July 04, 2019
The Wando peas are done so out came the vines to encircle a watermelon mound. Almost all of my mounds are surrounded by garden waste on the outside perimeter of the straw mulch and it looks great. It dries to a tan color that compliments the shades of green and gives the garden a tucked in feeling. Putting layer upon layer makes me always thinking where the next pile of weeds should go and I begin to realize that I'm running out of weeds. They truly are turning into a garden asset both aesthetically and practically..
Decomposing into the soil gives the plants trickle down nutrients and increases the worm population. The act of weeding is a beneficial exercise for young and old and can increase your heart rate without risk of injury. Weeding on your knees gets you close to the earth and you take in the fragrances of the dirt. Aromatherapy to us gardeners..
July 05, 2019
So, how many of you have gotten a ripe tomato yet? I didn't think so. I never have either until this year when I mistakenly got an Early girl bush tomato. They are called determinate because they don't keep growing all season long like indeterminate vine growing types. This means they grow enough roots to set and ripen one crop of fruit instead of putting all their energy into vine growth. They give you ripe tomatoes earlier than indeterminate plants and then quit. Your indeterminate plants will keep on producing all summer until the frost kills them so they are in for the long haul..
The bush tomato I planted is not much taller than when I got it, about 18", but is loaded with various sizes of fruit. The inditerminate plant is a foot taller than the four foot tomato tower it's enclosed in, and thick and bushy like a cedar tree. It's fruit are all smaller and darker green than the bush plant's. I'll be planting both types from now on..
July 06, 2019
I put a bowl of zucchini in the tack room for people to help themselves to, and someone took the bowl. I kid you not. Horse people can be so tacky. (Groan). They are basically stable people and neighborly, but not always above board. (Had enough yet?). I've also got way more cucumbers than we can eat so if I had a bowl I could put some in the tack room. Maybe if I just start putting stuff on the floor the thief will return the bowl..
This heat is conducive to rapid summer crop growth, and the top of my soil around the plants is drying out every few days, so I'm getting to water before I see any plant wilt. I love watering on hot days. The sound of water droplets on leaves is soothing. The mist is refreshing, and the visuals give me pause. The way water droplets splash, and drop from the leaves makes me sit and observe for awhile. It's an incredibly busy light show that is peace inducing. Out of the chaos comes calm..
