Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Posted on 07/22/2011 5:42:39 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Still hot and very dry in Texas and no relief in sight. 38th day of 100+ temps this year.
If you’re going to shred it for muffins and breads (any baked item) then mushiness doesn’t matter, but make sure you drain it well and squeeze it out before measuring and using in a recipe.
I chop up some of them and spread them on a cookie sheet and freeze, then put the chunks in ziplock bags for use in soups, stews, chili, lasagna, etc. The chunks stay pretty firm if you add them to the recipe while still frozen. And this way, they’re individually frozen so you can take what you need, versus just a frozen BRICK of zucchini. :)
I’ve used blossom set with mixed results. This year it didn’t do much good. I think the heat is not letting the fruit set. I set up some shade for my tomato plants last weekend to see if any more set. My neighbor has huge tomato plants and there are a lot of fruit near the center where there is a lot of shade.
Interesting article for those of us who maintain larger properties.
‘Mornin’, Diana. I heard a clap and a rumble of thunder just now, but no precip yet.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
We lived in a company town of about 1000 people. We were overrun with skunks. Finally, a proffessional hunter trapped more than 350 skunks in just a few weeks.
Some people were hoping he would release the skunks far from town. He refused to work on those terms as the skunks will travel miles to favorite hunting grounds.
The only solution was to take them out to a remote area and use a shotgun.
I know they can appear so cute this is hard to do, but the alternative is pretty stinky. They will anything they are in the mood for.
Here is a pic of a mist cooling kit:
http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Kits/04/04/07/1301/
Here is a pic of the nozzle:
http://www.orbitonline.com/products/Maintenance%20and%20Accessories/04/13/01/54/
I brewed my test up with 5 nozzles and a 10’ section of SCH 40 PVC Pipe. Put a PVC Hose Thread Male adapter on the pipe so I could couple it with garden hose. At this point it is a test.
The nozzles make a 2-1/2 ft. cone spray, very fine. The idea is to use evaporation to lower the outside temperature in a small area. It works better where it is somewhat confined but still a breeze.
The more efficient systems have a pressure booster that boosts up to 160 PSI.
There are even “personal coolers” that you can carry around. The company sent a lot of them to the troops. Thought that was a good gesture.
Wow! I looked up where you are gardening and couldn’t help seeing your home page! You have an impressive c.v. and a wonderful family. Congratulations, and thank you for your service.
I hope your daughter enjoys Wisconsin and I hope she isn’t swayed by all the liberals in Madison! Gov. Scott Walker is our hero. If she’s teaching in Madison, she should be warned to keep her mouth shut if she’s conservative. Walker is a breath of fresh air to this state and is NOT the ogre that the wild eyed faculty at UW wants to portray. Note the tag line that Redleg Duke uses, quoting another of our Governors.
Back to tomatoes. I saw one at my local nursery the other day that was begging to be planted and was laden with fruit. I think you’ll find tomatoes in your nursery if you hurry. Good luck.
My husband uses a .22 from a distance and shoots them in the trap, but (shhhhhh) I wasn’t going to mention it. Another solution some of the farmers around here use is to put a bag over the trap and drop them in a barrel of water until they drown. Supposedly they won’t spray if they can’t see.
My fear is that if I’ve seen one there is a whole family out there and trapping will become a full time occuupation or the rest of the summer. I haven’t seen a skunk around here for 20 years.
I'm north of you, and I am still planting more tomatoes...the last of my black cherries and sungolds are going in this weekend. I hope everyone (plants) deals with the 95 degree day we are being dealt today...back into the 70's starting Sunday...until then; we're broiling. Peppers in 3-gallon containers are inside.
With regards to cooling plants with the hose...I have never had a problem with that...after all; they get wet when you get hit with a spot thunderstorm during periods of intense heat.
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
Avoid any tomato that is blossoming or setting fruit in a small pot...potential for production will be greatly reduced...try your best to find a plant that hasn't hit the blossom stage. None of the ones I am planting this weekend have hit the 'blossom stage', although I bet they will quite quickly once they are in their larger containers.
Very cool! I have my sprinkler on a timer. It is one of those ratchet affairs mounted on a tall tripod. I can never figure out the timing. I was showing a lady around my garden the other evening when it suddenly turned on. scared that poor woman right out of her shoes! We got out before we got wet, but I think she thought she was going to be shot. the sound of the sprinkler turning on was quite unexpected and startling, if you didn’t know what it was.
I was tired of the tour, so I didn’t turn it off. I was glad to get out of the garden. LOL.
Yes, even here in New England the growing season is fairly long in many locations.
Rain, blessed rain is falling....
Fun fact: it is TWELVE DEGREES COOLER where you are (78 degrees) than 1000 miles to your northeast in New Hampshire (currently 90 degrees just shy of ten o’clock).
Find a local soup kitchen to donate excess to. I donated about 13 pounds of cucumbers this morning to the soup kitchen my church volunteers with. The same soup kitchen the master gardeners plant-a-row garden donates to. It was good timing, they needed more cucumbers for their menu today.
What is a c.v.?
Hubby has been bringing in a hand full of green beans and blackberries each day. We finally have enough for a mess of beans, and some blackberry jelly.
Corn from the first planting is supposed to be ready by the end of July. The silks are still a little pink, so I know the soil is probably deficient in something, plus none of the stalks have more than 1 ear.
We have only harvested 4 cucumbers to date. I have two 3-inch midget cantaloupes and numerous tiny ones with lots of flowers. Tomatoes planted this spring finally have flowers. The indoor tomatoes that I stuck in a pot have some green tomatoes.
Everyone have a great weekend. Hope everyone gets the rain they need. God Bless.
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