This ain't no Garden of Eden

[jinman]

It was obviously just the mockingbirds. I saw that one eating on a tomato, but after I put the "bird stop" netting over the plants, nothing has bothered them since.

Okay, now you've done it. You're off the mockingbird's Christmas list.

 

[Bird]

Okay, now you've done it. You're off the mockingbird's Christmas list.

Yeah, but I just got through eating a few slices of home grown tomato and I'd almost forgotten what a real tomato tasted like. Certainly was tasty.

 

[TBDonnelly]

Okay, now you've done it. You're off the mockingbird's Christmas list.

Brain Teaser.

Q. What book should be on Bird's Christmas list?

A. ?

Don

 

[jinman]

Brain Teaser.

Q. What book should be on Bird's Christmas list?

A. ?

Don

Is this the $100 question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

A. To Kill A Mockingbird

I've got a question for you. Is the Mockingbird now telling all his friends that he has a Bird problem?

Okay, enough of this silliness.

 

[TBDonnelly]

I've got a question for you. Is the Mockingbird now telling all his friends that he has a Bird problem?

The Mockingbird is now telling all his friends he has a BigBird Problem.

......and you win the brain teaser!

Q. What did the Mockingbird learn from all this?

A. Not to leave half eaten evidence at the scene of a crime where a seasoned investigator lives.

Don

 

[Bird]

You guys are quick witted. I don't know what the mockingbirds were saying, but they sure were noisy when I went out this morning.

 

[Uncle Doug]

Jim, I don't know how I missed your garden thread. I remember seeing it earlier this year but not for a while. I have been busy so not much time for the computer (except at work on Saturday's)

The garden is looking good. How is it doing with this Texas heat. Some of my crops are starting to wilt back in the heat.

I need to get some of those soaker hoses. I spend about an hour every night watering the garden. The next evening everything is dry as a bone. A couple of nighta a week I stop by the church garden to water it also. Its about 3 times the size of mine but I have help with a couple of other guys doing different nights. Their purple hull peas are doing much better than mine. Looks like a litte better soil than at my place. I also need to haul in some sand or sandy loam to mix in with my east Texas gumbo. The small plot where I garden most years is ok as it gets worked every year but out back where I want to move every thing to next year is very compact. The pto tiller really rattles the tractor on that stuff.

 

[jinman]

The garden is looking good. How is it doing with this Texas heat. Some of my crops are starting to wilt back in the heat.

I need to get some of those soaker hoses. I spend about an hour every night watering the garden. The next evening everything is dry as a bone. . . .

Doug, my garden is doing very well except that I think I may lose some of my yellow squash due to a virus that is causing the fruit to be mottled and discolored. From what I can find online, it's a virus that will eventually kill the plant by damaging the abilty to take up moisture from the ground, but the fruit is fine to eat. There is no treatment for the virus once it reaches onset.

I think soaker hoses are the only way to go. I bought mine at Sam's Club. They have two 50' hoses in a single pack for around $12. With a four outlet manifold, I can water 90% of my little garden at the same time. Very little water is wasted. When I complete my garden spot, I may experiment with drip irrigation, but for now the soakers work very well.

The rest of the garden other than a couple of the yellow squash is going great. I'm already covered in cucumbers and zucchini. I should start having plenty of tomatoes by the 4th of July, and my okra is really starting to produce. Considering that this garden was not really planted until the 3rd week of April, I'm very happy for it to be where it is. Because of partial shade from nearby trees, the watering with soakers about every three days, and the fresh soil I brought in and tilled very well before planting, my little garden is taking this heat completely in stride. Everything seems to be thriving. I've posted a few more pictures from yesterday morning.

1. Okra (at 60 days)
2. Cantaloupes taking over (this is only 4 plants)
3. Tomatoes, peppers, herbs
4. Grape tomato blooms
5. Cilantro, Basil (2 kinds), and peppers
6. Banana peppers
7. Burpless cucumbers in bloom

 

[Uncle Doug]

Great looking garden Jim. Looks like not much of a weed problem up there. I need to bring in some better soil for the garden area. The soil at our church garden is a sandy loam. Even with a late planting there and very little rain the past 4 weeks it is still doing good. Will have to carry my camera with me next time I go by there. I was going to water there tomorrow morning but with the heat here I may wait to water late in the evening. Every time I water here at home in the mornings some of the plants start to wilt back because of the heat. I raked up some of the grass clipping today and mulched around the bell pepper plants to see if that helps. They seem to be effected the most. This part of the garden is well shaded, not that it helps much.

Everything in my garden has kind of ran together. First it was the squash then the cantalope. It was trying to climb the cattle panel I have up for the cucumbers. Green beans have really slowed down, but the black eye peas I planted late is doing good. Okra, here and at the church needs to be cut every other day, its growing so fast. We planted some of the white squash this year. It is in high demand among friends. Even with just 3-4 plants we get more than we can keep up with.

Last month my bell peppers were doing great. Now between the wilting I am also getting some brown spots that seem to grow as the pepper grows. I end up having to toss out about half of then.

I have enjoyed the garden this year. I had lots of time off in the spring while recovering from hernia surgery. Next year we are planning an even bigger garden at home.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Another reason to move...It doesn't rain here in Giddings

Jim, your garden looks great as usual, especially since its your 1st in this new spot you just created.