Name: Deborah Orangeburg, SC Zone 8a Don't Sweat the Small Stuff!
It's good to hear from you Ella, although it sounds like you're having a terrible time. I'm glad that you're able to have some good days, especially finding that cute little wildflower. I wish that you could get a picture of it, but it's probably not possible. Sorry to hear about the deer and the tick problem.
have not been over here for a while. working on my garden every spare minute before and after work. it seems better than ever! growing 11 tomato plants: stump of the world, kelloggs breakfast, dehybridized big beef, as well as hybrid parks big beef, abraham lincoln, peacevine, sweet ozark orange. And a fun dwarf tomato called Marigold Kiss, those are in pots. also eggplant, pickling cukes, chard, winter squash, zukes, basil and other herbs, and hundreds of flowers. Most proud of coral honeysuckle, which i got from piggy swap, i think. in its third year and climbing up a trellis, i think it will bloom for first time this summer. remembering all of my cubits friends when i look at garden because so many are from piggy swap seeds. ATP/garden.org has a swap feature that makes it easy to do swaps, i also got quite a few from there last winter. makes gardening so fun to have unusual plants from friends around the world.
The trombone or tromboncino work great trellised so the squash straighten out and are easier to slice. Also you can harvest them as summer squash or let them mature into hard skinned winter squash. I think they taste great either way.
Oh wildflowers! I'm growing SO many of your seeds, arugula, cranesbill, coral nymph salvia. The arugula didn't get planted til last fall, it produced all winter and spring, finally went to seed so now I have tons of arugula seed of my own. And the coral nymph is gorgeous, reseeds everywhere even containers.
That's so great, SCbuttercup! It's always fun to know your seeds have flourished. I love that arugula, it seems spicy when you take a taste but its so delicious as a salad and very addictive!
I didn't have any kind of melons with that leaf shape growing, ever that I can remember. If it is a watermelon, maybe the chickens pooped a seed. It's right at the edge of the garden where there is a patio next to it. Chickens poop, patio is washed, seeds grow? It's starting to look like it might make a flower...
At a friend's house on their puter as usual mine is on the fritz. I hope everybody is staying as cool as possible. We are burning up here. 1/16th of an inch of rain in the past month. Lots of rain, but it has gone all around us. Major water restrictions with huge, huge fines if caught watering on wrong days or times. Gonna be 105 tom108F with heat index tomorrow. Ya know it bad when the weeds are dying. We started out year cool and now summer coming in with a vengeance for sure.
Got to pick, eat and spit out my first tomato the other day. It was so acidic it was rough. Not to bad if I drown it in salad dressing.
Think this is the first year that I haven't had major bug problems. Just a few flea beetles so far. Now that tomatoes are starting to ripen though the tomato hornworms are all over the place. Never had so many before. I scout the leaves twice a day too so now sure how they even got on the plants, cuz I sure didn't find any eggs.
Has anybody grown Agastache Ambrosia before? I was wondering if it made viable seeds or not? One pretty plant. I hoping it does to gather and save seeds from it.
Ruellia Rajun Cajin is doing beautiful. I keeping the seed pods picked off right now, to keep it blooming. Will save seeds later in season from it. Besides being a beautiful plant, the hummers luv it.
Salvia Coconut Ice is stunning. Getting lots of seeds from it. : )
Getting ready here to start sowing seeds. We kinda like Joseph and a few others that in cool spots that have a short growing season. We only have a couple of months at beginig of spring to get things growed and harvested before extreme heat and humidity comes in. Then we have about 3 months, last year was almost 6 , months of too hot to grow anything weather. Then we have three to 4 months that we can try and grow a second crop. So now the time to start seeds and by the time the plants get big enough to go out and hardened off, hopefully it will be cooler and right temp for them to grow.
I do have some dwarf sunflowers growing. Ya!!!!!!!! Finally. Learned the secret is don't transplant them any deeper than what they are when they come up. Which got me to thinking that may be why all these years I haven't had any luck with the Tithonia's. I usually transplant deeper. Maye that my problem. Gonna give it another try here and see what happens.
Ok, got to run. We'll shuffle. To hot to run. Everybody stay cool and safe!
You're welcome to come visit me -- we've only had one day so far that was over 80, and mostly our temps haven't gotten into the 70s... good for working in the garden, not so great for the plants!
Name: aka GardenQuilts Facebook, NGA and the beloved Winston the pug
My post disappeared, no matter I am kind of cranky anyway.
I was wondering what things people sow this time of year - lettuce, brassicas, beans optimistically. My first frost date is typically around Halloween.
I was thinking of trying some perennial flowers in containers and putting any seedlings in the ground to overwinter (carefully,with protection, assuming I don't move). I have a couple of local options I could move into without much bother, if I want to stay in the area... Leaving the area for another with a better climate and lower cost of living is an appealing option ..I would rather just be able to breathe again and stick it out here until I finish my pHD and residency.
The latest crisis is a mold problem. The lackadaisical landlord is dragging his feet, so I have enlisted help from the state. I really don't want to move, again, but I have asthma and am very allergic to mold. I have had to start taking medicines to breathe. I can't close the windows and turn on the a/c (well, my a/c that works because the one in the house doesn't work) I fainted during a breathing test and was rushed to the hospital, unfortunately it was the local hospital not the good hospital, so I didn't get any help there ... but have the makings of a malpractice suit. I have to see specialists for the asthma and conduct tours for every mold remediation company willing to give free estimates....would rather be washing aphids off my roses - one of my most unfavorite garden tasks.
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So good to hear from you, Ella but sorry to hear about all the not so good stuff! 
It's always fun to know your seeds have flourished. I love that arugula, it seems spicy when you take a taste but its so delicious as a salad and very addictive! 
It's starting to look like it might make a flower...
