Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, July 23

Is blue your favorite?

My, it has been hot! This is a refreshing sight!

I haven't submitted before, but thought I'd submit these photos of hydrangeas blooming here in Virginia.
The Pilot

Or do you prefer pink?

Here is the plant. Lovely. I think the two colors together are fascinating. I always thought that soil pH was key to the coloration of hydrangeas. Seeing two colors on the same plant is different!

Here's another cooling scene:

I was walking through this little hidden garden in Bethesda and this caught my eye. I thought they were artificial it is such an unusual look for a flower.
Sharon (willow's apprentice)

Edible Gardening

Hi KT!
Some photos of the garden, featuring raccoon-ravaged corn, and one of the culprits.
Miley, the duchess

What a face!

Hey KT,
Not sure if I ever told the Horde about the saga of my pear trees. I got a pear tree about 15 years ago before I was seriously into gardening. The first place I planted the tree, the sun was too intense. In Arizona, this area at least, if things say full sun, most of the time they are lying. The tree suffered where it was for two years and almost died so I dug it up and put it in a giant pot to baby it for awhile until it recovered. Then I planted it where it has been now for 10 years. About 3 years ago, I was disgusted with it as it had never fruited once. I did research and lo and behold pear trees need a mate. So I bought another pear tree. The new pear tree always blossoms first and the old tree second so it is a bit of a challenge to pollinate the trees timing wise. Three years ago I finally got the old pear tree to make fruit, but the new tree hasn't made fruit until this year. I didn't even realize I had fruit on the new tree until this morning when I was watering something else and I looked over and the fruit caught my eye. So I was a very proud plant mom this morning.
The first picture if the new pear tree, it is an Asian pear Li something. The second picture is the old pear tree, which is also some sort of Asian pear but as you can see completely different. Also a picture of the first ripe madhu melon that I harvested this morning.
These kind of mornings are what keep me excited about gardening.
WeeKreekFarmGirl

Gardens of The Horde

Anything going on in your garden? I had some things to post, but accidentally trashed part of the post, so be looking for your content later. Note kidding when I said earlier that my brain is not exactly in gear.

Here are a couple of lilies from the garden of Don in Kansas. His head seems to be in gear.

Lilium henryi, above, and "Anastasia." L. henryi is a Chinese species that is supposed to be indestructible. Mine is four feet tall this year, but it can get over six feet when established. The stem is thin and willowy, so if you live in a windy place like Kansas, it needs to be staked. Anastasia is an "orienpet," a hybrid of oriental and trumpet species. The flower is large, over seven inches across. The plant is supposed to get up to six feet tall, but mine is barely three feet, making photography a bit awkward. I expect it will grow taller in coming years.

Wow. More at the link.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, July 16:

A giant Agave blooms. A gorgeous damselfly. Desert crops and herbivores. Heh.
A hike with a connection to the past. Wildlife found while clearing a garden space.
The toad is especially cute. And a BIG daylily.

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:18 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Nice mellons!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:23 PM (I2ZL9)

2 Better melons with one L though.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:24 PM (I2ZL9)

3 Rowr

Posted by: Dr. Varno at July 23, 2022 01:24 PM (vuisn)

4 Had stuffed peppers from the garden last night.

Posted by: BignJames at July 23, 2022 01:26 PM (AwYPR)

5 WeeKreekFarmGirl looks like the pear leaves are being harvested by leafcutter bees.

They used to put circles in all my rose bush leaves (last house, no roses here).

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:27 PM (I2ZL9)

6 How fun! Those are Lotus water lily.

Really creepy looking when dried, but pretty when blooming.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 01:28 PM (xhaym)

7 It wasn't me, I Swear!

Posted by: Raccoon at July 23, 2022 01:29 PM (oTZbj)

8 Love the hydrangeas, hate #)(&^)#* raccoons.

Maybe I should get some electric net fencing to put around the garden here.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at July 23, 2022 01:31 PM (llON8)

9 WeeCreekGirl, there are golden Asian pears that need to be picked and allowed to ripen to be sweet, and then there are the yellow ones that are crisp and sweet when picked.

