Concerning Mulch and Fall Planting

20120718_182948I pulled the yellow pear tomato because the leaves had curled and wilted to such a degree that I can’t imagine there was any turning back. I also trashed the pumpkin vine from the same bed because I believe the borers actually dug into the best looking pumpkin on the vine and I’m just disgusted with those bugs. In their stead I have planted radicchio, parsley and kale for the fall. The radicchio may not mature before the winter, but I’ll take what I can get. My parsley seed pack says it’s a perennial! I didn’t know THAT! I’m excited – I hope I can get those seeds to come up. I’ve never grown parsley before.

Went to Lowes today to get some rollers to finish painting my kitchen. I couldn’t resist getting 3 sorry looking verbena that were marked down to .25 each! I think, given the chance in the garden, they can come back and shine! The geraniums that were left practically for dead last year at a garden center did VERY well in the yard once they got some sun, water and mulch. These verbena are also annuals, but I think I can part with the .75 to see how they do for the rest of the season.

I’ve pulled the heavy mulch completely away from the areas that I’m sowing seeds in for fall planting. I am not deeply turning the soil, just leveling out the top, sowing and then once the plants get bigger, I’ll tuck mulch back around them. I think my spring/summer garden was an unpredictable mess because the heavy mulch hindered some of the plants while they were too small. We’ll see if these seeds fair any better.

A friend of mine gave me an old set of mini blinds and I’ve been cutting them up and using a china marker to create large plant labels for the garden. I love this because the small ones I’ve used in the past wind up strewn all over the garden throughout the season. He mentioned also a site similar to whatforme.com that contains some bright ideas about plants and gardening.

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