Notes for Tuesday September 1, 2009

September already? Can't believe it.

We got back from our vacation (a week at the Jersey shore) on Saturday. There ought to be a law that all vacations need to be a minimum of two weeks. Yesterday was a difficult day to get back into the rhythm (didn't really want to either).

Friday before we left I emptied 0.9" from the rain gauge and hoped that we would get some rain while we were gone. Upon return I emptied 1.5", not sure when we got it though. Then again on Sunday morning I emptied 0.6" from a thunderstorm that rumbled through at bed time Saturday night.

Before we left for vacation I told my neighbors and emailed my friends to please come by and pick some veggies while we were gone. When I got home it didn't look like anyone did. I picked about a bushel of juliet tomatoes, a half a bushel of regular tomatoes, a bushel of cucumbers and about a half a dozen peppers. Still no hornworms!??

On Sunday afternoon I pulled the third string beans (picking about two gallons) and planted a row of radishes alongside where the beans were leaving room for another row in a couple of weeks. There were only about 6 spinach seedlings in the row I planted a couple of weeks ago so I pulled them and planted another row. I also tied several of my cosmos plants to the fence since they were falling over. Some of my cosmos are over 6 foot tall and haven't flowered yet.

I need to take some pictures. Some of my zinnias are about 3 foot tall and in bloom and my five pots of chives are in full bloom and were buzzing with small what looked to be small carpenter bees. The tithonia I planted have really taken over and are alot more bushier than I expected and are full of blooms.

Then later on Sunday afternoon, I cut the grass. I wish I had a combine instead of just my push mower. We had two weeks of wet weather since I last cut it (wet at least for August, the news said that it was the third wettest August on record). I had to keep the deck of the mower raised again and still had to cut it at half width and half speed. While pushing the mower I avoided three toads.

There was no sign of the groundhog the whole week before we left and when we got back his hole had reopened. So on Sunday I threw another handful of moth balls in his hole and filled it the best I could packing the soil in using a 3 foot 2x4. Yesterday morning there was no indication that he had returned but when I got home from work he had started to dig his hole again but didn't get very far so I filled the hole again.

Notes for August 19, 2009

Last night I picked tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. With the abundance of Juliet tomatoes, I even brought some into work today. I think I might change the number of plants next year. Instead of 12 plants of small tomatoes (cherry/grape or juliet again), I may decrease it to 9 and increase the medium sized tomato plant. I may even try a earlier variety to see how that works. As I was picking last night I was thinking that I should water the carrot seeds but never did. Mother Nature took care of that for me. I emptied 0.5" from the rain gauge this morning.

Notes for August 17, 2009

Well on Friday I finally was able to cut the grass. It had been a couple of weeks but at first it didn't need it. Then we started getting rain at regular intervals and my calendar wasn't letting me out there to cut it. Soooo when I finally got to it Friday night, I had to go half speed at half width and raise the deck a notch in order to get it done before nightfall. While I was cutting the grass I avoided, not one, not two, not three but FOUR toads. That's a new record for me. Each were small, about as big as my thumb. It baffled me why so many until I realized they were out there chasing some of the hundreds of crickets I also saw in the thick grass. Saturday the calendar opened up again and I was able to get a nice chunk of time in the yard. I first harvested some green beans (first picking of third green beans), peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers and the last batch of onions. Then I tended the tomatoes (trimming suckers and tying). There isn't much tying anymore, most of my plants are six foot or taller and have out grown my 8 foot stakes (each stake is in the ground at least a foot). So I trimmed the suckers I could reach and tied the lower/slower growing tomatoes. I am surprised I don't have any hornworms yet. Now that I said that, I will probably pull of several tonight (I plan on watering tonight). I pulled out all the remaining onions and really didn't get many more. I noticed that the onions that went to flower never really formed an onion. So I think that starting next year I won't let them flower and I will snip the bud off when it starts forming. I added some wood ashes and then turned the onion patch and planted two rows of carrots. Earlier this week I received two German bearded irises (that I ordered in the Spring, but didn't realize at the time that they wouldn't be delivered until August). So I planted them in the front of the house. I pulled out a low lying evergreen first and planted them there. The evergreen was bare in the middle and the outer edges needed trimmed back which wouldn't have left very much. It needed trimmed, part of it was a trip hazard for my front steps and another part was growing into the driveway and so I wasn't liking it. After planting the irises, I finished cleaning up the tree debris from the tree I had cut down about a month ago, (my friend came by this week and picked up the cut wood for his wood burning stoves). I also had to fill in the depressions that the falling pieces left. And finally I weeded and mulched the front gardens and the other driveway garden. The other driveway garden is kind of bare. I lost a bunch of perennials there this year. So I will enjoy thinking of what I can plant next year.