My wife loves the crunchy yellow ones, and so she bought a tree to plant in the yard, and we discovered that it was actually the harder golden type.

We have used that one for making kimchi, and I grafted on some yellow Asian pear wood so she can have her eating pears too.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 01:32 PM (xhaym)

10 My brother and sister in law seem to have a bunch of leaf cutter bees harvesting leaves from their peonies and a few other plants.

Posted by: KT at July 23, 2022 01:34 PM (rrtZS)

11 Added a couple of photos from Don in Kansas just because they are great.

Posted by: KT at July 23, 2022 01:35 PM (rrtZS)

12 I have become death, the destroyer of lavender.

Mumstead. I grew them from seed. They've been doing great. It's nice and sunny where I have them (but also quite hot). They started drooping and dying a couple of weeks ago. Can too much water do this?

Posted by: 29Victor at July 23, 2022 01:35 PM (BJKQV)

13 But I actually threw away some other photos and had to retrieve them! Didn't have time to post all of them.

Posted by: KT at July 23, 2022 01:36 PM (rrtZS)

14 Beautiful hydrangeas Pilot

Posted by: 29Victor at July 23, 2022 01:36 PM (BJKQV)

15
I caught another 'coon this morning. 2 down, ? to go. There's a pack of 'em. By the damage they did, it's a pack.

Back in the '00s, when my father was still going with the garden pretty big, we had a 'coon problem one time with the corn. We caught 5, and that was the end of it. Haven't had much of problem since then, but this year, woo boy. Just all of the sudden.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Rapscallion (Mzdiz) at July 23, 2022 01:37 PM (Mzdiz)

16 I've got something munching on the leaves of one of my "baby" pecans. We have a zillion crickets and grasshoppers this year, I suspect because it's been so dry, so it could be those little bastards are snacking on it. This pecan seems to be more unhappy about the heat and dryness than the other one which doesn't seem to be getting nibbled yet.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at July 23, 2022 01:37 PM (llON8)

17 Oooh. Corn-fed racoon. Organic. Delicious.

Posted by: 29Victor at July 23, 2022 01:37 PM (BJKQV)

18 My corn is waist high, and is doing well. I am getting peppers on my pepper plants, and my Korean Chamoe melons are finally starting to leaf out.

This year I planted tomato seeds in covered trays to get a jump on the weather, and babied them and planted them and protected them, and now the volunteers that came up randomly in my corn plot are the same size.

I did try a trick with the tomatoes, I found out both that pruning the bottom branches of the tomato plant gets it up off the ground and makes it a bit less sprawly, and that I can take the cut branches and put them in the ground and water them really hard, and the cut branches will root and give me another tomato plant.

I may not be buying lots of the same type of tomato since it seems it is really easy to propagate them from a single bought plant.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 01:39 PM (xhaym)

19 I am on a couple of FB groups for iris growers. I bought a couple of batches and have planted them in pots for the move. One is Indian Chief, which is a variety from the 1920s. They weren't impressive but have just taken off. The woman I got them from says they often bloom the first year.

And I have been eating raspberries till I got tired of picking them. I should pick some today. It will be hot next week and that will be the end of them.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at July 23, 2022 01:40 PM (pqE8u)

20 The other thing I am doing with the tomatoes is to try to trellis them. My neighbor has had good luck doing this the last couple of years so I am giving it a try. I am using T-posts and PVC pipe that I have on hand, and sisal twine for stringing the vines up.

It is an interesting way to spend some time, I am still not sure if I will have more tomatoes or easier harvest than I have had before.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 01:44 PM (xhaym)

21 Love the hydrangeas. I'm a sucker for blue and purple flowers, though.

Posted by: chique l'African ViQueen of Greenland, the Merciless, open to talks with the Great MAGA King at July 23, 2022 01:45 PM (rF64X)

22 I'm growing tomatoes in my Aerogarden, and once that experiment completes, I'm going to try cucumelons.

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at July 23, 2022 01:46 PM (CCf67)

23 suspicious raccoons

https://tinyurl.com/5n8emayn

Posted by: BignJames at July 23, 2022 01:48 PM (AwYPR)

24 So I was a very proud plant mom this morning.

- WeeKreekFarmGirl

Very nice. Fruit trees were/are the bane of my existence. There is a large base of knowledge required, and if you are not already experienced in the art or have a ready mentor, then there is a lot of trial and error, which as you note, can take a period of years.

