Will’s busy haying as there’s a dry week ahead (we hope the forecasters are right), so he’s trying to make up for lost time while it rained every couple of days. Busy, busy, busy! Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m trying to get the last of the cherry tomatoes weeded and tucked into their cages. The big branches always seem to want to spread out and visit their neighbors. Not wanting them to cross pollinate, I either tuck the wayward branches back into the cages or prune them off. We’re already seeing lots and lots of big tomatoes that are starting to turn color. Summer’s officially here at Seed Treasures!
Our friend, Matt, and his son, Finnegan, came this morning to help in the gardens, bless them. Matt’s busy mulching the last of the Hopi Pale Grey squash vines. Will did the Olinka seedless pumpkins in the next row and it’s simply amazing how much better they do with the mulch added. The vines and leaves are much bigger and so rampant! We love our mulch. Thanks Matt and Finnegan!
Today, I was looking at some of our chokecherry trees and was happy to see they have tons of cherries on them this year. Last year, there were none, due to that darned late spring frost. I’ll be making a lot of chokecherry syrup to have on pancakes, waffles, and more. I’ve already got lots of jelly in the pantry. We like variety around here. So much for those “survivalists” with their pantry containing just beans and rice. Yuck! I’d sure get tired of that, for sure.
— Jackie
Your previous post about the Nguyen family was so heartwarming and incredible! You never cease to amaze me with what you have done, and do, with your life. Your legacy continues to multiply, and I am thankful to know you.
Question to your readers out there…I’m in the Des Moines, Iowa area and we have had the hot and humid and rainy weather that many of you have had. My tomatoes are not doing well–mostly vines and only a few fruit on each–of the Andrew Rahart Jumbo tomatoes. Anyone else having similar issues this year? My Long Tom tomato plant is doing fine, and some are just ripening now. So, I am curious if it’s just something I did wrong or if this is happening to other people too.
I harvested the carrots; they were getting hairy from all this rain. Next will check the potatoes in case they are rotting in the ground!
This has just been a crazy growing year. We are all having some issues with different crops. Hang in there, as it cools a bit, you’ll see more tomatoes coming. When it’s too hot, tomatoes, peppers and beans blow their blooms as a response to stress. When it cools down a bit, the flowers will stay and make tomatoes.
We are much cooler here as well. It had been very hot and humid, with highs in the upper 90s and we have been getting quite a bit of rain, which was a blessing. The ponds and lakes are finally full, so Im hopeful that the drought is over. Today it is 57 as I write. So nice!!! My tomatoes are producing well in the weeds, lol. Your gardens look nice and you are so right about variety in the pantry. Good friends to help are invaluable!! Sending prayers for a blessed week.
Thank you again! I’m so glad you, too, are getting some cooler weather. Drought is horrible, and so is unending rain.
Yes, Friends are so wonderful to come help us. I don’t know what we would do without them.
Crazy weather. We have gone from heat index’s well over 100 to the lowest 80’s all in just days.
Have missed the worst hail and tomato’s and peppers are just starting to come on. Getting the first cabbage and broccoli and getting first squash from the big garden. The Provider Beans, second plating, are breaking thru nicely. Looks like it’s going to be a good year in spite of itself.
Glad to hear you’ve cooled down a bit. AND missed bad hail storms. We’ll be eating our first tomatoes tonight and our friend, Dara, picked some of our first Provider beans. I’ll be canning more of them on Monday. I’ve got to check our broccoli, as it should be getting there too. Honestly, I haven’t even been in that garden for a week or two….
BUT.. the air quality today was down right horrible. Tis climate change which is not going away. Remote fires in CA. And no, not because of the fantasy that areas with woods don’t get out there and “clean up”. Lightening is just that and dead trees are just that BUT dead trees might be due to climate change.
We do what we can to minimize our fire hazard (remove dead trees, brush, gravel paths). Which so far have been successful. Had somewhat of a drought in 2012. Truly the only fire hazard we’ve had is the (thankfully has moved) green card holder who wasn’t smart enough to check fire odds before burning. Which most of the time the fires were left unattended – suffice it to say our county LE gave said former neighbor a pass, pretty much due to his fair skin. Yes, even blue states have their pockets of racist LE. There will come the day when the chickens come home to roost.
Sooo nice to have the windows open despite the poor air quality.
We have heavy smoke from long-burning Canadian wildfires which won’t go out until heavy snow falls. I mean it makes your eyes burn and your sinuses plug up. But, Will’s haying and I’m weeding so we just go about what we have to and hope we don’t have serious problems form it down the line.
A lot of our local fires have been man-caused. Stupid people, thinking that they can have a bonfire no matter if there are fire restrictions, burning trash and brush piles. Then their neighbors lose their homes and have to suffer from it. Pretty sad.
