So far a nice all day gentle rain. I took advantage to weed the garden after taking care of the birds. They were ticked I opened up their house but didn't let them out. Garden is looking great. One set of peas are filling put the other is just getting flowers. I've taken 2#'s of lettuce out. Will be picking collards and kale tomorrow. Strawberries are starting to ripen...corn well another year of challenges and will need replanting tomorrow. Some came up but not nearly enough. No worries plenty of time.
Well second batchof chicks are in an isolation cage in the temp chicken coop. They will stay there and in a sectioned off out door run for at least two weeks before they are released with other birds. That will make them 12 wks. old and able to hold their own in the scuffle that will ensue. Chicken pecking order, it can be a killer. I think the turkeys will help calm the transition.
I replanted corn and added another 4 rows. Found a lot of new bought seed that never germinated..hhhmmm. Planted more pole and some runner beans, summer squash, cukes, and swisschard. Took some picks BTW the summer squash /clover experiment is working well. This is just half the garden. Corn, melons, winter squash ,beans are in other half
Berries in garden looking good, strawberries trying to ripen, blue berries just ending their flowering. I have 10 blueberry bushes that all look like this....
Another cold rainy day. Last night before we even got through grandsons ball game it was getting cold. Went to low 40's again. This is starting to hurt on the growth of peppers, tomatoes , and eggplants. Now that's not to mention melons and beans. Though I got a lot of great green. Picked collards and red kale today. Forecast has low night temps and nothing over low to mid 70's during the day for next week. I weeded the carrots in the rain this morning , now foggy , rain and a breeze.
So finally getting enough warm for the winter squash seed to germinate. Unfortunate.y, it's been so cool that peppers, tomatoes, eggplants are all still really small and the melon plants are as well. The corn replant is coming up.
That last post got me thinking...went back to 2022 thread. Planted pumpkins on June 3oth. But looked at pics and tomatoes that were planted later than this year were 3x's the size of this year's plants. Same for peppers and eggplants and cukes.
Watching and learning on the berries. My Cherokee Purples are coming in large and green. My super sweets are moving along too. Squash and Zucchini are kicking ass and so are the peppers (habanero, ghost and the ol' faithful jalep's) but I have to say I'm most proud of my black seed lettuce. Need to get off my tail and go do some weeding though.
Well some tomatoes fina.ly got flowers. Pole beans are getting big. All brassica are great purple broccoli heading out and cabbages are getting big.
Another day of sun blocking smoke and fog though no rain. That said the couple of days that weren't suppose to rain..thunderstorms start again tomorrow for the next 4 days. Oh well, wells topping off. Fruits are wildly plump, one large mulberry limb snapped under the weight. We are lucky to be up onthe hill though because the smoke has fallen and hanging heavy and thick in the valley and flats.
I got the new garden area tilled and covered. I amended the soil put down lots of DE earth and a bit of seven dust.way too many grubs and cut worms I then planted and watered in my pumpkin seeds. I planted seeds on same day last year,the results are in the 2022 garden thread.
See the netting in post #63? Well let me tell you I'm buying more and not just for the berries I'm putting it over random bushes near the house. I don't know why but it attracts and traps nastie bugs. Flies millions of flies, sweat bees, skeeter, cabbage moths. NO HONEY BEES! I've checked it daily and have not found one honey or bumble bees, crazy #'s of flies sweat bees and deer flies plus knats. Hubby was over working and called out to me, hey you notice there aren't any bugs? Yes sir I have!!! Lol
Tomatoes changing colors, the first ripe ones will be going to Las Vegas with me, I am making a good friend BLTs at his home.
It's also finally growing well. Flowers and buds everywhere . I'm picking and even freezing stuff everyday now. Late summer garden is planted , fall will be done in a few weeks
Well that took forever to post and got screwed up. Here's a missing pic with pic of mulberries since the rain... biggest in years. I may have to make some juice to can this year.
Why not make the most out of the mulberries. We had a heavy storm and the ground is just covered. I had a spare roll of wire and made a temp fence for day time feeding.bird heaven. That turkey meat will be the sweetest we've ever eaten.. free food the bugs on those berries will keep them happy as well. Dang those turkey are efficient! Talking a water break and watching them snatching bugs mid air. chickens found the moss and are having a field day scratching it and bugs up.
