Tag Archives: summer

Tomato Time

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Benjamin

After a cold, wet spring that slammed abruptly into a hot, hot summer without the usual tempering one would expect from a kinder and more benevolent Mother Nature, tomato season is finally here. The bite-sized tomatoes appeared first, Spoonful and Sun … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged garden, garden pests, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom tomato, heirloom tomatoes, july, summer, tomato, tomatoes | 15 Comments

Peaches & Plums & Poetry

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Benjamin

As June burns away into July in our part of the Ohio River Valley, the peaches are coming on nicely. Not that I grow peaches, but I know where to find ’em. And for the past couple of year, there’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged beauty, cooking, family, farming, food, fruit, garden, gardening, joy, Kentucky, Kentucky urban farming, nature, nostalgia, Ohio, peach, peaches, photography, plums, poetry, recipes, summer, That is just to say, William Carlos Williams | 13 Comments

As Summer Slips Away

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Benjamin

Summer loosens her grip on us reluctantly in our part of Kentucky, snug on the southern shores of the Ohio River Valley. The heat and humidity claw at us through the month of August and well into September. Occasionally, though, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, bees, beneficial insect, bugs, compost, cucumber, daisy, Eleanor Perenyi, Ernest Dowson, fall, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, heirloom tomato, Kentucky, lemon cucumber, Ohio, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, photography, propagate, straw bale gardening, summer, sunflower, sustainability, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable, vegetable garden, zinnia | 28 Comments

Summer Sweetness

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Benjamin

There are lots of sensory delights this time of year An icy cold beer after mowing the lawn. Strawberry shortcake, not that manufactured spongy stuff, but real shortcake, More like a Cat Head Biscuit, smothered with lots of real whipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, farming, flower garden, flower gardening, food, foodie, fruit, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, peach, peaches, photography, summer | 32 Comments

September’s Warm Embrace

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Benjamin

By all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer. ~Helen Hunt Jackson If April is the cruelest month, as T.S.Eliot suggested, September may be the kindest. And September in Kentucky … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged autumn, backyard, bees, birding, birdwatching, Brussels sprouts, Cincinnati, compost, coneflower, farming, flower, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom tomato, Helen Hunt Jackson, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic gardening, perennial, photography, September, Suburban garden, suburbia, summer, T.S.Eliot, tomato, vegetable, vegetable garden, Winter, Winter Landscape | 29 Comments

What Kind of Sandwich?!?

Posted on August 9, 2015 by Benjamin

We’re in the heat of tomato harvesting. And eating. BLTs, Caprese Salads, Fresh Salsa, Omelets, etc etc. I’m not saying I’m tired of fresh homegrown tomatoes. I’m just saying I’m looking for a little variety…spice of life, and all that. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged appalachia, backyard, black krim, garden, gardening, gardening tips, heirloom tomato, Kentucky, nostalgia, Ohio River Valley, peanut butter, recipes, summer, tomato | 51 Comments

And the Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down.

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Benjamin

July showed up wet and topical here in our part of the Ohio River Valley. Brief but angry thunderstorms. Long, gentle rains. Soakers and Sprinkles. Gully Washers and Frog Stranglers. And when it’s not raining, it may as well be, … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening | Tagged backyard, bees, coneflower, daisies, daisy, farming, flower, flower gardening, flowers, garden, gardening, gardening tips, Kentucky, landscape, organic gardening, photography, rain, roses, summer, vegetable, vegetable garden, Winter | 52 Comments

We Are All Made of Stars

Posted on July 1, 2015 by Benjamin

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Muse.” What greater muse than nature? What finer inspiration than the natural world? I have to remind myself daily to take a few moments and consider all the purposeful little cogs of this … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, bees, beneficial insect, flower garden, flower gardening, gardening, lavender, photography, stars, summer, sustainability | 23 Comments

Granny’s Bonnet and the Summer Solstice

Posted on June 19, 2015 by Benjamin

We’re currently being drenched under the watery weight of Tropical Depression Bill as he expends his energy over the Ohio River Valley. And although we’ve had our share of rain this week, all the denizens of the garden could use … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged aquilegia, beauty, bees, beneficial insect, birdwatching, columbine, flower garden, flower gardening, flowers, gardening, granny's bonnet, Kentucky, Kentucky urban farming, nature, Ohio River Valley, photography, spring, summer, sustainability, urban gardening | 25 Comments

Bees & the Future of It All

Posted on June 10, 2015 by Benjamin

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Vivid.” The vivid hues of this thistle let’s the honeybee know the kettle’s on. When I was a boy growing up on a farm in the Ohio River Valley, going barefoot … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, beekeeping, bees, beneficial insect, bugs, colony collapse disorder, coneflower, flower gardening, gardening, honeybee, integrated pest management, Kentucky, Ohio River Valley, organic farming, organic gardening, photography, pollination, pollinators, summer, thistle | 43 Comments