Posted on 06/19/2008 9:01:34 AM PDT by Gabz
June 2007
May was just about as demented weather-wise as a month can be! First—the cold, reinforced by drought, then wind and more wind. Rain, more cold, and some more wind from a different direction! It sort of felt like maybe we were actually in Auntie Em’s house, spinning round and round, being pelted by rain and buffeted by wind coming from every direction and wondering what in the world was going to happen to us.
What few plants survived the frost, and didn’t succumb to the drought, gave up in the face of an extremely long and miserable nor’easter. If they weren’t blown out of the ground or broken off, they were twisted like clothes in an old fashioned wringer.
All the crazy weather could have had something to do with the fact that May had two full moons. How many of you noticed? There was one on the 2nd, and another on the 31st. Depending on what time zone you live in, this year’s blue moon could fall in May, June, or July. How’s that for confusing?
Ever heard the term once in a blue moon? What is a blue moon? Some say a blue moon is two full moons occurring in the same month. Two full moons in the same month is a rarity because a full moon occurs about every twenty-nine and a half days, give or take.
At one time once in a blue moon meant something very unlikely to happen. Still another meaning is this: there are historical examples of the moon actually turning blue! When Krakatoa exploded in 1883, it’s dust changed the atmosphere so much that it produced spectacular sunrises and sunsets for years. It also turned the moon blue for about two years. Dust storms and forest fires can also cause this phenomena. A prolonged drought and dust storms on the Indian continent caused it to happen in 1927 and immense forest fires in northeastern North America did it again in 1951.
Though the term once in a blue moon has been around since at least the sixteenth century, by the mid-nineteenth century, visible blue moons, though rare, happened enough that people adapted the phrase to mean a fairly infrequent event. Something that happened enough to make note of, but not frequently enough to be pinned down to specifics.
Blue moon is also used, mostly in songs and ballads, to mean sad and lonely. Don’t you just love the English language, with all it’s idiosyncrasies?
Many people plant by the signs of the zodiac, and by the moon’s phases. Most of us just plant when we have time and the ground is ready and the weather co-operates. Before you scoff at planting according to the moon, keep in mind that the pull of the moon shifts the balance of water all over our planet four times a day, creating high and low tides. You have to figure that anything powerful enough to do that has to have quite an effect on everything else on the planet!
One of the best things about June, besides gardenias and hydrangeas blooming, is mimosas, and I don’t mean the beverage!
Natives of Japan and other countries like Iran, mimosas are small to medium-sized trees. They can grow twenty to forty feet tall with attractive, showy blooms and fern-like leaves. The fragrant flowers resemble pom-poms and range in color from dark pink to light salmon and every shade in between.
Mimosas were introduced to the United States around 1745 and have since spread from New Jersey to Florida to California. They can be quite invasive, choking out native shrubs and trees.
The good news, if they’re where you don’t want them, is that they are short-lived, usually around fifteen years or so. Not such good news if you plant one in your yard for an ornamental tree. Just about the time they get big enough to provide some shade and be really beautiful, they croak.
Mimosas can spread by seed or by roots sending up sprouts. Mimosas are members of the legume family and their seed pods resemble long, flat beans. The seed pods add an unusual touch to flower arrangements. Ripening in the fall, the seed pods disintegrate rapidly, so be on the lookout for them if you want to keep them.
Mimosas, also called silk trees, are rapid growers. Sprouts can grow three feet in a summer! The seeds have impermeable coats that allow them to remain viable for years. In English—the seeds are very hard and will retain their ability to germinate for a long time—as much as fifty years! Mimosas tend to grow in clumps and reproduce freely, don’t seem to have any disease or insect problems. Too bad tomatoes aren’t more like mimosas!
As late as the mimosas leafed out this year, it may be well into July before we see any flowers! Just like people, hummingbirds, bees and butterflies adore mimosa blooms. Often, the hummingbirds will even nest right in the mimosa. Look carefully for a little—think toddler’s fist—hammock that looks like both ends have been tied together to form a u-shape. Seems impossible that anything that tiny could house a couple of bird babies, but that’s a topic for another column!
The flowers and seed pods can be a nuisance if the tree is planted too close to a drive-way or sidewalk. When wet, the blooms can stick to your car or any flat surface, and once dry, can be the very devil to get off. The pods can be unsightly and messy when they fall. Despite the disadvantages, mimosas can add a wonderfully tropical feel to any yard. They don’t seem to be fussy about soil requirements or placement, although they won’t tolerate deep shade.
Don’t forget mid-June is time to plant pumpkins! It’s also a good time to plant gourds and butternut squash. Letting the vines die naturally and the (hopefully) lower humidity in the fall will help make their shells harder so they will last longer.
