skippy's vegetable garden is moving

Skippy's vegetable garden will move soon.

The garden is at its peak, tomatoes ripening, big green basil plants, tall teepees of cucumbers and green beans. I am picking more than we can eat from this cute little garden. But, something else is going on too....

The cold frame is being taken apart and removed as we get ready to show the house to potential buyers. I wonder if someone will continue to maintain my little side yard garden? Or maybe it will be removed and replaced with grass. I wonder. It's been a productive area for me over the past 22 years - even though the amount of sun continues to go down as the trees continue to grow. I must have 1000 aerial photos taken over the years. It will be hard to say good bye....

But then, it will be exciting to start fresh and build a brand new garden! Skippy's vegetable garden will move to a big open area next to a pretty little pond. Our new house is only about 10 miles west of our current one. It's a bit further from Boston, a bit more rural. The back yard has big granite steps that wind down a slope through ferns and laurels and bring you to the flat open grassy area by the pond.

I am excited to mark out garden boundaries soon. I hope to turn the grass under later this fall and let it compost over the winter. Maybe I'll add some fresh manure to compost in the soil too. All winter I can plan, and then in the spring ..... ahhh, I can't wait....

suzie in the garden

Suzie had a fun walk through my garden the other day. She explored the shadows under the squash vines, hopped around on the sweet potato bed - and THEN - she found the radicchio! Ahh, the perfect vegetable...

She climbs up into the big leafy heads - each leaf is round, green and bigger than her, the perfect size to curl up in - and she snuggles into the shady inner part of the plant then settles down and begins to nibble. A bit of this leaf, a bit of that one. I think she would have stayed there all day....

A couple days later. I brought a few radicchio leaves home for her and she had just as much fun. She sneaked up on the pile of leaves and grabbed one. Then, quick as a rabbit, ran to the dining room with the leaf that was bigger than her. She alternated shaking it and eating it. That leaf didn't stand a chance against such ferocity (such cuteness...). She ate two entire leaves! (Yes, her tummy has been fine.)

(Unfortunately, my radicchio plants are almost all big green leaves now with tiny centers just beginning to form. Since it is so late in the season, they will probably bolt before they head. I was late planting it this year.)

today's harvest

Cucumbers! I love the crunch of lots of different varieties! I am also harvesting beans, chili peppers, lots of lettuce, and my first few tomatoes.

Suzie is home

Suzie is home! She sure is cute!

She's a 7 weeks old Portuguese water dog, all black just like Skippy. Very soft and fluffy. She has needle sharp baby teeth, but is learning fast how hard she can bite. She's a quick learner. She learned how to climb out of her baby pen in only a few hours. She learned to steal my shoes. And she's learned how much she likes garden lettuce, roasted squash, and potatoes.

Skippy and Suzie are getting along great - as long as Skippy has an escape route. She is pretty fresh. And I am amazed at how polite Skippy is. He seems to really love being with her and running along the meadow paths.

I have to admit though that I'm exhausted. Suzie has to brought out to pee every 2-3 hours at night. I can't wait til her bladder gets bigger!

winter squash arbor

My winter squash vines are growing by inches, or more, a day. They have topped my arbor and lots of fruits are setting. The Waltham butternut do best on an arbor since the vines are long and flexible.

I have five butternut plants growing on the left side of the arbor and, on the right side, four plants of different varieties: Hubbard Blue Ballet (a small fruited hubbard, whose vines are a challenge to train up an arbor as they are so thick), Orange Kabocha, Buttercup, and Delicata (this small vine has been overrun by the other three very vigorous ones).