The Garden Thread - July, 2025

July, 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[FamiliarFace]

Beautiful! Like you, I love to fill my home with things from the past that are meaningful or useful. I often find that items from the old days are better quality, and sometimes very pretty to boot.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Last Day of July, 2025! Can you believe it? Weather ahead through the end of the week looks 100% do-able to get a lot done that’s been needing to be done in the garden, now that it’s stopped RAINING ON ME for a few days. We ended up with 1.75” yesterday. It has cooled off beautifully; 51 when I got up a while ago. The A/C has been on non-stop for a full month - she needs a break, too!

The lawn is out of control, and I’m running out of gas, so that’s another upcoming project. ;)

On the Bright & Beautiful Side - I have Hummingbirds out my ears right now! I think they’re having a hard time finding nectar in all this rain - my Dahlia and Zinnia are not blooming as well as they should be, so I’m sure their food sources are limited right now, too. I put up a second feeder last night after they all settled down. It’s not unusual to have 7-10 of them at the feeder: Morning show at 7am and Evening show about 7pm. Mostly females, but I spot a male from time to time. Ruby Throated.

Upcoming canning is...wait for it...PICKLES! Kosher Dills and more Bread & Butters. Need. More. Sugar. And Vinegar! Looks like a trip to town is in order for tomorrow. The beans are coming in fast and furious now, so Dilly Beans are in the rotation, too.

All is well at Bear Camp - they treed two bear yesterday and two of the pups I raised last year (Comanche and Blackfoot) were in on their first bear and didn’t back down. They were hunting with their very own Mama Dog, the incomparable Taylor Marianne. It’s looking like we’ll have really good bear dogs out of all six pups; a rarity for anyone that breeds/trains/hunts their own dogs. My reputation as a Puppy Wrangler grows! ;)

[metmom]

Warning on Wal-Mart’s Cedar Mulch *BLEND* with the word *blend* in small print.

No knowing how much cedar is actually in there, but based on the cost and how little lasted from one year to the next, not much.

[metmom]

Our heat just broke, too.

It’s been so stinking hot and dry. And the weeds took over while we were on vacation. The garden looks like a disaster. And while the snow peas and lettuce did fantastic, my onions bombed. Looks like I’ll have some good onion sets for next year.

The garlic is starting to turn brown and the few I’ve dug up so far, are smaller than previous years.

I had floating rows covers over the top of my tomato cages and the plants look great. Very little issue with blight this year. The tomatoes are starting to lighten some but not at big as usual. But they’re still flowering so there’s hope that the next ones if they get more water will be bigger.

Since it’s actually raining out, I planted some beans, dill, zucchini, turnips, and lettuce. I’m hoping that the zucchini is late enough to avoid the squash vine borer. Also, the beans and Broccoli sprouts I planted nestled among the thyme, are untouched.

[Paul R.]

Our “weather break” gets here tonight. And we are a bit cooler but still very humid today. Maybe we’ll get showers or t’storms today, but they look to be quite scattered. We’ve actually dried out enough to need one!

[ConservativeMind]

Daniel1212, I just came across this picture—and it is a beautiful number of plants! I previously built self-watering tubs for tomatoes, at a prior living location, and was really happy about their success, until neighborhood creatures got to about 1/4 - 1/3 of them.

Have you had issues with animals taking bites, in the past? I dare say they know when a tomato is truly ripe, as a couple looked so good that I ruefully took a bite from the other side, before tossing.

[Qiviut]

Finished for the day! The 2 beds that have dirt now also have compost - 4 bags each. My red hot poker & echinacea plants are in their new home.

The beds are not super wet (soil is draining well), but after 1.65+ inches of rain late yesterday, the soil was very damp, but still workable. The forecast is for 1 - 3” today, worst case 3 - 4”. The poker plant does not like wet roots, so I did not water it in. I also did not water in the echinacea, which probably could stand it. Once we get through the rain coming in, I’ll figure out if I need to add water.

Now I know the dirt situation. My one load, split between 2 beds, left me a little shorter than I wanted to be. I considered hauling a 3rd load after I get load 2 in beds 3 & 4. The beds need compost, so I bought 4 bags yesterday. After putting 2 bags in bed 1, I added the next 2 bags as well and the dirt/compost level is about where I want it for starters. I’ve decided to stick with 2 loads of dirt & 4 bags of compost per bed. The 16 bags of compost will cost $5 more than a 3rd load of dirt, but I don’t have to haul over 2 mountains & shovel out of the trailer since the compost is bagged. I am very happy with this solution to filling the beds.

