What have you done today in the Garden?

Oh! I almost forgot; I went to the farmers market one got a lemon thyme plant. I'd been looking for one for a bit.

 

Daniel— what is going on with your toms?

Willow— those spuds look very good. Just as importantly— the potato leaves look healthy. Thanks for posting some pics of these ones, as they are unknown to me.
tell me, when you est them, are they waxy, stiff or crumbly? Good for mashing or frying?
They really do look good.

 

I cut the back lawn around 9.30 this morning, as it looked like rain.

But it dried out late morning, so I decided to get a bit more done before it rained again.

This mimosa needed more pruning, but I'd reached as high as I could with my Barnel telescopic pruner.




So this was required.





It's a multi-function ladder my wife bought me twenty years ago. You can use it as a platform as it has steel plates which fit across the two middle sections when they are horizontal. I don't use it often as it's very heavy, I much prefer the two aluminium extending ladders I have.

But today I just used it as a stepladder, but even standing half-way up I still needed my pruner at its furthest extension.
I'll need it again in the same configuration next week, to prune the top of the big acer in the front garden.





Anyway, job done.







Then just a bit of general housekeeping.

The quince along the fence were growing too tall, despite them getting a prune a few weeks ago.




Another job done!








An azalea was "crowding," this lantern, so I pruned it a bit.




The moss in the grass near the edging has now all gone. But I'll probably need to treat it later in the year.

Still the front lawn to cut and a lot of weeding, but that can wait until next week, there's the final day of the Open Golf Championship on TV, to watch this afternoon.

 

Nothing really apart from harvesting some lettuce, rocket ,cucumber and tomatoes for lunch today. We have been lucky and had a few short but heavy showers this morning....now back to full sunshine and all 6 water butts filled .

 

OK I've been back out on a deadheading and restaking mission as the brisk breeze has made its presence felt.
Also had to bin some of the bolted rocket.

 

Same as usual checking the pastures for any new activity. Found a few mole mounds set traps. Chased a lone deer away using my air gun. Just noise from the air cartridge no pellets seem to frighten them.

Cleaned up a few garden piles of limbs and clippings. I like to leave piles out after cutting tucked away in areas not visible . And most are large heavy branches and clippings. They dry out twice as fast in hot summer days. Then I add the garden tractor wagon and pick them up with the pitch fork . The piles have dried and have hooked together like velcro during the drying process. So easy to pick up after drying light weight and no fuss. Taken several piles to areas to block deer along the perimeter of the property . Seems to be working out well. Less deer & antelope activity. could be because no hay grass, apples or wild blackberries…

There is one deer with an appetite for my hydrangeas. Had quite a scare when I open the front door to get a package on the front porch my doggie Roxy jetted out between my feet so fast and was gone in a flash. I saw a deer faintly in the front garden . They both raced out of the garden and pastures so fast it was all just a blurrrr. Roxie had vanished determined to catch that deer. After a few harrowing minutes she finally came home running back across the pasture. I was so grateful to see her. Many dogs get lost out in the forest and down the step valley Now I will keep the gate shut across the front porch so no more chasing critters is possible even if the door is slightly open since Roxy can open the sliding doors. She is vigilant when it comes to wild animals especially Chip and Dale that tease her relentlessly as Roxy keep watch thru the windows. Ahhh …The life of a very sophisticated and spoiled dog.

 

Not today but yesterday evening around 7:30 pm it finally cooled down from 97°f to 91. The whole yard was in shade so I got the riding mower out and got 3/4 of the half acre cut. The back 1/4 can wait since that area has tall trees, stays shaded and the grass grows much more slowly there.

I blew the mower off before putting it away and when I went out front to blow the sidewalks...the battery on the blower pooped out. So, that was that. I charged the battery and blew the walks off early this morning.

 

Nothing today it's been raining on and off all day, but yesterday picked a lot of white currants.

 

Anniekay isn’t mowing a pain…. You’re so lucky not to have some of the critters around to veg out on your beautiful veggie and flower garden. So much harvesting coming up is a good thing and happy that your veggies are performing so well.

Logan glad to hear your receiving much needed rain. A nice break from the garden. Your garden will be a happy place to relax knowing Mother Nature sent her rain fairies to nourish your beautiful garden.

Oreti you’re always buzy keeping your beautiful garden looking so neat and tidy. I never get tied of seeing your pics and posts about your garden.