Who needs a fig leaf, I'll use cucumber?

Someone else likes the garden.

Tithonia.

Last Saturday's harvest. Yesterday's was the same.

The cosmos were getting big enough that I had to tie them to the fence.

Friday I emptied 0.25".

Yesterday I picked and pulled the second green beans and then planted spinach in its place. then I picked some peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes (plums and regular). I also picked a few more onions. Next week I am planning to pull all the onions and plant carrots.

This morning we had some heavy rain and I emptied 1.2" after I got home from church.

Now what I want to know is who wished the ground hog on me? We have a juvenile ground hog who has taken up residence under the concrete slab under my shed. We have a box trap set with apple nearby but he doesn't seem interested (there's enough grass all around). Today I put a bunch of moth balls into the hole and filled it in the best I could. Maybe he'll get the message and move on?

Veggies

It's a jungle out there. Here is the path between the cukes on the right and the tomatoes on the left.

This is something new for me, I have peppers in August! This variety is called New Ace.

Here are my tomatoes getting ripe (Juliet). I thought they were a grape but they are more like a plum and very meaty.

On the left are two rows of green beans next to a row of lima beans, next to a row of peppers.

Here are the tomato plants. The stakes are 8 ft 1 x 2's, each driven into the ground about a foot and a half. Yes my plants are 6.5 ft tall. Saturday I picked the second picking of the second green beans, I picked 5 peppers, 10 cukes and 6 plum tomatoes. Sunday we had another round of storms. This time we got 1.7".

Notes For Sunday July 26, 2009

Yesterday the family schedule allowed me to work in the yard and I was able to take advantage of it and still catch up to the family. And at bedtime I was feeling it.

First, I picked two gallons of green beans. I probably should have picked last week because I realized I really need to spread the planting from three weeks apart to four weeks apart. The row of Lima Beans I planted last week is sprouting now. Then I tied and trimmed the tomato plants. I found two cherry tomatoes that were ripe. Actually they were more like a grape tomato. This year I am trying Juliet (an elongated grape tomato) because I was tired of losing so many cherry tomatoes because they have a tendency to split. And of course they never made it out of the garden and I ate them right there. They aren't as sweet or as juicy as a cherry tomato but they were surprisingly very meaty and very good. I also picked 6 cukes.

Then I finally finished mulching my flower beds and transplanted a few marigolds and cosmos left. I still would like to mulch the front of the house and will probably will do that next.

After mulching, I cut the grass. With the dry weather we've had, I grass didn't need cutting. While cutting the grass I avoided running over a toad. This must have father or mother toad. He was a good size one.

What's in bloom?

We'll start off with a bonus, two for the price of one. We have a dark red daylilly and some white Yarrow.


Here is a lavender day lilly.

And now I have a double bloomer! There is a story to go with this one. Got this one (and others not blooming this year) from the next door neighbor of a relative while attending the annual fourth of July family picnic last year.

Any guesses? How about ONION! Yes, my onions are in bloom.



Here is a look at my onion patch. they are starting to fall over so I will be picking in a few weeks.

Yesterday I watered the veggie garden and the annuals planted this year. Tied and trimmed the tomatoes (thank goodness that most of the stunted one are looking better). I figure the wet and not very warm June has put me back about a month. I also picked 10 cucumbers.

First beans and cukes

My other day lillies have started to bloom. I planted this one last year.

Thursday afternoon I had a large dead oak tree cut down. It died last summer. I don't know what from. Gypsy moth caterpillars were really bad two years ago and this tree did survive that but then died a few months after spring started last year. I wanted the tree service to it cut down on Friday when I had the day off but it was a cash deal and they finally called me back Thursday afternoon while I was work and said we'll be there in a half an hour. Wouldn't have been a bad day if my wife's car battery hadn't died when she tried to move the car back in the driveway after the tree was cut down.

