'I'm still standing'

 We did have to turn on the AC yesterday around noon and hoping to wait another hour or two before we have to do that today. Breeze is nicely blowing through the apartment and wish there was a way of funneling the wind through a bit faster.

But everything is still standing in the garden!

She's opening up nicely! If I wanted to grow sunflowers again just for a flower, this would be it. Big Mammoth Grey for the seeds, I don't eat sunflower seeds that much and would have to put a bird feeder over there instead of in front of my apartment for them. So Decorative ones will do nicely. 

The cucumbers and beans are still going good, still no fruit. Sigh.

The one on the left with the damaged leaf is one that I sprayed with neem the other day. Haven't had a good angle to get a picture. The bean in front is just doing great, throwing leaves all over the place. As I said, it likely won't be giving any beans for a while though.

 

 

Peek a boo

The flower on the bottom is from the smaller plant, but so many other flowers are blooming and dying without any sign of female flowers. 

Looking very sad and getting destroyed by the bugs but it's flowering. I might pull those leaves off (yes shocking I know, not supposed to do that) and hope it has enough energy to bloom. Come to think of it, that might help.

I didn't have to water again, two inches of mulch is such a water saver. May water tomorrow as that pepper is continually wilting more than it should. Some of the roots may have been compromised a while back and it's just hanging in there. One small fruit on it, not really worth worrying about.

Whilst walking Rocky I noticed something out of season on one of the bushes. Typically you don't see aphids this late in the season, they show up in the spring when new growth is out. Apparently there was new growth and therefore they mobbed it, covering the leaves with honeydew and their shed skins. 

 Raphiolepsis tend to put new growth out after they flower and even some of the bushes have a small cluster of flowers. Poor confused bushes. Typical of our climate though, night time temps are dropping down in the 70's and high 60's lately and that's considered 'spring type weather' for the plants. Warm days, cool nights so we get late season roses, bushes blooming out of typical season and bugs.

I still am going to try and take time out from the garden in the winter. It's hard to not garden though when empty dirt is just sitting there calling out for planting. Then I see the holes and will remember that's why I'm not planting anything. If that South bed is sufficiently protected now, that may be my only choice. Until I can do the same for the other beds, that will be it. 

"I'm still standing, ya ya ya"