Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know wut yer gonna get

Life is like a box of chocolates, ya never know wut yer gonna get

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

early july veggies, herbs and trees

the watermelon and pumpkins are about 18 inches worth of vine this morning.  a flower or two on each - and the leaves and flowers are small.  the rabbits are not as big a bother  - even though there are about 5 times more rabbits this year than last.  i put up a different fence - obviously more effective than last year's.  the cucumbers and tomatoes are finally growing...they took a long time to start. i have trays of watermelon and pumpkin seeds popping now. and the corn seedlings will be about 4 inches tall when i put it in the ground this week. they are about 3 inches now. bunnies love baby corn - and i will put a plastic milk carton around each plant to protect them .  the plants doing the best here - i did not plant.  they are volunteer tomatoes growing all over the yard.  so far i see cherry tomatoes and the yellow teardops that we had last year.  spread by birds via there special organic 'fertilizer'.

my herbs are ... changing.  the oregano has flowered and is now beginning to fall over.  it is last year's plant.  perhaps it is finished and reseeding itself.  my thyme has barely grown and the sage grew and now looks like it is dying.  perhaps it dries on the plant?  the basil is already flowering and it is large and beautiful.  the rosemary bush out front is a rabbit house i think.  the dog has made an inroad on the north side of the bush...and the limbs are yellowing on that side.  it is a large bush and will survive.  rosemary is very hardy.

the strawberries are doing well.  soon i will plant a more professional row - with plastic rows keeping weeds and bugs at bay -  and a soaker hose for more efective watering.  the berries are delicious!  the grapes and berries have split stories.  i have one grape and one blackberry in the veggie garden out back.  They are doing very well.  I have 10 grape and 2 blackberry out front - and they are doing - not so well.  about one to two feet of growth out front versus 8 feet on the grape and 3 feet on the blackberry out back.  the ones in the garden are a year older - and they get watered much more.  after this season is finished - i will move the garden grapes and blackberry to the front - all together - and run the trellis and watering systems.  since this is the first year on the grapes out front, i am letting them grow however they want; without a trellis system.  next season i will take the healthiest - strongest part of the plants and attach them to the trellis line.  i planted them with wire cages for gopher protection - and it is working.  However i think i would like to invest in a gopher blaster for next season.  the roots will begin to go past my underground fence and go deep into gopher territory...and i hate losing plants to gophers.  (a gopher blaster uses propane, oxygen and fire to create an explosion - and the shock waves kill the gophers and moles, voles, etc.)

we have 3 avocado trees left out of the 5 we planted.  gophers took the two that died.  the remaining 3 are looking very good.  they were fed 2 weeks ago and get watered deeply once a week.  they are about 4 to 5 feet tall and look to be producing fruit.  i hope the fruit makes it without being eaten by insects or critters.  i moved our dwarf apple trees and they are looking wonderful - better than ever.  they took the transfer very well.  i used a little root stimulator and lots of water - and they are green and beautiful.  i was given several trees for my birthday - some lived - some didin't.  i lost the plum and apricot.  i think i planted them in an area that was too wet back in november.  the apple and the peach however - are doing very nicely.  the peach is battling some fungus - but i think we can beat it.  i pluck the affected leaves carefully and throw them in the trash right away.  careful not to infect anything else.  i hope i can get it healthy without using any chemicals.

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