Same goes for DHR never a drop of unwanted weeds , leaves, or dried branches ever in your beautiful garden. Always trimmed to perfection.

You all keep everything in every section of your gardens so well maintained. I have learned a thing or two from you all so far this season.

And for the ribbon for the tidiest veggie/fruit garden is a tie I’m sure unanimously bestowed to our good garden friends Sjoerd and Daniel who never ever disappoint with any accomplishment posted. And always shares a few things on manageable technique's as well a good story or post .
Sjoerd and Daniel always seem to have magical green thumbs sharing a gift of gardening we all share thru compassion, propagating and growing from seed. Just as many have shared here over the years.

I do enjoy reading about everyone’s interests and daily activities. Encouraging, engaging and inspiring bunch .

And to all the amazing newbie posters to this forum I enjoy the additional show thru your posts and kind comments .

Just wanted to let you all know just how much your posts are appreciated.

 

@Pacnorwest I mind the weedeating more than riding on the mower !!. You're right that I don't have many critters, just the occasional cat spraying here or there and some Anole lizards but, they eat bugs, so, the more the merrier !! The dog loves to chase those.

Reading your posts has convinced me that living in the PNW is nowhere I would want to live. Those squirrels !! Heaven forbid they don't ever spread across the US or we will all be screwed !! I used to have dozens of red and grey squirrels (some red with grey tails, some grey with red tails) but the last two hurricanes took down two of the three pecan trees so, they are few and far between now. The only thing is the holes they dig for nut burial and the Magnolia nuts they leave from the neighbor's tree which, you hit one with the mower and it's like hitting a rock !!

I do envy your having horses still as I had to give mine and my mule up 6 years ago.

 

I don't know, Sjoerd! Maybe they just need more time?
the sauce tomatoes (Roma II, home saved seed) are setting a lot of fruit, so I think I'll be making a lot of salsa late Aug / Early Sept. Cherry tomatoes are making a few. It's the slicing tomatoes that aren't doing well.

I wondered if the drip system wasn't effective there. The emitters are 2 to 3 years old and might be clogged. So I started hand-watering. There are also some weeds. Bad me. I'm working on them. I also gave some fertilizer today.

Here are "round things" from the garden today. There actually were two tomatoes, from "Extreme Dwarf" heirloom. Duck egg, smaller than usual, big light brown egg from old hen, tiny white egg - first from that hen, and some typical eggs from other hens.



Today I planted seeds for bush green beans, where I dug up garlic last week. This is my normal rotation - garlic, then beans, then fallow over winter vs. cover crop for green manure, then tomatoes the next year.

I also planted a large container with snow pea seeds. I don't know if they will succeed, planting them now,

Here's the yellow crookneck summer squash that I bought on impulse two days ago at the big box store. I've never planted squash this late. I don't know what will happen.



I added a tomato cage to keep it upright as it grows. Otherwise they tend to flop over.



It was pretty nice outside today, so I could do more. If it's nice enough tomorrow am, I want to tackle some more weeds. Also, I want to plant four more containers of bush beans.

 

Those two red eggs are surly amazing.

 

Thank you Pacnorwest, i don't know how you cope with all the wildlife.

 

More a case of jobs to do today, if the rain holds off.

The big acer in the front garden, still needs a trim at the top.





There's some branches that are bolting at the top, so I may get the big ladder out and do it this afternoon. It will get a more severe prune once the leaves have fallen. as it does every year.









Some evidence of, "sunburn" on two of our acers, despite a mid-day spray in hot weather.
The hydrangea has done well.










Only a few berries on the sorbus this year, as expected, as there were masses of them last year. It's the usual cycle.




This too, needed a bit of "shaping."




So I attended to that this morning. It should encourage more growth from lower down.

The tree in the garden behind it, rather spoils the look, but that's unavoidable.

 

I live about 100 miles from Pac, just a guess. On the other side of the Columbia river, a bit north. Pretty much the same climate. I think it's heaven here, especially compared to my birthplace in the midwest.

The squirrels are a scourge for Pac. I don't have them at all. I do have deer and moles and jays to cope with. Occasional concern about cougars. That's just country life. None of those were a problem when I lived in town, 30 miles from here. I worry more about human behavior than I do animals.

I love the lush forests, the mostly-gentle climate, the fertile soil, mountains, forests... So many things grow here.

Wildfires have become my biggest concern. That's also an issue in many places now.