Sigh

After 3-4 weeks of hot, humid weather and being gone for 2 weeks, the garden is overgrown and needs lots of attention. But I can't work up any enthusiasm or energy for getting out there, and it's no longer the weather, as we've cooled off rather considerably (high of 61 yesterday!). I don't even have an interest in bringing flowers into the house, and I usually have them all through the season. I'm just going to have to get out there sooner rather than later, or all I'll have left is a jungle...

I'm not sure what's gone wrong with my veggies this year. Except for my cherry tomato, they've done almost nothing. Yet my perennials are huge. Maybe I need to add some compost to the soil this fall. I haven't always mulched the veggies, so maybe the soil is kind of played out?? It can't be only the weather, as I seen gorgeous veggies all around me, and have read of the bounty of others. The beans from Greece didn't do well at all - they got eaten by something (not us...), looks like they have rust, and the pods all turned black overnight several weeks ago. The few we got didn't taste all that terrific either. I may try again next year with the few seeds I have left - see if it's the garden or if they just won't grow here. I'm suspecting the latter, as so many things look to have gone wrong.

On to something more positive. My native asters out front are huge - I imagine they'll start to bloom soon. In fact, they're so big I may have to transplant the grasses next to them so they can be seen! The grasses are also coming along nicely - getting their fall seed heads. The cardinal flower is still in bloom - I sure like a long bloom time. They'll need staking next year, which I wasn't expecting. Not a problem - I just didn't anticipate it. I've lost a few things out there, which is to be expected. I'm not sure if I'll replace them or not. Other things are getting larger and may need moving, which would take care of the hole.

It really has been a hot, humid summer, in case any MN natives were wondering if it was just their imagination. It was the 5th warmest summer on record, and third warmest August. Daytime temps were "only" about 3 degrees above average, but nights were 7 above! No wonder we couldn't sleep, eh? And all that nasty humidity - 252 hours with a dewpoint over 70 (our average is 163). That's considered subtropical, and, indeed, we had a number of days when we were warmer and more humid than Jacksonville, FL! I shouldn't complain too much, though, when all I had to deal with was heat and humidity. So far, MN is leading the nation in tornado activity this year with 145.

Let's hear it for the possibility of not needing the a/c any more this year! I don't want it to stay this chilly this early, but the average of 75 can stick around for a long time as far as I'm concerend. And maybe our adequate rainfall will bring us some good fall color??