I have a large group of Rainier Cherry pits, which will be my next long-term learning project.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 01:48 PM (U3uv2)

25 My wife just made some salsa... mostly from our garden. Of course I "had" to make myself a Margarita. Heavy on the tequila. Both are friggin' awesome.

requisite (hic)

Posted by: Martini Farmer at July 23, 2022 01:48 PM (BFigT)

26 Congrats on your pears, WeeKreekFarmGirl. And those are some good looking melons. (Moron fodder, I know.)

And Don in Kansas' flowers are so pretty.

In my fantasy life, I imagine myself in a larger house with a garden that I tend. But I would probably be an inconsistent gardener, so it's best it remains a fantasty.

Posted by: chique l'African ViQueen of Greenland, the Merciless, open to talks with the Great MAGA King at July 23, 2022 01:50 PM (rF64X)

27 The first year I lived in the PNW, I planted tomatoes and didn't stake them. It was a tomato jungle! They rooted all along the stems.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at July 23, 2022 01:50 PM (YynYJ)

28 I had to quit growing veggies because of those damn coons tearing everything up. We have a village veggie garden behind me so maybe that attracts them too. Plus the guy next door feeds them. Farmers markets here I come.

Posted by: dartist at July 23, 2022 01:50 PM (+ya+t)

29 suspicious raccoons

https://tinyurl.com/5n8emayn
Posted by: BignJames at July 23, 2022 01:48 PM (AwYPR)

Cute

Posted by: chique l'African ViQueen of Greenland, the Merciless, open to talks with the Great MAGA King at July 23, 2022 01:51 PM (rF64X)

30 Don in Kansas both lilies are very pretty!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:52 PM (I2ZL9)

31 I have been very good keeping out varmints, maybe chipmunk can get in but that's it
Cucumbers out my ears, only chili pepper ripe so far and just enough tomatoes and squash.

Posted by: Skip's phone at July 23, 2022 01:52 PM (awGkk)

32 Pro tip:

If you see squash pick it. If you wait until tomorrow it will no longer be "squash."

It will be a club. A large yellow or green club.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at July 23, 2022 01:54 PM (BFigT)

33 Pro tip:

If you see squash pick it. If you wait until tomorrow it will no longer be "squash."

It will be a club. A large yellow or green club.
Posted by: Martini Farmer

This is known.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:56 PM (I2ZL9)

34 Great photos, great information, and stories. Thanks, KT, for the thread.

Not having a wonderful garden season this year except for the herbs. But we are getting some cubanelle style banana peppers. Too small to stuff but they are crisp and flavorful.

Posted by: JTB at July 23, 2022 02:03 PM (7EjX1)

35 I have yet to get the old pear tree's fruit right, Kindltot. I picked them and waited for them to ripen and they never really did. Hoping for better luck this year. Comrade Flounder is correct, it is a lot of trial and error to learning it on your own. No one else around here is crazy for gardening so I am on my own.

Posted by: WeeKreekFarmGirl at July 23, 2022 02:09 PM (iplQb)

36 MELON HAMMOCKS (3-minute video)
Here's an amusing and practical method for supporting melons in the garden ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kj0BAXFKMk

Posted by: Kathy at July 23, 2022 02:10 PM (h3RRP)

37
My favorite blue flowers are Cornflower and Chicory.

Is Chicory transplantable, because there is a ton of it in highway medians here and I would gladly move some of it to one or two of our beds.

Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at July 23, 2022 02:12 PM (pNxlR)

38 I have yet to get the old pear tree's fruit right, Kindltot. I picked them and waited for them to ripen and they never really did.
------
I had an old pear tree with pears so hard I just thought that's how they were. One year I layered them in a bushel basket with each layer covered in newspaper. Holy moly they ripened so fast I couldn't eat them all. Just an idea.

