Living La Vida Local

Yesterday was HOT!!  Today will be hotter.  I'll be outside as soon as it's light because my window of work is short.  By the time I've made sure that everything is hydrated, harvested and deadheaded, it'll be time for me and my girls to head indoors and into cooler temperatures.

Della and Maryah

Hot days and rainy days were made for housecleaning so maybe I'll finally get my floors washed.
Yesterday was "Meatless Monday" and I harvested artichokes, berries, citrus, figs, kale and tomatoes to include in my vegetarian menu.
The heat has finished off the last of the sweet peas, and I cut the vines off just above the soil line, leaving the roots in the ground to decompose.  I've been shelling the pods and I've added these bi-colored seeds to my Etsy garden store "yougrowgardens".

I'm also harvesting seeds from Dinosaur Kale and Larkspur, and I'll be adding them to my garden store soon.

We had a warm winter, and two of my tomato plants overwintered.  I've harvested more tomatoes than I could possibly eat so we've had plenty to share with friends and family.  I've started sun drying tomatoes in my car this year.  With the windows rolled up, my car dries the sliced tomatoes pretty quickly.  Of course, my car smells like tomato for a bit when I get in, but it's a small price to pay for delicious, healthy and free "heat dried" tomatoes.

Tomato Time

The compost bins are close to being maxed out with all of the extra summer growth filling them up.  We often mulch the grass clippings and leave them to decompose in place, but kitchen scraps, leaves, deadheaded plants, etc. can fill a bin pretty quickly.  I like to reuse some of the bins as extra growing space.  During the summer it can grow squash or green beans (just add a Christmas tree for a trellis), and during the winter it provides excellent bottom heat for seed starting.

Seedlings started in a compost bin

"Spanish Musica" pole beans 

growing on last years

Christmas tree

I've been trying to get a jump on handmade holiday gifts, upcycling driftwood, cans, beads etc. into garden chimes and plant pots.  Hopefully today's heat will inspire me to be productive in the craft department, and December won't hit me with such a frenzy of crafting and shopping.

Be Well and Happy Gardening