I got back from Branson just a few days before the tragedy involving the Ducks on the Lake. Praying for solace for all those who lost loved ones, and speedy recovery of the others.
While I was gone, hubby got one of the patio storage sheds put together and started setting forms for the one for the upper backyard patio. He also painted the lower patio to match the red pavers. He also moved his wood chipper into the completed shed on the lower patio-not a long term home as far as I am concerned. LOL
The week before I left, we got a big windy rainstorm that dumped 3 inches that afternoon. It also blew over the corn. The next morning, every single ear of corn was eaten - racoons most likely.
Squirrels also got most of the tomatoes, but we did have some that weren't quite ripe that survived, so we picked them, washed, and dried and then wrapped in paper to let them mature. The critters have fared well this year, but not the humans - except for squash.
I have been working on clearing off Hubby's project mess off my raised beds. He has a tendency to toss anything that is in his way or that he is using into the beds in case he needs it until the project is finished. But I am going to use one of the beds to plant some blue berry bushes, so I really need to get the soil acidified and directions say to give it a month before transplanting.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend. Prayers up for all. God Bless.
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Pears almost ripe, they look great. No Pear Leaf Slugs this year, first time ever. They don't hurt much but they are ugly and pass that trait onto the tree. Good riddance!
Peaches soon!
I’m planning to build some more raised-bed gardens (to augment the ones that came with the house) this fall or next spring.
My question for the assembled multitude is “Is there any sort of mesh or netting I can put at the bottom before I fill them with dirt to deter the moles from burrowing in from the bottom?”.
I’ve been thinking of using 1/2”-square hardware cloth (galvanized), but don’t know how long it would last before it rusted away.
Mustang Grapes were harvested this a.m. 2 buckets full. Rinsing/soaking them to make some pectin-free jam in a bit.
http://herald-zeitung.com/article_8ad4a2d0-e905-11e2-a751-001a4bcf887a.html
Will be installing fall tomato plants tomorrow.
Raising Heirloom tomatoes: Krim, Cherokee, Seaman and Black Cherry. They're water sensitive and tend to crack.
Picked a couple Krim that were starting to turn and put them in a box with newspaper. Trying to ripen without cracking. Taste is still suppose to be excellent.
We'll see.
We got an inch of rain today - the garden needed it.
Harvested my first tomatoes yesterday. I picked the ripe ones and also anything with a blush of color. Last year, I found out that they ripen beautifully on the counter top with no extra work. By picking them early, I don’t have to worry about over ripening, cracks from too much water, pests, etc. They taste just like the ones that ripen on the vine.
Bit the bullet and bought myself a decent food processor. I’ve struggled through the last 2 years with a cheapie one that didn’t do the job very well and then the plastic holding the blade was showing cracks. It’s time to start canning (Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, Hot Pepper Butter, Jalapeno Cowboy Candy, etc.) and I needed something that worked well. I tried it out Friday, pureeing avocados to freeze (caught a good deal - 39 cents each so I got 22). The puree texture was downright ‘silky’, so the processor works well. Today was to be a basil harvest/make pesto day, but it was raining so hard, I didn’t go to the garden .... maybe tomorrow for pesto. Lots of eggplants, so baba ghanoush is also on the ‘to do’ list.
Ordered a butane burner to try with my water bath canner since I have a glass top stove - it arrived today so I’ll be trying it out this coming week.
The Squirrelinator continues to impress ... count is 14 so far with zero tomatoes stolen and they won’t be getting into the fig bush this year, either.
Squash & cukes are ‘done’ so they are cleaned out of the garden. I’m contemplating more raised beds so I can start a fall garden while the summer garden is still producing.
Sorry about your tomatoes. I’m sure the squirrels loved them!
Ditto the corn and raccoons. The year the raccoons ate my flour corn hubby saw the ‘fattest raccoon I’ve ever seen’.
I have a question for anyone that might know:
What’s a good recipe for insecticidal soap. I have both fels naphtha and castile soap.
Lots of zucchini (of course) and other summer squash. Wish I knew some good ways to use it all, other than the tried-and-true ring-the-doorbell-and-run method.
Roma tomatoes are producing well, some beefsteak. Bush Goliath do very well here in Arizona.
Too many peppers. We’re growing jalapenos, serranos, anchos, bell peppers, and spicy bells (a bell pepper/jalapeno hybrid). I hope the people at work want peppers.
Plenty of eggplant. My wife made a killer eggplant parmesan the other day, but she can’t eat much fried stuff. More for me.
A few melons on, if the skunks will let them ripen.
Good eating to all!
My tomatoes are the BEST. CROP. EVER.
I cannot believe how big and loaded the plants are.
They are not ripe yet, but I am hoping that the critters don’t get to them first.
We have squirrels and a woodchuck. The woodchuck got most of my peas and lettuce.
This is war.
But we also have cats that roam through the yard and I am trying to encourage them to stay. Bought my first bag of cat food ever.
Any other suggestions on how to get rid of those rodents?
Everything is running late this year - cukes are just now coming off, we'll can them tomorrow after church (supposed to rain all day - finally).
We cleared the raspberry bush last week and the Mrs. put up six pints of jam - mmmmm!
Carrots never came up this year - nothing. It was odd - but everything else is doing great, again, just a few weeks late.
Have a blessed week.
I hope you had a grand trip and saw something new! I have to admit I became concerned when that Duck amphibian sank and we hadn’t heard from you two...
Well, I got peaches from one tree this week. First year it’s made and I got about 3 dozen. Something ate them all. It was human. Grandkids have been here for 2 weeks. Peaches were highly rated :)
I’ve got another tree that’s not ripe yet. It’s got about twice as many. Hoping they’re good as the first batch :)
Still getting peppers and squash. It was 107 yesterday. I’ve been too busy playing with kids to check today.
I finally have a few Cannas blooming. Started the seeds around April 1st. “South Pacific Scarlet” and “Cannova Rose” are very showy. A couple of other varieties are budding out but not open yet.
I did buy some roots of “Chocolate Sunrise”. Absolutely stunning deep yellow/pumpkin flowers with olive to bronze leaves.
I have to grow them on the deck in partial sun, as deer bothered the ones I had in pots out in the yard.
Been very busy putting up produce from the garden. I've got 10 gallons of sauerkraut brewing, 24qts dill pickles made, and 14qts of tomato salsa. I'm not sure how many jars of fermented pickles Mrs. Augie has put up so far, but she's probably getting close to two dozen of those.
Been getting zucchini and yellow squash for the past few days. Sweet corn in starting to tassle. Pumpkins and centelope are thriving. Okra is coming along. Going to start digging potatoes this week. Still have 7 heads of bravo cabbage to pick. They're all the size of a basketball.
I've got tomatoes and cucumbers running out of my ears right now. The brandwines are to the top of the 7' tall cages.
Straight 8 cucumbers going insane.
Salsa in the summer kitchen.
Dill pickle slices.