Posted by: dartist at July 23, 2022 02:16 PM (+ya+t)

39 My lawn is being slowly infested with puncture vine or goat heads or whatever the hell that stuff is. I pull it when i find it but that stuff pops up and grows about 6 inches before i find the next one. Gonna try some 2-4-D soon.

On the other hand, my day lillies are booming and the gladiolas are lush but without blooms yet. And my callas are jammin!

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at July 23, 2022 02:17 PM (5MVKq)

40 I planted tulip bulbs six weeks ago and......NOTHING !

Do they need a pear tree for a mate ?

Posted by: JT at July 23, 2022 02:18 PM (T4tVD)

41 MELON HAMMOCKS (3-minute video)

Posted by: Kathy

Cute Kathy: "size C" lol.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 02:19 PM (I2ZL9)

42 But I would probably be an inconsistent gardener, so it's best it remains a fantasty.

Posted by: chique l'African ViQueen of Greenland, the Merciless, open to talks with the Great MAGA King at July 23, 2022 01:50 PM (rF64X)

Make your fantasy a reality, ViQueen.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 02:19 PM (U3uv2)

43 >>>(Moron fodder, I know.)

It's all in the presentation.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 02:20 PM (U3uv2)

44 Flounder, if you have cherry pits, you can get them to sprout this winter by putting them in a zip lock bag with moist potting soil and leaving them in the crisper drawer for 3-5 months.

(My wife is very understanding in that she doesn't complain that one drawer in the fridge over-winter is filled with zip lock bags of grafting wood and baggies of dirt)

In five months you can pull them out to see if they have sprouted, and if they have you can then plant them in regular pots.
No guarantees that they will be as good as the original parent tree, but it is a good chance they will give you some sort of cherry.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 02:20 PM (xhaym)

45 I get paid more than $85 every hour for working on the web. I found out about this activity 3 months prior and subsequent to joining this I have earned effectively $15k from this without having internet working abilities.

If you don't need internet abilities, just imagine whiat kind of abilities you DO need!

Posted by: Sarah at July 23, 2022 02:23 PM (et+lh)

46 Can too much water do this?

Posted by: 29Victor at July 23, 2022 01:35 PM (BJKQV)

I could be wrong, but I seem to recall our lavendar (planted by prior homeowner) doing decently (meaning prospering in the face of my neglect) in well draining soil.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 02:23 PM (U3uv2)

47 Miley, as a Dutchess you can sentence that bandit to death or banishment. Death is the only sure way, unless of course you plant him in the Pet Cemetary. Gasoline expenditure for proper banishment distance is too great IMO. Besides they're little hairy Terminators. They will never stop.

Posted by: Eromero at July 23, 2022 02:24 PM (gktX6)

48 My lawn is being slowly infested with puncture vine or goat heads or whatever the hell that stuff is. I pull it when i find it but that stuff pops up and grows about 6 inches before i find the next one. Gonna try some 2-4-D soon.

On the other hand, my day lillies are booming and the gladiolas are lush but without blooms yet. And my callas are jammin!
Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at July 23, 2022 02:17 PM (5MVKq)

Just do what my parents did....enlist the aid of several bare-foot children as "spotters".

Posted by: Sticky Wicket at July 23, 2022 02:24 PM (CCf67)

49 Is Chicory transplantable, because there is a ton of it in highway medians here and I would gladly move some of it to one or two of our beds.
Posted by: Krebs v Carnot: Epic Battle of the Cycling Stars (TM) at July 23, 2022 02:12 PM (pNxlR)

One year I planted chicory seed that I got from picking the dried seed heads from a vacant lot. You can eat it like endive (bleah) and you can roast the root as an extender to coffee (le-bleah)
I don't know about transplanting, but you can always try, there is no reason not to try.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 02:24 PM (xhaym)

50 This is known.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 01:56 PM (I2ZL9)

By anyone who has previously grown squash.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 02:25 PM (U3uv2)

51 WeeKreek, we used them in making kimchi right off the tree, the sweetness is good for it and it helps boost the fermentation.