I had Friday off and I got a bunch done before we went to some local fireworks. I picked the first picking from the first green beans. ( We had them for dinner tonight in a green bean casserole at my brother's house celebrating the 4th and mom's 82nd birthday. They were good). I then tied the tomatoes and trimmed their suckers. The third green beans started to sprout a few days ago.

I finished mulching flower bed #4 and then mulched all of flower bed #5 and began mulching #3. Before I mulched #5, I planted some more marigolds, zinnia and cosmos in flower bed #5. Yes I know I am going out of order but these two gardens needed more attention first (they're the youngest) flower beds 1, 2 & 3 are closer to autopilot.

With the tree down I had to install a post in the ground for the birdfeeder. One end of the hanging wire was attached to the dead tree. I bought a 10 ft 4x4 post a couple of weeks ago in anticipation. I also installed several new posts for the clothesline and removed the hooks from the trees.

This afternoon I watered the veggie garden and the recently planted marigolds, zinnias and cosmos. I really don't like to water in the afternoon but the family schedule left me no choice since we were going to dinner at my brother's house and this morning I did make it to church. After I watered I noticed that I could pick several cucumbers and I ended up picking seven. So this weekend I picked the first fruits of green beans and cukes. Yummy!

The cucumbers are growing nicely. I grow a seedless burpless, which is the family's favorite.


The Bee Balm is starting to bloom. My teenage daughter has even noticed.

I just planted my third green beans. Each row was planted three weeks apart. I will be picking from the first row (on the far right) this weekend and when its finished in three weeks, I will be picking from the middle row. I noticed the third green beans are starting to sprout.

The tomatoes are growing but in the past they have been bigger but its been a mild (not hot) June with plenty of rain.

It hasn't measurably rained since last week so I watered my veggies tonight as well as the marigold and zinnia I planted along the house on Sunday.

notes for June 26, 2009

I went to the doctor's yesterday and got checked out. He said he didn't need a blood test for confirmation (which wouldn't show it for a few weeks anyway) but I have Lymes disease. I have no other symptoms but a red rash on the back of my arm where I removed a very small tick about a month ago. So now I am taking an antibiotic for three weeks. In other news...it didn't rain yesterday! ... my Bee Balm is starting to bloom ...heard first cicada In the veggie patch, I took a stroll through last night and trained the cuke vines back to its fence and away from the nearby tomatoes or the outer fence or just blocking the garden paths.

Notes for June 14, 2009

I emptied 0.3" from the rain gauge this morning and in the next town over they got 2.5" early Saturday afternoon in about an hour and half.

I did end up cutting the grass in the afternoon but when it drizzled in the AM I wasn't sure if it would be dry by the afternoon. Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn't get home from church until later than normal and it was dry by that time. But my window of opportunity was limited since I had to take my daughter some where later in the afternoon before dinner. I did guilt my son into helping me but he didn't come out until I was more than half done.

While I was cutting the grass I did come across a toad. I once read that the leading killer of suburban toads is the lawn mower. So I stopped the mower and tried to corner him so I could pick him up and put him in my veggie patch. But he did a circle on me and went for cover in a hole in a stump of a tree I had cut down last spring. What a perfect place, especially since there was a piece of a brick partially covering the hole giving him shade.

I did take a walk through the veggie garden to check things out. The cukes are about 18" tall now so I made sure they knew where the fence is. I grow a vine type of cuke (not a bush variety). It also looks like all the sunflowers I planted last week have been dug up. Looks like I will have to start them somewhere else and transplant them in future. The first green beans planted are about to flower.

The tiger lillies in my yard have started to bloom. The blooms aren't as tall this year. Last year some of the blooms were 6 foot tall.

After I cut the grass I did my customary cooling down while replenishing fluids and sitting on the back patio. There was a nice breeze and sitting in the shade and it felt wonderful. As I was listening to the birds, it sounded as if they were telling each other "there fresh cut grass here!" Not that they are eating the grass but can now walk in the grass (because its shorter) to get at the bugs in the grass.

