A little bit of a garden update for you. If you aren’t into gardening, take the day off. There is nothing for you here.

I tried to grow a few different things in the garden this summer. New varieties of tomatoes, Jalapeno peppers, cucumbers, sweet peppers, potatoes and melons. The Jalapeno peppers are crazy prolific and, although picked when green, they are starting to turn red, and it is fascinating to watch. I won’t need to grow them again. I am fairly certain we have a lifetime supply.

On our menu tonight, we have new potatoes and a salad made with cucumbers and watermelon grown in our own garden! Watermelon grown here! This afternoon I had to sneak a wee taste and it is so sweet. Next summer, watermelon will again be included. Same with the cantaloupe, also sweet and juicy. Definitely an unexpected treat. I made a mistake where I planted them but they have proven themselves deserving of a better spot in next year’s garden.

The Summer Dance cucumbers I grew are healthy and relatively prolific, but I am unhappy with the number of seeds they have. Next year we will try a different type. The potatoes which we grew for the first time are delicious. They were grown in potato bags, as garden space was limited, and although we didn’t get a ton, there is certainly enough for people who don’t eat a lot of potatoes. We can dig them up as we need them and they will probably last us into September with no need to worry about keeping them over winter.

We pick a couple of figs as they ripen, every day. So far, maybe a dozen, which I am saving in the freezer until I have enough to make a fig spread for my winter cheese boards. We have harvested 40 pounds of tomatoes so far, which have all been canned, also for the winter. Our water isn’t going to last too much longer, so any tomatoes coming now need to be saved. End Blossom Rot, from inconsistent watering, has been a big problem of the summer drought so far and will likely impede a lot of the coming harvest.

All these successes pale in comparison to the greatest achievement of my summer.

I have tried many methods of propagating roses since I got here. None were successful. Last January, when I was pruning them, I took cuttings from them all and, with traditional methods, tried to make baby roses. On a whim, I buried one branch of each of my roses deep into the compost bin surrounded by gorgeous rich compost. In April, I uncovered them and lo and behold there was a branch covered in roots. I potted it up and put it among the annuals on my deck. Today, it bloomed. It is an actual thriving, happy, healthy rose that I made myself! I thought it was the Peace Rose, but now that it is blooming I think it is a different one. I will know better over the next week. I am so eager to try some more next year, but will need to be more attentive to

my labeling methods

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