keep the slugs away :) I heard my mother-in-law telling someone that my first words from coming in from out in the garden is either "dam slugs" or "dam rain", so I guess I complain a lot about both :) I did something wrong with my onions, they are still so little. My carrots did ok, the parsnips will be wonderful on the Christmas dinner table! My leeks are looking fine and tall. They have done well all three years I've been here and my garlic looks good. I believe what has done the best in my garden, what has produced the most and what I've harvested the most from are my sweet peas, both annuals and perennials. Everyone in the neighborhood has had some of my sweetpeas! My mother-in-law has started taking them as little gifts when she goes out with friends. They are starting to slow down now and the stems are a little shorter, but their aroma is just as sweet. They have been flowering since May. gc :)

Compost turner sound wonderful! gc

Twinky, I'd never tasted those wild plums before. I went last week with a friend to pick plums and blackberries at the park. I couldn't believe it, there were branches hanging from the weight of them. I also picked the red ones, but they aren't as sweet as the yellow ones. I made a plum sauce for pork and I made a tea cake. They both came out good, especially the plum sauce. This friend says there are eating apple trees, Hazelnut trees and Chestnut trees at the park and in the surrounding areas for us to pick from. This is sooo cool. I want to make Hazelnut cookies! gc

I'm not sure waysider. The tomatoes that I have left look fine, 'cept for a small spot or two on most. Its the plant stems that are turning black first and some of the leaves. I took one bunch of tomatoes off the vine hoping they will ripen. I'm about to go out, now that it has stopped raining, and cut away any and all leaves that have any black. My potatoes are wonderful. I dug up about 15 pounds of them yesterday from one bed. They are beautiful! :) Twinky, its been years since I've grown corn, but I do remember how beautiful it was growing tall. gc

I'm so disappointed, I'm loosing all of my tomatoes. I have bunches of them out there on the vines and they are all turning black! In an attempt to save some, I've cut 1/2 of them out, the most infected. Anyone have any idea? gc

I think all the rain has finally gotten to me! Leafy, I know you are in California. I have no idea why I said what I said, all I can say is "too much rain on the brain" It was Twinky I was actually thinking about when I asked how the rain and not going into the garden was handled in England. Sheesh! Sorry! Speaking of rain, the sun has finally come out today after weeks of rain here :) gc

We both live in England, and yes I'm from Louisiana, you can tell that from my accent, right? ;) I'm guessing leafy might have lived in California while in twi. leafy, got it! I'm pretty safe with the temp and going out in the rain then or when its wet, since its been 60's or lower for most of the summer while I've been here and I usually water early in the morning to conserve water when I have to. I didn't really have much of a problem with this in New Orleans since it didn't rain for days as a regular occurrence. Even if it rained every day in July it would "out came the sun and dried up all the rain". Thanks Kimberly and leafy for the heads up. gc

leafy, I'm planning on a fall garden here. I'm going to try my hand at growing some oriental veggies, leafy things. I'm also going to put more carrots down and some spinach down. What about not going into the garden when it is wet, what do you do about that, you're a native, any ideas? gc

Contender, that sounds like a winning name, I may have to try him too! Kimberly, what exactly do you mean by wet ground? Waiting for the ground to dry, which would mean it hadn't rained for two days straight, doesn't happen regularly here. It has rained during some part of the day, every day, except twice, since I got back from New Orleans on the 3rd! I live in a very rainy country! :) gc

WG, I've got to check out some different types of beans for next year. I grew French, which I'll try again, and Broad Beans, which I won't do again, though the flowers are lovely. I'll look to see if Roma and Blue Lake are grown here since they are doing well for you. gc

when I was in New Orleans/Pass Christian areas in June the weather was hotter than normal! I read 104 on a thermometer before noon. When I talked to family this past week they have said that it has cooled down some and has not been as hot as when I was there. Cooled down as in low 90's ;) If it wasn't raining here the weather would be wonderful! I think today might be nice, I can see blue sky with white clouds out my window. While I was away everything was attacked by caterpillars, all of my brassicas are holy, I mean holey. I've cut my first calebrese on Tuesday, made a broccoli quiche and it was wonderful. The sweetpeas are working overtime! I'm still able to cut and bring them inside. I think a few of my beets are ready to be harvested, I love beets! Neither types of beans did much of anything, they were attacked by the slugs. Gosh, they have humogous slugs here, big and fat from eating on my plants :) Over all I've been over joyed by my garden this first year. There has been something for everyone; people, bees, butterflies, moths, aphids ;) ladybugs (or ladybirds if you are from England), frogs, slugs, birds, grasshoppers etc etc etc. :) Time to go outside! gc