I am hoping the weather cooperates this evening to do some more transplanting and mulching.

Staked and tied!

I finally did get some time in the garden yesterday afternoon but it wasn't until 2 PM.

I picked another handful of radishes and then pulled out the remaining plants since they were all bolting into flowers.

I lost a couple of cucumber plants and so I transplanted one to where I had lost three right next to each other. The plants are now just under a foot tall. In the next week or so I will be moving the vine so it can find the fence.

I planted the remaining volunteer yellow marigolds that I dug up when I planted my tomatoes and peppers. I still have some I started from seed but they are still kind of small. I planted the marigolds in between some of the cucumbers and then in between some of the tomatoes. The rest of the yellow marigolds will go between the rest of the tomatoes and then the peppers.

Something has eaten all but two of my sunflowers and luckily I had another packet of seeds. If these get eaten, I don't think I am going to try to plant them again this year. The rabbits can't get into my veggie garden where I have the sunflowers so my next suspect is the chipmunk. They seem to be abundant this year, or it may be just one. but in any case I am seeing him/her more often this year than in years past.

My second green beans have nicely sprouted. They are all about three inches tall. The first green beans are about a foot tall and have about three to four sets of full leaves.

I lost a tomato plant so I transplanted a volunteer in its place. Then of course I found two more that were bigger and better looking than the one I transplanted. I have a pepper plant that is looking suspect so I might replace it with another volunteer.

Then I staked all of my tomato and pepper plants using 8 ft 1x2's for my tomatoes and shorter pieces for my peppers. I purchased a couple of old bedsheets from the thrift store last winter and cut one up to use for making strips for tying. I first cut into fourths and then made small cuts on the edge about 3/4" apart to rip off a strip as I need them to tie the tomatoes and peppers. Then I tied almost all of the tomatoes and will wait for the peppers to get bigger before I tie them.

Next job: mulching!

Notes for June 1, 2009

Cut the grass but didn't have to cut all of it. Some spots weren't tall enough to cut due to the lack of rain. That made me think of watering and so after cutting the grass I watered the veggie garden and the patches of young grass.

I noticed last night that I have poor germination of sunflowers on one side of the garden. looks like I will be doing some transplanting when the seedlings get there first true leaves.

I started 32 cucumber plants. Lost one in transporting them outside. Planted 28 to begin with. Planted the remaining five a few days later after I noticed I lost a few. Last night I noticed I had lost five more (not all in the same spots as before).

Notes from May 28, 2009

This Hosta was saved from a friend's house where their Hostas were deer food. Of all the ones they gave me, this one is doing the best. To the right is Agastache.

I bought a white Rhododendron two years ago and this year it bloomed.

This is a painted Daisy (in the chrysanthemum family). It doesn't look impressive because its become rabbit food. Five other nearby have also been eaten. Not surpised because the leaves are similar to carrot leaves.

Can't remember the name of this perennial. I started it from seed a couple of years ago and its been steadily growing in size. I think it was called Centaurea?

Here is a painted Daisy that the rabbit didn't get to. And for a bonus there is some sort of bug on the flower.

Stayed home from work today but didn't get to work in the yard until the afternoon.

Today I planted the remaining cukes, replacing several cukes that had died and picked a handful of radishes.

I fertilized the cukes, tomatoes and peppers with a drink of fish emulsion.

I planted tithonia along the fence of the veggie garden along with 6 of the transplanted marigolds that I dug up last week.

I trimmed several trees of lower branches (two holly trees, a dogwood and several oak trees).

I watered what I didn't fertilize (radishes, beans, onions and two patches of young grass in the lawn).

Then I started mulching the paths of the veggie garden. I didn't mulch around the plants yet, I'd like them to get a little bigger.

Some of the sunflowers have started to sprout and all of the annuals I started two weeks ago appear to have sprouted.

I am planning on planting another row of green beans on Saturday. I hope to start a row every three weeks.

PLANTING!

Well I got done what I hoped to get done and today I am paying for it as expected.

I started off by transplanting freelancing marigolds and tomatoes (growing on their own in the veggie garden) into six packs to be planted or given away later. I also dug up a couple of baby oak trees and potted them, someone at work wants one.

