Vegans Living Off the Land

Sunday, August 25, 2024

July & August pretty things

This Summer came on quick and early for this region. We had 80 and 90 degree temperatures a month before we were supposed to in my area. Most gardeners here, and perhaps everywhere in the US are facing hot and dry weather. This summer, we have had to constantly water the gardens.

Here is some photos I snapped of my grandparents flower garden.

This Summer, too, I have enjoyed some time hiking, rock climbing, mushroom hunting, attending a few concerts, and indulging in the little things, like a bouquet of roses🌹 ....

Ate pajeon and doboo at a Korean restaurant

Corn smut from someone's corn field

This fungal phenomenon happens sometimes in Kentucky, it happens when the conditions are dry and hot

Old chicken of the woods mushrooms, too late to harvest...I found these a week too late.

Here, I climbed a local hiking destination and spelunking through the caves this summer a couple times for both places.

Right after I went mushroom hunting, I unfortunately had a fall in a creek slipping on a rock. I rushed to the ER to get stitches. This was my first time ever getting stitches!

Went to some concerts this summer and danced so much that I couldn't walk properly for days...

Done some faux gem mining for kids (haha) at the caves...

Earlier this summer, I went to the caves with my sister, and this second time I went with Ashley where we also scored some cool gems to put with our rock collection.

This Summer came on quick, and so too thr cold will set in quick. I already feel the cold in this late August. I hope my apartment garden produces some cucumbers at least before it gets too cold! I'll keep you posted.

Apartment garden & fruit garden

It's been difficult to commit to maintaining a garden this year, and for the last few years. My gardens aren't a 5 minute drive or a walk out the back door anymore, so I have resulted to focusing on the fruit trees and fruit bushes. Also, I have been attempting to have a Fall garden at my apartment.

The Kieffer pear trees are still growing strong.

My blueberry and blackberry bushes are growing great, but the birds are eating all of the berries, and the briars have taken over my patch of fruit bushes and my old main vegetable garden.

I used to grow a ton of different veggies and lettuces, pumpkins, corn, beans, tomatoes, but it is now but a wasteland of briars, grass, and tangled mess.

Until I can totally devote my time to gardening like I used to, I won't be able to maintain anything but what I'm doing now.

As stated, in my despair of not having plotted gardens this year, I have experimented with potting vegetables at an apartment. As you know from years past, much of my gardening has been a hugelkuktur garden on one property and a tilled garden at a second garden. Plus, I've kept a mini fruit orchard that I used to be proud of.

Alas, time flies when you're having fun and working your ass off, so I'm happy to say that I will have a massive pear harvest; my peaches will drop to the ground and nourish the earth; the blueberries, grapes and blackberry bushes will feed the birds; fig trees will fruit as long as I keep looking at them; and I will try my best to water my apartment garden.

Pear fruit growing late June

Kieffer pears

Alberta peach...not looking to cute

Here I have taken pics of my rose, houseplants and veggies.

ABC ROSE

Houseplants

I've been attempting to grow some summer vegetables in pots at the apartment. It's all very experimental, I've never done it before. I have 2 Cherokee beefsteak tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, radish, garlic and potato growing in my pots. I am trying to germinate kale and lettuce. I sowed Kale seeds (blue curled) variety on July 9th 2024...these are 60 days till harvest, so that would be October 1st.

Additionally, I sowed Lettuce seeds (grand rapids) on July 8th 2024. These are 45 days till maturity; sowed sparkler radish, 25 days till harvest, and bloomsdale long standing spinach which is 45 days till harvest and I'll be able to harvest August 22nd.