sunshine, not much rain, but overall the
gardens are humming along.

with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.

the heat has been in the mid-90s here or
there, tolerable to me as i don't go out in
the middle of the day. siesta and reading
works. most days we don't need the AC much
if we open the patio doors at night to cool
the house down. use it once in a while more
as a dehumidifier.

the patches i've been trying to weed are
fun, i have to water them several times if
i want to have any chance of getting the
shovel down far.

too hot to do much transplanting or heavy
work. watering, light weeding when i can get
to it. in a few more weeks the temperatures
will moderate. we should be starting in on
some tomatoes by mid-August.

cucumbers are busy now, peppers look to be
doing ok, well, everything looks to be doing
ok.

rains, that's our hope. we've gotten a few
more rains, but not enough to catch up or to
get the places i need it most down deep. moving
those trees in the late spring was really not a
good idea... they are doing well, but having
to water them to "be sure" they don't fry in
this heat is a waste of time i could have done
without. next time, i will be more firm and
say, "No, we're waiting until fall."

ok, enough meanderings from me, hope y'all
have a great day.


songbird

On 7/19/2016 6:32 AM, songbird wrote:
sunshine, not much rain, but overall the
gardens are humming along.
Same here Bird, but the gardens are slowly dying of heat.

with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.
We seldom see bees here anymore, there are a bunch of hives about two
miles away but I suspect they are sitting in a clover field. Since the
new subdivision behind us went in we don't see much bees except for some
mason and carpenter bees, probably just making a living from the small
bit of forest left.

the heat has been in the mid-90s here or
there, tolerable to me as i don't go out in
the middle of the day. siesta and reading
works. most days we don't need the AC much
if we open the patio doors at night to cool
the house down. use it once in a while more
as a dehumidifier.
Mid-nineties to early one hundreds here and will get worse in August,
our really hot month.

the patches i've been trying to weed are
fun, i have to water them several times if
i want to have any chance of getting the
shovel down far.

too hot to do much transplanting or heavy
work. watering, light weeding when i can get
to it. in a few more weeks the temperatures
will moderate. we should be starting in on
some tomatoes by mid-August.
We get out early morning and very late afternoon if at all. I'm
generally out there by 0600.

cucumbers are busy now, peppers look to be
doing ok, well, everything looks to be doing
ok.

Pitiful weird cukes if any, peppers are very small but a lot of them so
we're still picking, chopping, and freezing.

rains, that's our hope. we've gotten a few
more rains, but not enough to catch up or to
get the places i need it most down deep. moving
those trees in the late spring was really not a
good idea... they are doing well, but having
to water them to "be sure" they don't fry in
this heat is a waste of time i could have done
without. next time, i will be more firm and
say, "No, we're waiting until fall."

ok, enough meanderings from me, hope y'all
have a great day.


songbird

We're watering by hose in the early morning or very late afternoon, at
least the fruit trees are getting water, the rest get a drink early
morning and late evening, just to keep the veggies going a bit longer.

George

On Tue, 19 Jul 2016 07:32:36 -0400, songbird
wrote:



with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.

I started to prune some of my herbs about a month ago and noticed
honey bees all over them. That put a quick stop to that idea. DH
mentioned that the next door neighbor had put in a hive. Thank you
Roger.

Other than that the rest of the garden is a mess. The tomato plants
are really meager and the zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

Heat, lack of rain and watering are the main problems. Add to that I
have not felt like getting out there like I usually do. The weeds are
taking over. I am not sure that I can still find my rhubarb.

Hopefully I will feel like getting out there more next year.
--
USA
North Carolina Foothills
USDA Zone 7a

On 7/19/2016 10:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2016 07:32:36 -0400, songbird
wrote:



with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.

I started to prune some of my herbs about a month ago and noticed
honey bees all over them. That put a quick stop to that idea. DH
mentioned that the next door neighbor had put in a hive. Thank you
Roger.

Other than that the rest of the garden is a mess. The tomato plants
are really meager and the zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

Heat, lack of rain and watering are the main problems. Add to that I
have not felt like getting out there like I usually do. The weeds are
taking over. I am not sure that I can still find my rhubarb.

Hopefully I will feel like getting out there more next year.

I'm the lucky one, married a woman 57 years ago who stays healthy, works
hard, loves to garden, and walks a lot. I'm at the point in my life that
walking is a real chore and I don't exercise because I fall over so
easy. All of that and I still enjoy life, do what I can in the garden,
even occasionally run the electric mower for a little while. Tripped in
the garden two days ago and have the bruises to prove it. Bad legs,
wacky brain cells, don't help but I keep on trying.

I, too, hope you get out more next year Susan. We've been correspondents
for a long time. Stay with it, gardening always gives hope to those of
us who like it.

George

On 7/19/2016 12:34 PM, George Shirley wrote:
On 7/19/2016 10:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2016 07:32:36 -0400, songbird
wrote:



with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.

I started to prune some of my herbs about a month ago and noticed
honey bees all over them. That put a quick stop to that idea. DH
mentioned that the next door neighbor had put in a hive. Thank you
Roger.

