the spinach i planted almost three weeks ago seems to be taking off finally . . . there’s a nice ring of small, dark, leafy plants around the edge of the greens bed. better than last year already. i’ve never gotten spinach this far so i’m not sure what happens next—do they suddenly start growing like crazy, the way the rapini and mustard did? or do they gain more gradually, the way the chard seems to do?
some knitting goes that way too . . . when i work on this new silk scarf, it seems as if each 32-row repeat of the pattern goes a little slow, but when i’m done, and step back, i’ve added another 3.5 inches which makes for a noticeable change in length.
and i’ll only need ten total repeats for the whole scarf, which seems very doable in a short time (since i have five done now). i’ve been aiming to complete at least one repeat per night while i watch TV and some nights i’ve actually squeezed in two, so it won’t be long.
oh gosh, our garden is a mess, and i’m getting worried that we won’t even be able to catch up with it by the end of the summer. the rains of the last three weeks have been nourishing for all manner of growth around the place—big weeds and volunteer plants of every type have sprouted everywhere. plus, this is the busiest time of year at our jobs and david has been swamped with work.
but it’s been good for the vegetables too . . .
i had started to worry that we’d never see a pepper—usually we have large pepper plants with LOTS of fruit, but this year they’ve grown a little slower. but then, true to tradition, today i saw tons of tiny peppers when i was exploring.
and some new eggplant
both dark and light
i’ve been picking baby squash with the thought that it makes good eating and it would encourage more flowering. i don’t know if it works that way or not (it might be that they just needed more sun) but today we have lots of good color out there
something yummy must be inside . . . the ants are swarming it like there’s no other food anywhere. well, it does look delicious.
about rivolo. i did rip it out and restart it with one more pattern repeat. i’m glad i took a second look at it, too—turns out i had grabbed the wrong needle when starting that first one and the texture wasn’t as relaxed as i wanted.
so this gave me a chance to correct that as well. now that i’ve restarted, it’s going quickly and i like it better. i’ll have a chance to put major length on it today—we’re heading to ikea in pittsburgh to buy a bed for the third floor guest room and that’s about a 5-hour round trip (i do hope our little car makes it home ok with a bed box strapped to the top!).
i can hardly believe the third floor is nearing completion . . . it’s been forever since david started it. now the library room is done and the books are unpacked. the bedroom is done and will soon have a bed. he’s got a little more work in the bathroom (including that we have to purchase a toilet), and then it will really be done (as soon as he’s not so swamped with work, ay, ay, ay).
i’ve held off taking photos because we are so close, but but soon i’ll do a nice photo shoot up there. of course, finishing the third floor means another project has to start somewhere—probably closer to the living space we use most. heh.
as much as i look forward to and need it, i dread the day we get to the kitchen reno . . . or, for that matter, any of the first-floor renovation.
for now, we still need to get a coupla more projects done outside, so hopefully those will be next.
(such thick flowering on the hostas this year. the bees are loving it)
last night we went to debby’s house for 4th of july and i haven’t had such a fun 4th in years. there were at least 30 kids there, going absolutely nuts at swimming, running around, fishing in the lake, and playing. and a BBQ, with everyone contributing side dishes, wow.
(we brought home souvenirs—mmm, cake—and left some pasta and veggie pesto behind)
it was SO fun. then when it got dark there were fireworks at the nearby golf course which watched from the porches and lawn . . they were so pretty reflected on the water there. of course i don’t have photos—what do you think i am . . . organized??
anyway, hope you are having a great holiday weekend too—enjoy!
16 thoughts on “a little knitting, a little gardening”
Your gardens are beautiful 🙂
Spinach is generally not a summer crop. I live in southern Ontario and over the years have tried many times to grow spinach all summer. I’ve planted under other plants, I’ve covered with shade cloth, I’ve watered carefully and often, I’ve tried many varieties of seed.. but no. It doesn’t grow well once July comes and it is a constant struggle to keep it from bolting.
