Country Garden

   My wee container garden certainly didn't rival big agriculture, but it was a pleasure being able to play in the dirt this past summer. Most of the food items are done - there are still a few tomatoes on the vine, and the peppers are still producing, but they're all just about finished for the summer. I have O N E little zucchini on the vine that may or may not feed one person, but
it's there!  For some reason, someone swiped one of my garden containers .. the larger of the two that held my squash. I expect they thought they were getting a lovely container to ice down their beer. It was the ONLY container that I actually purchased, other than a couple of small plastic buckets. It was an apple green, plastic tub from Big Lots.  I'm not sure it served anyone, though. I have punched, poked or drilled holes in all of the containers for obvious reasons - drainage. When I drilled the holes in the now-missing container, the bottom cracked. That wasn't a big deal for me, as I wasn't going to move it or use it for anything other than growing plants, but if it was taken for a beer cooler, the culprit got nothing. As my mama used to say, "Such is life."
   I expect the two varieties of lavender to survive the coming winter, along with the mums, rosemary and hens and chicks. I'll 'bunch' them all together near the outside wall of my apartment, and with the shrubbery in front of them, all will be well.
   Two years ago when we had such a huge snowstorm, the heavy snow served as a blanket that kept out the extreme cold temps.
   See the picture of a few of the sweet banana peppers in various stages of turning red, with a partial frame of fresh-cut basil? Aren't they beautiful! I love the colors and that basil is so very fragrant. 
   I didn't have a lot of luck with my New Mexico Chile Peppers; they weren't very prolific, but a fun experiment.  Next year, I'll put that in a larger container.
   For my family and friends out west, sun is not an issue for you. You plant anything anywhere and it has sun. Not so, on the east coast.  I do have afternoon sun in my garden area, but even parts of that are not in enough sun. This was a difficult truth for me to learn. Next year . . .
   It's almost time to put all the garden to bed and look to getting ready for the holidays.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.
   Would love to hear about your gardens as you wind down the season.
   Happy Country Living, whether you live in the country or just wish you did.

©  2012 Cat Brennan