Posted on 07/01/2024 6:30:55 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Gorgeous dog!
Hope that works, sounds like a good idea. Still can’t get over how natural it looks and all the plantings that have grown around it.
Shoot! Ya beat me! I only got 2.5” yesterday and into this morning. I think we’re over a full FOOT of extra rain right now.
I’m kind of giving up. :(
Guess what? More rain for the evening of the 4th, and all day Friday, too! I’d *SPIT* but I think that’s just encouraging the rain gods. Grrrrr!
On the Bright Side? It ain’t SNOW! LOL!
“Funny how that happens.”
Hand of God, no doubt! ;)
Very nice, I love the rocks and the cattails too. I was the second girl born, and was my Dad’s fishing buddy.
https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/2022-01/WildEdibles.pdf
Wild Edibles of Missouri By Jan Phillips who taste tested pretty much every single edible plant in Missouri. 243 pages
https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/mo_nature/downloads/page/MushroomGuide.pdf
A Guide to Missouri’s Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms.
by Malissa Briggler, Missouri Department of Conservation - Content review by Patrick R. Leacock, Ph.D.
Qiviut; Figs. You can buy some organza bags to protect the figs from insect damage, and maybe Bird damage and some Racoon or oppossum damage. Put the bag over the fig and allow it to get large and ripen. You will know its ripe when its really drooping down and you can see some “honey” at the bottom dripping out of the “osteole”. Other figs to look at beside brown turkey are Southern Favorites Celeste, Improved Celeste (From the LSU Breeding program), and Smith. There are a lot of other varieties, but those come to mind.
Augie...I had 6 inches in my rain gage yesterday, but it was for the last two storms.
Thanks! I think we talked about the organza bags last year. I just have too many figs & the bush is too huge to use them ... even with bird/bee/ant predation, I ended up with lots of figs! I canned 20 jars of plain Preserves & made a specialty Rosemary Wine Fig Jam. I still have figs frozen in the freezer from last year, too.
My SIL has a fig ‘tree’ - don’t know what it is & she doesn’t remember. The figs are similar to brown turkey, but the way it grows, in a taller, less bushy tree form, is more manageable if you have a smaller space. Her fig is next to the house, mine is in the middle of a field with lots of room.
I have not seen the crows in the fig bush the last couple of days - figs are too green still. They’d rather raid my SIL’S tomato patch - she’s at the beach & the dog is with her, so the crows are taking advantage of the ‘coast being clear’ for about a week.
Green Heron fishing with bread
I have a House or Purple Finch in my Spruce tree. I have not had a lot of problems with Japanese beetles and wondered...
Do finches eat japanese beetles?
According to the search results, finches are mentioned as one of the birds that eat Japanese beetles.
In the snippet from “What Do Finches Eat? "Do Finches Eat Fruits & Veggies? - Birds News", it is mentioned that finches eat aphids, asparagus beetle, caterpillars, Colorado potato beetles, crickets, cucumber beetles, flea beetles, grasshoppers,
Additionally, in the snippet from “Do Birds Eat Japanese Beetles”, it is mentioned that Finches are one of the bird species that eat Japanese beetles, along with other birds such as Cardinals, Meadowlarks, Catbirds, Sparrows, Blue Jays, Robins, Crows, Grackles, and Starlings.
Well, shoot. Our old (and it’s likely 60-70 years old) apple tree is dying. It in only 2-3 weeks has lost most of its foliage. The soil is slightly dry for this time of year, but not “parched”. I don’t know why the tree is dying, it might be borers. Basically there are just a few ends of branches left with a little foliage on them. The foliage doesn’t look too bad. Would it be possible to clip a couple where they are, say, about 1/4” diameter and get them to root? Is there good instruction on this anywhere?
— I’ve had poor success trying to root clippings in the past.
I DID rescue a couple weak tomato plants this year by clipping the stem where it was healthy, about 8” off the ground, clipping off about half the foliage, and then putting them in a vase a few days. As soon as roots started I transferred them into new, moist potting soil, watered them often, and, by golly, they are taking off...
Every living thing has it’s life span. Sorry you’re losing a tree - they are Friends, IMHO.
I know nothing about grafting, but I’m sure there are plenty of You Tube videos on his to do it properly. See, for 18 years I was in the business of SELLING you a tree - not teaching you how to make your own, LOL!