So, I plant one crop early in the Spring and eat it almost every day until it starts to bolt, and pinching off the flowers isn’t discouraging it. Exactly when depends on the year and the weather, of course, but I don’t think it is specifically the heat, as we’ve had a very cool summer and mine was still bolting. I pulled it up yesterday and put in beans and beets in it’s place.
Then, in late summer, as I pull the beat and the beans finish, I’ll put spinach in again for a fall crop.
The hostas look good! I used to love those purple flowers on ours.
At least you look like you have far more intentional plants than weeds…such is not the case here in my garden. :}
I haven’t been reading your blog that long, but from a few comments you’ve made, I’ve finally figured out you live in my neck of the woods. LOL (Ok, “Pittsburgh Ikea” was a big hint.) I’m on the other side of the city…near Monroeville. Maybe we’ll cross paths in the local knitting world some time!
Anne, I’ve just spent the morning harvesting hollyhock seeds. (What an itchy, itchy business, even with gloves!) Can you grow them there? Would you like some? I have pink and burgundy.
Billi-jean is right – if the spinach doesn’t do well this month, seed some more in 2 or 3 weeks and watch it love the fall. Cleveland summers are way too hot for it.
The pink lily and the scarf were meant to be photographed together!
Hi Anne, I wish I could order your garden!!!! 🙂 Your new knitting looks “lush” – I am drooling, again, of course….
Hey! How many tomato plants do you have this year, hmmm? I’ll bet not as many as I have! HAHAHA! Love your plants! I can’t wait until these scarves are finished. They’re really pretty!
“Volunteer plants” – very, very funny. We have, um, a lot of “volunteer plants” around here, also. 🙂
Have you heard of ant farming? When ever you see ants on plants (with the exception of peonies) there are usually aphids around. They have a system where they protect aphids in return for their yummy sticky “dew” which they secrete for the ants. Ants love it! My pepper plants have suffered- a bunny i think likes the leaves. I had put up deer netting to keep them out, but there was a breach in the fence and it ate my poblano peppers that were miniscule along with the rest of the buds minus one. We’ll see if the plant survives and doesn’t drop the last bud in protest. It also cut down 3 eggplants to the ground and barely ate the leaves-arg!
The scarves are looking great!
yup – nods, in agreement with the others. Spinach loves the cool weather, and bolts like crazy as soon as the heat arrives. Yet, if you watch it, you’ll get some tasty baby greens (eat fast!)
Your hostas are amazing this year.
and the scarves are purdy too.
Love “volunteer plants”! We have our share of them as well. (Most of the lawn, in fact.) Those shy little peppers and egglants peeking out—-mmmm, good! I read somewhere that spinach is a winter vegetable, that fits in with the other comments.
Oh, and the knitting also looks fabulous!
Great pictures of your garden & the yummy vegetables that you will be enjoying !
a) Spinach matures more slowly, like chard. But I’m looking at yours and you say you have trouble with it, and it looks like mine used to…and what I discovered is that my soil needs LIME. Like, it’s STARVING for lime, and my garden with it versus without it is like night and day. Maybe yours does too?
b) You are right about picking baby squashes encouraging the plant to make more.
c) Yay for ants on the squash blossoms and not those nasty friggin’ squash beetles that I have!
d) and Yay for CAKE!
Oh my god, your hostas. Oohhhhhh. They’re WONDERFUL. And ickle wee eggplants! So cute!
I second a previous commenter who’d said that spinach might not be used to the weather– it seems to be a cold-weather garden treat (at least, all the folks I know who’ve grown it successfully have done it in winter, along with kale, rutabagas, and similar Serious Vegetables.)
I finally sowed (seeded? whatever) some rapini last week, and I’ve got a bunch of wee sprouts as of yesterday! So excited. Now I’ve got to figure out a better way to prepare them than just wilting them with garlic and olive oil (even if it IS yummy).
I need to find me a David! My house needs so much help.
Comments are closed.