I am not sure I should be happy, but temps have come down a bit, allowing me to do some weeding in the garden….and there are lots of weeds to pick out.

This morning it was 62º at 6 am, moving up to 72º when I did my first mile walk of the day. I then went back into the pea patch and weeded one row of peas that were hardly visible from weeds covering most of the row. I did put some grass clippings into the paths between the peas to help suppress some of the weeds, but there are plenty of weeds that need to go. One by one, I picked them out, with only one pea plant being taken out by mistake. I still have two more rows to go and then I am going to plant some more peas, as the seeds I originally planted didn't all come up, probably due to the hot weather.

This will be the first year I will be able to garden well into November, so it will be quite interesting to see how my fall plantings will go. I have nukes, pickles, a couple of broccoli, peas and lettuce going strong. I also started more lettuce and broccoli seedlings, hoping there is enough time for them to take off and produce. I am going to try and grow some late carrots as well and maybe even some spinach.

I have been following some of the farmers further north of me as they do their late plantings and I was impressed in how they continue to produce 2nd, 3rd and even 4th plantings, while in zone 5. I continue to learn something new almost every week working in the garden.

For the first time in quite some time, the temperatures have dropped down into the mid to low 70's during the day, good for walking and good for going into the garden. Before going out for my second walk (with rain intermittent), I went out back and picked another 6 lbs of bush green beans. Only one or two have turned slightly yellow, so I have been able to harvest lots more good tasting beans. I think one more round of picking, later today, and then a final full pick next week some time, as I am not seeing many blossoms and just a smaller amount of early beans not ready for picking.

I need to weed the blueberry area again, along with the sunflower row and the 3 rows of fall peas. My broccoli, which is growing under netting doesn't seem to be doing all that well and that area needs lots of weeding as well. Rather than spend time cataloging my harvest here on the website, I better get out and get things done.

The heat continues to provide lots of energy for the grass, weeds and veggies to grow and prosper. I am now cutting the lawn 3 times a week and need to weed wack at least once a week. Picking of tomatoes and now green beans is a daily undertaking. I have been giving away tomatoes on a daily basis, as there is such an abundance of fruit.

The newly planted cucumbers and pickles are growing quickly, and I am seeing peas popping out of the ground for the first time today. There is plenty of work to do, but with the heat still on the high burner, caution is needed to keep me from overheating. Just picking some veggies results in having to change my t-shirt.

Hot and humid has continued and will continue for at least another week. The good news is that rain has also arrived and that is helping everything grow, especially the weeds. I am now cutting the grass three times per week and harvesting every day.

Tomatoes are the main harvest and with the rain, splitting is begging to occur on some of the varieties I am growing.

I pulled out all the potatoes, pickles and cucumbers, but I have now planted new cucumber, pickle and broccoli seedlings, along with three rows of peas. I placed netting over the broccoli, as the bugs are still around, despite my bird friends.

I am hoping the rabbits and deer that I have spotted in the yard will keep away from the peas, as I presently don’t have any netting around them.

My biggest project is to weed wack as much of the property as possible, as weeds continue to flourish in this humid, wet weather.

I bought a half bushel of apples from Fifer’s for $15, an increase in price of $5 from last year. Still, the apples a got are a local version of Granny Smith, green and tart and make a great dessert.

I was able to finally fix the riding lawn mower, after fiddling around with it for a week. I replaced the starter motor and then a friend suggested the battery might not be strong enough, since it is now over 7 years old. A new battery from Walmart for $49 did the trick.