Garden 2026 Update #3 - Weather Extremes, Pest Pressure & Shifting Gears

It's been a wild start to the gardening season of 2026. From the first day I transplanted all of my seedlings grown indoors until this week, it's been one thing after another. 

Extreme Weather

For about the last 2 months now, it's been quite literally one extreme or the other. Either unseasonably hot, or cold, or wet, or windy, etc. It's been all of them, and nearly all of my indoor grown seedlings have suffered. I had to replace about half of all my tomato seedlings after they were planted outside. Most of my peppers survived but the plants are just now starting to thrive and really put on fruit so they're weeks behind where they would have been in more seasonal and ideal weather conditions. 

New Urban Pest 

For the first time in the decade+ I've been growing in this space, I had a very hungry ground hog show up and help himself to my immature cucumber plants.

I wasn't sure he was the culprit until I saw him on the back yard cam the same day I discovered my cucumber plant's leaves had been utterly consumed.

Not a coincidence, they love cucumbers as much as people do! Thankfully he moved on that very same day, and most of my cucumbers recovered, and are putting on new growth. 

But as of the end of July they're pushed back nearly 3-4 weeks from producing any fruit. So my cucumber harvest this year isn't looking great, similar to the peppers.

Similar to the tomatoes, cukes and peppers, I had some sort of pest help itself to the garlic I planted last fall. I only ended up harvesting about 10% of what I'd hoped for.  All that to say, I'll be purchasing a lot more from the local farmer's markets this year to process and put up all my family favorite canned goods. Sometimes, it just works out this way. I like to grow what grows well here, and what my family consumes the most of. For us, that's tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic & cucumbers. The only thing not bothered by any pressure this year so far, are the green onions. They're doing fantastic. 😂 Everything else I'll be shopping local for. 

Shifting Gears & Downsizing the Garden

Speaking of family favorite canned goods... I haven't fully decided yet exactly how I'll do this, but as the kids all grow up and move out, there are less and less people here under my roof every year to provide for. So after this gardening season, I'll be changing things up a bit as I plan for next year's garden and the amount of space & seedlings I'll be needing. I have a few fun ideas in mind so I'm kind of looking forward to this upcoming new season and this new chapter in life too. 

Here's a few shots from around the garden in the last few days...

Harry the Thinker Duck (a gift from one of my kids) hanging out in the pepper patch. 

My faithful Garden Assistant - Mr. Noobies 

A lovely volunteer pansie in the Spearmint pot. 

This year's Cayenne peppers for the all the spicy, home canned treats💖

The view from the back deck. Many more pops of color this year! 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you've enjoyed what you've read here, and if you have any thoughts or questions please feel welcome to leave a comment. 😊

Garden 2025 Update #5: Pictorial Garden Tour and a Triple Garden Mystery!

Welcome to my fun pictorial garden tour. 🌿I hope this blesses, inspires and encourages you in some wonderful way. 😊

The best of the garden from April 14th through May 20th.  This is spring in southern Ontario, zone 6a: 

Both of these guys think they're my garden assistants. 

Noobies on the left, and Ed on the right.

Both of them follow me around while I work in the garden.  😍

Early spring solar lighting accents in the very empty garden. 

Ed in complete control of the garlic/pepper bed. 

Hardneck garlic on the edge of the pepper bed. 

Mama Robin moved 3 of these eggs and left the fourth one. 😢

While I began the hardening off process for my tomatoes and peppers, my foyer almost looked like walking into an indoor nursery. 😄

Plsease allow me to introduce you to Thinking Harry. My youngest daughter found him and immediately decided he needed a home in our garden. Harry will live in the blackberry bed for now.

The lovely bloom of the Italian Prune tree.  💖

Beautiful welded dragonflies by my youngest in her last year of high school shop class. 💖

 

Three different colors of Forget Me Nots, all in one lovely bunch. These volunteer all over my back garden just about everywhere you look. 💖

Mr. Possum tried sneaking out early but I saw him & he slowly waddled back under the deck.  

My first strawberry bloom 

Seeing all the new growth on the grapevines just makes me so happy 😍

The chamomile I winter sowed and it's doing just fantastic. 

