Six on Saturday: Aug 11

  It’s early August in north central Indiana, but it feels more like October!  There was a heavy mist enclosing all of nature, and a dew so heavy that it required rubber boots and a sweater.  Not a leaf was moving, or a bird or bug calling.  I stood with my morning tea and savored the silence.  By the time I finished the tea and went in for the camera, the mist was beginning to lift.  On Monday through Tuesday afternoon, four and three-quarters inch of slow, gentle rain fell.  We’d had a rain not long ago, and I couldn’t help thinking how beneficial it could be if “our” rain fell on the fires in California, or in Germany, where the farmers are losing their crops to drought.  The field crops are loving the unexpected moisture, because normally August is hot and dry.  The recently planted crops in the potager loved it, too.  The peas are already 8″ tall and these squash plants are becoming giants.    I love that I’m always learning something in the garden.  This week, it’s that black-eye peas get tall!  This is a first-time crop for me, and I assumed they would be similar to bush peas or beans, but when they began to get taller than expected, a section of pea fence was added.  Quickly they topped the fence, so I wove the ends along the top.  Now they are filling with 8″ long pods that are beginning  to turn golden.  I’m not sure when they should be picked, probably either at the green stage, or allowed to dry.  I’ll do some of both and see which we prefer.  These are “California #46” which are touted as being very prolific and producing a cream-colored pea with a black eye (Thus the name black-eye pea, I suppose!)  Nearby, the mystery watermelons have not gotten any larger, so I’ve just been waiting for that golden spot to develop on the bottom that generally indicates ripeness.    Today will be the picking day for this one.  The herald for August is always the garlic chives,    whose starry blooms attract a bevy of bees and beneficial wasps.  No insects were braving the cold and damp this morning, but if the sun comes out these flowers will be buzzing with activity.  And finally, in August the dahlias really come to the fore.  Earlier, I wasn’t sure I liked the “redness” of “Tour de Monde” but it’s looking more orange now, so it’s acceptable!  I love the contrasting delicate blooms and foliage of self-seeded coriander in the background.  So that’s my Six on Saturday.  I look forward to checking out all the other contributions at The Propagator, who suggested and hosts this meme.