Whatever our term for the look of our late-season gardens, the epithet we chose probably reveals more about our personal garden styles and/or choices more than anything else. One person's "ratty" or "overgrown" is another gardener's "lush" or "explosively beautiful" - one visitor actually used that latter term one early October, and I've never forgotten it ! "Wild and wooly" certainly works for me, although I'm definitely partial to relatively arcane words like "blowsy". . .but don't you sometimes wonder if some of this late season "exhuberance" isn't partially self-willed - you know, minor gaffes earlier in the season when we failed to use the necessary stake or grow support, or tie something back that we KNEW would pitch over - our deliberate negligence the result of deeply repressed knowledge that our shameful failures will bring a certain, well, blowsiness, to the garden. . .and we LIKE it ! My favorite example of this "lack of discipline in the garden" is a very old, rangey chrysanthemum (blooms in Oct/Nov here), which tends to send out long stems in its bed and then the flower heads pop in various sunny spots. For several years now, it has grown over to, and under, a slatted bench on the lawn edge of a bed, and then pops up all around and THROUGH the bench, creating a "seat of flowers" - what's not to love about that? :) Carl

I potted up seven more seedlings today, and repotted a couple that I purposely put in small pots, to repot a little bigger as they matured. Trying a couple different techniques with babies this year. Some outside, some inside, some in the same pot until they go in the ground, some repotted twice. And the grand tally _ I have 29 plants, assuming not a single one of the other seeds I have started makes it _ and some of them are looking pretty good. I'm actually starting 15 different varieties this year looking for the best of the best for my conditions. I can't believe I went this nuts! And now y'all are making want to look for a couple other varieties! Someone stop me! For those going to Ricky's swap, I'll have a bunch of tomatoes there. I planted two of each, a few more of some, and I clearly don't have room for that kind of tomato patch on my little 1/3 acre! Seriously, if you want tomatoes and don't want to bother starting them, I'm going to have waaaay too many. And if anyone wants to start some, email me, I still have way too many seeds because I wanted to try so many varieties. Tomorrow: I finish hoeing up weeds in the veggie-bed-to-be (it goes to weeds in the summer, with a few beans, in hopes they improve the soil a little.) And I will mulch it tomorrow. I swear. Yes, that was my plan for today, but gosh it was hot. It won't be so hot tomorrow. LOL. I've got some cow manure I'm going to rake in. Already spread some compost. Then I'll let it sit mulched, with newspaper underneath, for a few weeks before I set out the plants in October. I can't wait! I'm also thinking of trying to do a raised bed in an area where the soil is particularly poor. Actually, I'm thinking of putting tomatoes just about everywhere! I've got a couple of those grow bags, came free a couple years ago with an order of I don't remember what. I'm wondering if I can put some cherries in them and hang them on the wall? And I'm seriously planning to take an unused garment rack out into the yard this year to put a hanging tomato planter on and then plant beans under it, with string for them to grow on. Is that crazy? The soil there could use some bean improvement. The one I can't get to start: Everglades cherry. That surprised me. I thought they were pretty easy. Susannah

I've been divorced twice; it's not easy on either side. Mr Pesky just lost his mother; Pesky is still trying to heal from a fall. The last thing she needs IMO is for things to get nasty right now. I also only know the story from here; while I don't recall good posts; many of us come to post when we're frustrated & need to vent. There has to be something there for their marriage to have lasted this long. She has a lot to lose if he wants everything divided. Easiest to keep the peace right now & move at her own pace. If they stay together; then that's what's meant to happen. I didn't have time to reply the other day; I was going to suggest he move out; work on himself & focus on a trial separation with him not living there. If he's normally "good" for 3 months; then you give it double or triple that before even considering him moving back. He has to know what it feels like living alone so that he has a taste of what it's like to lose her & their life; or he'll realize once & for all that he needed the kick in the ass to move on & grow up. I've been through a messy divorce; it's very costly. I know I spent close to $10k if not more. My 2nd ex spent over $50k accusing me of whatever that got him no-where. I kept giving ex #1 more chances. He was good for a month or so; then back at it. 26 years later he's still with the b*tch that he cheated on me with when I had my son. ~Hugs Pesky. This post was edited by roselvr on Sat, Jul 6, 13 at 19:49

Yesterday was our 14th day in a row of 100-degrees F or higher, and it topped out at 110-degrees F yesterday. Thankfully we'll have highs in the low 90's this week, and a much needed break from the extreme heat.... But the humidity will be higher and I always think that is worse at any temperature than dry heat. I get up at 3:30 a.m. each morning so I can get everything I need done before 9:00 a.m. when the heat really sets in. The gardening is done by 7:00 or 8:00. I love being at home, so cabin fever or getting bored doesn't fit my personality. I've been spending the hot afternoons making Wonder Ovens (aka Wonder Box - a form of thermal cooking) for Christmas (see link below). Your recipe for homemade mayonnaise made me think of my mother. I don't think my parents bought a jar of mayonnaise until I was a teen in the late 60's - it was always homemade. If you ever are concerned with using raw eggs, you can pasteurize it/them first by bringing the egg/s to 140-degrees F in a pan of hot water, and maintain the temperature for 3-1/2 minutes. Place in cold water to stop the cooking process. It's enough heat to pasteurize the egg, but not enough to completely cook it so you can still use it "raw". Lots of raw whole foods these days (but that's normal all year round) - especially with the garden producing. Cooling fruit or homemade fruit sorbet for dessert. Lots of homemade sprouts to use in wraps and on sandwiches now that it's gotten too hot to grow fresh greens. I also have a lot of pre-cooked meat, soup and chili in the freezer in user-friendly amounts we use when it's hot (cook once, eat twice - or more). Frozen seasoned steak strips or chicken for hearty dinner salads or a head start on a stir-fry, or quick Mexican entrees. Pulled pork has all kinds of uses.... I portion it in snack-bags and then vacuum-seal it in a FoodSaver bag. Add some bbq sauce and a homemade burger bun from the freezer and top it with shredded cabbage (also from the garden). I baked some new (homegrown) potatoes in the Solar Oven the other day, reheated some chili (formerly frozen) in the Solar Oven as well, to top the baked potatoes for a quick meal along with sliced fresh vegetables from the garden. Chili also makes a quick Taco Salad. -Grainlady Here is a link that might be useful: Wonder Box