Haiku For A Grapevine

And now, a haiku, for the latest addition to my edible yard, a single Cabernet Grapevine:

 

Royal Purple Reign

Shall Be Fruits of Your Labor

Oh, Elegant Vine

 

Like A Real Gardener

Finally, I got smart and did the right thing by buying a soil tester.  Now I can check both pH and moisture levels in my soil.  Woohoo!  This tool takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out soil acidity.  Plus, you avoid overwatering by knowing how much moisture the plant is retaining, up to 6 inches underground.   One of the best investments!

When All Perishes, Time to Start Anew!

Spider mites, caterpillars, and aphids, oh my! 

Boy, these guys feasted BIG on my edibles this summer. They didn't even give my tomato plants a fighting chance.  Surprisingly, though, my squash and watermelon were not  affected in any way.  This leads me to think, either the seeds themselves were susceptible to disease, or the soil in that part of my garden was just not optimal. After all the spraying and dousing of natural insecticides, I finally gave up, and pulled out all the tomato plants.

Crisis= opportunity, right?   So, here was another opportunity to not only start seeds, but keep them at a controlled environment, indoors, until they are ready for transplanting. Here, below, I have started some seeds for purple tomatillo, German green tomatoes, and also some cucumbers!