Feeling the heat.

Sunday 20th July

Rising at 7-30am. Temperature 78F
It's been a hot week with temperatures hitting over 90F by midday. The weather forecast for next week is HOTTER!

10-00am Temperature 91F
Hard physical labour of the gardening variety is almost impossible.
Well, it is for this Happy Gardener.

So I decide on a more mundane task...................................

..............and become The Happy Mower.

After a few hours of "therapy" it's time for a cool off indoors so spend a "relaxing time" catching up in with things in the office.
Mucho e-flurrying, letter writing, bill paying, forum reading and posting.

So a working lunch is called for comprising of croissant, ham, swiss cheese, homegrown tomato, potato crisps and low fat milk.

Lunchtime reading.

After the break it's time for a trip around to monitor progress.
The first stop is Plot 5, the potato patch and it's definately not good news..................

After being almost ruined by the heavy rainfall then virtually eaten to bits by the Woodlice they are now covered with the dreaded Blister Beetles.
Not only do these insects eat foliage at a frightenly rapid rate they also leave everything covered with their sticky black poop.
So, I dig out my prepared mixture of flour and lime.......................

...........and dust everywhere.
This is my first try with this mixture. I hope it works.

Sigh. Lets look for some better news!
This years tomato crop is my best ever..............................

.........and everyday brings more.......................

........and more.............................

......................and more.

The Three Musketeers, as I've named my volunteer tomato plants, are now settled in at the front of the house and will hopefully become part of my fall garden.

I need to keep a close eye on them as they are in peat pots which dry out very quickly in this heat. Should this very hot spell continue, which looks very likely, I may change them into plastic pots.

Eeeek, what's this? Looks like something from a sci-fi movie.

But it seems that this Skyscraper Sunflower is getting very close to blooming. I'm excited!

The Birdseed Sunflower....................................

........is past his best. But the good news is that he seems to have..................

.....two more blooms coming along, further down the stem.
I'm going to plant some more of that birdseed next year, that's for sure.

Beans, beans, beans.........................

....and more beans. And some here.................
.....bagged and ready for use.

News around the front of the house is that two cuttings from the Golden Willow Tree..............

...............have rooted. So I'm in with a chance of some free trees!

My friendly Blue Jays who did such a good job eating the carrot beetles......

.......have now moved onto my peaches.


I'm not really bothered for this year as I want the tree to recover more than I want to harvest fruit. But if I want to get anything next year I'd better get my "thinking cap" on and devise a way of keeping the birds off. Perhaps a net of somekind?

And last, but not least, I noticed this little fellow, growing alone at the front of the house.


He's made a home for himself in an area which remains unmown due to heavy frog/toad occupation. It looks like some kind of wild Iris?