It was an odd summer season here in the Piedmont of Virginia. It was good in that I rarely used the air conditioning and was able to spend much more time outdoors just enjoying my garden in the cool, dry air. My tomatoes, on the other hand, were not amused. Without that prolonged 80-90 degree temperatures to ripen them up, the only thing enjoying my tomatoes this year were those pesky shield-shaped tomato sucking bugs.

So at the end of the season and with an abundance of big green tomatoes, I thought I only had 2 options - fry them or put them in a paper bag to artificially ripen. But I came up with a great idea - I quartered a few, rubbed olive oil on them, sprinkled with a little salt and pepper and then put them on a hot grill, skin side down, for about 10 minutes. The taste was enhanced by the roasting and they held their shape so much better than a ripe tomato does. I then dunked the hot-off-the-grill tomato chunks in a dressing of red wine vinegar, olive oil, s & p, and a finely diced jalapeno pepper. Delish!

At last report, the cost of dirt had created a huge obstacle for me in finishing my vegetable garden. This is what I have been growing all summer:

Sad, isn't it? I've gotten a lot of unusual comments as you can imagine. But then I read about Daniel's bucket garden and it was pure genius! Raising vegetables in buckets is the most economical, versatile and problem solving idea I have run across in a long time. Since most vegetables are one season, shallow rooted plants, you don't need a huge amount of soil. With buckets you eliminate the problem of overcrowding, so for someone who planted their tomatoes a little too close to their squash - no problem! Just drag your bucket further way! If your soil gets contaminated with a virus or blight - just dump out that bucket's soil, wash the bucket and refill. No need to worry about companion planting rules, each bucket gets its own plant. If one plant grows too tall and shades another, just move it.

I found Daniel's idea to be the solution to my soil problem, so for another $100 I bought deer fencing (100 ft.), landscape cloth to block out weeds, 9 fence posts, 1 bag of potting soil and 10 painters' buckets. 

I now have lettuce, leeks, arugula, and kale growing in my finished garden. Thanks Daniel - I can't wait for next year!

The will to live can be a powerful thing. Case in point - I was sitting on my patio the other evening and something big and green caught my eye in the all brown compost heap off in the far corner of my property. I went down to check it and and lo and behold - the potted palm I dumped back in March (that had been dead in my house all winter due to over watering) was growing!

Amazingly it was lying on its side, roots fully exposed, growing up towards what little sunlight was available. I dragged it back to the house where I potted it up and set it in a place of honor.

It certainly is a conversation piece. Hope it eventually straightens up!

If you are looking for a fast growing hedging plant to edge a bed, define a separate space, or fill a vertical area quickly - try using basil plants. I use basil to create a border for my patio each year and the best part is - when the season is over I make enough pesto to last the entire winter!

This is a technique I learned from a dear friend, Shelby, many years ago. To create a dense shrub form, it is critical that you pinch the florets before they are allowed to mature and bloom. This keeps the plant growing out and up. And of course, give them plenty of sun, water and feed regularly.

My friend could grow them to be 4 feet tall, but she had an amazing way with basil. Funny, she was not as successful with some of her other plants, but give her some basil and she could create magic!

I have always had a "live and let live" approach to the bugs in my garden. My limited knowledge of bugs is recognizing the difference between the good ones and the bad ones. And I have decided that bugs are cyclical, meaning a certain species of bug comes in great hordes all at the same time, stays a while doing their bug thing and then goes away. I don't know where they go except they go somewhere other than my yard.

I never really paid much attention to, or spent much time thinking about, bugs until I moved out to the country. I was committed to not using chemicals so they were just a fact of life. They didn't do too much damage and stayed out of my way. Out here is another story - they are way bigger, there's more of them and they can consume a plant in a single day. 

Right now it's what I call "blind bug season." These bugs fly but obviously shouldn't because they are very bad navigators. They hit the sides of my house constantly and from the inside it sounds like people are standing outside throwing stones. If I am out in the garden anytime past 11:00 am they fly right into me, usually into my face. I am not a screamer when it comes to bugs, but blind bug season really has me, well, bugged.

But here's where I need your help. This particular bug is giving me the creeps because I swear it's watching me. It's a spider (at least I think it’s a spider) on a web on my hibiscus tree. He's shaped like the batmobile, seriously, and is dark black and sort of shiny. I have tried to look it up to identify it with no success. This is the best picture I could get without getting uncomfortably close - anyone know what this is?