Tuesday Tidings

Summer is slowing fading away
and bringing cooler morning temps.
We still have plenty of blooms to share.

Shasta daisy

butterfly vine blooming

and budding

Some of the sunflowers are bowing out for the season.

The gloriosa daisies are a cheery sight in the garden.

Engorged seed heads ensure they will be back.

Zinnias are a summer staple.

This is the first time I've grown the giant yellow variety.

This seed head reminds me of a fancy layer cake from a posh bakery.

lantana budding

and blooming

portulaca

This perennial peanut is sometimes used as a groundcover.
It is drought tolerant and displays these darling yellow petals.

A former neighbor gifted us with this plant.

My friend Lynn informed me that it is called
"Spanish bayonet".
I may try to propagate this using the dried seeds.
You can read more about this plant here.

This is the first time in the five years that we've had it
that it has bloomed.
Maybe it needed to be closer to the sun...

The beautyberry shares garden space with some lantana

in one of the backyard beds.

I like the contrast of colors and textures.

The beautyberries this year are loaded with berries for the birds.

morning glory

native salvia

The porterweed a friend gave us recently seems to be happy

in the front blue garden.

Keep 'em happy and they'll grow for you.

This volunteer is blooming abundantly now.

These puffy orbs protrude close to the sight of the blooms.
Not sure what they are or if they have anything to do with the delicate pink blossoms.

A bit of fiery red penta adds a splash of color
and these lovelies attract a number of butterfly varieties.

Cozy critters congregate outside the patio screen.

The fall winds are making their way to us.
Nature will keep right on providing a delightful vista
as we count our blessings.

 

Farm School Summer Series Week Twelve

It's still officially summer,
but the fall garden is underway here in Central Florida.

Have you heard of edible hibiscus?
Me neither.
I tasted a leaf or two and it has a slight tang to it.
It could be a unique addition to a mixed salad.
This magenta-hued plant can be invasive,
so these were pulled out during Faye's clean up.

The Romas that were installed two weeks ago did not fare well.

Never fear, there is no lack for 'maters in these parts.
This lovely display will soon be transplanted into larger containers.

These new seedlings are a combination of Roma, 
Celebrity and Sweet Million tomatoes.
The cells which house the most sprouts are sown from new seed.
The less abundant cells are from last year's seed.
It's important to pay attention to details.

These eggplant are looking healthy and happy
and will be finding a new home in the garden soon.
They will be a welcome addition to our supper table.

We had sown beet seeds a few weeks ago without much success.
We weren't sure if it was because of the seed, the weather or the time of year.
Again, new seed was replanted and this is the result.
Nearly every seed germinated.

The dill had been covered to discourage butterflies from laying eggs.
They did not seem to be coming along as anticipated,
so Lynn took the covers off and they came back to life.
As for the butterflies, 
we'll be collecting them every week as needed and hosting them back in my garden.

Today we transplanted these beloved banana peppers.
I was never that fond of peppers,
but these are so sweet and tasty, 
they were being added to everything from salad to pizza.

Any available pots in the pepper area were used.
 These are partially covered in shade cloth.

These funky things help the peppers get the best start possible.
This is a "Lynnvention", another little something he's created
through time and experience as a gardener.

The metal stakes are fitted with small expanses of wire.

Need support?
You got it.
Yeah, he's mighty good at this stuff.

We direct-sowed  about 20 or so kohlrabi.
It's a cold weather crop in the brassica family.

We also planted a few rows of peas,
just to the left of the beans growing here.

Can I tell you how psyched I am about this?
These shriveled-looking pods
turn into the most sweet, juicy, and tender morsels you can imagine.

We follow the instructions on the package for best results.
As you can see, we should be enjoying these within a couple of months.
Hot dog!

Lynn and Faye shared with me the history of their vast tool collection.

These cleavers have been handed down.

Many of the tools have been handmade.

These have a multitude of uses both inside the home and outside in the garden.

Look how this metal was forged to create a handle.

When Faye and Lynn set up at the farmer's market in town,
they use this bucket filled with rocks to hold their umbrella.
Faye suggested that it could be used for shepherd hooks as well.

This native coffee plant boasts bright red berries in a sea of green.

So many wonders of nature lurk here just waiting to be discovered.

Hoping your fall garden is getting underway!


Farm School posts start here.

















 

A Morning Walk

Each day begins with a walk around the neighborhood as soon as the sun is up.
It allows for a few minutes of peace and time to reflect on the intentions for the day.

Just wanted to share my morning with you on this fine Thursday.

Enjoy the simple pleasures of everyday.

Homemade Living Series

Staci@Life at Cobble Hill Farm
joins me today for our series.
 


 We acquired this compressor from friends who recently moved.
It worked for them most of the time,
but Big K wanted to see if he could repair it to do what we needed.
He is a master "figure-outer" with stuff like this.

He really blows my mind.

Here it is taken apart.
Big K checked for leaks in the fittings and couplings first,
then realized the problem was internal..
A new gasket was in order.

The items needed for this project are
gasket material, a pen, a straight razor, a craft knife and a hole punch.

The original gasket is carefully scraped off of the cylinder with a straight razor.

 The gasket material is found at an auto parts store.
It comes in a roll for about $6.
This roll contains enough material to make several gaskets.

 The gasket material is cut to the approximate size of the original gasket.

A template is created with the old gasket.

The new gasket is cut out with an Exacto knife.
The holes were created with a single hole punch.

 Voila!
A new gasket will enable the compressor to be used
for years to come.
Gaskets can be made for virtually any application.
Why pay for something that can be so easily made?
 Taking strides toward self-sufficiency is a step in the right direction.

Next week join Jackie, Mary & Tammy
for their Homemade Living ideas.