Fall Update!

Howdy!

It's been a while since I've updated my blog.  It's also been a very hot summer with little rain, after the May gully washers, so this years summer garden as a wash.  The best was the potatoes and the tomatoes.  My hot peppers did ok, but the sweet ones did poorly.  Being exhausted making repairs and working in such heat didn't help. The rains have returned, but not near as bad as last May and it's time for the fall planting.

First up replanting some tomatoes!  Sept 2 planting, then came a Beautiful rain!  Several times over the last three weeks!

 The yellow cages are 6 Roma's
Then 2 Brandywine's in the red cages.
The blue cages have sweet millions cherry tomatoes

Lastly the green cages are tomatillos.










                                                                                       

This is todays picture! 21 Sept!

 So the squash bugs got more squash than me.  These are Pumpkins to the left and watermelon to the right.  These were seeded the same time as the tomatoes   Below is today!

The next on the list was the Blackberries.  Our one bright spot as we got over 6 gallons of berries now in the freezer!  They were in need of clearing out the dead canes and the bamboo supports of three years were showing lots of wear.  Out they came and were replaced with steel fence post and coated wire rope.  DW intertwined them and fresh rains from God's heavens did the rest! This was done over the weekend of September 5-6 

Today!  They are filling in nicely on the bottoms with new shoots.

Next on the list for winter work is to fully enclose them in a wood frame with bird netting.  I'll have large doors so I can get in, but not those mocking birds that love them as much as we do.  They'll just have to wait their turn.

Now the other crops,  2 kinds of kale, collards, beets and turnips!  All are up but they're gonna need some thinning as DW sows heavy.  

These two beds are set aside for broccoli in a bed and a half with cauliflower for DW in the back half of the second one.  

These beds, after a little more soil and amendments, are going to be turned into permanent herb beds.  Two kinds of herbs per bed, yet to be determined.  

Lastly on the project is getting my new Slovenian Bee hive ready to migrate my bees in the spring.  I really like this hive, so does Roxy.  

 Two entrances in the front. I'll just use the middle one to help keep the honey in the top part of the hive with the queen excluded in the lower part.

 The back opens up for access to the frames.  Time for a colorful paint job and stand.

Poor Sallie Mae and Roxy is so tired from all these inspection duties.