Other than that the rest of the garden is a mess. The tomato plants
are really meager and the zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

Heat, lack of rain and watering are the main problems. Add to that I
have not felt like getting out there like I usually do. The weeds are
taking over. I am not sure that I can still find my rhubarb.

Hopefully I will feel like getting out there more next year.

I'm the lucky one, married a woman 57 years ago who stays healthy, works
hard, loves to garden, and walks a lot. I'm at the point in my life that
walking is a real chore and I don't exercise because I fall over so
easy. All of that and I still enjoy life, do what I can in the garden,
even occasionally run the electric mower for a little while. Tripped in
the garden two days ago and have the bruises to prove it. Bad legs,
wacky brain cells, don't help but I keep on trying.

I, too, hope you get out more next year Susan. We've been correspondents
for a long time. Stay with it, gardening always gives hope to those of
us who like it.

George

You sound a lot like me and maybe most of us old fogies. Doctor once
told me you do what you enjoy until you can't do it any more. Sorta
glad that deer and shade took over my big garden. It was a the bottom
of our hill side lot and I can recall the days of bringing up two 5
gallon buckets of vegetables every couple of days.

On 7/19/2016 12:51 PM, Frank wrote:
On 7/19/2016 12:34 PM, George Shirley wrote:
On 7/19/2016 10:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
On Tue, 19 Jul 2016 07:32:36 -0400, songbird
wrote:



with six beehives in the neighboring field
almost any patch of flowers we have are beeing
harvested.

I started to prune some of my herbs about a month ago and noticed
honey bees all over them. That put a quick stop to that idea. DH
mentioned that the next door neighbor had put in a hive. Thank you
Roger.

Other than that the rest of the garden is a mess. The tomato plants
are really meager and the zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

Heat, lack of rain and watering are the main problems. Add to that I
have not felt like getting out there like I usually do. The weeds are
taking over. I am not sure that I can still find my rhubarb.

Hopefully I will feel like getting out there more next year.

I'm the lucky one, married a woman 57 years ago who stays healthy, works
hard, loves to garden, and walks a lot. I'm at the point in my life that
walking is a real chore and I don't exercise because I fall over so
easy. All of that and I still enjoy life, do what I can in the garden,
even occasionally run the electric mower for a little while. Tripped in
the garden two days ago and have the bruises to prove it. Bad legs,
wacky brain cells, don't help but I keep on trying.

I, too, hope you get out more next year Susan. We've been correspondents
for a long time. Stay with it, gardening always gives hope to those of
us who like it.

George

You sound a lot like me and maybe most of us old fogies. Doctor once
told me you do what you enjoy until you can't do it any more. Sorta
glad that deer and shade took over my big garden. It was a the bottom
of our hill side lot and I can recall the days of bringing up two 5
gallon buckets of vegetables every couple of days.
I'm lucky, have always lived on flat ground. Just have to be careful you
don't step into an armadillo hole around here and break something. G

George Shirley wrote:
songbird wrote:
....
cucumbers are busy now, peppers look to be
doing ok, well, everything looks to be doing
ok.

Pitiful weird cukes if any, peppers are very small but a lot of them so
we're still picking, chopping, and freezing.

just picked 1/3 bucket each of burpee cucumbers
and pickle cucumbers. will be making pickles
later today...


We're watering by hose in the early morning or very late afternoon, at
least the fruit trees are getting water, the rest get a drink early
morning and late evening, just to keep the veggies going a bit longer.

the gardens got a good 1/4-1/2 inch heavy rain
yesterday which probably also dinged the tomato
flowers good. looks nice out there this morning.

i'm probably done for the day outside. nothing
i got to do needs to be done "right now" so i'll
wait until we get a few cooler days.


songbird

The Cook wrote:

....finding rhubarb...

i have trimmed some trees and shrubs
along that edge so they will get more
light again. the ones further to the
south are doing fine, but i've gradually
extended the line further north along
the edge and that has gotten along the
honeysuckle bushes and some trees so
the new plants haven't grown as strongly
as the rest of them yet.

i already cut back one small tree that
i could get the loppers around, but i will
need to get the saw out to take down the
other two small trees. both growing next
to a tree trunk that i took down with a
chisel and hammer a few years ago.

also along that edge i'm digging out
invasive grasses and smothering them to
keep them from taking over. i keep piling
weeds, cardboard, leaves, etc back there
which the rhubarb seems to enjoy and that
also helps smother the grasses.


Hopefully I will feel like getting out there more next year.

i hope so too, but i know how tough it
can be to move when it hurts. *hugs*


songbird

George Shirley wrote:
....
I'm the lucky one, married a woman 57 years ago who stays healthy, works
hard, loves to garden, and walks a lot. I'm at the point in my life that
walking is a real chore and I don't exercise because I fall over so
easy. All of that and I still enjoy life, do what I can in the garden,
even occasionally run the electric mower for a little while. Tripped in
the garden two days ago and have the bruises to prove it. Bad legs,
wacky brain cells, don't help but I keep on trying.

