Waiting for Spring

So, last week I went downtown to look for some swimming goggles, 'cause I swim now ... at the Y.  And right down the street ... the Ontario Seed Company, well I just couldn't help myself.  I bought some really cool tomato seeds ... Old German Heirlooms, along with some lettuce and pepper seeds ... and seeds for white birch ... I've got an idea for those!  Anyway, I realize that I never finished posting summer pictures of my garden ... despite the constant reminders ... sooooooooooo

My Garden Part 2.  July to frost.

The tomatoes and peppers really thrived under the hot summer sun.

Lots of flowers

Yellow Pear tomatoes

Just a few more days!

 One night, the moon was bright and full, we invited friends to join us around the fire.  I decided to try something ...

Full Moon

 ... taking pictures of my garden at night, using a flash.  I really liked the resulting pictures.  I planted bunching onion seeds in rows in a window box ... they don't need much space anyway and I just loved how they looked ... I am doing it again this year!

bunching onions

Beautiful

Here's a picture of Jean playing with all the pups:  Loki, Tucker, Sydney and Alf.

Summer fun with the gang!

Isn't this picture of an Iceland Poppy great.

Eye-Poppin Poppy

And then ... our garden produced huge bountiful harvests ... we ate peppers, tomatoes, cucs ... and still there was more.  I canned tomatoes and I made pickles ... and I gave some to neighbours.

Sweet Red Bell Pepper

Tomatoes and Cucs

And more tomatoes

Eggplant!

Jeans Veg Garden

More of Jean's Garden

and ... still more

Cucumber

and ... back to my garden

What a haul!

Last spring I picked a package of mixed heirloom tomato seeds, and I planted 2 ... that's all the room I had left.  One turned out to be a brandywine ... nice big juicy tomatoes ... and I just couldn't figure out the other.  I watched the little peach coloured fruit as it matured ... but not to red.  One day, I gave it a little squeeze, and almost put my thumb through the delicate flesh ... it was ripe.  What could this be ... so much like a peach, with rosy shoulders and even covered with peach-like fuzz?

What is it?

I looked it up on Goggle ... it's a Garden Peach tomato ... go figure.  It was sweet, with less acid than red tomatoes, and a little fruitier ... so many people loved this little gem ... I didn't get many of them, but I gave most away to other tomato fanciers.

Meanwhile ... Alfie went to school, and graduated TOP Dog in his class.

Taking the final exam!

Congratulations Alfie ... you're the BEST!

Oh, and while I'm on the dogs ... a funny thing happened while we we busy in the gardens.  Sydney and Alfie turned out to be huge fans of tomatoes ... and then huge thieves of tomatoes.  Take a look ...

We like tomatoes!

Gimme some tomatoes!

It's OK, I'm just looking! (for now)

The tomatoes inside the cages were safe ... and I thought that I put them there to stop the bunnies from stealing the veggies!  However, the tomatoes in the pots near the house had to be constantly watched ... eventually, I put a fence around them too! 

And I have to include something about Tucker, who really enjoyed every second on the summer ... just look at him playing ball, just so handsome!

I've got this!

and then it happened ... a killing frost ...

The end of summer ... sniff