We’re into October now, and it is feeling like time is really flying by. Life has been very busy lately and I’m not sure it will be changing anytime soon. While life is keeping me on my toes the same can’t be said for the garden. The garden is pretty well done for the season and is requiring a minimum amount of care at the moment. I had considered planting some small fall crops, but decided against it for this season. Now it is pretty well cleaned up since most everything has gone to seed.
Outside I currently have sage, chives and my black-eyed pennies left. All are still doing well. I had thought to bring the chives and black-eyed pennies indoors, but I really don’t have the room so that likely won’t happen. They will stay outside until another solution is potentially found for next season. You may recall that i did have pansies outdoors, but I transplanted those into some stoneware pots and brought them inside. They are part of the reason there is no more room inside for anymore plants.
The pansies have taken well to their new pots, I have just run into another issue. Spider mites! Those darned spider mites! They have infest my pansies and I am still in process of getting rid of them. I have had good luck with a pyrethrum-based spray in dealing with spider mites on the parlor palm, so I am trying it with the pansies. Spider mites really are becoming the bane of my gardening existence… Okay, I’m not being completely honest about that. The bane of my gardening existence is two-fold. Spider mites…and squirrels.
Squirrels have been sniffing about my balcony and garden quite a bit recently. I am assuming they are looking for places to nest for the cold season. Judging from last year my balcony is pretty appealing for some odd reason. Thankfully this year there wont be a chance for them to destroy my seat cushions . That all being said Jay and Dizzy have been doing a pretty good job of keeping the squirrels at bay. The same cannot be said for Tobi who seems to be quite afraid of the squirrels after her experience last year with them.
So now, the highlight of the last week:
It’s the first Black-Eyed Penny bloom! Considering I planted these late in July I wasn’t expecting much to come of them. They are the cutest little flower, and I love the colouring. I guess they are called Black-Eyed Pennies for a reason!
I’m going to go ahead and call the gardening season for 2013 almost at an end. We will soon be having frosts in the evening and at that point the growing season will be over. I have big plans for the garden next year as well as potentially planting a small plot (or a big one, depending on how everything goes!) Details on the changes to my garden will come over the winter months as I plan. Looking forward to doing it again next year.
