I was able to stay in the garden until noon.  This is the first time all week that I have been able to spend much time at all out there without bursting into flames.

Mr. Stripey Tomato

So what did I do?  I pruned and tied up tomatos.  Did you know that it’s not necessary to plant entirely new tomatoes for a fall garden?  Well, it’s not.  If you prune off any dead stems back almost to the base, the plant will put out an entirely new stem there.  It also helps to prune back the ends of any really leggy branches that just can be tied up.  And don’t forget to keep them watered and mulched.  As long as there is still some life in the plant, it will come back strong in the fall.

I also pruned back some more storm damage from the tornado… yes, I’m still dealing with that.

We finally got our mulch delivered this week, so hopefully I will have help to build that bed around the chicken coop this weekend.  And as soon as it cools down a bit (the mulch is freshly shredded so it has a lot of biological heat going on) I will be able to put it out in the other beds.

Not being able to get out into the heat this weak, I have spent some of my time ordering seeds for fall. Here is what I ordered.

From Seed Saver’s Exchange:

• Calypso Bean
• Purple Pod Pole Beans
• Fin De Bagnol Bean
• Prickly Caterpillar
• Buttercup Squash
• Golden Hubbard Squash
• Turk’s Turban Squash
• Five Color Silverbeet Chard

From Pinetree Garden Seeds:

• Waterfall Viola (it was on sale… and you have to have some pretty flowers for winter)
• Green Globe Improved Artichoke
• Pinetree Broccoli Mix (I’m doing the mixes for a staggered harvest)
• Fallstaff Brussels Sprouts
• Thumbelina Carrots
• Winter Lettuce Mix
• Spinach Mix
• Baby Boo Pumpkin
• Golden Ball Turnip

From Bountiful Gardens:

• Cabbage Mix
• Amaranth Mix (I just think it’s pretty and the birds love it.  Maybe I will figure out how to cook with it this year.)
• Basil Mix
• Crimson Clover (green mulch plants for garden and lawn)
• Dutch White Clover
• Pine Nut Pine (this will be a potted plant, I think.  I hope I don’t kill it.)
• Super Sugar Snap Pea
• Mixed Dwarf Nasturtium
• Fragrant Mix Sweat Pea

I hope I can find room for everything.  Really, what I need is about four or five acres, right honey?  I’m thinking four or five acres right in the middle of town would be perfect.