It is so terribly hot here in southern middle Tennessee. I think weather gal said 34 days of over 90 degrees. The heat index has been well over 105 each day and yesterday it was 110. Dangerous hot weather for sure. It’s air that you wear down here! We had tons of rain in spring and up until 2 weeks ago. Now it is dry as a bone. There are tons of crops in the field, and I am afraid they will do poorly if it doesn’t rain soon. My Amish friend has staggered corn planted at different times in order to have corn up until frost. I don’ think this group will last from the heat. I canned 10 lbs. of tomatoes day before yesterday and today I am working on 25 lbs. that I bought at an Amish farmhouse. We love our soups and stews in the winter. Your garden looks beautiful, and I am hoping for all to have a good crop harvest. Finnegan is adorable! Be smart in this heat and stay cool!
Thank God it’s cooled down. At low 70’s, it is wonderful to be out weeding, despite the heavy smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Now it’s very dry again. We needed it though, as Will is haying and with the gardens drier, I can do much more weeding than when I was slopping through mud. Even with all the challenges, we should have a great harvest.
Clouded up with showers here in Copper Basin Alaska, cool enough that I could weed in the hoop house mid day! Something has started eating the center bud out of my cauliflower and ate one whole broccoli plant. Never a problem before. I’m thinking either a squirrel or a red vole. There are some 2 to 3 inch holes, some go down three or four inches and stop. Can you do large round bale silage if the weather does t cooperate?
No, we can’t. To do baleage, you need to wrap with plastic, and we just don’t want to choke the landfills with more of it. It’s dried up a lot and Will’s haying like crazy, trying to play catchup.
I’m thinking maybe a vole or rabbit may be your culprit. It hurts when they eat the center out of a cauliflower as that would have been the head. (Did you know you can eat cauliflower leaves and stems? I didn’t until recently.)
It’s cooled down here too and I’m so very thankful!
Your tomatoes look amazing! Between spray drift, crazy weather & wilts mine are behind but hopefully will produce enough for us. It’s finally cooled off after a week hovering at 100 and muggy. Even through that, your Golden Wonder beans kept going and sure taste good! Chokecherries here didn’t do good, but I did get enough service berries for a batch of jelly. God is good!
Yes, He is! He’s our gardening partner and we are so thankful we should have a good harvest, despite everything. It’s funny; our chokecherries are great, but the blueberries, raspberries and service berries are pretty poopy.
WOW! Your hard work sure shows in your garden. Hay season is Late for you. Hope and pray you get a good late crop. Farming, best life there is. Ups and downs are not an issue .it’s a way of life . Rain or shine both are required. Lord willing, weather conditions are as needed. Such wonderful friends you are blessed with who always share in your gardens. Got a nice cool day today so good time for me to get ahead of the weeds.
Yep, I’ve been enjoying the cooler weather and weeding like mad. Will’s living on the tractors and haying until dark every day, trying to catch up with all the lost days due to the rains. We’ve very grateful for the help our friends give us!!
The weather broke here too after over an inch of rain today. Watching two slicers ripen and keeping an eye on the paste tomatoes.
I will be weeding this weekend – so much easier to weed when the high temp for the day is 75-77. Plus enough spaced rain for it to soak it but not be super muddy.
I’ve never understood stocking up a limited variety of foods and/or foods you don’t eat! Sign of the coming times – Spam commercials (full disclosure, I love Spam). Spam in tacos, Musubi Spam.
To quote one of my favorite actresses “fasten your seat belts, it is going to be a bumpy night” – though I think longer than a night.
Yep, I agree, and it’s not even started yet. The tip of the iceberg. Hey, I love Spam too, but it’s gotten so expensive, we don’t buy it anymore. : (
It’s nice weeding now that it’s cooled down. I did a 20′ double row of jalapenos this morning and am headed back out when I get off the computer. Boy, when it’s 90 degrees, it’s miserable, with the sweat pouring off your face!
and once it is so hot/humid, the health risk is not worth it. Weed in the morning, skip weeding in the afternoon *if* you can (and most of us can).
First BLT on the menu for lunch tomorrow.
One of my hiking (which I term my work boots) boots had the “leather” detach from the sole. The store where I bought them has been closed since 2017, I bought them probably 10 years before that – on sale in the boys section. Scored a clearance rack priced pair of usually $100 for $31 and change. The brand’s sizing runs small and I had a super helpful store employee (she approached me). The clearance boots were a $15 cheaper than the boys section boots I found online.
I’m going to attempt to glue my old shoe – which is in otherwise good condition. I’m out nothing but a little bit of money for glue and my time. I need to see if another shoe repair place has opened in my area (and isn’t afraid ICE is going to show up like Brownshirts.