When I turned 40, I threw a HUGE Garden Party at my other farm. It was so much fun to put together, and everyone had a great time. Food, wine, music, lots of flowers and fancy dress-up hats were provided, thanks to my Mom’s costuming connections. ;)
The party was a celebration but also a fundraiser for our Food Pantry and our local no-kill Animal Shelter, so I asked guests to bring either non-perishable foods or pet foods/supplies in lieu of a gift for me, which I later donated. It was a HUGE success - my friends were VERY generous!
I did the same on my 50th, but of course, my 60th was ruined due to Covid. My 61st birthday is here, and I wasn’t as organized this year, so it’ll have to be a Cyber-Garden Party. I’m starting the planning for the big 7-0; I should have that organized in nine short years, LOL!
Anyhow, late July is always the month when my garden looks its best, so I thought this week we would use the theme of ‘Garden Party’ to share ideas and thoughts and recipes, etc.
So, Party On! I’m going out to mow the lawn before the heat, but will be back later today. (Life Goes On!)
A fascinating article that I think all the gardeners would find interesting .... gardens provide food - good food & that is what we should all be eating!
How the Mid-Victorians Worked, Ate and Died
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3978810/posts
I heard this discussed on a podcast & was so intrigued, I looked up the paper - it was ‘eye opening’! Yesterday, I posted the link on a thread discussion & got a few comments on how much people enjoyed the paper, so I did a post on it today & I hope you all will enjoy it too (paper is easy reading)!
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Strictly garden news:
My first giant sunflower and first tithonia bloom have happened - woo hoo!
I think the hummingbirds are drinking the nectar out of my feeders with a straw or something - draining the feeders quickly! My SIL is having the same experience - says the hummer babies are now fledged and out/about in numbers.
Center view:
Butternut squash taking over as usual!
Here are the two plants I compared about a week ago, of the diseased one on the left before Ii removed the bad leaves vs. the one next to it:
Now today, thank God:
Now these plants were put in late and were very small and in a side location that gets very little sun. However, the soil was all screened and deep:
Now who can tell me what the names are to these flowers there were donated and planted:
Thanks and glory be to God thru His Divine Son for all the fruit that shows His grace and goodness!
Happy Birthday!
🌸🌼🌺
🎂🍰🧁
Far East of Eden: Couple transform their £240,000 Yorkshire new-build home into tropical paradise with plants from their travels in Thailand and Sri Lanka
Chris Ensell, 32, and wife, Anneka, 31, brought Southeast Asia back home to Ackworth, West Yorkshire
The newlyweds drew inspiration from their honeymoon in Sri Lanka and the Jim Thompson House in Bangkok
Chris estimated he has up to 300 variations of plants and has spent around £4,000 on tropical plants
He and Anneka completed the entire garden transformation themselves to help keep the price of the renovation project down
Thank you 😊
I was planning to try growing some more potato varieties this year. Instead I accidentally ran a different kind of test on them. The seed potatoes I ordered, plus the ones I’d saved from last year’s crop, finally got planted last night! I was certain they would be dried out and useless by now, but every single one of them was still alive. The Red Pontiacs had sprouts 2 feet long, and they’ve been growing in the box since January, but the sprouts were so strong that my little pocket knife couldn’t cut them! The Elfe sprouts were only an inch long, they held up better in storage. Still, even though everything had been sprouting in the basement all this time, they were still viable.
They were planted by laying them on the ground, covering them with straw, them a snowfence over top to hold the straw in place. If it works I might use that technique for other crops. My farm has lost whatever quality was making it immune to erosion, so I need to change my methods.
I have no idea if I’ll get any potatoes from this patch, but at least they’re finally in the ground.
After being near-drowned, Central Missouri is now getting baked. Believe it or not, after 20+ inches of rain in less than 30 days, a week since the last rain I’m having to put water on a few things in my garden. This year has been the nuttiest weather I can remember for quite a long time.
The squash is producing like crazy. Mrs. Augie has shredded 20+ pounds of zucchini and frozen it for later use. The pole beans are getting to the point they will need picking three times a week. Pepper plants aren’t dead, but they look pretty bad. Beets are ready to harvest.
Seeded okra, collards, turnips, and rutabaga last Friday. Need to prep the spot where I had green salad planted to make room for more collards.