OUT WITH THE OLD ...

Today is clean-up day - cleaning up the summer garden and making way for fall planting. It's a chore that I really don't relish (speaking of relish, I may try Lisa's Squash Relish later today! I'll let you know how it goes.) But it's a chore that has to be done. And since my "job" is gardening while Big John is away paying the bills, there's no one else to do it but little ol' me! So this morning I got it done - or at least part of it.

Out with the yellow squash:

(not sure where all those weeds came from!!)

Out with the tomatillos:

(those were a bust - I don't think we'll plant them again)

Out with the zucchini:

(again, those pesky weeds!)

I even pulled the plug on my two beloved heirloom tomatoes - Black Krim and Purple Cherokee.

(Heirlooms will DEFINITELY make another appearance in our garden!)

From my very limited experience with heirloom tomatoes, if you've never tried them, I'd highly recommend it. If you aren't into growing them, then try to find some to buy. I prefer the Purple Cherokee over the Black Krim, but I prefer either one over a hybrid tomato, any day of the week. The taste is incredible! They aren't very easy to grow. And if you won't eat tomatoes with "imperfections," then these aren't for you. Just keep shopping at HEB! But if you love the taste of a tomato on a hot summer day in South Texas - or anywhere in Texas - then you owe it to yourself to give heirlooms a try. I'm even thinking of having a whole area in the future dedicated to nothing but heirlooms!! We'll see...



And where did all these spent plants end up?

They ended up in a big pile outside the garden fence, just waiting to be covered with dirt and turned into compost - to go back into the soil! Nature, at it's best!



We've still got melons, okra, roma tomatoes, a few "round" tomatoes and lots and lots and lots of peppers growing. Pole beans still need to be pulled - I may wait for Big John to help with that. I don't want to have all the fun by myself! Cucumbers were on the verge of being pulled two weeks ago, but they got a second wind. I think that second wind is about gone, too, so they may come up this weekend. It's all just as well - fall planting is right around the corner. The ground needs a little time to rest (so do I) before it's put back into service. And it's hot and dry as all getout down here! Where are those little tropical storms when you need them?????

I'm off to make more tomato sauce. Hope you're somewhere cool. Happy Wednesday!