It was a brand new tree, so we only got about 5 fruits so that was simple

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 02:29 PM (xhaym)

52 Posted by: Sticky Wicket at July 23, 2022 02:24 PM (CCf67)

Heh! I have 3 doggehs as spotters. Oh and I have prairie sage in bloom now so its covered in bees. The doggehs have learned that those arent the typical sky rasins, they're more like airborne jalapenos!

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at July 23, 2022 02:29 PM (5MVKq)

53 Flounder, if you have cherry pits, you can get them to sprout this winter by putting them in a zip lock bag with moist potting soil and leaving them in the crisper drawer for 3-5 months.

. . .

In five months you can pull them out to see if they have sprouted, and if they have you can then plant them in regular pots.
No guarantees that they will be as good as the original parent tree, but it is a good chance they will give you some sort of cherry.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 02:20 PM (xhaym)

Nice. Thanks for the tips. I might try my prior method of planting them all in a big pot middle of summer, see what sprouts, then letting them winter over on the covered patio or with a burlap cover. Come spring, I would separate the successful ones into their own pots.

The admonition about fruiting true is well-taken, and I have had quite a few successes (not necessarily true but tasty fruit) in the past at the old house.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 02:32 PM (U3uv2)

54 I have a bunch of apple seedlings waiting to be transplanted into bigger pots that I started over winter.

Posted by: Kindltot at July 23, 2022 02:38 PM (xhaym)

55 Seriously... I saw a little yellow squash yesterday morning. Probably 4" long and half an inch thick. Today, about an hour or two ago it was 12" long and 3" thick.

* grabs crotch for effect

Posted by: Martini Farmer at July 23, 2022 02:39 PM (BFigT)

56 I will give it a try Dartist, certainly couldn't hurt and it would save me from feeding them to the rabbits.

Posted by: WeeKreekFarmGirl at July 23, 2022 02:41 PM (iplQb)

57 by: Sarah

https://tinyurl.com/28xwzh8a

Posted by: JT at July 23, 2022 02:41 PM (T4tVD)

58 The last 2 or 3 years I've started seeing some brilliant red hydrangeas. It's a recent hybrid, it is very eyecatching.

Posted by: Tom Servo at July 23, 2022 02:49 PM (trdmm)

59 We had a volunteer peach. It grew from a pit dumped in the compost pile. It survived the Stevenson winter and produced a single peach. Pretty tasty. We moved after that so no idea how long it lived. That ground was mostly rock.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at July 23, 2022 02:53 PM (YynYJ)

60 I took the part that held the drum in a washing machine and made a birdbath out of it.

I felt kind od AOPish, but then I realized that if AOP had made it, it would have lights and a horn and probably a motor so that the birds could drive it to different locations.

Posted by: JT at July 23, 2022 02:53 PM (T4tVD)

61 JT @ 60-
And a heating element for Alberte winters.

Posted by: Eromero at July 23, 2022 02:58 PM (gktX6)

62 JT @ 60-
And a heating element for Alberte winters.
Posted by: Eromero

Yep !

Posted by: JT at July 23, 2022 02:58 PM (T4tVD)

63 That ground was mostly rock.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at July 23, 2022 02:53 PM (YynYJ)

I don't know if there is anything to it, but I find that if a plant decides to make it on its own, in less than optimal conditions, then I should try to help it out the best I can to its full potential.

Weeds need not apply.

Posted by: Comrade flounder, wrecker, hoarder, saboteur at July 23, 2022 03:01 PM (U3uv2)

64 Our hydrangeas got hit with over an inch of hard rain this morning. The blooms are big and when they catch all that water they can't stand the stress and tend to fall. So, although we needed the rain they are looking pretty sad this afternoon. Do like the purple and blue. All we have is the white, which also makes a nice display. Raccoons, uuggghhh. Those pest eat the suet cakes we put out for the woodpeckers and the deer raid the birdfeeder's. Between the two of them I usually just give up in the early spring and the birds have to fend for themselves.

