It’s damn good having Lin home. I think he’s going to be staying home now, but I haven’t asked. I’d really rather not know. Ignorance is bliss and all that.

I haven’t mentioned the garden lately. Well, nothing much has been happening. The cherry tomatoes continue to produce, but the tomatoes are getting smaller and fewer, so it looks like that will be winding down soon. The two large tomato plants have been blooming like crazy for weeks, but nothing at all has set. The peppers are just sitting there not doing anything at all, which is pretty much what they did all season, so I’m not surprised. Looks like the summer season is finally coming to an end.

I’ve decided not to plant anything for the fall. I’d thought about doing radishes and carrots, but the fact is I don’t think I’m going to be interested enough in going outside every day to fuss with it during the winter. That’s when I usually huddle in the warmth of the house and do indoor things. Spring and summer is when I just want to be outside all the time, so working on a garden fits with my natural activities. Besides, I have good and inexpensive sources of greens and winter veggies. Seems silly to spend a lot of time and money growing what I can get so easily and cheaply … and having to go out into the cold on a regular basis to do it. I really dislike cold weather, but I dislike it even more when I have to be out in it.

Since I’m not going to be reusing the pots and boxes for winter, that means I can experiment with overwintering my tomato plants. The pepper plants that are still in pots are getting ripped out and thrown away (never doing peppers again — too annoying), and tomorrow I am going to chop off the two large tomato plants to see if they sprout new leaves and branches. If they don’t, oh well, no loss. If they do, I’ll move them into pots for the winter. I’ll probably go ahead and cut back the cherry tomatoes too. Hate to do that when there are still tomatoes on them, but the tomatoes we’ve been getting this week aren’t really worth it anyway. Best to just start this overwintering project now.

Though I don’t know where I am going to put the plants indoors when it finally starts getting cold. I’m about 99% certain the cats won’t leave them alone if they can get to them. I guess I’ll have to see if I can move some things around in the laundry room, or maybe I can make some room in the Box Room for them. I will be trying them out in the main house first, but I know my cats. They will not be able to resist, and tomato plants are toxic to cats.

It’ll all be a moot point if they don’t grow some new stems and leaves after I cut them back. So no point considering the next step until I see how that works out. To be honest, I don’t care one way or the other. I mostly just want to see what will happen.

That’s what’s been going on with my garden. Not much! The seasons are turning, and I’m already planning for spring. As soon as winter really hits, things die off in the yard, and the Insane Neighbors are officially gone, we’ll be outside getting the big garden ready. Can’t wait! My first task is going to be clearing out the front flower bed — something I have never gotten accomplished due to not enjoying being hassled by Annoying Boy every time I am out there for longer than five minutes. I’ve decided to plant the whole bed with cantaloupes. Well, except where that awful rose bush is residing. I can’t bring myself to kill it, even though I hate that thing with a passion. I do think I’ll buy it a trellis though. Buy, not build. We all know how well I build things. There will be much less aggravation if I just buy one of those sheets of lattice and press on. :lol:

I’ve got to go call Mom now. Her dog went to the vet today for some dental work, so as you can imagine, she’s stressing out about it. I would be too. Poor little dog.