After getting beds 1 & 2 filled & the 2 plants in place, both beds are heavily mulched with pine needles. It rained so hard yesterday, it splattered dirt up the sides of the beds. Any deluge today will fall on pine needles & filter through.

It is SO humid today (plus I had to work in full sun) that I was a real mess when I finished getting the beds straight, so I have now had a shower - dry clothes feel great. Drinking electrolytes & waiting for “weather” .... cloudy & thunder in the distance, wind is up, no rain yet. We’re under a severe thunderstorm watch & surrounding radar is busy.

[Paul R.]

Bah, the scattered showers went around us, and didn’t form a line until past us.

But, less humid air is beginning to move in - yay! Friday should be quite nice.

[Pollard]

Low 80s were nice today but I still ran the AC in the truck due to humidity.

Shopping trip never happened as planned. While on Lowes website a couple of days ago, after having manually chosen a store, they decided a different store was better. Half of what I planned to get was not available in the original store that I had planned on going to.

I just went to the local town and got a couple of things from the hardware/lumber store and did food shopping. Got black poly to kill things off under the tunnel. Only $1.50 more. Grabbed a pair of hinges for the back door of the shed. It’s shimmed and screwed in place. All I need to do is screw the hinges on, take the holding screws and shims out and it’s a door.

Only item I didn’t get that I’m in a hurry for is mig welding wire but I took enough off the spool to get past the rusty wire for the most part so I should be able to weld now. I put the welder in the shed too where it will stay drier.

The “location” sniffing and altering what store I was viewing based on that still pisses me off but hey, their loss not mine. I spent less money and they had one less customer today.

[daniel1212]

Daniel1212, I just came across this picture—and it is a beautiful number of plants! I previously built self-watering tubs for tomatoes, at a prior living location, and was really happy about their success, until neighborhood creatures got to about 1/4 - 1/3 of them. Have you had issues with animals taking bites, in the past? I dare say they know when a tomato is truly ripe, as a couple looked so good that I ruefully took a bite from the other side, before tossing.

Thanks and thank God. Raccoons (I surmise) do get into the water barrels. We have has squirrels as well as a skunk taking one bite out of toms, but so far despite a family of squirrels on the other side of the house then so far none did the taste test. But I have cut some in half and eat the washed other side in the paste. Been very busy fixing bikes, and have not posted much (take a long time to type), but thank God for exceptional growth though late. First red toms this week. Timely rains helps, which is what it is doing now, thus I am inside right now. Water barrel system working but not needed much, unlike other years. Praise the Lord God for all good.

Pic from last week.

[Qiviut]

After all the preparation for the deluge, we got nothing ... zero, zip, zilch, nada. Mother Nature ... you just never know.

Tomorrow will be mid-70’s, but still somewhat humid. I think it’s going to be mowing day. Before getting on the mower, the chainsaw is cleaned up & ready to go so I might cut down the half rotten old peach tree & a large branch on the old apple tree, both of which are obstacles when I mow.

I found my straw bale gardening book & I have been rereading it. One ‘discovery’ is that you can grow dahlias in them & no digging tubers out of dirt at the end of the season. Also, the way the bales are set up, you can drape netting over the whole setup which would keep deer from eating the plants. I think next year I’ll have dahlias, tomatoes & maybe okra in straw bales.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I LOVE that idea for growing Dahlia! Makes total sense. :)

Wish mine would open up some more blooms! The plants are big and bushy with lots of buds (I have been ‘topping’ them, so they put out more flowers) but with the cool evenings now, they just don’t want to open!

I’m not winning a single battle on ANY front this season!

But, by my Walmart grocery order, I see I am not the only one lacking on tomatoes this season! I ordered some whole, canned tomatoes to supplement my fresh so I can get out a few batches of V-8 Juice - and they had to substitute the store brand for the generic! At least I’m not alone, LOL!

This is getting to be an expensive gardening season! Grrr!

Starting the August thread in a few! Stay tuned!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Zukes are INSANE this season! Instead of putting out a number of them, they are concentrating on setting ONE fruit - then growing it to an insane size seemingly overnight!

Another garden disaster for the 2025 garden. Not winning a single battle on any front this season. I guess I needed to be ‘humbled’ a bit for some reason, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Walmart thinks I live in Sacramento, CA and that I speak Spanish. Have to correct that every time I use their website - which is weekly most months.

That’s why I try to: Shop The Pig! ;)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

This July thread has come to an end in this summer field!

You can stay and enjoy the scenery, but if you wish to float on over to the new The Garden Thread - July 2025 click below!