Posted by: Indiana lurker at July 23, 2022 03:05 PM (3ZVqj)

65 I have a bunch of volunteer trees that are coming up in my back yard in areas that I've let revert to nature. No idea what kind they are. If they help with the winds that blow through these parts they'll be a blessing. It's not uncommon to find the deck furniture rearranged after a windstorm.

Or trashed.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at July 23, 2022 03:10 PM (BFigT)

66 I do like volunteers. I think it's why I like David the Good's videos so much. He always has some crazy mix of plants growing. I doubt I'll get anything going this year but really hope to plant some of these seeds next year.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at July 23, 2022 03:15 PM (YynYJ)

67 The leafcutter bees have been chomping on my roses also, in Mesa. And I am learning that any plant not native is not a good candidate for surviving summer sun. My grow boxes are now in a part shade area.

I bought a sun shade for the patio, but fortunately did not install it before the monsoon wind storm took some of my skirting and loosened all the siding. I got bigger screws to fasten the siding and discovered the furring strip is shredded. So now I have to remove the siding completely and put a new one on, and may as well reinsulate . . . .

Posted by: Gordon Scott at July 23, 2022 03:19 PM (jKc3f)

68 Nood pets.

Posted by: flounder at July 23, 2022 03:22 PM (U3uv2)

69 First tassels on my square foot gardening corn experiment. We will see what happens, will report back later.

Posted by: Farmer at July 23, 2022 03:22 PM (55Qr6)

70 So now I have to remove the siding completely and put a new one on, and may as well reinsulate . . . .
Posted by: Gordon Scott

Sounds like you really got hit hard. I noted a bunch of Ocotillo uprooted and laying in medians after the storm.
We didn't lose anything here.

Reinsulating doesn't sound like fun; but, it'll probably be worth it in electric bills in the long run.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 03:24 PM (I2ZL9)

71 First tassels on my square foot gardening corn experiment. We will see what happens, will report back later.
Posted by: Farmer

Nice.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at July 23, 2022 03:24 PM (I2ZL9)

72 Gordon Scott at July 23, 2022 03:19 PM

Wow, Gordon! Is there any kind of hurricane strapping you can add?

Posted by: KT at July 23, 2022 03:28 PM (rrtZS)

73 Sticky Wicket at July 23, 2022 02:24 PM

Puncture vine is tough in a lawn. If you can catch it early, it comes up easily by its taproot. It has yellow blooms in the morning only. It starts blooming soon after it appears.

Posted by: KT at July 23, 2022 03:29 PM (rrtZS)

74 So dry here that I'm just keeping the perennials going and
taking our the annuals.

Inside puttering: bought a vintage scrap quilt at the thrift store and am reworking it. I'm tentatively dating it from the late '30s-'40s from the fabrics.
It's clearly a utility quilt- just squares cut from clothing scraps and feed sacks and the back is pieced from sacks as well.
The maker knotted it, so I was able to snip the knots, open it on three sides and remove the batting, which had migrated all over.
The batting looked home-made as well, as it contained lots of vegetable matter. I've made small cotton batts and it's hard to get them even.

Thought dirty, most of the fabric is in good condition, considering its hard use. I do have to replace one square, and resew a few small split seams, but that's it.

Once repaired and washed, I'll put in new batting and re-tie it.

A nice project for inside.

Posted by: sal at July 23, 2022 03:31 PM (y40tE)

75 Those hydrangeas are gorgeous. I love hydrangeas. I have one and it does ~okay~ but I think it would do a lot better if it had more sun. We have a very shady yard.

Posted by: bluebell at July 23, 2022 04:06 PM (aeePL)

76 Love the hydrangeas, hate #)(&^)#* raccoons.

Maybe I should get some electric net fencing to put around the garden here.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at July 23, 2022 01:31 PM (llON

We caught a second one last night, also a youngster. Maybe the larger ones are getting shocked by the electric fence wire.

The thing is, you have to be able to cut the grass underneath your electric fencing. The circumference of our garden is probably over 600 ft, and if we run another length of string, we'll have to trim it that more often. Same problem if we supplement with chicken wire (unless we spray something that kills everything under the wire). I'm leery about that.

The neighbors south of here are having a shooting party. Oh joy! Makes me smile.