Plausible Deniability. ;)
I can’t get cucumbers to grow worth squat. Maybe it’s the clay soil under everything. That is, I’ll dig a hole and then fill it with garden or potting soil plus the plant. Then water, but try not to over water. The plants may produce a couple small cukes, then they die. The plants don’t look starved for water. There are a couple hickory trees (and were modest size walnut trees) not too far away, but the garden is not “under” those trees - the crowns are at least 30 ft. removed @ closest...
Everyone seems to be having Cucumber Troubles this season! Mine are blooming and just starting to set fruit. I am growing ‘Sweeter Yet and ‘Summer Dance.’ Both have all-female blooms and self-pollinate.
If you are having little fruit, pollination is the problem, and you may want to switch to one of the varieties I listed above, or another that is ‘Parthenocarpic.’ These plants produce all female flowers and self-pollinate. Sisters are doin’ it for themselves, LOL!
Here’s the basics on growing cucumbers from The Farmer’s Almanac:
https://www.almanac.com/plant/cucumbers
Here’s a list of Parthenocarpic Cucumber varieties. A few people here will also attest to loving ‘Diva’ cucumber. I’ve grown that one before, too.
https://homesteadcrowd.com/parthenocarpic-cucumbers-best-varieties/
Hi, Diana! Thanks for the reply.
I’m not trying to graft a twig here - I have nothing appropriate to try to graft it to. I was just thinking of trying to root a twig...
But, yeah. Trees eventually get old and weak too...
No, our cucumber plants are always weak overall. I’ve varied fertilizer, water, soil immediately around the plants. Nothing seems to make much difference. Maybe I’ll try growing a couple in pots?
Here’s a good tutorial on growing Cucumber in pots:
https://www.epicgardening.com/container-cucumbers/
What and When Are the Dog Days of Summer?
The Dog Days of Summer are upon us! So, what does this quirky phrase mean? It’s more than just a hot spell. The ancient origins of “Dog Days” might surprise you. Learn more.
What Are the Dog Days of Summer?
The term “Dog Days” traditionally refers to a period of particularly hot and humid weather occurring during the summer months of July and August in the Northern Hemisphere.
Dog Days bright and clear
Indicate a happy year;
But when accompanied by rain,
For better times, our hopes are vain.
In ancient Greece and Rome, the Dog Days were believed to be a time of drought, bad luck, and unrest, when dogs and men alike would be driven mad by the extreme heat! Today, the phrase doesn’t conjure up such bad imagery. Instead, the Dog Days are associated purely with the time of summer’s peak temperatures and humidity.
Why Are They Called the “Dog Days” of Summer?
This period of sweltering weather coincides with the year’s heliacal (meaning “at sunrise”) rising of Sirius, the Dog Star. Sirius is part of the constellation Canis Majoris—the “Greater Dog”—which is where Sirius gets its canine nickname, as well as its official name, Alpha Canis Majoris. Sirius is the brightest star in the sky, not including our own Sun.
In ancient Greece, Egypt, and Rome, it was believed that Sirius’s dawn rising in mid-to-late summer contributed to the extreme weather of the season. In other words, the “combined heat” of super-bright Sirius and our Sun was thought to be the cause of summer’s sweltering temperatures. The name “Sirius” even stems from the Ancient Greek seírios, meaning “scorching.”
For the ancient Egyptians, Sirius’s dawn rising (known to them as Sothis) also coincided with the Nile River’s flood season. They used the star as a “watchdog” for that event.
Of course, the appearance of Sirius does not actually affect seasonal weather here on Earth, but its appearance during the hottest part of summer ensures that the lore surrounding the star lives on today!
When Are the Dog Days of Summer?
The exact dates of the Dog Days can vary from source to source, and because they are traditionally tied to the dawn rising of Sirius, they have changed over time. However, most sources agree that the Dog Days occur in mid-to-late summer.
Here at the Old Farmer’s Almanac, we consider the Dog Days to be the 40 days beginning July 3 and ending August 11. These days occur soon after the summer solstice in late June, which also tends to be the beginning of the worst of summer’s heat.
The Brightest Star in the Sky
Sirius is the brightest star in the sky if you don’t count our own Sun. Under the right conditions, it can even be seen with the naked eye during the day. Sirius is one star in a group of stars that form the constellation Canis Major, meaning “Greater Dog.” It’s no surprise, then, that the nickname of this big, bold star became “the Dog Star.”
https://www.almanac.com/content/what-are-dog-days-summer
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