Man oh man, the AC is off, the window is open, and it will be 59 or 60 tonight!! Is anyone else glad to see some cool weather?
Yee haw!!
Woohoo! Cool night!
I am for sure, just wish it wasn't quite a big drop, but it certainly is a relief from the high temperatures.
I was out this morning digging the plot for my garlic and I didn't even sweat, that was really nice, had to wear a sweater during my early morning walk, so yes it is good.
Josephine.
Rain too!...rain... I see rain! I got up to let dogs out at 4:30 this morning and saw the deck was wet. It is 6 am now and thank you Lord it is still drizzling! .... Yea! Not much, but we haven't see anything on this side of town for months. If it hadn't been cool out, I would have gone out and done my happy dance in the rain early this morning. LOL!
This weekend will be nice cool temp too, just right. Great for setting out plants I got at the swap and at the Botanic Garden sale! I am not looking forward to the cold, but I sure won't miss the 100+ days we have had in Sept.
Sheila
I hear you Sheila! I was outside last night planting and pottin up until it got too dark. Hopefully I will get everything into the ground before the rain starts....and I still have a lot of stuff to identify and plant.
Sylvia
There is rain falling now here! woohoo! Although I was hoping to start painting some inside. I'll have to clean and work on bills instead now. :(
Amen to all your praises of rain and cooler temperatures. I just hope we have a long spell of "cool" weather before our first freeze. We so deserve many days of enjoyable days before we become house bound. I for one want to stoke up the chimnea, grab a cup of hot chocolate and just sit and admire our labors!
Carolyn
I hear ya. I'm not ready to be locked inside just yet. I'm praying we get some FALL, not just winter.
I dread the Winter, cold and dormant, but we have no choice,must accept whatever mother Nature send our way.
But we still can hope for a beautiful long Fall season, right?
Josephine.
It was nice here this morning, 65*F with a breeze.
We won't be getting any rain from this, but the cool is just soooo nice! The days will warm up again, but I too am hoping for a long Fall. I bought a flat of violas yesterday for some winter color. There's a spot under my river birch where I plant cool-season annuals just to help me through winter.
It was 59 this morning @ 8, it's only 64 now! I'm going to sit outside with a throw around me, and sip on a cup of hot chocolate, just because I can! :-)
That sounds like such a grat idea Mary, I should have done that, but instead I went and put compost on the garlic plot an took some pictures.
I hope they turn out nice.
Josephine.
Surprise! Wasn't really predicted, but we've had a little rain today. A bit more than a drizzle and not likely to sink very deep, but every drop is appreciated because it has been so very dry.
Ahhhhhhhh! That cool air sure feels great! We did the same thing last night — turned off the air conditioning and opened windows. Our 2 cats, Lucky and Winston, were right there as soon as they heard the windows open. We last opened windows in early May. If it's not too windy, each cat gets a window, but last night the wind was pretty strong so we opened only 1 window in the bedroom. They fought for that window a good deal of the night. At least it kept them off the bed.
We won't get rain out of this cold front either. We are in desparate need of it. This week-end we will have to put hay out for the cattle and start supplementing their diet with cattle cubes. Our lactating cows are beginning to loose weight. Without rain, the annual rye we plant later this month won't grow. The joys of living on a ranch.
Maybe the heat fried my brain, but I lovvvvve winter. I jokingly tell my husband that Texas has exactly 2 perfect days every year: once in spring and once in the fall. It feels that way sometimes. I like to have a slow lead-in time to summer and winter, let my body adjust, but here in Texas that's an oxymoron. It's either summer or winter. I like winter because I get to pursue hobbies I don't have time for during the summer. I must admit I'm a chocoholic. I love to curl up in a comfy chair with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. I also like to knit and crochet. It's a time when all those wonderful seed and plant catalogs arrive. It's a time for dreaming of that wonderfully perfect garden I'm going to have next year (Some how that never happens.).
This winter, I'll have one added pursuit — planning the interior of our new house. We have the plans, think we may have found a builder (The first one took a look at all those angles and said he wouldn't be able to tackle it.), and the electric company will have electricity brought to the building site within 6 weeks. Now the "fun" begins. We have gone through a remodeling before and it is not pretty. This time we are starting out with an advantage, though: we both love the exterior and the floor plans. If a silver spoon is mentioned one more time...
Winter?? What's that? I just want my plants to stop growing so I can fix this jumbled mess I call a garden!
Maggie you are just too romantic and poetic. I would love to sit outside but its a mess out there... I am still potting and planting from the swap. .....but you did give me an idea for a piece or two of patio furniture. I need something comfortable out there...maybe for two?
Sylvia:)
Well, here is the garlic plot that I didn't have to sweat to prepare this morning. Isin't it scrumptious?
If that garlic doesn't grow I'll have to eat my hay, I will report on the progress. Josephine.
I love the fall - but hate the winter winter (ie snow or ice on the ground or temps in the 30s) I have not seen more then a week or two of that type of weather here yet - I am sure it can happen but I hope not.
Time to plant the garlic - I am sure mine will not get near the size of yours ... I dont have your great soil yet and my compost pile will not be ready for a year yet so they will have leaf mulch and ... yep guess thats it!
Ahhh Fall - Mitch
We need rain down here in Houston too--I was blessed with the day off today to enjoy the weather--really looking forward to garden work tomorrow. That looks like a great garlic plot--am putting mine in this weekend. It was a joy just to curl up in the rocker on the back porch--cool breeze and no mosquitoes, but I think the hummers rode the cold front across the gulf of mexico--they were thick as thieves until 2 days ago--just a few "stragglers" now!
