2026 CW41 - Storm’s a Brewin’
The topic of the week for the Alabama gulf coast was most certainly the impending wrath of a late summer storm in the form of Hurricane Isaias (ees-ah-EE-ahs).
Prior to landfall, we were expecting major impacts in Mobile County. As late as a few hours before landfall the Alabama Weather Network was projecting wind gusts up to 105mph for Mobile.
To prepare for the storm, we set all of the Hanging Baskets down on the front porch to protect them and their hangers. We then pre-routed some Extension Cords from the generator under the carport, through the window at the pantry, and coiled them in the house ready to be used at a moment’s notice. We don’t have a transfer switch, but we can usually make do with these three separate 15-amp circuits coming in.
Around back we cleared the patio of all furniture cushions, all grow bag vegetables, and some potted flowers. This makes for a bit of a mess in the garage, but it is well worth preserving our summer-long efforts into growing the Cayenne trees, Poblano plants, Night Blooming Cereus, and more! The sudden influx of damp plants and pots did give my little dehumidifier a workout!
With preparations completed, all that remained was to shower, change into some comfy clothes, and get settled on the couch! I’m not sure if they got the shower or comfy clothes memo, but Yoda and Scout wasted no time cuddling on the couch!
Fortunately for us, Isaias decided to move East at the last moment leaving us with VERY little impact from the storm. Our strongest wind gusts were somewhere in the 50mph range, and we received very little rainfall. In the backyard we had an assortment of small limbs and debris blown from the Oak Trees, much of which was able to be mulched with the lawn mower. Out front, we re-hung the Hanging Baskets the very next morning, and it looked as if nothing happened!
One pseudo-fatality was a singular Jalapeno plant which was partially uprooted and laid over. As you can see, much of its fruit was ripened into Chipotles and able to be saved. You’ll see more about this in next week’s blog! As has become customary at this point, we also checked in on Sara’s Yard Tomato to see that it survived the storm just fine! (We get a bonus of Henry relieving himself in the background here)
Hanging On
In the wake of the storm, I wanted to take a moment to check in on the various hanging baskets and see how they’re doing late in the season.
The Dragon Winged Begonias are a staple of the backyard and a favorite of mine! We often see these from a distance and from the side. However, in reality with these being hung 10-12 feet above the ground, we often view these from directly below, so I wanted to provide a close up of a bloom from directly underneath to share this perspective.
Moving to the front yard, the Sun Patiens have been an incredible addition this year! I am considering trying these in ground next year, but for now these hanging baskets are a stunning late season display for the front of the house.
Love a Luffa
By far our most prolific vegetable, the Luffa vines have already put out a considerable amount of fruit and continue to put on new growth.
This week Sara harvested about 15 Dried Luffa, removed the skin, shook out the seeds, allowed them to dry, soaked them in a bleach water solution, allowed them to dry again, then shook out the remaining seeds. She was left with a pile of kitchen and bath ready Luffas! I love the texture of these sponge like garden products!
Black-Eyed Susan
Something which Sara is always excited about is her Black-eyed Susan vines every year. As their name suggests, these fast-growing climbers brings the warmth of a summer sky to your landscape, producing a stunning mix of apricot, salmon, rose, and terracotta blooms all anchored by rich, dark centers. Perfect for trellises, fences, or hanging baskets, they are a low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly favorite that flower continuously from midsummer right up until the first frost.
I am excited to say that this has been our best year for this plant. Thay have completely covered their Cattle Panel Trellis in a dense web of vines and blooms.
Spooooooky Season is Upon Us
Spooky season is upon us! As Sara’s favorite season (and one of mine as well) we do not miss the opportunity to tie our gardening hobby in! Sara has grown some magnificent decorative Pumpkins this year to help in adorning the interior and entrance to our home.
The front may be adorned by hanging Sun Patiens and mounding Supertunias, but it is also home to our seasonal door-side decor. Right now, we have an assortment of pumpkins and one Skeletal Frenchie! Some of these Pumpkins are our garden’s own, but the larger ones are from a local fruit stand.
Around the Garden in 80 Seconds
As a quick check-in on the remaining areas of the garden, we have some juvenile Radish plants, late season Zinnias, and some mesmerizing Moon Flowers!
Pests and Pets
This week’s pests and pets section is quite full! First, we have this Bean Leaf Roller worm which Sara found on the Lima Beans. These tiny garden pests are known for cutting leaves and rolling them over using their silk. They then hide in the rolls throughout the day. They primarily feed on legumes.
Next, we have a Bicolored Field Ant inside of a Moon Flower Bloom. If you go back to an earlier picture in this blog post of one of these blooms you will actually find several of these tiny (~6mm) guys.
Moving on to some larger members of the insect class we have the Leaf-Footed Bug Nymph. These have shown up on the garden blog before and present a persistent presence in the garden throughout the growing season. Here you can some immature (orange) ones resting upon ripened Shishito Peppers as well as some adults helping themselves to some mature Luffa Vines.
Moving on from the pets, we have the senior garden supervisor Yoda Bosarge seen patrolling the grounds chasing bugs.
We also have Lieutenant Scout Bosarge taking a break in one of the back patio’s cushioned chairs.
As I am sure you gathered from the storm section, these two are the best of friends! Here they can be seen lounging in the lawn of the back yard under the evening sun.
What would life be without dogs? Well, our house would be without its newest member Henry. You may not always be able to see his eyes, but there is a lot of personality packed in behind that thick fur!