Next I put up the cucumber fence (5 ft high PVC coated fence).

The I planted tomatoes plants (30: celebrity, whopper and Juliet), pepper plants (14, Fat N Sassy and New Ace) and cucumber plants (24, Hybrid Sweet Success). I started all of these from seed indoors. I didn't have time this year to get manure from the horse farm and so this year I tried something different. All of the pepper plants and all but two of the rows of tomatoes I planted with a handful of finely ground up leaves. I did this to help my sandy soil retain moisture.

Then I planted a row of sunflower seeds.

I wish my marigold/zinnia/cosmos seedlings were about ready to plant, I would be planting them next week. Unfortunately they are just starting to sprout, so I guess next year I will be starting them earlier.

I am still not over my cold so I ended up taking frequent breaks and drinking a water bottle each time. During one of my breaks I did notice a chipmunk running through the backyard.

Notes for May 8, 2009

Emptied 0.3" from the rain gauge.

The cucumber and Tithonia seeds I started have sprouted.

I have very poor spinach germination this year. I have about four plants out of four rows. Two of the rows were old seeds but I think it just wasn't the right weather for them this year. Every year the weather conditions are usually good for some, great for one and bad for another.

I cut the grass Friday evening and I changed the mower blade earlier this week and it made a big difference. The grass was thick from the rain and I didn't have too much trouble mowing.

I noticed a baby rabbit in the flower bed in the front yard under my daughter's bedroom window while I was cutting the grass.

Notes for September 19, 2008

Tuesday evening I picked tomatoes and peppers and the last of the cucumbers. Then I watered the lima beans, green beans, radishes (which have sprouted) and the carrots.

On Thursday I watered everything in the veggie garden and realized why about 2/3rds of the radishes sprouted. One-third was one particular packet of seeds.

Tonight I cut the grass, thinned the radishes and pulled the cucumbers and their support fences. Tomorrow I plan on planting some more radishes, picking veggies, pull some weeds in the front flower beds and put the picnic table up against the house. And when I water the radish seeds, I will probably re-water the beans and carrots.

Notes for September 14, 2008

I finally got outside on Saturday. It was hot and humid like it was August. Today we are close to breaking high temp records. Anyway yesterday I picked tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers and pulled out the wax beans and then planted two rows of radishes. I also thinned the carrots.

Notes for September 5, 2008

Last night I picked a pepper, a couple of cucumbers, a bunch of tomatoes and a heaping of cherry tomatoes. After picking I watered the veggie garden.

I noticed last night...

... that the cosmos which most are in bloom are getting unruly (they are getting wider at the top and blocking my path.

...am I the only one who has to reach UP to pick cherry tomatoes?

...I wonder how well the sunflowers will fair tomorrow in the wind and the rain expected from Tropical Storm Hanna?

Notes for September 1, 2008

What a jam packed weekend (situation normal here). Always too short and tomorrow its back to work and my son goes back to college (he's commuting this year). My daughter goes back to High School on Wednesday.

Saturday I picked vegetables (tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, couple of cucumbers and one green pepper). I also planted carrot seeds and I had to water them five times before the water started to soak in instead of just run off (we haven't had rain for 17 days). I think next year I will plant the carrots as soon as I clean out my onions.

Also on Saturday I went through the onions I had drying in the shed. I threw away (into the compost pile) about one-third of them because they were getting soft and rotting. I wonder if I left them in the ground too long, or on the picnic table too long or in the shed too long? Is it too hot for them in the shed?

I also tried to transplant a 30" tall dogwood I had growing up against the house but the roots were entangled with a nearby bush and were about an inch from the house so it was hard to isolate the roots. So I ended up just digging it up. I think I found another one but its much smaller. Next time I am working outside I may dig that up and give it to a friend.

I also found some garlic chives growing on their own next to the flower pot I have the chives in. I did dig them up and placed them in another pot and I will pass them on to one of my flowering friends.

Sunday was another picnic day but later in the day I watered everything in the veggie patch.
Today I picked tomatoes and cucumbers and wax beans. We had some of the wax beans with dinner and again I swear they are sweeter tasting than green beans. I also watered the carrots.