Rain, another attack, and a tart

It rained, finally. We got 1 1/2 inches over 24 hours. It was very welcomed and we could have even used more. I came home from work soaked but I didn't care, I could almost watch my garden grow.

Some of my tomatoes have huge flowers on them, my labeling system failed me (again) so I don't know what is what, I planted a few different kinds of tomatoes. Any type of pen or marker either gets faded by the sun or washed away when watering. 

There is hope for strawberries, more than anything I want to have a bowl of strawberries and cream every evening.

Celery has been voted "most improved" this year. I was so disappointed last year that I only planted a few this year and  someone gave me the tip of tying the leave up and the stalks will get bigger....it worked. Now I am sorry I didn't plant more.

Peas are blooming

I believe the watermelon has just figured out that the string is his ladder, the little Marigold that just grew voluntarily is trying to be his friend but I'm afraid that it's going to get smothered soon. 

The pea fence filling in nicely, the peas were starting to get way too friendly with the onions in the row in front of them so I had to interfere a bit and guide the peas to the net. I have to keep an eye on those peas.

Basil coming alone......there will be pesto in my freezer this fall

The front yard potato patch is looking good, apparently. I need to plant more next year, I see some empty space. 

Liesl over at http://nestinground.blogspot.com/ posted a delicious picture of her blackberry tart so I used her idea and made a rhubarb and Saskatoon torte and had enough dough left over to make a little pie for my neighbor. This is so simple and easy and there are no rules, use whatever fruit you wish, make it sweet or not, use nuts or not, use coconut or not, use your imagination or not.....just follow Liesl's recipe if you're afraid to venture alone. 

It was good for breakfast this morning.

I recently learned that you can freeze pesto, so today I will be making some pesto. I picked the basil this morning, do I ever love picking herbs in my garden, it makes me feel so French.

Now to report on the bad news, once again there was an attack. This time my peppers were the victim. It seems somebody cut off the stalks, falling them to the ground, it was a clean cut making me suspect the cut worm. I lost 3 peppers plants over 3 days, of course when the first one fell I thought maybe it was an isolated incident and after the second one I thought "surely he is done now", it wasn't until after the 3rd one that rage set in and I started goggling the problem. The solution appeared very easy, little cardboard collars for the plants. Seemed to easy to be real, but I tried. I figured if cardboard didn't work I would use 2 inch PVC pipe. But it's been 4 days now and no more attacks.

The fallen peppers

Cardboard collars

There may be one more casualty, one of my cherry trees never did anything after I transplanted it, it didn't get any new leaves, or bloom, for the longest time it didn't loose a leaf either but now it has lost all it's little leaves and looks very sad, like a few sticks in the ground. I talked to the lady at the greenhouse where I bought it and she said to leave it alone and it might just perk up yet. If by next spring this is no improvement she would give me another one. So I wait and watch, and hope. Isn't that what gardening is all about? Waiting, watching and hoping.

But it's Sunday and I must go now and eat tart and fresh buns and butter.....oh, I baked buns too but forgot to take a picture.