Posted on 07/31/2021 6:31:55 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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A BUMP for a great day in the garden...
Greetings from southern New Hampshire!
We are starting to see some produce from the garden. Hot peppers and some yellow plum tomatoes.
I have all of the stakes and posts for the perimeter fence installed, along with the tarpaper along the fence route. The two front gates are almost finished and I will start installing the rabbit fencing, today.
I also scored some assemblies made of 8’ 2 by 4s that I will use to make the walls for our new garden shed and for the shop expansion within our garage. It will be at least 20’ by 12’, 8’ high, with unheated storage on top and heated space inside.
The temporary fencing around the raised beds seems to be holding back the bunnies. We will see how effective the new perimeter fencing will be.
The first swarm of my beekeeping career is now safely transferred to a new horizontal hive and the girls are busy. I had forgotten how peaceful and mesmerizing it is to sit and watch the comings and goings!
Yep most of the garden plants are in full bloom and producing
in our area on the east coast. We’ve had tomatoes for over a
month now.
Daniel; Nice aerial view! Do you ever cook the squash blossoms?
Zuc’s and Cuc’s are producing this week.
Lots of bush beans.
Awaiting the tomato to set more fruit.
Sunflowers have buds and are over 5 feet tall.
Good Morning! :-)
It was another hot week here in Central Missouri. Yesterday morning a front blasted through and we got a little bit of rain. There was another one on its tail that hit this morning. Heavy rain and lots of lightning for a couple hours then it was gone.
Green beans are producing nicely now. Beets are ready. Okra, collards, turnip, and rutabaga that were planted last week are out of the ground and looking good. I’m getting a few tomatoes from the three plants that survived the June monsoon. Summer squash is still rocking. Cucumbers are about ready to fold from the heat.
Your pickings look quite appetizing! Love the carrier, too!
Love that the bees are re-homed and thriving! I still kick myself for not taking all of my BILs beekeeping stuff when it was offered to me years ago - before keeping bees was...the bee’s knees, LOL!
We have one friend that is interested in keeping hives here and if he ever gets it together, of course we’ll say yes! My garden does well, but it could always do better with some help from bees. :)
I love little kids in overalls - gave my great-nephew a pair (baby shower gift) & can’t wait to see him wearing them. He’s definitely going to be a little “country” boy.
Tomatoes out the wazoo - not enough to can, but too many to take care of by eating. I left a 2nd box at the nearby fire station along with a gallon bag of cherry tomatoes .... snuck in a few cucumbers, too.
The cuke vines are dying - a relief, actually. I planted a morning glory in the same area as the cukes & that is starting up the trellis, so maybe I’ll have some flowers once I cut the cuke vines off.
All the flowers except the morning glories are blooming - sunflowers (Giant ones are huge. Teddy Bears are so cute!), cosmos, zinnias, tithonia (about a dozen flowers now - larger butterflies are showing up), cardinal climbing vines, marigolds (French & Giant) ... thyme is still blooming. No morning glories yet but the vines are lush - can’t wait to see what colors they’ll be. Yesterday, for the first time, I cut spent zinnia blooms to dry for next year’s seeds.
We have some ‘volunteer’ sunflowers under the bird feeders. The squirrels have found them and are cutting off the seed heads - their antics trying to get to the seed heads are pretty funny to watch. It won’t be so funny when they start getting into the raised beds.
If hummingbirds had landing lights, it would look like Chicago O’Hare Airport with lights lined up into the distance as far as you can see. The feeders are super busy - birds waiting in nearby trees to come in and feed. There is no doubt the nectar is being consumed by hummingbirds (no bats). They’re fun to watch - had a courting pair night before last - he was doing some major “swooping” and seemed to have her attention - he even shared the feeder with her.
Mild temps (80’s) this weekend and next week - need rain badly - grass is brown & crunchy. The garden/flowers are taking a lot of water to keep them going. Showers in the forecast for tonight & a few days next week - hope we get them without any ‘severe’ weather along with the rain.
I see blooms on the squash, so all is not lost! ;)
I have a single “Sweet 100” cherry tomato. Indeterminate.
It has at least 500 ripe fruits in clusters of 10-15. Another 500 ready to turn. It’s a healthy plant in good soil, good weather but maybe a little hotter than perfect.
What the heck does a person do with 500 or a thousand cherry tomatoes? Is there a practical way to preserve them?
I think my only option is to load them up in grocery bags and give them to the neighbors.
Thoughts?
ping to above..
The Month of August 2021: Holidays, Fun Facts, and More
August is upon us! What do we celebrate in August? Why is August a month? See all the notable days of August—from Lammas Day to Left-Handers Day to the Perseid Meteor Shower!
To us, August brings the best bounty of the season—ripened tomatoes, ripe melon, sweet corn on the cob, and zucchini are just a few of our favorites.
Canning season is here, too, and you can find tips and recipes below.
Summer declines and roses have grown rare,
But cottage crofts are gay with hollyhocks,
And in old garden walks you breathe an air
Fragrant of pinks and August-smelling stocks.
—John Todhunter (1839-1916)
The Month of August
August was named to honor the first Roman emperor (and grandnephew of Julius Caesar), Augustus Caesar (63 B.C..–A.D. 14). Find out the origin of each month’s name.
August Calendar
“After Lammas Day, corn ripens as much by night as by day.”
August 1, traditionally known as Lammas Day, was a festival to mark the annual wheat and corn harvest. Lammas also marked the mid-point between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, and was a cross-quarter day. See more about Lammas Day.
August 5 is a Civic Holiday in parts of Canada.
August 9 starts the Islamic New Year, or the First of Muharram, beginning at sundown. Traditionally, it begins at the first sighting of the lunar crescent after the new Moon.
August 10 is St. Lawrence’s Day. “Fair weather on St. Lawrence’s Day presages a fair autumn.”
August 11 marks the end of the Dog Days of Summer, which began on July 3.
August 17 is when the Cat Nights begin, harking back to a rather obscure Irish legend concerning witches; this bit of folklore also led to the idea that a cat has nine lives.
August 19 brings National Aviation Day, chosen for the birthday of Orville Wright who piloted the first recorded flight of a powered heavier-than-air machine in 1903.
August 24 is St. Bartholomew Day. “At St. Bartholomew, there comes cold dew.”
August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, which celebrates the 1920 ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment and, with it, women’s right to vote in the United States.
https://www.almanac.com/content/month-august-holidays-fun-facts
tomatoes are coming on....cukes too...pulled my Walla Wallas and garlic.....beans are small but coming on too....
I have a few winter squash and one is very big....
lots of zucchinis....
went to the Garden/Pet store yesterday.....seeds are very picked over....but I did buy some organic seeds just to have in case of complete disaster with our food supply....
also want to plant some late season crops like carrots/beets/lettuce....
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