It's A Jungle Out There

Deb came over yesterday as I was unloading my weekly haul from the grocery store.

"Is it too early to start spinach for fall?"  She wanted to know.  (I might only have 2 years of gardening experience around here but I told her to "Go for it.") 

We chatted about direct sowing for Fall vs buying the starts from the nursery.  Deb didn't know that in about a month (mid September) all the local nursery's and big box stores will start carrying fall veggies.  Cole crops, greens...We got to talking about mustard greens (her favorite) compared to collard greens which are very popular around here.  She's bought her seed packets and was going to plant them today.

"I'd give it a shot.  If your direct sow stuff doesn't make it..."  I said with a shrug... "We can always run to the nursery and buy the plants there instead."

We chatted about her garden overall.  Not a lot of success for Deb's garden this first year and (like me) it was all about the soil prep.

Which got me to thinking that I hadn't been back in my own garden all week!

I unloaded the rest of the grocery's after Deb had left and noticed that I had about 6 cardboard boxes flattened in the Jeep.  (I grab the bigger boxes from work and toss them in the back to Jeep from time to time.)  I piled those boxes and, since they were big, balanced them on my head as I made my way back to the garden.  I knew exactly where these boxes were going.

Wow!  What a mess.

It's a jungle out there kids!  The weeds and grasses have established themselves firmly as the dominate crop in my garden.  We had some rain this week (YEAH!!) but not enough to soften the ground and pull these suckers up.  No biggie.  We'll get some soaking rains at some point and then it'll be easier to clean it all up.  Until then, the cardboard will help suppress them.

The pumpkins and winter squash are still hanging in there, tripled in size with the rain. 

Deb tells me that she too lost her squash to the SVB's.  Time will tell if the tinfoil deters them but for now I tossed all the cardboard on the weeds where the vines are heading.

SM came home and we strolled around the rest of the yard.  He noticed that the morning glory is choking a young apple tree.  All the bushes are overgrown  and back by the shed, (where I didn't get the landscape fabric and mulch placed this Spring), is looking down right scary.

Looks like SM and I will be out in the yard Sunday trying to tame this wild beast.

Oh Joy!  More bug bites!

At least it's not as hot.  We're forecast to be in the upper 80's with lows in the upper 60's. 

NICE!