Picking Pumpkins

This is one of my Jarradale Pumpkins from a previous season. Also, my granddaughter Lauren Ava. She got to pick her own pumpkin from Grammie and Grady's  Garden

A Victory Garden

I have harvested seeds from last years Jarradale (Blue)Pumpkin. I shared about half of them as winter feed for the squirrels and planted the rest. They are above, enjoying a sunny window sill. I harvested butternut squash too but the rest of my seed has been ordered from Victory Gardens. I will buy my eggplant and peppers from Leon's Garden Shop and I do expect last years tomatoes to come up on their own

... All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, And all things wise and wonderful;The Lord God made them all.

 ~Cecil F. Alexander

Caelen Came To Help

As if he doesn't spend enough time in the yard at work, Caelen came over to help with ours. Guess he likes what he does. He has a good eye so I've asked him to help with pruning some of the trees and shrubs next time he feels like some overtime.

Nature's Way Not Far Away

Nature's Way, A whole food store located on Kirkwood Highway near Elsmere is directly across the road from where we live in North Roselle. Yesterday I went into the store for some colloidal silver and to my delight found that they now carry produce from local farms. Today, I needed milk and eggs so I simply crossed the street to buy organic at prices comparable to the Acme. These products are available in the back of the store from the Delaware Local Food Exchange. The proprietor, Karen also carries local cheese, beef, poultry, bacon & sausage, fruits and veggies. Also in this corner can be found some handmade note cards, soaps and jewelry. As long as I was there I picked up some other items from Nature's Way including some flax seed oil and protein shake which since it was rather warm out seemed like a healthy alternative to a milk shake. Good marketing move Nature's Way. I will be in your store more often.

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Just a P.S. about colloidal silver or Silver Biotics. This product fights infection so well that I am rarely every sick for taking it. Nature's Way also carries homeopathic medicines. As a gardener I keep rhus tox in my medicine cabinet .... nothing works better to nip poison ivy rash in the bud.

My Neighbor's Tree

My neighbor has a tree that overhangs our yard. I'm not sure of the proper name for this tree but it is related to magnolia. The leaves are close to two feet long and the flowers are about 15 -20 inches across. I've tried to pick them for indoor decoration but they turn brown very quickly. The tree is deciduous so in the fall the leaves have to be picked up off the ground. They are nearly too big to rake. Rather spectacular.

Green Things Growing

I am pleased with the flower borders. I trimmed the Abraham Darby English Rose shorter so that it would not be so leggy. It is complimenting the rhubarb, iris and peonies rather nicely. A flower border is about visual harmony and diverse texture. My flowers look to be happy and holding hands.
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You can see the lettuce, squash & parsley abounding. I have the same vegetables as last year but I have added a few. The lettuce is a first timer ... really tasty. I have lots of tomato plants. I grabbed a package at the nursery thinking it was Roma Tomatoes but they turned out to be Whoppers... I was bummed until I saw Roma coming up from last years seeds. I have Sweet Cherry Tomatoes and Big Boy as well. I'll fill you in on the rest later.

The Nut House

We have a rather large oak tree in the front yard. It functions as a high rise for a good many squirrels. The acorns sound like large drops of rain as they drop .... you can hear them if you are sitting in the front yard on a quiet morning.
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Besides acorns the squirrels like to dig in my flower pots looking for eats. One Christmas I had set a basket of bright green Granny Smith Apples tied with a holiday bow on the front stoop. Every day I would come home and see the basket tipped and one more apple gone. I really didn't mind until the following year when the same squirrels figured my fall pumpkin was lunch! Some days there are so many squirrels in my front yard they look like a flock of sheep grazing there. And I don't care what they say .... we have yet to find a squirrel proof bird feeder.