My Garden
is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but
I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
My Garden
The Cook wrote:
is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds i've never been much of a morning person so it's tough for me to get out and moving before it gets too hot&humid. some evenings lately have been cooler with a nice breeze and that helps a lot. i picked some strawberries last night and again this morning, enough so that we could have shortcake for a few days and so Ma could take some to my brother. i hope your back is holding out ok? George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. you are pretty forgiving! :) Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. i hear ya, after a little puttering this morning i decided today is a day of taking a break and doing only light stuff. [as i write this Ma comes in with two boxes of strawberries and she wants to make jam later...] songbird |
My Garden
On 6/18/2015 10:01 AM, The Cook wrote:
is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. We got hammered again today Susan. About four inches starting around 1000 and lasting until after lunch. Came in bursts of heavy rain. Weather folk say that is the last of Tropical Storm Bill, I hope they're right. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. Zukes and yellow squash have been pulled as the squash borers got to them. Planted two more young yellow squash plants. Sweet chiles are making like gangbusters again. I think it is because the zukes are no longer shading them. Tomatoes are going crazy, we're freezing them, eating them, giving them away, making tomato dishes and freezing them. DW planted entirely to many tomato plants for two old people and, of course, all our family and neighbors did the same. Cucumbers are, I hope, on the decline. There are only so many cukes two people can eat. Eggplant are coming in like gangbusters but we are making moussaka, fritters, roll ups, etc. out of them so we will have many good meals this winter. Crowder peas and lima beans are making out well and our Trucker's Favorite single corn stalk has an ear building, can hardly wait for that one. Lots of figs on our young fig tree and, like you, we have it netted due to the !@#$ mockingbirds that raid every chance they get. Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. Why? Gardening, reading, watching TV, are all better than housework. G |
My Garden
George Shirley wrote:
On 6/18/2015 10:01 AM, The Cook wrote: George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. We got hammered again today Susan. About four inches starting around 1000 and lasting until after lunch. Came in bursts of heavy rain. Weather folk say that is the last of Tropical Storm Bill, I hope they're right. T.S. Bill's about 100 miles west and a little south of us right now and headed our way , we expect him to blow thru between 8 and 12 this evening . We've been getting off-n-on heavy rain since early yesterday . Timing was just about perfect , it was getting kinda dry out in the garden . Red Ripper and Whipoorwill peas that I planted a few days ago have sprouted , going like gangbusters . My other in law suggested today I can still plant some of those Mattie Beane beans , it'll just be a late crop ... shucks , our first freeze here isn't usually until mid-October so she's right , I've got like 120 days til then . Tomorrow , today's shot and I gotta figure out where to put 'em . -- Snag Sure wish the CO-OP would get some straw in , it works swell to smother grasses in the garden . |
My Garden
On 6/18/2015 5:44 PM, Terry Coombs wrote:
George Shirley wrote: On 6/18/2015 10:01 AM, The Cook wrote: George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. We got hammered again today Susan. About four inches starting around 1000 and lasting until after lunch. Came in bursts of heavy rain. Weather folk say that is the last of Tropical Storm Bill, I hope they're right. T.S. Bill's about 100 miles west and a little south of us right now and headed our way , we expect him to blow thru between 8 and 12 this evening . We've been getting off-n-on heavy rain since early yesterday . Timing was just about perfect , it was getting kinda dry out in the garden . Red Ripper and Whipoorwill peas that I planted a few days ago have sprouted , going like gangbusters . My other in law suggested today I can still plant some of those Mattie Beane beans , it'll just be a late crop ... shucks , our first freeze here isn't usually until mid-October so she's right , I've got like 120 days til then . Tomorrow , today's shot and I gotta figure out where to put 'em . We use newspaper to smother any weeds that come up. Put down triple layers and wet them, then, if available, toss a little dirt on top. News print today is not made with harmful chemicals any more and the ink is made of pine rosin and soy oils. Even the comic strips today are made of clay ink instead of chemicals. Found out the above many years ago when I was doing a fire and safety review for a company that got the pine rosin out of the pine timber they were cutting and turning into wood products. Was an interesting concept and did away with the old sulphuric acid and other "bad" chemicals that were used prior to that. |
My Garden
On Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:53:15 -0400, Derald wrote:
