September is still hot in my corner of the world with tomorrow's high expected to be 117 F.
The cantaloupe vines (planted from seed at the end of June) have survived and continue to flower but unfortunately there's no pollinators around just yet.
Male flower on the left, female flower on the right.
I love how the tendrils reach out and wrap themselves around whatever they can to find support.
I've not yet planted any other types of seeds, but did plant some potato eyes that have started to leaf out.
I'm also making compost in a plastic storage container on the balcony. With the extreme heat, the process of food scraps breaking down happens pretty quickly. I dumped dirt and sand from old plant pots to get it started and just add kitchen scraps and leaves, plus water to keep it moist. It already smells like fresh earth and the soil is so dark and rich compared to what it looked like when I started months ago.
It was such a pleasure to sink one's hands into
the warm earth, to feel at one's fingertips the
possibilities of the new season.
The Forgotten Garden)
The Forgotten Garden)
Wishing you a happy Monday!
14 comments:
If you don't HAVE pollinators, YOU can be the pollinator. You just need a little paintbrush to distribute the pollen from the male to the female.
We did that with our tomato and pepper plants and it worked really well.
Dearest Tammy,
Lovely flowers and hope you get pollinators visit soon!
It always is such a joy for growing things at home.
Even for composting fruit and vegetable peels and such. We do too, in a container alongside the wood trail. We always have done so. All fruits and vegetables are about 90% water so as you say, in the heat it decomposes very fast. Adding water is good, we have it outside and in the rain, which we got plenty!
Love the quote you ended with...
Hugs,
Mariette
It's still hot here too but 90's. Look at your beautiful compost! You go girl!
Maybe I should do some veggies on our balcony!!
Your balcony is so pretty!
I love to grow veggies! The compost is a deep rich color--great job of bringing it to where you are!
How fun to grow your own veggies. I miss that. We have so many deer around here, they eat everything, even my geraniums.
Blessings,
Betsy
Lovely photos. My pumpkin from seed also blooms but no pumpkins develop, disappointing!
Dearest Tammy,
It's a shame that no pollinators come to you on the balcony ... But luckily you don't need them for potatoes - the tubers also grow that way and I keep my fingers crossed that you get a good harvest. Last year we had several kilos of potatoes, planted in an old compost bin, because I was able to sow twice. This year the weather is not that gardener-friendly, I have only been able to sow once and I don't yet know how many potatoes I will harvest. It's great that you can also make your own compost on the balcony!
All the best
Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2021/09/ausflug-in-die-johannesbachklamm.html
What? 117?..... are you kidding me? Oh.My.Goodness! It is a wonder your plants don't wither up and die in that heat. What a little miracle maker you are to keep them alive :-)
You must get a lot of joy from your garden, Tammy. Great job with the composting. If no pollinators show up, are you able to use a method of transferring the pollen yourself? Might be worth researching but wouldn't it be wonderful to see a bee buzzing around the flowers? I'm not a veggie gardener and, as much as I love plants/gardens, I'm not the best caretaker. That said, seeing a new leaf sprouting, or flower buds appearing, always makes me smile and I feel happy inside.
Serena x
I wish I could send you some of our cooler air! And then when we're in the dead of winter and I'm freezing my rear end off, you can send me some of your heat. Fair trade? ;-)
That's great that you have a little garden going on your balcony and a compost bucket, too. We have a compost bin in our back yard and it makes the most beautiful soil to use for my potted plants and gardens!
We tried pollinating cantaloupes ourselves as we couldn't see any bees, not sure we did it right. And yes, still quite hot around here as well.
Amalia
xo
Tammy - it takes forever for our scraps to turn into compost - I am jealous!
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