The second wave has begun

My sister noted today that the second wave of gardening has begun for us and I agree. It is official. We now have our seeds and the work on our fall crop can begin.

A couple of weeks ago, we planted cucumbers, yellow and zucchini squash and last week we planted our pumpkins. By the end of the week, we should have our electric fencing up and a number of things planted, including more winter squash. It really depends on the weather. If it seems to be mild we can plant more things but if it is really hot, we need to wait.

We do plan to plant our seeds we need to transplant, including broccoli, cauliflower. Some of the lettuces that head will need to be seeded, too. We plan to fill small pots with potting soil and manure and grow the plants in a protected area.

Our root vegetables and peas, greens and many other things can be sewn directly into the ground.

Now is a great time to get seed deals. The seed packets above were only 5 cents each and the seeds in the plastic were reasonably priced online. We will need to buy cabbage plants and potatoes, but the plants won't be available for awhile. We have plenty to do in the meantime.

Estate sale finds

Last week I was invited to tag along at an estate sale and I decided to share my finds.

I found these six beautiful handkerchiefs. Some were embroidered, with crocheted edges. I can use them to catch a sneeze in style or wrap a small gift. I always had handkerchiefs growing up and it is a great way to save on tissues. These heirlooms -- $1 each.

A small porcelain lidded dish. The price -- $1.

Eight mint green napkins. I save so much on paper products since I began using cloth napkins. I pick them up everywhere. The price for this set of eight -- $3.

Tatted lace -- $1. I don't know how I will use it but it will make a beautiful edging.

And finally a basket -- $1. It is a perfect size for gathering vegetables, storing magazines or filling with a gift.

Everything needs to be cleaned but I think they are great finds.

Fixing our #1 problem

We have decided that our number one problem this year is not having the ability to keep animals out of our garden. Right now it is deer. We can spray deer-away products but that really doesn't last. They have eaten all our peas and all the tops of our okra.

So we went to our new Tractor Supply Company and purchased enough electric fencing to keep the deer away for good. They may get a little shock but after that they should stay away. Everyone we have talked to about this problem said the electric fence is the answer.
So, we went to the new Tractor Supply yesterday because they were having a grand opening ten percent off sale. When we arrived, we found our cousin Evan who loves his new job there and he helped us get all the supplies together. He was so nice and helpful.

This week we are going to put up that fence and take care of our number one problem. Watch out deer. You are going to have to give up the okra and peas. You can only eat the apples from the nearby apple tree now.

Dog days of summer

Summer is winding down. Children will soon start to school and we are in what my mother always called the "dog days" of summer. I never quite understood what that meant but I knew it was usually hot and dry when she mentioned it. Things are not quite as lush as they were at the beginning of the summer. There aren't too many flowers left but some varieties of roses are still blooming.

There aren't too many wild flowers now, but you can still find a few. I can't identify the one above but isn't it pretty?

The one flower you can always count on in august is the marigold. It is cheerful right up until frost.

Planning a fall garden

One of the great things about living in Georgia is that you can grow vegetables until frost. We have already planted our second crop of zucchini and yellow squash and we are getting ready for cool weather crops like lettuce, greens, broccoli and sugar peas.

We also need to plant right away if we want to have any pumpkins for Halloween. I already have the seed and I hope we can grow some big ones.

The best place to go for information regarding what to plant to to our Cooperative Extension website to see what they recommend for this area. Click on the website icon above to see for yourself. You can even download a month by month plan for our climate and region. If you are not from Georgia, look up your state's Extension office and be ready for a flood of information.
Above are some of the publications I downloaded to help me with my fall garden. I plan to print the ones I need and put them in my three ring garden binder to refer to from time to time. There are so many things to choose from. I chose the publications that gave me yearly calendars for planting, and caring for my plants in the garden and at home. Click above to take a better look. You can find great free information on just about anything you can grow right at your fingertips.

This is my first fall garden so I am hoping it will be a good one. I thought my summer garden was pretty successful but we will see.

Old fashioned pepper sauce

I grew up using pepper sauce on my greens -- turnip greens, collards, mustard greens and kale. It was always on our pantry shelf . Even though my mother was the cook, my father was the pepper sauce maker. He took great pride in his pepper sauce and worked hard to perfect it.

We didn't have his recipe for many years after he passed away, but were delighted to find he had given his recipe to a friend. She put it in the cookbook published by our home church a few years ago.
This year has been a great year for growing peppers in our garden and I have been making peppers from my father's recipe. I am so glad he shared the recipe with our friend and neighbor because she eventually returned the favor. It will be nice to have pepper sauce again.

Deodorant and a space experiment

What does the recent Endeavor space shuttle mission and my choice of deodorant have in common? Strangely enough a recent experiment by a Japanese astronaut reminds me of my deodorant solution. You can read about it here.

This Japanese experiment to find ways to extend the use of clothing while in space is practical, but I can also understand why many thought it a bit strange.

Now why is my deodorant similar to the Japanese experiment? Some time ago, I developed an allergy to the aluminum in regular antiperspirant deodorant and on a recent visit to the allergy doctor, I mentioned that fact to him.

He recommended an antibiotic, used by people who suffer from acne, for use on my armpits. He said I would still sweat but it wouldn't smell because the antibiotic would kill the bacteria. Amazingly, it really does work!

Now, every morning, I apply a drop of clindimycin to each armpit and after it dries I apply a natural deodorant, like the one above, for a fresh smell. It really works. I found that sweat doesn't really smell until it grows bacteria. If you kill the bacteria you can avoid the unpleasant odor. Kind of like the Japanese astronaut's discovery with his space underwear.

Before this, I had experimented with natural ingredients to make my own deodorant but nothing ever worked. So my recommendation for those who have an aluminum allergy is to check with your doctor for a solution. You won't even have to go to space to discover it.