dry – Page 2

Cool and dry in Toronto – a strange gardening season

I don’t know what’s going on, but this summer is just a non-starter here in Toronto.

We’re several degree’s below the normal average this month and it’s been cloudy and overcast for most of June and July. Plus … even though most days forecast rain, we’ve only had a little bit in our area … well, up until last night and today that is!

You might remember that I started this growing season talking about how we were having a warmer than normal early spring and how my plants were ahead by two to three weeks … yeah, well forget that now! I’d say most of my plants are behind by two weeks now.

My roses have only flowered once and are slow to develop new buds this month (although a few roses have had some repeat blooms).

The sunflowers … they’re only maybe three feet high and haven’t really developed flower heads yet!

The cosmo’s, cleomes, daisies etc are just beginning to bloom … sporadically.

I have green tomatoes on the plants, but they don’t seem to be growing all that much … and my cherry tomatoes and tiny toms have totally stalled and have yet to produce any tomatoes! I can usually count on my tiny tomatoes before my regular sized ones!

I barely saw any strawberries in June … of course it’s possible that the birds, squirrels and even my dog might have got to them before me! We do have raspberries that are starting to mature now though … so maybe with this rain and hopefully some true summer heat (next week?) the berries and all the flowers will come along.

Actually I’m sure the rain will help – as I said it’s been dry in our area … even though I know it’s rained in other areas of Toronto … still the weather people say we’ve had a lot less rain than we normally do in July as well … so it’s cool and dry.

How are things in your area? Is your garden a little behind because of cool weather or is your garden delightful?

Mixed results for my veggie growing efforts this year

by Tricia

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Do you grow any vegetables in your garden? I do …

Yeah, I know, I’m always talking about my flowers and other plants and I barely ever mention the fact that I also try to grow vegetables in my garden, amid all of the flowers.

Each year without fail I grow tomatoes (I experiment with different kinds each year this year it was Early Girl, Glam and Tiny Toms), cucumbers, beans, peas, romaine and a variety of lettuces or mescalin mix.

My tomatoes did quite well this year, much better than the last few years anyway. Perhaps that was because I grew varieties that matured earlier. I just love home grown tomatoes. Yum.

Tiny Tom Tomatoes

Unfortunately though, my Tiny Tom Tomatoes, Cucumbers and beans didn’t do as well. I grow them in containers on the patio close to the back of the house. I guess I thought that with all of the rain this year that the plants were getting enough water … guess again … they grew very slowly and I think it was because they were too dry overall.

My cucumbers did the worst! They only just started producing tiny cucumbers about two weeks ago! Here’s a tiny one as proof:

Tiny Cucumber

If I’d paid more attention and didn’t just assume that the all of the areas of the garden were getting enough water thanks to all the rain we had this summer then I think my cucumbers and beans would have done a lot better.

I guess I learned a lesson this year. Even if it’s rained, always go out and check the soil to see if it really is moist. Plants growing near the house or under the eaves just might not be getting any water at all!

I hope your veggies did better than mine did this summer.

We are going to get the remnants of Hurricane Ike all day today. We are expecting a lot of rain. I mean the kind that causes flooding … and flooded basements! Our basements always been dry, but this might be the test! Hope my home and garden survive all the water we’re about to have dumped on us!

Gardeners, Plant and Nature lovers can join in every Sunday, visit As the Garden Grows for more information. GTS participants remember to check in at As the Garden Grows each week so that we’ll know you made a new post!

Rain Dance

by Tricia

I’m probably going to pay for saying this, but does anyone else need some rain? It’s been so dry here over the last couple of weeks. My poor plants are thirsty.

Yeah, yeah, now that I’ve said that it will rain for the next two weeks right? Then I’ll be complaining that there’s too much rain.

I guess that I’ve been doing a good enough job watering. At least half of my roses are in full bloom and smelling up the neighborhood with their lovely scent. That one branch on the rose that I call the monster, Antique ’89, has reached approximately 18 feet in height. It’s just not supposed to get that big!

I guess I’m going to have to go out and do a rain dance or something. I have another batch of alfalfa tea brewing in two large garbage cans in my driveway. It’s time to put that out on the garden, but I’d love to do it when we’re expecting some rain, preferably a good storm. Did you know that lightning puts nitrogen in the air, and that’s why plants always seem to grow after a good storm? It’s not just the rain, it’s the nitrogen in the air. Well, I want some of that, and some good rain for when I spread that smelly alfalfa tea on the garden.

If anyone has some rain to spare send it over here!

Mixed results for my veggie growing efforts this year

Rain Dance

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