It’s my habit to put a pretty picture across the top of Dallying and to a dedicated vegetable gardener what could be prettier than a whole basket of big white skinned potatoes freshly dug. Well, they weren’t actually dug and that’s the story. This is the harvest from my recycling blue box. I have regularly told people that their blue bin is a great container for growing potatoes because of its depth. This year I thought I should actually take my own advice. Six pieces of Potato were planted in mid May and the container was emptied out yesterday. Why did I wait so long?? One of the Potato vines was still green and growing when the others had long since died down. I have no explanation for its longevity but it gave me a reason for leaving it there this late in the season. One of the advantages of growing Potatoes in a container filled with a nice loose soilless medium is how clean the tubers are when they are harvested


The squirrels can be very annoying but sometimes the results of their activities can be quite amusing. This is one of the planters on the edge of the front porch. The fibrous Begonias did not really thrive in them this year but this week a surprise popped up. I certainly did not plant an Autumn Crocus in those containers but there they are blooming beautifully. Those Autumn Crocus do seem to wander all over the garden. Maybe the squirrels don’t really like them and look for some place to bury them after they have dug them up. They love to bury things in all of my containers because the digging is much easier than in the garden. The above Potato harvest might have been slightly bigger if they had not eaten a few when digging in that soft soil.


My Tree Peony was rather disappointing this spring. It did not have many blooms and the heat finished off those blooms in a few days. One of the little touted secrets of tree Peonies is their wonderful fall colour. This one displays this brilliant rich purple colour most years and makes quite a show in a fading perennial garden. I can only hope that next spring’s display is as lovely as this.

Now it’s time to answer a few of my reader’s questions. To ask a question just “reply” to this ezine. Don’t forget to check the front page of the Website for frequent short ideas for current gardening activities.

Dan Asks? I have approximately 16 perennial grasses in my gardens. 9 of which are approximately 4' - 6' in diameter and 6'-8' tall plus the plumes. Last spring after a wet snow the grasses came down and turned my lawn into mud plus blew into my neighbors yard creating a new cleanup project.. This fall I'm planning on cutting some of the grasses to avoid this problem. I'll leave about half to spring to provide seed for the birds over the winter. Is it OK to start cutting the grasses now?

Ken Answers! Yes, no harm in cutting them now. Here's a tip to make the job easier. Tie the grass that you are going to cut into a tight bundle before you cut it and the whole job is easier.