Year Of The Weeds

At this time of year we are licking our wounds, cleaning up failed garden sections and trying to prevent new weed growth.  The first photo was taken on July 19th.  Peas that had tried to emerge during a hot dry period and the weeds that followed were cleared.  Two hills of squash were surrounded by dry grass clippings in an attempt to limit weed growth.  Two days of gentle rain followed with the squash quickly sprouting.

By August 6th purslane also freely sprouted.  The grass clippings prevented any weed growth under their thick blanket.  The area where the seeds were planted was intentionally left bare so that the squash could germinate.

Now the weeds are gone and the grass clippings blanket is continuous.  Additional grass may be added when time and rain have compacted the weed barrier.

My first attempts to use grass clippings as mulch were only partially successful.  Fresh wet cut grass fills with mold.  Now I follow the farmer's practice of cutting hay one day and gathering it the next. Time to dry allows the piled grass to remain light and airy.  Mold is less prevalent but the layer does require replenishment.  With any luck these squash will bear ahead of the September frost.  When the ground is cleared to bare soil for the winter, there may be no weeds to contend with.

Friday Firsts

For some time we have been  enjoying our fields of milkweed flowers.  Their fragrance is intoxicating.  We are not the only ones who find it so, the meadow has been buzzing with bees in recent weeks.   Usually by this time we  have seen  lots of  Monarch butterflies flitting around but so far we have seen only the orange of Checker butterflies.

Some of the flowers have already gone past and  milkweed seedpods are beginning to form.  At last today we saw our first Monarch butterfly in the garden.  It was only one so far, but it is a start.

Ed was out in the garden early trying to beat the heat.  Here he waters the second planting of summer squash and zucchini.  This may be a little late since we usually have a late September frost but if we don't plant seed now we can be certain that there will be no more squash then.  At least this way we have a chance. We picked  our first summer squash from the garden today, and I have my eye on a beautiful green zucchini for tomorrow.

Ed has been tending his tomatoes, watching for a sign of red.  I had been watching a cherry tomato beginning to turn red and today when I walked in the garden I was thrilled to find three ripe red tomatoes.  One of them was about the size of a pea, but it was red just the same.  I had not noticed the ripe yellow tomatoes before, but there were four or five of those.  I have  to admit I popped one in my mouth right out there in the garden.  It was delicious warmed by the sun.  The rest I brought inside to join the summer squash for our evening meal.   I hope all of these garden treats are just the first of many!

A Tough Year For Squash

Squash used to be easy. Most years I would have all the zucchini and yellow summer squash I could ever want and more. Last year it was the borer wars. This year with the cool cloudy weather early in the summer, the plants just sat there and produced no fruit. Now that the weather is hot and humid powdery mildew is having a field day. When it is a little cooler at night we have fog. I guess it's a little like athlete's foot for plants. If they never get to really dry off, they are doomed.

I'm getting a few squash now, but the plants are obviously struggling. The newest leaves are still green, but the older the leaves are, the whiter they become. This year the squash are planted far from the rest of the garden. I ponder what to do. Today I picked the squash and did nothing. I guess I could try trimming the diseased leaves off of one plant and see what happens. The butternut vine has only a mild case so far. It might be smart to pull up the vines and call squash season over. I can't decide. For today procrastination works for me.

The First Sunflower

I know I should at least wait until the flower is open , but sorry, I just can't. These sunflowers are one of my very favorite things in the garden. You will be seeing more of them. Another of my pop- up- everywhere- from- seeds plants, the sunflowers came originally from some Budgie seed that I planted a long time ago. They are not just a single stem flower, you can see a second bud in the picture. It's more of a sunflower bush. This one is planted right in front of the house and with the reflected light off the white siding it gets full sun and a half.

We are having other firsts as well. I picked my first summer squash, first zucchini and first parsley. Dinner last night was a delicious reminder of why we grow garden vegetables.

The other first this morning was the close encounter Ed had with a coyote in the side yard. As he was coming out of the house and up the stone ramp from the basement , he saw the coyote between the compost bin and the shed. Their eyes met and after a time the coyote turned and he and Ed went their separate ways. I'm not quite so brave, I 'm sure seeing the coyote that close would have brought one of my shrieks and both of us would have beat a hasty retreat.

Borer Wars

We have planted squash here for more than a decade. Only the first year's crop was undamaged by the squash vine borer. Since then the harvest has gone mostly to the insect. Not one to give up easily, I am still trying to win this one. The first line of defense is this tunnel of insect barrier. The zucchini, yellow summer squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, and the pumpkin seeds were all carefully planted and then covered to ward off attack from the air. The squash were to remain covered until the plants were large. The hail storm put a lot of holes in that plan, but the squash were protected in their tunnel. Not even a single leaf suffered a hail strike.


The freshly uncovered squash plants were weeded and mulched with straw.


So far the squash bed is looking great! Ed has further plans to outwit these nasty insects. He planted golden Hubbard squash, supposedly the borer's favorite, in a different area of the garden. These plants, started much later than the others, are small and tender and we hope irresistible. With any luck these plants will show the leaf wilt that signals the invasion of the larva while the main crop goes to us.