Yes, I think tonight will be the big night for the first UFO!
How AM I going to get that thing outta there?!
Below is a photo of the UFO Tomatoes, they are really getting tall, that is me reaching as high as I can next to them!
This morning I got a little accomplished before the humidity and heat drove me back inside. I was able to replant some beds with more beans, cilantro, dill, lettuces (I keep trying), and a couple of hills of small pie pumpkins. I should still have enough time in the season to get the pumpkins in time to brew our Harvest Pumpkin Ale and freeze some for pumpkin bread in the winter. I still need to rip out and replant the "green roof", and prune one of my Crepe Myrtle trees that is completely blocking one of my garden paths, but that will have to wait until evening, but truth be told, I am hoping it will rain today and I won't have to go back out!
Photos from the garden this morning, good, bad & ugly in no particular order:
Note: Orange Wellington hybrid tomato does really well in a container!
Sugar Baby Bush Watermelon containers, cosmos are starting to take over the area, though!
Planted Japanese Climbing Cucumbers in this bed just 2 weeks ago, already out of control!
Now get ready to have a good laugh...
My "cornfield" in the shade experiment! It's pathetic! About 18" high and believe it or not, has tiny ears on it LOL! I just shake my head and laugh when I see it every day, it's right next to my shed. I left my radio on out there this morning, maybe they will grow more if they have some tunes to listen to. Here's the description of it for an extra laugh:
Corn, Early Sunglow Hybrid
Best early variety, thrives in cool weather.Garden-fresh sweet corn is summer's greatest pleasure. A packet contains enough for four 15 ft rows. Seeds are not treated. Extra-early, uniform ears are about 7 inches long with 12 rows of deep kernels. Stalks yield 2 ears. Best early variety, thrives in cool weather. Height 4 to 4½ ft. Proven tops for productivity, flavor and wide adaptability. Ready to harvest in 63 days.
Ears 7" long? LOL... and cool weather? what was I thinking?!
More laughs above. This is my Asparagus bed. The one I dug out by hand all day by myself, even bothered to fence in from the dogs... I kind of forgot about it! So now it's a bed of Sassafras, grass, and miscellaneous weeds! Should have planted that stuff in the green roof, it might still be green!
This is just plain redneck!
I swore I would not buy any more stuff for my garden except seeds for fall. I have more than my fair share of "stuff" in my shed to create things from, and this is what ensued! These are my bean and Edamame beds, and this is actually working to keep the Mockingbird out. I caught him red handed yesterday morning hopping around eating tops off my beans. I sent Sprocket the "Outback Jack" after him and then she was in there messing up my bed too! We made up our own breed for her, she's half Jack Russell, half Australian Shepherd, and the only Aussie in her is her coloring, other than that she is a complete terrier-terror to all vermin in the yard! So while my setup is ugly, it's working. It can come down in a couple of days, the birds don't bother the beans once they get their 2nd set of leaves.
In case you are wondering, this is what an Outback Jack looks like! Yeah, we can't figure it out either...
Sprocket the wonder girl
Really?!
I am really hoping my grapes make it to harvest this year, last year I put paper bags on all the bunches and the mockingbirds still got to them!
Don't you love the fact that the garden can provide delicious junk food, too?
Tomatoes, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Chives & Homebrew
I walked outside with this yumminess last night and my neighbor said she wouldn't be surprised to see me milking a cow in my backyard and making my own cheese for the nachos, too - hmmm, not sure if that was a compliment or not LOL!
Speaking of last night, this is what the kids looked like when I arrived to pick them up at the "Y" from Parents Night Out! While I am glad they had fun, this means I had to spend a half hour scrubbing them down at 10 pm before bed!
I will be hiding out from the heat all day, but hope to post about that tomato very soon...!
1. The kids are adorable.
ReplyDelete2. Weed that asparagus asap and give it some food & water.
3. We had nachos last night as well, except no peppers (which we were humming about)- so tomatoes on the chips, and chives in the sour cream. Great minds think alike Erin!
4. Good luck getting that tomato out.
5. I want your beer.
Kelly, I promise I will get to that asparagus bed... next week!!! I will admit those jalapenos are not from this season, I still have 4 jars of pickled jalapenos from last season! I would be happy to share the beer if we were closer, and I would recruit you to help me brew the next batch, I need the help, if definitely requires more than 1 set of (adult) hands!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar problem with a zuke yesterday. It had grown close to the main stem and underneath the dog-proofing contraption I'd placed there. I just wiggled it a lot, and it finally broke free, but tomatoes could get a bit smushy doing that. You might have to clip the fencing and bend it back a bit.
ReplyDelete:) I would SO be up for that task!
ReplyDeleteThat UFO tomato plant is HUGE! You get so much more out of your heat-lovin' plants in VA than we do up here in MN. Are you able to grow cool-lovin' stuff like broccoli and spinach?
ReplyDeleteOh, and I vote YES for the milk cow!
ReplyDeleteOooooh...what serious ninjas with spider tattoos....they are ninjas, right? Looks like they had a blast.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally voting for the cow as well and those grapes look fantastic!
Marc and I keep telling ourselves that we should really take advantage of our daycare's parent's night now program...no such luck. We're still in that "I feel too guilty doing something without my child" phase. Wonder how much longer that will last.
ReplyDeleteI should have rigged something like your homemade hammock. hahaha...I noticed today that something had eaten all of my edamame in the back garden. I thought the bunnies had found a way through my fence somehow...didn't even think that it could be birds.
Maybe you should try to grow summer lettuce in that shady spot.
Jo, we can grow broccoli and spinach and cool stuff, but it wont' go in until October! Actually we can usually grow it all winter IF one is willing to do hoops - I did that 2 years ago, but the high winds we get from all our Nor'easters shred hoophouses. So, if I could spend the money (which I don't have LOL) on super duper strong domes I would do it! Our garlic, shallots, onions and leeks will get planted in November.
ReplyDeleteThomas, I completely understand - this is the first year I have done any type of babysitter unless my mom is visiting from Minnesota! I really trust the Y since they know all the employees there and their coaches from swimming are usually there on Parent's night getting some much needed extra pay! Other than that one night a month, I am with them 24/7, I think alot has to do with the way we were raised, my mom stayed at home with us and the only sitter we had was grandma, so I feel guilty doing any less. Also, we have no teenagers really in my neighborhood. Another story: I was scoping out one teenage boy in the neighborhood, he is always very friendly to the little kids, not mean at all, and always takes time to know the names of the little kids and say hi, even show them some moves on his skateboard... I was thinking of approaching him and asking if he ever babysat, but then one day I was behind my fence and he walked by with another kid and I overheard him talking about "scoring some weed".... ugh.... so that set me back another few years from trusting anyone with my kids! I am just hoping my kids will thank me for it one day. Being military sucks this way, our closest family that could help is 1200 miles away! By the time we move back to MN they won't need a babysitter anymore! It's really not too bad since we tend to do family things anyways, even dinners out are always as a family, it's more of a sanity thing, like being able to get a haircut, or a Dr. appt without kids in tow!