Well it's the first of August or close enough and so here is the midway point of the growing season.. This year unlike last has been an odd season to say the least, what i thought might be a shortened season with the weather destroying the plants and yet everything seems fairly good shape heading into the "hail magnet supreme" part of the season.. Yes we have had wind but not enough to tear anything up yet, but then last year about this time we got two of the nastiest storms we would get tearing out a tree that I wished was never touched.. So here we have the pictures ..
First off this little patch of grass was started three different times this season.. Once was during the usually wet time early spring.. I didn't rig the watering system at all so it was a waste of time to do it.. The second time was after I tried to get three areas to grow, the other areas grew but this didn't , or i should say it did grow but weeds weren't what I wanted to grow there.. A third time would wait until after labor day.. But then I decided to buck the trend and tried to reseed a week after the 4th of July..Growing in the summer is a flat out no no and I thought this would be yet another waist of time but in all honesty the patch was being tried to be used as a bunny hole thing and I didn't want that.. So I tilled it again and this time set the water system and made the schedule up to water three to four times a day.. This is the result of that.. When I first saw the grass coming up I thought maybe it won't need a forth time to grow it there.. I really wanted the grass to grow there and look good by Labor day (a local celebration is held here that weekend..) In fact any grass growing should be planted by the final week of July if you want it too look good by the end of August.. It can take six weeks to look very decent at all.. Sod it if you need to.. There is a front area by the porch that was weed central and then I sprayed it and then just did seed and reseeded it the past two weeks.. What I do know about that area is it will grow fairly fast because it is well shady.. What I also know is the weeds outpace the grass seed, so it's going to be green there, but weedy..
The early evening in June, a few days after planting the tomato plants and they looked good.. Good and dark, this was taken before the storm that would take them out and end the season early.. But the storm wasn't that big of a deal thankfully and they grew fairly well..
This is in the fence planter area, the only tomato plant in there. The watering system is a soaker hose that is under the grass that is like a layer of compost to try to help keep the weeds out and also to insulate the ground to help keep the moisture in.. Works quite well, I do water on days the temperature is at or above 90 degrees which lately is almost every day... The yellow strap was used to help keep the plant together instead of sprawling everywhere..
Here is the gas meter planter area.. it has pumpkins this year.. Why?? To rotate from where they usually are, not sure rotation is needed but I did so.. Hoping it was a good idea.. This version of the pumpkins is a jack o lantern version.. I've never tried that variety before.. These are supposed to be smaller by at least half.. They already are smaller and the plant isn't anywhere near as agressive as the giants were in years past.. This here, what you see is what is there, the sprawl that was in the plants the last few times I grew them isn't in this variety.. These go to the ally but no further so far..
The "ally" planter was left empty this season for no real reason except to try to keep the weeds under some form of control.. It's also where the compost is placed to finish the process.. The compost tumbler is dumped out and placed in here, then watered fairly well and then a week later it is tilled.. Making it be a form of almost completed a few weeks early.. What will go there is.. Well we have these tree or shrubs that are along the wall of the house on the west side that I want to try to grow in there.. We have talked about getting some form of tree to grow there.. I like these trees and they grow fairly fast.. They will be tried to grow this fall sometime.. They produce a berry that I am guessing is where the seed comes from, so I picked a few to try to get going eventually when they dry out.. They are in the shed where it can reach temperatures of well over a hundred degrees on almost any day the sun is shining no matter what the season it is.. try to let them dry out and then try to plant them when they look dried out.. Might work but likely won't..
The tomato plants from earlier in the entry.. I put new grass clippings on them about every couple of weeks, these are looking good, tied up because of the wing, pulled them over one direction one week, the other the next and then tried a third direction but they are well tied up, they didn't move at all. The variety represented here are.. Roma (Two I think) a cherry variety, and then another I can't remember what it is.. The cherry ones are quite tasty, just did get a few earlier today..
Then there is the Earth box with the planter variety.. "What variety are they.. Patio planter.. oh so you don't really know.." No mom I have no true knowledge of what variety they are,, Just like Containers Choice from last year I had no idea.. My guess would be Patio planter, or container Choice.. Sorry that's as good as I know, the tag says these varieties so I'm guessing it is very well suited to be in a container of some sort.. Picture not available, sorry the battery ran out quite quickly so they got a reprieve from being seen, camera shy, like me..
So that's all we got.. I figure this is the halfway to two thirds growing season report. but it could be the one third growing season and here is why.. I saw a miller (moth) in late June, a week or so before the 4th of July.. What does this mean.. Likely nothing but if you go by the moths being around, they are usually around in May, but not this year.. The locusts (you know those noisy shits that annoy everyone) I heard one on the 4th of July as everything was winding down.. then didn't hear another for two weeks and have only heard a very few of them.. What does this mean.. My guess we will have a very late frost.. Or the very first frost could occur in September.. I think, after last year still mowing well into November, that this year could see first light frost early and then a heavy frost not happen this year at all.. January could be when we get a heavy frost/freeze.. How weird would that be..
