Cool break

Sunday 10th August.

Rising at 8-30am
It's cooler at last, around 70F this morning.
We have had a couple of days of heavy rain falling on and off so the badly overdue mowing chore is once more put on hold.

I also had to work all day Saturday so my time in the garden has been limited.


First job this morning is to go check on the Blister Beetle damage. The Flour and Lime mixture seems to frighten them off but they are soon back chomping merrily away.......

.............as you can see by this shot taken this morning of the Yolo Bell Pepper plants in Plot 3.


Foliage damage is severe and this in turn means the peppers themselves lose the protection from the sun. The shot below shows sunscald........................

So I have resorted to the tried and tested way of getting rid of these little walking disasters.............


The rubber gloves and bucket of soapy water!
Hand pick the beetles from the plant, toss into bucket of soapy water, end of story.
Three evenings this week I've stood out there in boiling temperatures picking the little buggers off my plants and it's not fun, believe me.
Each day the population is reducing but it's slow progress. But, progress it is!
They have just about finished off Plot 5, look at this.........................

Here's all that remains of my once healthy looking potato plants after the weather and the bugs had done. Oh well (deep breath). I weeded the plot, pulled and threw out most of the damaged plants then dug up under one of them to see what was left.
Hmmmm, not bad. Certainly not Wal Mart standard in shape and size..................

........but chemical free.

The volunteer tomato plant I put into Plot 4 a couple of weeks ago is still looking good. As the temperatures are down today I decided to transplant three others which I'd had in post at the front of the house.....................

.........and then mulched the whole row.

I'm still pulling tomatoes almost daily.

Big Red

Old Virginia
Good feedback from workmates who received the plants from me. Most are pulling good crops from their plants and are delighted with the fruit produced.

Seedlings are coming along nicely.................

Kohlrabi.


Cabbage.

No sign of the Catnip so I've started some more along with some Cauliflower seed and put the on top of the fridge. This time I've put the clear plastic lid over them to see if it helps germination.

Crazy Summer.

Sunday 3rd August.

Rising at 8-30am (ok, so I was late to bed).

Praying for cooler weather.

The temperatures have been around 95F to 100F all week, and 108F to 114F on the heat index.
Today it's going to be 104F and 117F on the heat index.
PHEW!!

Humidity is high and there's no breeze at all making conditions very uncomfortable for the Happy Gardener. I've been going out there in short bursts of say 15 minutes but even that is too long and I find myself feeling heady with the heat. Picking a few tomatoes and taking a few pictures is about the most strenuous work I can manage.
The grass needs mowing. It will remain unmown.
Attempting to start growing things outside in preparation for the Fall garden would be crazy as they would dry out as soon as I put them in.
It's no use me complaining though (but I will) because this will more than likely be the norm for at least the whole of August so I may as well get used to it.

The heat has caused one of the Watermelons to split.......................

.........what a tragedy!!

This means that.......................................


..........we'll have to eat it.

Here's some damage that has no happy ending though. The Blister Beetles keep coming back to my beleagured potato plants and have just about stripped most of them.

These guys are so voracious they even strip the weeds which have sprung up in the plot!


I douse them with the Lime/Flour mix and they leave. But during the late evening, and I suspect during the night too, they return to continue the continuous munching.
But, I will not resort to chemicals. I must do more research and find a user friendly way of ridding my garden of these destructive pests.
Sadly I've just about given up with the potatoes for this year although I'm sure I still have a small crop to harvest when the weather cools off. At least while the beetles are eating these straggled remains they are leaving other things alone.


OK, enough bad news. Lets look at what's growing.

Most of the seeds I started last weekend have germinated. Of the Catnip, Cabbage, Kohlrabi and Lettuce only the Catnip has failed to sprout.


So I've moved the tray from the top of the fridge and put it under the light in the growing room.
These are all going to be an experiment. I plan to sow more in a week or two so I can monitor progress and pick the best (if any) for outside planting.
I also hope to pick up a few Cabbage/Broccoli/Cauliflower plants from my local nursery later this month. The business is only a small concern and they don't carry a huge amount of stock.
But, I'm willing to pay a little more to buy good quality plants from people who know what they are doing and freely offer sound advice to fellow gardeners in their area.