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at July 23, 2022 04:51 PM (Mzdiz)

77 Late, as usual.
Been at or near 100's for over 3 weeks here. Garden is alive, but struggling. Oddly enough, it was a late spring. Meaning all those young plants went from no soil temps, to brutal heat. Last week of July, and just now getting blush on maters.
Have green beans, peppers, cukes, yellow squash, beets; turnips are now gone.
We may try some kind of shade this year. Spaghetti squash can't take this heat. No amount of water helps. Cukes look pitiful, but keep producing.
Anyone in range of KCMo who wants some deer hunting, get in touch. We need to kill maybe 4 doe, and any bucks hanging out.

Posted by: MkY at July 23, 2022 05:06 PM (cPGH3)

78 I've been enjoying this thread for a while but haven't posted before. Love the Lotus and lilies. I'm also a sucker for blue flowers and like to see the chicory growing in the median strips and roadsides. It looks particularly good with the wild orange lilies.

Posted by: Pilot at July 23, 2022 05:23 PM (REwbE)

79 I may have to repost this next week. We've moved to south central Pennsylvania and have a question about my tomatoes. They came up strong, the San Marsalis are plentiful, a nice size and the Brandy wines are huge. All a solid green. It's been above 85 degrees and into the 90's for weeks now. Do I just be patient to wait for them to turn red. I've read that the heat can keep them from ripening. Any suggestions?

Posted by: NoLongerintheBellyoftheBeast at July 23, 2022 06:43 PM (5XUmo)

80 Brandywines are rather late tomatoes. I recommend patience with those.

Never grew San Marsalis, so don't know about them.

Posted by: JQ at July 23, 2022 07:41 PM (dpnJh)

81 Autocorrect. San Marzanos.. Thx, JQ!

Posted by: NoLongerintheBellyoftheBeast at July 23, 2022 08:09 PM (5XUmo)

82 #39 Goatheads aka puncture vine aka the devil's curse

2,4-D won't do the job, neither will glyphosate (RoundUp) in our experience. The nasty things will set and drop their seed before the herbicide kills them, if they've got even a few blooms on them.

The only sure way is to pull or hoe them out and straight into the trash, bagged if it isn't going to be burnt or buried.

Posted by: Pat*''s Hubby at July 23, 2022 09:44 PM (Yx4hN)

83 From Boise area: Abbreviated report, since this is the middle of a Project Appleseed weekend (it was 97 F at the range), and I have to get to sleep soon.

Everything is stressed. Last week's clogged irrigation filter was cleaned. Early this week, HOA said one of our 2 pumps was down, please irrigate only 3x/week based on house number. Yesterday's HOA note said, a pipe is broken, nobody gets water! When we returned from gun range, saw others' sprayers running, so pipe at least is fixed. But some veggies looked very stressed so I carried buckets.

Still harvesting shelling peas, but no new flowers so season is ending soon. Harvested 1st green and 1st yellow zucchini. Cutting lavender stems for drying. Cutting some basil, oregano leaves for drying/grinding. Started a project to clean up under old apple trees - cut down suckers, trim grass by hand, dig out solanum etc., leave catnip. Husband started cutting branches off dying maple we're removing.

Everyone be careful in the heat!

Posted by: Pat* at July 23, 2022 11:49 PM (2pX/F)

84 KT, it's hard to tell if this house has any strapping or not. Probably not. There are not a lot of tornadoes here, but we do have some impressive winds. A few miles north of me some poor gal's trailer was just shredded around her, and the big steel transmission towers went down.

My damage happened when a little bit of the skirting went, and that took out the rest on the back. With the skirting gone the wind could sweep the skirting on the east side out, and that pulled the siding with it, and as the screws tore out of the furring strip it became kindling.

I had thought I could repair it myself for a hundred in materials, rather than claim on insurance and have a $1000 deductible. Maybe I still can do the work, but at every turn I'm finding something else that will need to be fixed, and the costs are mounting.

Do not get me started on the empty shelves at Mobile Home Depot.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at July 24, 2022 01:09 AM (lcTpO)

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