Thursday, July 21, 2011

Aftermath

Nothing likes a good thunderstorm (and 4.5" of rain!) more than cukes.
I harvested cukes (sweet success & diva)
The soil was moist and loosened so ...
I pulled out all the raspberry canes and a patch of tickseed - everything pulled up easily.
That leaves me a clear space by the golf course for some commando gardening this Fall
Then, what with the soil so well watered, I decided to plant some things I'd been holding off for Fall.
This lavender had been in a pot since I pulled it out of the crab bed a couple of months ago.  Now it has a home at the end of the wall bed.
Where the lavender pot had rested in the birdbath bed, I planted a white (or pink?) mum rescued from my Mother's garden.
And finally I planted 3 3-gallon late-season bargain ($10/ea) azaleas I got at a local nursery under the gum tree.  They should fill in nicely behind the bench and give me lots of Spring color.
While I'm still chafing about the sunroom leak, I am taking full advantage of the unexpected wealth of water and current soil conditions.  Today I'll work up a section in the ring bed reserved for my 2nd planting of bush beans.  The seeds have been soaking overnight so, hopefully, I'll get some decent germination.

Weather continues hot and humid (90s), but I'm not complaining at out temps.  Some of you out there are dealing with some really scorching triple-digit heat.  Be careful, all.

4 comments:

  1. Wow, you've got a lot done (and it sounds like a lot more planned!) during this hottest of weeks. Sure, others have it hotter, but we're supposed to hit 96 today, with a heat index of 110! Just be careful out there!!

    I've also been picking the Diva cukes, and I THINK I got a Sweet Success (which was more like Bitter Evil) yesterday. I picked plenty of cukes, and will be letting the CSA customers know they can come play Cucumber Roulette - take one or two cukes based on size and fairness, and hope you don't get one anywhere NEAR as bitter as that one I prepped to have in our salads last nite. Thankfully I also prepped a Pearl cucumber (light yellowy-green tinge - practically white!), and it was great.

    Keep up the great work with the gardens - as always, the pics are beautiful!

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  2. Jeph - hey, thanks for your nice comments. :-D Yes, when I worked outside yesterday I followed the shade. The lavender/mums were done early a.m. while the driveway was shaded. Then I worked under the gum tree. Then I worked under the golf course pine trees. But man, it was HOT HOT HOT and I had to go slow and rest often. But I just couldn't let this planting/weeding opportunity pass! It's my 'silver lining' to the sunroom flood.

    You be safe in your gardens, too. Wear a hat! :-D

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  3. Gardening after a good, soaking rain is always nice. I vaguely remember that.

    Even with watering some of my plants are getting scorched leaves (corn).

    Was digging around the tree difficult? I always dread that. My trees seem to have roots in every spot I try.

    It was 100° here yesterday.

    The cucumbers are beauties.

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  4. Glenda - I expected digging holes (that large) so close to the gum tree to be a lot worse than it turned out to be. The soil was moist at least down to the 10-12" I needed. Fortunately I clipped only a couple of finger-thick roots in the first 2 (moving 1 juuust a tad further out to accommodate a really thick root. Where I wanted the 3rd (front) shrub, there was considerable root there and the hole could only go down maybe 6 inches. I was stymied until I pulled out the plant only to find that the nursery had repotted it and the shrub roots were very shallow in that big pot. I was able to plant it right where I wanted it and figure its new roots will find their own way in future.

    Yep, I'm in cuke heaven right now. I grow way more than even I can eat. LOL I grow a lot of things just for giving away to my nabes who help me out so much (especially with my ^#% riding mower)! Unlike my Mom, I'm not ashamed to ask for help when I need it! Haven't seemed to have alienated any yet. I think it's my cute gardening hat... :-D

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