What have you done today in the Garden?

Daniel—This is a good posting with different subjects. The duck pics were superb. BTW, when the mother duck leaves the nest, does she cover the eggs with a sort of down “blanket”?
Congrats on that lovely daylily. You can be proud of that one.
The bean protection scheme looks good and safe.
Things are looking good there. What you have shown is a snapshot of all that you have going on there gives me that impression.

 

Today was a good day. A long day but a good one. I tackled the weeds in the upper veggie garden. Four hours later I found the beans, the swiss chard, thinned the carrots and found the Kale. Funny things I've learned this year....weeds get a bad rap. The weeds do take away from nutrients, and can bring on pests that think it is a free for all. But they also shelter the soil, retain moisture and keep pests at their place instead of in the veggies. Five wheel barrow trips to the compost later, and I think I found the garden. I am going to take a different look at the "weeds" and when to weed next year. Everything doesn't have to be perfectly aesthetically pleasing and can serve a purpose. I definitely have a new take on mare's tail.

 

I'm really sorry about your Wisteria Sjoerd. It's tough to be harsh with an old favourite friend.

 

Thanks Mel. I had to remove a huge gap of growth, but I believe that it will survive the trauma. I have rearranged the long bits. The “core” of the plant is healthy.

Your engagement with weeds is a familiar one. Weeds really are relentless. The mare’s tail is something that I have to live with, for I cannot get rid of it. I remove it when I have time. There is always some somewhere. I so not allow it above ground in the veggie plots.

 

The first two weeks in July can be busy, for we gardeners and whatever the weather, there are things to be done, but it's an opportunity to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I'm particularly busy today in our summerhouse as you can see.




This is a ten year-old 32" Panasonic Viera, which got replaced by a larger screen Sony android TV in our front room. It received an excellent picture.






Despite the fact that the aerial is no more than eight feet off the ground in the summerhouse's ceiling void.

 

Well mate, I guess you could call it garden work, I saw a pair of sécateurs lying on the table. The can of hydration nearby to replace fluids lost through the pores during your hard work.

 

Today it was stinking hot here again. We removed the sugar bon pea vines and schoffeled the bed, weeded and picked beans for supper and to freeze-In.

It is supposed to rain today and perhaps tomorrow so we did not water the veggies, fruits and flowers.

I washed out and filled-up the the bird baths. We went home at about 14:30 and the temp was 29C with almost no wind. Not a pleasant day in the lottie today.

 

I had to do some house chores today so the weeding of the upper veggie garden did not get finished today. Hopefully tomorrow. The strawberries and greenhouse were watered. The zucchini were watered and fertilized. The corn has lost it's yellow banding from the cold and hail and most are growing rapidly. The deer found the peas that poked through the back of the fence so I strung some netting to cover them.

We are in a heat warning stretch also Sjoerd, with highs of 34 C and lows of 16 C, instead of the usual low of 8 C. The corn is loving it Me....not so much.

 

Sorry Stewbies not much to report ..a bit out of action for awhile. Both shoulders are locked up. Bummer.

Nice to see what all the Stewbies are busy. As the summer progresses more and more garden outings are necessary and lot’s of productive gardens to watch. Beautiful stories and harvests. Never a dull moment.

We all got skills to share and can do a lot of skillful garden related things. We are all not just defined by our plants or gardening skills. We may not all know how to clean up the oceans or stop our countries and the world's violent tendencies. But… many Stewbies can hopefully give other's who have had a bad day an hour or more to go into a different world where bills or illness isn't the top thing on their brain.

That is the skill set we all have to share. We all keep trying every day to shine in our own special way to bring smiles and happiness while sharing garden posts,

Last evening shot of the sunset. The forest fire has been going several weeks now and as the smoke filled sky shows exaggerated colors in the sunsets.

 

Very sorry to hear about your heat, Mel. Mind how you go in that heat, aye. I am not so happy with the heat either. The heat here has dropped back down to 20C…and there was some rain.

Pac— that pic of yours is remarkable. Sort of like art.
It is good to see you on here, but less good to hear that your shoulders are frozen up. How did that happen? That’s bad luck, isn’t it.
Yours is a good and philosophical posting today.

 

@Sjoerd. Thank you for liking the sunset pic. The pics of the sunsets are bolder and brighter due to the smoke filled sky in the area . Forest fire has been in the Columbia Gorge 70 miles away for several weeks now. It started by a train on the tracks sparks that set the fire in motion.
Answer your question ..What caused frozen shoulder? Just years of shoulder injuries… torn rotator cuffs and loose ligaments causing the joints to sublex on a regular basis. Kind of like, “I zigged when I shoulda zagged”. Just taking time out to enjoy the garden, watch the bats at dusk with a cool margarita.

Cheers to all Stewbies and take time to smell the roses…

@mel stay cool.. the heat wave that is stuck across B.C. … Forecasters say,"very warm" summer is expected but the heat won't be as "relentless" as previous years, according to The Weather Network meteorologist. Most forecasters are blaming it on climate change and El Niño appearing in the pacific which is warming the oceans causing huge heat domes over some parts of the US and extreme weather across the entire continent.

DogHouseRiley… looks like a great time to enjoy the tennis matches and your beautiful summerhouse.
The wisteria is a lot to keep the darn things trimmed. Some day I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if the wisteria just lifted the house off its foundation. Wisteria is a tough stubborn plant worth its weight with the shade it provides in hot summers and beautiful fragrant blooms in spring.

 

Oh Pac—that is a real nuisance, at least it has an upside though— bat observation and margarita’s. I’d sign for that.

 

Sorry to hear that @Pacnorwest, it's a time just to enjoy your garden.

I've heard of pull and drop for weeds, they protect the soil and give back nutrients when rotting down. I did that with a lot of Cleavers, can't keep up with them, they grow so fast.

 

I pull and drop a lot and it’s not just the weeds…

 

Sorry everyone has the hot weather. We got a bit of a reprieve, but it will heat up again.

For Sjoerd, my friendly deer by the mailbox.



I watched it jump over a five-foot tall fence like it was nothing. I think my seven foot fences are adequate. So far.

Rufus is saying, "Deer, what deer? Did I hear a treat bag rustle?



Serrano peppers almost ready. This was an overwintered plant. It's much earlier than the seed-grown serranos, but might be much smaller too. Still, there is most of the season yet to come.



Chamomile is gradually taking over a large area in the chicken yard.



I picked a bowl of raspberries.



Made some progress on the chicken and duck exclusion fence, for the bed with two rows of bush beans. The seeds have not germinated yet.