Debbie
This message was edited Oct 7, 2005 6:07 PM
It was 46 at my house this morning when I went to work and I love it!
wow - it was 56 here at 5:30 when I left for work. I think that might have been a little to cold for me!
dmj1218, I agree with ya on the hummers. Had 5 fighting over the plants and feeders in between the butterflys for the past 3 weeks and this morning..............not 1 buzz-by.
Till next year guys.
I'm in Tyler and have had perfect weather today, but no rain.I do consider myself a gardener but know nothing about growing garlic.Do you use what is sold in grocery store or do you buy garlic and where? I would like to add some to my herb bed. Gabriell
Yes, you can use the garlic from the grocery store, separate the cloves and plant.
You might want to check out this thread. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/523128/
There is a good explanation even where to buy Elephant Garlic.
Josephine.
This message was edited Oct 7, 2005 8:43 PM
Josephine your garlic patch is huge:)
I got some kind of garlic bulbs at the swap, can I put them in pots?
sylvia
This message was edited Oct 7, 2005 9:04 PM
I think those Sylvia are from Josephine - if so they are the same Elephant Garlic.
Good weather here. A small fire in the fireplace last night and tonight. Kindling salvaged from the Great Pyr pup. Maybe soup tomorrow, and then I am ready for SPRING!
Many thanks for your advice.I'm going to the produce stand tomorrow and I am sure they will have garlic.Gabriell
I planted my garlic chives this morning! How long before they are ready? make me hungrey just thinking about them. Did someone say they were Elephant size? Do I need a bigger pot?
Mitch i got EVERYTHING in soil. except for the cannas and this Pickeral plant. I bought it upstairs to read the lit. Its a bog plant, do that mean it must be in wet condtions at all time? if so I can plant it where the faucets drips all the time. I told you Mitch, I am not letting anything go. :) I got this friend in GA praying that the lemon grass make it so we can trade for Lemon Balm. lol
Josephine, I went to HD to get the propagating stuff today. Marcey, the garden center mgr sold me
(a)Scotts Perlite, she says its the same as vermiculite, is that true? (b) Scotts potting soil/phosphrus, is that ok? (c) spaghum peat moss? She also tried to sell me peat cups, she backed off when I told her you said to use styrofoam cups. She also invited me to take the Master Gardening course for 150.00.:) she was sincere about the course ..would be great if I didnt have to work on Mondays. :)
Sylvia
Sylvia you want Lemon Balm? I had a cutting here and let it go just last week.. Not a plant for me but the Dallas Zoo likes it.
Sounds good I still have the Cats Wiskers to find a place for but I think I am going to add them to a pot and bring inside rather then have to dig it up.
The garlis chives are not the same as the Elephant Garlic - do you just have one or both?
The cannas and pickeral plant can both be added to your water garden. I keep most of my cannas in the water garden and I added my pickeral already to the same. So far so good!
Mitch
Mitch my water garden plants are goners, I think. I took the green thing that look like bamboo and put it soil. Those other two things...maybe I had them in too deeper water?
Sylvia
the horse tail? How deep have you had them? You are going to have to come down here and I can let you see the pond and how I do it - I am no guru on pond plants but mine do great and they always have lots of extras to share. I keep all my plants at diffrent depths from about 6 in to 2 foot deep I keep everything from Mallows to cannas to waterlilies in there and they do great.
Mitch
NO!!! I hate cold weather!!! That's why I live in Texas and not Wisconsin! No disrespect to those who live in Wisconsin. I just prefer the warm or even hot weather to cool or cold. The sky is morbidly grey and most of the trees are leafless, or should I say 'lifeless'.
Just my .02....
Randy
oh Sylvia I have great clay for water plants here to if you will bring pots with ya - reg dirt will float away but I have a spot of the best clay that works great.
Hello Sylvia, yes potting supplies can add up, that is the reason I use the smaller cups.
I hope your chives do well, they shouldn't take long to come up, and then you can use them in salads and cooking.
Josephine.
I'm not exactly asking for cold weather, I'm just thankful for a break from the oppressive heat. Again, I enjoy everything the heat allows us to grow, and I love to be able to be outside, but it's the oppressive heat we really needed a break from.
Today's weather was absolutley perfect! Didn't get a bit of gardening done, though. Went to a free garden class @ Arbor Gate, then went to Houston and hung out all day with my son and his girlfriend. Tomorrow Adam will come up and move all my pots where they belong (after having moved everything into the garage for Rita).
Josephine, will the garlic be okay to plant among other plants in my rose bed? I don't have a bed dedicated to veggies, am working my basils, rue, parsley and fennel into my flower beds.
Sylvia, yes, I am a romantic, even though there's no one to be romantic with. :-( Go and get two chairs for your back yard! :-)
Think I'll go fix another cup of hot chocolate!
So Mary did you get everything in? We are all still trying around here (ok me and Sylvia are here and wrapping up at long last.) I still have to get my chives and Garlic in... ah I moved a few things around so I can give them the best spot with loose soil.
Mitch
I'm ashamed to say, I haven't gotten a single thing planted! Hopefully I can get everything in the ground tomorrow, when my son is here to help me.
:-)
Glad you have some help on that one!
Mitch
Mary, it is perfectly fine to interplant your garlic with your herbs and flowers, in fact it is recommended by many people as a safegard against insects and disease.
I haven't set my plants out yet either, but I did pot the ones that needed it, and am waiting to get my flower beds redone to set them in.
Josephine.
Mitch I planted the Pickeral under the faucet. I will take pics to show you what I am talking about. There is something else I got and dont know what is. Its looks like a canna but i dont think it is.
Maggie I got jealous of your having colorful Pansy's and bought a boatload yesterday. Also bought a trellis of the biggest PURPLE Ipomoea's. discovered ...I have two chairs and a new friend in Austin I am talking to.;) ...working on the hot chocalate.....lol
Sylvia