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! ;)
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!
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.
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.