I keep sticking my fingers under the potatoes hoping to find eatable orbs. I don't think I'm trying hard enough. Last year, loathsome growing season that it was, the potatoes were early and lovely. This has been a dry season, even with my diligent watering, and the potatoes may be taking their time to offer up their bounty. Or I haven't gone deep enough.

Good thing I plant a row of lettuce every 10 days because the earlier heads are finished and headed to the compost pile. The red iceberg that I trialed this year is wildly successful. It needs to be set out as a seedling, not from seed. It takes more time and more heat, which equates to more effort on your part. It is worth it. It tastes like no other iceberg I have ever experienced. Put it on your list for next year.

These recent big winds could have caused a lot of damage, but the delphiniums were staked and the peonies are happy in their peony rings, so all is well in the perennial beds.

If you are struggling with how to support your peonies, may I suggest that you invest in peony rings. Picture a circle of wire enclosing a wire grid and stakes that are about two feet long. The circle lays flat over the peony root in the spring and the stakes are driven into the ground. As the peony grows up through the grid you keep adjusting the ring by pulling up the stakes, keeping the stems confined and supported. It is a lovely invention. If peonies could talk they would thank whoever came up with this. Their stems will not support the weight of their magnificent blooms.

Obviously, I am a fan of peonies. Fall is a fine time to plant the root, no deeper than one or two inches below the surface of the soil. Sounds risky doesn't it. But this is what they want, so give it to them. They do so love it here in Homer. You will see peonies in bloom all over town right now, keep your eyes open. They make a fabulous bouquet, and if you cut the buds just before they open and hang them upside down out of direct sunlight, they will dry very successfully.

I was given a tip this year: Deadhead the columbine. I am very grateful for it. They are still blooming and setting new buds when, by this time of the season, they are usually done. I started a new variety this spring and it is not what I expected. I thought they were going to be medium height and a dark pink. Wrong. They are tall (very tall) and mixed colors although all of the right colors: purples and pinks. They are lovely, but their tallness is making the planting look awkward. And they need to be staked.

Every morning I deadhead (remove spent blooms and seed heads if they have formed) and pull a basket of forget-me-nots. It's a great way to start the day.

The perennial beds are on a rotation for weeding. The flaw here is that they are not all weeded at the same time. Something is always a tad awry. I can live with this. Between the harvesting, weeding and life in general, enough is enough.

This garden has reached a stage in its life that it can coast as far as maintenance goes. That is until John left the state for two weeks and I was left to mow the lawn.

I don't ever mow.

We have three very different lawn mowers. Can you believe that? Three. A very derelict gas mower that John somehow manages to keep running; a two-year-old battery powered mower; and a however-old reel mower (the kind where you are the motor).

I can't start the gas mower. Ever.

The battery mower, a Neutron (I'm naming names here), lasts 20 minutes on a charge. Now I ask you: If you have a lawn that can be mowed in 20 minutes do you even need a mower? Use scissors. I would like to invite Al Gore to come mow my lawn 20 minutes a day, every day, all season long, because that is what it takes to get the job done. Eventually.

So here I am, purring around the yard behind the battery mower for 20 minutes, then I get the reel out of the shed and finish. Good grief. I will be very glad to see John.

Of course, none of this bothers him. He really likes the battery mower, he really likes mowing for just 20 minutes at a time. The fact that the lawn is not mowed all at once never really registers with him.

And I have stopped noticing. Whatever.

If grass is invading your garden beds, get out your spade, sharpen it and edge the beds. I did this chore in the spring when the soil was wet and easy to dig. You can either wait for more rain, or persevere. But a nice edge will make a huge difference in how your beds look. You can drop the wheel of whatever mower you use into the cut you have made with your spade, that will eliminate the need to run a weed eater.

Even though we have had rain, it has not been enough. Check your containers for water needs and don't forget the greenhouse.

Pick cucumbers and green beans just as soon as you think they are ready. Both of these will produce like crazy if you keep them picked.