Gratified to read that you're up and around and doing a little gardening despite the hot weather. I inferred from some of your posts that you'd been a bit infirm recently. The Cook wrote: is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds Hot here, too; and humid, whew! Most days, though, I can make it 'til elevenish before giving it up until much later in the day. No weeds in my cukes. The cukes are trellised and a base planting of yellow squash pretty well shades out weeds. George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. I must water almost daily, even the mulched beds, unless we have at least an inch of rain within a day-or-so. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. No zucchini here but the cukes are loaded with blossoms. The yellow squash is holding its own against the heat and sunshine and there's no sign net of mildew. Today, though, I did begin hand pollinating the squash because at the present temps the insect pollinators aren't up to it. They're too busy carrying water or hiding in the shade. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. No peppers this year but it's not too late. No tomatoes or blueberries, either, because no one here wants to fool with them. We don't eat enough of either (well, _no_ blueberries) for them to be worth the trouble most years. However, for the winter, I may have a few tomato plants if the space is available. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. Netted? You must not have blue jays or cedar waxwings. They'll destroy netting just because they can and, in retaliation (or so it seems) will damage the fruit by pecking holes in every one. I make cages over the tomatoes using "bittie" wire, or 2"x4" "no climb" wire fencing Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. ...groan. .93 inches of rain yesterday revealed a roof leak in a room filled with computer doings, high-end photo equipment, and hundreds of vinyl records. Most of the records are/were pristine and the jackets frequently are worth more, monetarily, than the vinyl they contain, although, that valuation does not consider the intrinsic value of the _music_ thereon. Oh, well, that's the way the story goes; at least it didn't get my clothes and I'm a little cooler in there fooling with that mess than I'd be if outside fooling with some other mess.... Thanks for asking. I had back surgery last fall after about 3 months of flat on my back and living on pain meds. The surgery went well and I have pretty much recovered. Still careful about lifting anything too heavy but completely off of pain meds. All of the weeds this year are a reminder to do some more prep in the garden area. A few years ago I put a few layers of newspaper around the base of the tomatoes and covered it with grass clippings. Did a great job of keeping the weeds down. We just got about 10 minutes of rain. Actually happy that it didn't really pour because we watered peppers and squash on Wednesday and tomatoes & watermelons yesterday. Now if it will dry enough for me to get the rest of the weeds out. I can manage about 2 hours early in the morning and after that it is too hot. Time to get the pizza going. -- USA North Carolina Foothills USDA Zone 7a |
My Garden
On 6/19/2015 2:53 PM, Derald wrote:
Gratified to read that you're up and around and doing a little gardening despite the hot weather. I inferred from some of your posts that you'd been a bit infirm recently. The Cook wrote: is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds Hot here, too; and humid, whew! Most days, though, I can make it 'til elevenish before giving it up until much later in the day. No weeds in my cukes. The cukes are trellised and a base planting of yellow squash pretty well shades out weeds. George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. I must water almost daily, even the mulched beds, unless we have at least an inch of rain within a day-or-so. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. No zucchini here but the cukes are loaded with blossoms. The yellow squash is holding its own against the heat and sunshine and there's no sign net of mildew. Today, though, I did begin hand pollinating the squash because at the present temps the insect pollinators aren't up to it. They're too busy carrying water or hiding in the shade. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. No peppers this year but it's not too late. No tomatoes or blueberries, either, because no one here wants to fool with them. We don't eat enough of either (well, _no_ blueberries) for them to be worth the trouble most years. However, for the winter, I may have a few tomato plants if the space is available. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. Netted? You must not have blue jays or cedar waxwings. They'll destroy netting just because they can and, in retaliation (or so it seems) will damage the fruit by pecking holes in every one. I make cages over the tomatoes using "bittie" wire, or 2"x4" "no climb" wire fencing Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. ...groan. .93 inches of rain yesterday revealed a roof leak in a room filled with computer doings, high-end photo equipment, and hundreds of vinyl records. Most of the records are/were pristine and the jackets frequently are worth more, monetarily, than the vinyl they contain, although, that valuation does not consider the intrinsic value of the _music_ thereon. Oh, well, that's the way the story goes; at least it didn't get my clothes and I'm a little cooler in there fooling with that mess than I'd be if outside fooling with some other mess.... We unpacked some large boxes the other day from our move here in 2012. About 250 LP albums (already sold the other size records), maybe 400 tape cassettes, and I haven't even counted the video tapes. I realize the LP's are probably worth some money but I figure all the other stuff is just recycling material. A good bit of the LP's go back to the fifties and sixties, about all the cassette and video tapes are eighties. From our time in Saudi Arabia and, if you wanted entertainment, you bought it because all that was on TV there was prayer call and propaganda and gubmint stuff. I guess I should start looking around to see if any of it is worth anything. No rain today thank goodness, hot as a two dollar pistol outside too. Garden is getting rank from the rain, need to start cutting back and picking whatever is ready. Rain gauge ran over yesterday at six inches, fourth time in a month and a half. I try to think of it as saving on the water bill but only half heartedly. George |
