We've finally reached a bit of a work slow down, I think. We shall see about that, but I'm ready to enjoy some time in the swing.
The new laundry counter top was installed this morning and is stunning. The old one was undeniably gross. We selected a granite remnant at the stone shop to keep the cost down and I found a very cool stainless steel sink online. It has a washboard on one side that I think will be useful for cleaning veggies and paint brushes as well as scrubbing clothes... everyone still washes clothes by hand, right? Wrong. I still like it. Bob is working on installing it as I type. Of course a new anything calls for paint, so that was done over the weekend. Next up... cabinet knobs and new flooring to replace the cracked tiles.
Outside we've been clearing a new bed to plant some of the divided irises plus a few other things that will attract hummingbirds and bees. There was enough room for red and yellow crocosmia, lavender, penstemon, agastache, salvia and a few grasses. After that we moved some of the young maples and the wax myrtles that were getting pretty beat up at the far corner of the lot, spreading them out along the fenceline where they can get water and a little pampering. Now I need some patience as it will be several years before we will see the fruits of this effort.
We built a new strawberry cage, version two, improving on the first I hope. This one is built of a much sturdier outer wire with an inner cage of chicken wire, and inside that is landscape cloth to secure the soil. I was too impatient to wait until spring to plant the strawberries, dug up the plants from the old cage and some from the old bed that were still growing and planted as we constructed this cage. The shock nearly did them in. Most of the leaves died but new growth is emerging from the roots. Strawberries are some tough characters.
Planting things in pots in the greenhouse has worked out well. The peppers are producing like crazy. Top picture is a banana pepper and behind it is my favorite basil, a variegated type that doesn't flower before you have enough to harvest, like other types. I made a batch of pesto using it and some homegrown garlic that is wowsie!
Bob likes the hot stuff. Here are some jalapeno peppers and habaneros in the back. Too hot for me.
Lovely tomatoes. This a hybrid plum variety that is OK tasting but not sure I'll go with them next year. The San Marzanos are better but one plant is going through blossom end rot and the one right next to it isn't and I'm not going to go through this again... so this is the last time growing San Marzanos. Seems the long shape of plum tomatoes makes them prone to BER, and some varieties are more sensitive than others. I didn't grow any Cherokee purples and that was a mistake. Nothing we have now compares in flavor.