Naw.. it will likely frost by the first week of October and freeze a week later..
Badge Henry
(P.S. on the picture for the.. Where the tomatoes are in the (pumpkin planter area) there was something else there that I forgot to mention.. Earlier this summer a guy asked if he could help clean out some dead branches from this area.. I said sure why not.. We got it fairly cleaned out, the bigger stuff anyway.. The smaller stuff i had wanted to bury in different planters.. Last season as I was getting done I was planning to put branches in the fence planter but that didn't happen.. Also in the ally planter which as well didn't happen.. But in the pumpkin area (where the tomatoes are this year) I buried some of the branches.. Nothing very big, just a selection of trashy stuff from under the pile.. Leaves small branches.. shitty stuff like that.. Then along the west end there again another small trench was dug and more branches of that ilk were buried.. The biggest problem with doing this is getting the soil to compost the branches.. It won't work if it is dry.. I watered that area after just burying them, then it dried out.. I then watered that area and am hoping that will get the compost effort going.. Hard to say it will because now it is hot and dry again.. I have to remember where everything is for next year in the event of planting again..
The tree in the front that got knocked down by the wind (dads memorial tree) I'm trying to decide what to do with the stump.. Either cut it out or disolve it in some way.. I was thinking hatchet because with my luck I'll cut my some body part off using an axe.. It's not overly large but needs to go and be replaced with something else, likely a tree like the pine tree in the opposite yard.. Not sure.. That dwarf is living up to it's name.. The tree is nearly twenty years old and is only three and a half feet tall, or about a foot taller than it was when I planted it.. )
This is in the fence planter area, the only tomato plant in there. The watering system is a soaker hose that is under the grass that is like a layer of compost to try to help keep the weeds out and also to insulate the ground to help keep the moisture in.. Works quite well, I do water on days the temperature is at or above 90 degrees which lately is almost every day... The yellow strap was used to help keep the plant together instead of sprawling everywhere..
The "ally" planter was left empty this season for no real reason except to try to keep the weeds under some form of control.. It's also where the compost is placed to finish the process.. The compost tumbler is dumped out and placed in here, then watered fairly well and then a week later it is tilled.. Making it be a form of almost completed a few weeks early.. What will go there is.. Well we have these tree or shrubs that are along the wall of the house on the west side that I want to try to grow in there.. We have talked about getting some form of tree to grow there.. I like these trees and they grow fairly fast.. They will be tried to grow this fall sometime.. They produce a berry that I am guessing is where the seed comes from, so I picked a few to try to get going eventually when they dry out.. They are in the shed where it can reach temperatures of well over a hundred degrees on almost any day the sun is shining no matter what the season it is.. try to let them dry out and then try to plant them when they look dried out.. Might work but likely won't..
So that's all we got.. I figure this is the halfway to two thirds growing season report. but it could be the one third growing season and here is why.. I saw a miller (moth) in late June, a week or so before the 4th of July.. What does this mean.. Likely nothing but if you go by the moths being around, they are usually around in May, but not this year.. The locusts (you know those noisy shits that annoy everyone) I heard one on the 4th of July as everything was winding down.. then didn't hear another for two weeks and have only heard a very few of them.. What does this mean.. My guess we will have a very late frost.. Or the very first frost could occur in September.. I think, after last year still mowing well into November, that this year could see first light frost early and then a heavy frost not happen this year at all.. January could be when we get a heavy frost/freeze.. How weird would that be..
Naw.. it will likely frost by the first week of October and freeze a week later..
Badge Henry
(P.S. on the picture for the.. Where the tomatoes are in the (pumpkin planter area) there was something else there that I forgot to mention.. Earlier this summer a guy asked if he could help clean out some dead branches from this area.. I said sure why not.. We got it fairly cleaned out, the bigger stuff anyway.. The smaller stuff i had wanted to bury in different planters.. Last season as I was getting done I was planning to put branches in the fence planter but that didn't happen.. Also in the ally planter which as well didn't happen.. But in the pumpkin area (where the tomatoes are this year) I buried some of the branches.. Nothing very big, just a selection of trashy stuff from under the pile.. Leaves small branches.. shitty stuff like that.. Then along the west end there again another small trench was dug and more branches of that ilk were buried.. The biggest problem with doing this is getting the soil to compost the branches.. It won't work if it is dry.. I watered that area after just burying them, then it dried out.. I then watered that area and am hoping that will get the compost effort going.. Hard to say it will because now it is hot and dry again.. I have to remember where everything is for next year in the event of planting again..
The tree in the front that got knocked down by the wind (dads memorial tree) I'm trying to decide what to do with the stump.. Either cut it out or disolve it in some way.. I was thinking hatchet because with my luck I'll cut my some body part off using an axe.. It's not overly large but needs to go and be replaced with something else, likely a tree like the pine tree in the opposite yard.. Not sure.. That dwarf is living up to it's name.. The tree is nearly twenty years old and is only three and a half feet tall, or about a foot taller than it was when I planted it.. )
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