Just Under The Wire

My Minnesota Midget Melon plant, bred for maturation in a short period of time for areas with limited growing seasons, has come through like a champ. I started the seeds late this year and didn't transplant the seedling until the last week in July. Still it managed to produce over a dozen fruits and beat the first frost date by almost two weeks! I won't tempt fate next year. But I'm glad that the odds were ever in my favor this time around.

A Pizza The Good Life

All good things come to those who wait and now we're in a month that was definitely worth waiting for, National Pizza Month. And while we can't grow mozzarella, pepperoni, ham or sausage in our gardens(sigh), we can grow herbs and veggies that make a homemade pizza all the more special because they add fresh flavors that can only be found in produce that was harvested just a few minutes ago.

So go ahead and grow basil and tomatoes. Make that homemade pizza sauce. Shred yellow summer squash or zucchini. Drain them, squeeze out the excess liquid and sprinkle them  generously over your creation. Put on some young tender spinach. Add homegrown onions and peppers if you like, raw or sauteed. And you can even include roasted homegrown garlic if you have a mind to.

The variations of pizza are endless. And you'll need far more than one month to explore them. So get started now and enjoy! Mangia! Mangia!

Cilantro In Ecstascy

While I have more than a little concern that we are only a few weeks away from serious snow here in NWI, it's nice to see my potted cilantro luxuriating in the cooler temperatures of autumn. If my plants are happy, I'm happy. 

My Late Melons

With only a couple of weeks to spare before the average first frost date, I can say that my melon plant which I put in the ground after the summer solstice has yielded at least one success.

Full Circle

Now that the worst of the summer's heat is behind us and the cool temperatures are with us once again, there's time to squeeze in one more round of lettuce before Old Man Winter makes outdoor gardening impossible in this neck of the woods.

Laugh A Little

Nice try, but that's still no excuse for not starting a garden.

Fun Facts

Community gardens are trending all across America, but do you know which locations have the most community gardens per capita? Here are the top ten.

Rank	State	Gardens	Population	People/Gardens
1	North Dakota	31	723,393	23,335
2	Nebraska	55	1,868,516	33,973
3	Iowa	87	3,090,416	35,522
4	Alaska	20	735,132	36,757
5	D. C.	15	646,449	43,097
6	South Dakota	16	844,877	52,805
7	Montana	18	1,015,165	56,398
8	Vermont	11	626,630	56,966
9	Louisiana	56	4,625,470	82,598
10	Mississippi	36	2,991,207	83,089