Garden Stories

September, the month of changing the vegetable garden from summer to winter. Last week we had a few thunderstorms with a lot of heavy rain. Great for my thursty garden!  And for me too! I got a bit tired and sometimes, when temperatures went over 40 degrees, exhausted of the hot weather. 

All this rain was a great opportunity to pull the weeds out. They reached up to 1 meter height in the empty part of the veggie garden!! I should have made a picture to show you the before and after, but as I hate the before, I can't get myself to picture all those weeds.

So, I started last Friday morning, first in the shade, but as the morning went on I worked more and more in the sun. Now I am a natural redhead, that is to say, I was a natural redhead !!! But my skin is still very white and sensitive. I am/work every day in the garden without any problem. With the weed-pulling I was wearing trousers and a T-shirt, bending over and pulling. Can you feel it coming?? Maybe I should have worn a longer T-shirt!! In the evening, in front of the computer, I couldn't understand why my lower back was uncomfortable whenever I leaned back against the chair. I blamed it on the chair!!

After my morning shower I decided to look in the mirror to see why my back was still so sensitive. Well.....I have a really sunburned strip about 5 cm wide just there were the trousers end. 

So today I wore a dress to continue the change-over of the garden. The whole morning I was digging. As you can see I have very nice garden tools. I am especially pleased with the soft leather gloves my brother-in-law brought me 

from the States. I can't get them here. They have soft leather gloves but only for men, one size. you can't work in the garden when your gloves are too big.

Before I started the digging I was checking the squash, ocra, peppers and eggplant. And....see what a I found. An enormous grasshopper! Unfortunately I have them in all sizes. They usually just don't sit quiet to have their picture taken. I don't like them in the garden. Flopsy, my cat really wants to help me to get rid of them. That's why he catches them and brings them to me in the basement, while I am there. Alive!!! They jump, and then I jump! 

Yesterday he brought me a little mouse. Thank God, not alive! He is such a nice cat, he just wants to please me !!!

Surprise! Another present left in my garden. One of my neighbours has chickens. Somehow they managed to escape their garden and payed a visit to mine. It seemed that they loved the strawberries, because they were all there, 5 of them. I had to chase them, first to the next garden and then to their own. Four of them went back. The fith one I chased for some time through two gardens and as it was getting dark, I gave up. Next morning she was gone, back to her home, I guess. A week later, again when pulling weeds, I found this. Two chicken eggs. Present for the garden visit!

Having a vegetable garden means that you have to work, but it gives also pleasure and of course nice organic veggies to eat (if all is well!)

A few days ago I harvested leeks. It isn't the time for leeks here in Sparta. I had some seeds and just put them in the soil to see what would happen. And they came up. They didn't like the extreme heat, but I managed to get some edible pieces. I had to throw a lot away, and still have a supply in the freezer for our winter soups. 

Garden stories will continue as I plan to get my whole garden in a "proper" state.