The Birdseed Sunflower is past his best but I've been watching him supply two yellow finches with a hearty meal for a few days so he's done his job. If either of those little birds drops or passes a seed somewhere else a new generation may form. And who knows where.


As you can see in the picture, two small side flowers are now fully in bloom.

The Skyscrapers are now WAY up there at over 9 feet tall.

They tower over me as I potter around below.
Now that these huge blooms are opening I've been delighted to see the heavy bee activity which they have attracted. It's amazing that something this big came from a seed so small.

The main stalks alone are impressive.


The Bees are all over the Basil.

Both the Spicey Globe and African Blue varieties are in flower and are getting lots of traffic.

The Yolo Bell Peppers continue to produce..................

....and I'm now starting to harvest some red ones which is nice because they add a bit more colour to the salads.

Here's the volunteer tomato plant I put into Plot4 last weekend. It has settled in and looks quite happy in it's new home.

I've got no idea what variety it is as it grew from my compost...............


..........as did these which are still in pots at the front of the house.

I traded a few tomatoes for some delightful home grown Red Cabbage a couple of weeks ago.

My wife immediately got to work on it and any which wasn't used while fresh..............

.......got pickled.

The tomato crop just keeps on producing and I've sold plenty to people at work. This is good news for my local Humane Society who get any proceeds from the sale.

It's good news for us too.................................

.........our freezer is filling up with ready made pasta sauce bases made with Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Onions, Oregano and Basil. All fresh from the garden.

Add a little bit of water, some freshly ground black pepper and cook in the hot pot.

So, it's not all bad news in the garden despite the heatwave and the Blister Beetle attack..........

.................and our Tommy thinks that life is just wonderful.

Sowing and Repotting.

Sunday 27th July

93F
105F on the heat index.
Pretty hot out there this weekend so I'm sticking to inside jobs as much as possible.
The first of the Skyscraper Sunflowers is just about fully in bloom.

These are a really cheerful looking addition to the vegetable plots and I'm glad I decided to grow them.
I repotted the volunteer tomato plants. But as it's so hot I did it indoors!

I have 7 plants and they all look pretty healthy at the moment. I repotted them and used a mixture of 2 parts garden soil and 1 part home made compost. Then I topped them off with mulch and gave them a good watering. They are now sat in Bed 1 where I can keep a close eye on them and ensure they don't dry out. At least in Bed 1 they'll lose the sun in the afternoon.
Well, they all went outside except this biggest one......................

........which is in flower already so I'm going to plant it out in Plot 4, but not until later this evening when it cools a little. The poor thing (and poor me) would fry right now. It's a tall plant and I'll strip all the leaves off except the top few then plant it deep in the ground, including the fibre pot which it's in. Planting deep helps make a good solid root foundation.
I also potted the Golden Willow tree cutting which had the biggest roots

It's now in Bed 2 for the time being as I'm not sure whether it will survive or where it will end up if it does.
Then it was time for................................................

A light lunch. Cheese and Home Grown tomato on a roll followed by some of the delightful Fruit Salad which my wife made yesterday evening.

Lunchtime reading
Speaking of Home Grown Tomatoes, check these out...................!!

Pretty yummy eh?
This year I'm getting a bumper crop so yesterday I traded with a neighbour for some of their home grown Sweet Corn.
After lunch I decided to sow a few seeds for the Fall.
I know it's probably a bit early but I was bored.

So I put in one row of each of the following:
Catnip
Cabbage
Kohrabi
Lettuce

I use this growing medium which I purchase from the small nursery here in town. It's a little more expensive that what you get at the big stores but I have had lots of success with this brand so, to me, it's worth paying a little extra.
I gave them a light watering with the hand sprayer then placed the tray on the top of the fridge and will check them next weekend for signs of life.
By then I decided I'd done enough.
I had a quick walk around the trees to check on progress and noticed these.......................

Persimmons.
Our tree is actually 3 trees all growing together in a clump. Last year there wasn't much in the way of fruit due to the terrible ice storms and late frosts. This season it seems they are making up for it with a bumper crop.
I don't do anything with them myself but they make a good source of food for the birds when the cold weather hits. By that time the fruits have softened, turned a shade of orange and have a taste similar to dates in my opinion.

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?