I find these little metallic stars in random places in my yard. Some gold, some silver. It's wild!

The view from the lawn swing. I love my tiny little garden. 

First sauce tomato of 2025

All the peppers are doing fantastic

The view from the deck May 16th

Help me solve a TRIPLE garden mystery 🌿🔎

What kind of bug is this on the peppermint?

Likewise... what kind of bug is this, on another peppermint plant?

What kind of plant is this? This is a volunteer & I've never seen it before. 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you're encouraged by what you've read here, and if you have any thoughts or suggestions please feel welcome to leave a comment. 😊

Garden 2024 Update #15: Putting the Garden to Bed

 And just like that, the Juncos arrived, the autumn color change is almost at peak, there are flurries in the forecast off and on... and the last harvest of the year is done. Well, almost last. I'm leaving the carrots a little longer to see how they do. 

Overall it was a really good growing season, despite a few problems here and there. A couple of things I won't be growing again will be sweet potatoes and onions. I was very hopeful for the potatoes this year (their vines were long & healthy) but they didn't produce well. This is the 2nd time I've tried with the same poor results so, they're out.  So for now the plan is to replace that growing space with a single raised bed and fill it with strawberry plants. 

Things keeping me busy since my last garden update:

Salsa with the last of the ripe tomatoes & jalapenos for the year

Final pepper haul of the year October 13th

My cozy, charming wee garden

Little Jalapeno Forest

I wish I knew what both the possum and the squirrel were thinking 😂

A green onion from the farmer's market. My garden will have what your's is having, thank you. 

I'd love my own home grown veggies to look like this! 😁

A wonderful "first soup of the season, Butternut Squash and Tomato Soup recipe 

Yummy summer berries 💖

Other than the late summer planting of carrots, I still have loads of garlic to plant, leaves to mulch for all my beds, and berries to cut back. Thankfully the forecast is favorable over the next few days. Other than that, I can officially say the wee back yard garden is closed for the season. 

That will do it for this garden season update thread. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have an incredible day. 😊

Garden 2024 Update #13: A Garden & Kitchen Tour

It's hard to believe it's already September. The growing season always seems so short, and over way too soon.  While it's not quite over yet, it's coming quickly and the chore of "putting the garden to bed" has already started. 

Come join me on a walk through the garden & peek into the kitchen:

Mid August when the garden is most lush. 

I love the way it looks when food is spilling out of the raised beds the way the carrot tops are.

I've been working on beautifying (as much as possible) the inside of my wee cottage. 

As I always say, it was really nice of me to buy this hot tub for my cats. 😂

My 2nd to last Mars Madness Hibiscus flower this year. 

They cast such a gorgeous pop of color in the garden. 

Yet another contender in the "mutant tomato of the year" contest. 

All the green tomatoes are growing on a single stem that appears to have grown out of the red tomato. 

Terra Cotta Yarrow - orange blooms are new - they yellow out in about a week. 

Apparently the carrot heard about the mutant vegetable of the year contest. 

What you get when you leave your wee bunch of carrots in the box lid. 

Scarlet Runner Beans were late bloomers but look at 'em go now!

The grape vines are taking over. 

My Cherry Wine at 8 weeks.  It's fantastic! 🍷 Recipe is here.

Sometimes the harvest looks like this. 

New Fridge Pickle recipe I'm trying from here

The spear on the left is 1 day old. 

The one on the right, the more olive colored one, is a week old. 

Perfectly pickled & garlicy goodness. 

25-ish pounds of tomatoes 

A year's worth of ketchup (more or less) and 2 quarts of rich tomato juice.

I use Sarah's recipe here

The late summer clear up has begun. 

Out are the butternut squash (non-producers this year) and blackberries are now in their place. 

Clear up continues with the removal of the last of the vines on Cucumber Lane. 

This whole section is being planned for renovation for next spring. 

One of the last berry clusters this year.  

The bushes were HUGE procucers and I couldn't be happier.

Thanks for coming along on a tour through the garden & the peek into the kitchen. 

I hope you were encouraged or inspired in some by your visit today.