Lagging behind on posts and pictures

 Been lagging behind on a lot of things other than doing my painting and playing games. It's to be expected this time of year the garden is just kind of hanging until serious weather changes come. We will be having hot and dry weather again this weekend. I watered the beds yesterday and the evidence is clear once again that shade makes all the difference in the world. 

I trimmed the tomato again as well, it was leaning out into the path and just took some extra growth off. All of the branches but a few were ones with fruit so I trimmed to that point.

Also a few days ago I pulled the two pathetic bean sprouts in the south bed. They didn't sprout very well, likely being upside down and they were in the shade. So not worth having them struggle and not do much. I trimmed the tomato again as well, it was leaning out into the path and just took some extra growth off. All of the branches but a few were ones with fruit so I trimmed to that point.

Also, after digging up the south bed and not doing anything with it, it seems one or two of the cats had gotten out there again. Definite divots and paw prints in the soft, recently rained on, dirt. I worked it again, leveled it and then put tomato cages back on it for insurance.

The Liquidambars are changing color, yippee (note the few leaves that are on the ground)! That is the only fall color that California gets and I'm enjoying it. IF I ever get to a location where I can grow maples I will. They have less of an invasive root system than these do and have more interesting shape and branches.

I've been taking a lot of pictures of trees, landscape and plants to paint and took one of the Liquidambar that was changing color. That's the tree that dropped leaves in the garden and rather striking against the blue sky. They are such a funky tree species that one will be changing color and the on not twenty feet from it is still summer green.

Picked a tomato and one of the few peppers that came off easily. They are not growing any bigger quickly so it's only a matter of time before I yank it. The leaves are yellowing also which says that it's finishing up and nutrients are run out completely.

 

 

 

 

 

That pepper looks more like an anemic lemon tree than a pepper. The tomato had considerable corky marks on it and I left it and the pepper on the patio table. The penny was there already so I just used it as a size comparison.

The bean is doing good, about two or three inches tall now and nothing has decided to munch on it. If it starts getting taller I'll use a stick or one of the cages to support it. It's supposed to be a bush bean which means less than two feet tall. About the height of your knee so not really going to need support.

This weekend and next week may be the last hurrah for hot weather, crossing fingers. Santa Ana conditions usually don't last much longer than two or three weeks usually, sometimes a month but that's unusual and scary. It usually coincides with fires breaking out and so far we've had more fires this summer than ever before. Fire season is the equivalent of tornado season. It could strike any time and you can only keep your eye on the news and watch the horizon for smoke.

Time for lunch and waiting for packages to arrive from Amazon. As soon as more money comes in I'll get some compost and fertilizer to start working the beds.

 

"Double Shaded Trail"