I, too, hope you get out more next year Susan. We've been correspondents
for a long time. Stay with it, gardening always gives hope to those of
us who like it.

each year is a new adventure. i went to the
massage therapist yesterday and she pounded on
a spot in my back that has been spasming, got
a rib to move back into place so i'm hoping that
was it and it will improve. we'll see.

as it goes, just another day. good day for
reading and siesta. walked a little this
morning. i haven't been doing much of that
either, it's time to move some more while i
can...


songbird

On 07/22/2016 06:50 AM, songbird wrote:
the gardens got a good 1/4-1/2 inch heavy rain
yesterday which probably also dinged the tomato
flowers good. looks nice out there this morning.

I love it when we get thunder storms. The rain water has
a lot of sky nitrogen in it and my plants love it.
Now if we could only do with out the occasional hail!

No raid anywhere in the forecast.

On 07/19/2016 08:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

I got one lemon cuke and it died in about two weeks.
I have never had much luck with cukes. One year got
about 10 lemon cukes. My wife and I devoured them.
But have had bad luck even since.

What happened to your zukes? (I am at WAR with
squash bugs, who must die!)

-T

T wrote:
On 07/19/2016 08:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

I got one lemon cuke and it died in about two weeks.
I have never had much luck with cukes. One year got
about 10 lemon cukes. My wife and I devoured them.
But have had bad luck even since.

try burpee cucumbers, they've always done well
here. just have to keep them well watered when
it gets hot. we had cucumbers through the entire
growing season last year. picked half a bucket
yesterday from three plants and had given a dozen
nice sized ones to my brother about a week previous.
plenty of flowers and new cucumbers forming now
even when it has been 90+F.

hail damage to large leafed plants seems to punch
right through, but seems like the plants will
recover.

we just ate the last of our cooked and frozen
squash from last year. things look good out there
now. never know what you'll get until the harvest
is in AFAIAC, but planting a diversity of crops
seems to be the best way to make sure to get
something...


songbird

On 07/23/2016 05:36 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
On 07/19/2016 08:53 AM, The Cook wrote:
zukes have given up & the cukes haven't done
much either.

I got one lemon cuke and it died in about two weeks.
I have never had much luck with cukes. One year got
about 10 lemon cukes. My wife and I devoured them.
But have had bad luck even since.

try burpee cucumbers, they've always done well
here. just have to keep them well watered when
it gets hot. we had cucumbers through the entire
growing season last year. picked half a bucket
yesterday from three plants and had given a dozen
nice sized ones to my brother about a week previous.
plenty of flowers and new cucumbers forming now
even when it has been 90+F.

Thank you!

Burbee as in the seed company? They have bazillions of
cukes. Or burpee as in they make you bench?

Do you have a link? (I am looking forward to them next
season.)


hail damage to large leafed plants seems to punch
right through, but seems like the plants will
recover.

we just ate the last of our cooked and frozen
squash from last year. things look good out there
now. never know what you'll get until the harvest
is in AFAIAC, but planting a diversity of crops
seems to be the best way to make sure to get
something...


ya. you got that.

I am also not past picking up plant that go on half price
sale AND you can't be too picky. The left overs are
on the looks challenged side, But I don't care as long
I can eat their fruit.


songbird

T wrote:
songbird wrote:
....
try burpee cucumbers, they've always done well
here. just have to keep them well watered when
it gets hot. we had cucumbers through the entire
growing season last year. picked half a bucket
yesterday from three plants and had given a dozen
nice sized ones to my brother about a week previous.
plenty of flowers and new cucumbers forming now
even when it has been 90+F.

Thank you!

Burbee as in the seed company? They have bazillions of
cukes. Or burpee as in they make you bench?

Do you have a link? (I am looking forward to them next
season.)

no, just got the plants from the local
greenhouse, i can ask next week if i
remember. burpee is the brand/seed co.

we also have pickling cucumbers growing
and they are decidedly different, they don't
grow very long and are more firm. we used
both and will be able to compare eventually.


hail damage to large leafed plants seems to punch
right through, but seems like the plants will
recover.

we just ate the last of our cooked and frozen
squash from last year. things look good out there
now. never know what you'll get until the harvest
is in AFAIAC, but planting a diversity of crops
seems to be the best way to make sure to get
something...


ya. you got that.

I am also not past picking up plant that go on half price
sale AND you can't be too picky. The left overs are
on the looks challenged side, But I don't care as long
I can eat their fruit.

i try to not plant anything when it gets this
hot. you have to almost strip most plants back
to nothing or the leaves will pull too much
moisture out of the plant and you end up with
dead everything. the greenhouse guy said to
cover them with newspaper, but to me that is
asking for rot and too much bother. i just keep
the plants in the pots in the shade where they
get dappled sun and make sure to water them
until it gets cooler out. i have 9 pots of
ground covers to split up and plant as soon as
i can. might be the end of August. we'll see...


songbird