My Garden
On 6/19/2015 3:59 PM, The Cook wrote:
On Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:53:15 -0400, Derald wrote: Gratified to read that you're up and around and doing a little gardening despite the hot weather. I inferred from some of your posts that you'd been a bit infirm recently. The Cook wrote: is doing pretty well now. We have most of the weeds under control but I need a couple more mornings to finish up. I can get in about 2 hours between 6 and 9 am. Then it is well on its way to 90. The cukes are almost overridden by weeds Hot here, too; and humid, whew! Most days, though, I can make it 'til elevenish before giving it up until much later in the day. No weeds in my cukes. The cukes are trellised and a base planting of yellow squash pretty well shades out weeds. George, I wish we had some of your rain here. We watered peppers & squash yesterday and the sprinkler is going on the tomatoes right now. I must water almost daily, even the mulched beds, unless we have at least an inch of rain within a day-or-so. Zukes have both and male & female flowers but haven't seen any insects yet. The cukes are flowering and waiting for the weeds to get pulled. No zucchini here but the cukes are loaded with blossoms. The yellow squash is holding its own against the heat and sunshine and there's no sign net of mildew. Today, though, I did begin hand pollinating the squash because at the present temps the insect pollinators aren't up to it. They're too busy carrying water or hiding in the shade. The peppers have fruit, at least the pimento and jalapeño do. Tomatoes are every where from no flowers yet to fruit that is almost up to size, if as I assume, they are Early Girl. Waiting for the blueberries to get fully ripe. No peppers this year but it's not too late. No tomatoes or blueberries, either, because no one here wants to fool with them. We don't eat enough of either (well, _no_ blueberries) for them to be worth the trouble most years. However, for the winter, I may have a few tomato plants if the space is available. We have them netted but birds still sometimes get in. It is fun to watch them trying to get out. Netted? You must not have blue jays or cedar waxwings. They'll destroy netting just because they can and, in retaliation (or so it seems) will damage the fruit by pecking holes in every one. I make cages over the tomatoes using "bittie" wire, or 2"x4" "no climb" wire fencing Guess I better get started on some of the things in the house. ...groan. .93 inches of rain yesterday revealed a roof leak in a room filled with computer doings, high-end photo equipment, and hundreds of vinyl records. Most of the records are/were pristine and the jackets frequently are worth more, monetarily, than the vinyl they contain, although, that valuation does not consider the intrinsic value of the _music_ thereon. Oh, well, that's the way the story goes; at least it didn't get my clothes and I'm a little cooler in there fooling with that mess than I'd be if outside fooling with some other mess.... Thanks for asking. I had back surgery last fall after about 3 months of flat on my back and living on pain meds. The surgery went well and I have pretty much recovered. Still careful about lifting anything too heavy but completely off of pain meds. Been there, done that. Had a disc removed eons ago, then in 2005 it hit me in the same spot. The second time the docs went in and removed the scar tissue that was impinging on the nerves. Said probably will happen again as I scar easily. Sometimes you forget about the lifting problem and then it really hurts again. Just keep your memory going. All of the weeds this year are a reminder to do some more prep in the garden area. A few years ago I put a few layers of newspaper around the base of the tomatoes and covered it with grass clippings. Did a great job of keeping the weeds down. I shred all the paper that comes across my desk, particularly and financial papers. Dump it into a plastic bag and, eventually, it becomes a layer around some plant and wet down occasionally. Works pretty good for ground cover and then for compost. We just got about 10 minutes of rain. Actually happy that it didn't really pour because we watered peppers and squash on Wednesday and tomatoes & watermelons yesterday. Now if it will dry enough for me to get the rest of the weeds out. I can manage about 2 hours early in the morning and after that it is too hot. Time to get the pizza going. Left over pasta tonight here, I still can't get the hang of cooking for two. Usually just package it and put half in the freezer for another day, freezer is full, lots of goodies coming in from the garden. We put up a fairly large pan of moussaka yesterday, cut into the amount of eggplant we're harvesting. George |
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