Agreed! My sales are down 4% due to having not a single rain-free weekend for the entire Spring Season.
Granted, I’m thankful it’s only been 4%, but still.
The basement is nearly dry, so that’s a good indicator that more rain will be here tomorrow or the next day. :(
My garden is doing OK. Nothing seems to be stopping the weeds, that’s for sure!
Hey, Gabz! I’m going to attempt to make Hot Pepper Jelly in the next few weeks. I have frozen peppers from last season (green bells, garden salsa and jalapeno) that I think will make a nice combination of sweet and hot. :)
DO NOT talk to me about weeds.........
GG, we know you are not greedy, but I’m sure Diana and I could both part with at least 50% of what we’ve got, and knowing Diana’s generous nature I’m sure she would even offer more :)
Diana, your pepper mix sounds divine!
Anyone who thinks humans are not weather sensitive should work a couple of weekends at a garden center. it is unreal what a difference a few degrees/sun/clouds/rain can make!
We’re about to give up on the garden. Everything is drying up. Have to get the potatoes and vidalias dug. The nut grass seems to be the only thing that is thriving. Wonder if you can eat it? LOL Too bad we haven’t heard from swampsniper in awhile—he’d probably know!
Your pepper sauce sounds really good! I like them, they just don’t like me! :(
Anybody heard from him/ his daughter?
I’ve got flowers on my eggplants and just spotted one on a habanero pepper plant (we have SIX of those :-). We had a terribly cold May, and only one week of real heat so far in June. I think I’ll be getting a lot of vegetables in late summer!
Thanks for the ping.
I will post the link, interesting article, on a tree that does well in California and does not grow here.
Thanks for the advice.
I’m currently feeding them once a week 1 Cup og Miracle-Gro for tomatoes per plant. is it possible that is not enough???
Thanks.
That should be OK. I think the box recommends feeding 2-4x a month while watering.
FYI... Big news here GG...I caught that mole that has raising Cain in my back yard. I will be digging the soft neck Garlic this weekend and the Stiff Neck in 10 days or so. We are getting a few Raspberries but the Strawberries have slowed down? We replaced the bird netting over the Blueberries yesterday.
Try adding a tablespoon of Epsom salts to a gal of water and use it each time you fert. :)
Woohoo! Good for you! Moles do a lot of good, but it’s not worth the damage they do.
Raspberries.... UMMMM Wish they would grow here! I do love the black ones!
Do you have trouble with birds getting caught in your netting?
Only when when one gets inside and they panic when we shoo them out
Good article and I wish him well.
I saw and heard something I haven’t seen since I can’t remember when. I was watering at the garden center the other day. I got to one of our shrubs, one we’ve had for 2 years. We whacked it back pretty good last year, and it’s bushed back out. It’s a cleyera, similiar to a red tip but without the disease problems. for what ever reason, some of the cleyeras bloom—most don’t. This one is in full bloom and smells really sweet, like eleagnus. It was covered with the small bumbles, to the point where you could actually hear them a good distance away. There were probably 100-150 bees, at least, working the plant. They weren’t touching the petunias or salvia right beside it, just that. I got up close and personal,had to water teh shrub anyway. I had a ball watching and listening to them. Made sure I told my boss—he’s pretty allergic—not that he would have gotten that close anyway!
I watched them for a good 20 mins or so, got nearly in the plant with them. Brought back a lot of memories. I used to play around Daddy’s hives when I was little. Unfortunatley, there wasn’t a honeybee in sight.
Yowsers!
The closest I’ve ever even been—or want to be—to marijuana is a Texas Star hibiscus I have growing at the end of the house! Very similiar leaves at first glance.
You’d be surprised at who grows pot, LOL! I have various “head cases” in my store all the time looking for lighting systems, watering systems, bat guano, etc.
From Little Old Ladies to obvious teen dopers.
That’s life in a Liberal City for ya! ;)
When I was mixing the MiracleGro yesterday, I mistakenly put Boric Acid (a Tablespoon) in each gallon of MiracleGro. I guess I just can’t be trusted... I hope it won’t do any harm to the tomatoes.
I’ll watch them carefully and report the results.
Craig
Don’t know if boric acid will hurt plants or not—Borax is an extremely effective soil sterilizer! Hope your maters are ok! If I get time I’ll do some research and see what I can come up with!
Tomato Loco Update:
This week has been a harvest to remember...
Early Girl, First Lady and Red Siberian Grape tomatoes, more than we can eat.
I just gave them the regular Miracle-Gro fert for the week, with no additions.
All seems well... at the container farm.
Thanks All for your Advise and Help!
Craig
YAY!
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