A month later

Earlier this spring i bought a praying mantis ootheca and set it out near the garden to hatch. It took quite a few weeks to hatch and the tiny mantids were all out by the time i got home from work one day. There were 100's of them and we saw them around for a few days. I have not seen any since i took this picture. They may still be a number of them around but they are good hiders. I'll get more than one ootheca next spring and see how it goes.

This is the bit behind the shed that i recently reclaimed. We had a brush pile going back here and it was where i somewhat carelessly tossed my collection of PVC hoops and sockets.  I had to knock down the rhubarb plant to get the place cleaned out.  I harvested all the stalks, cleaned them up and only kept the best. Then i strung and sliced them up.  After canning 6 quarts and baking two pies i still had more than 13 cups left over and i'm not sure what to do next.

But the area has been cleared and covered with a tarp.  I'm hoping to put the Schizandra plants out here with some sort of trellis to form a large shady place where i can maybe put in some hardwood logs and grow some culinary mushrooms.

I planted the Wolf River apple tree over there too (on the right). Not sure what else i'm going to do with it. It is not grafted and will be a full size tree- possibly 30 feet tall eventually.

6-8-2016

6-8-2016

The strawberries began coming in slowly at first but after about a week of slightly more than this amount per day, the kids were ready for a break.

So i employed the dehydrator

6-10-2016

I had a few days off in a row and cool weather so i went to work on this. It is starting to look neater again.

This was how the garden looked on 6-14-16

 The pine pollen was high and it rained a bit.


By 6-21-16  things began to take off

I'm trying Fava beans for the first time. I'm not sure what to expect. I guess they take a long time to grow, prefer cool to hot and won't make pods if the daylight hours aren't right.  I guess the leaves are edible so if we get no beans we still have another leafy green flavor to try.

These were taken 6-27-2016


I'm trying simple tomato stake and prune.  Usually weeding takes so much of my time i let the tomatoes get away. The plastic is preventing that this year.  I'm only worried the soil underneath may heat the ground too much-  hopefully the plants will size up and shade themselves before the heat really comes on.

I'm trying toe potato tower sort of method this time. As they grow,  i'll keep topping it up with bagged topsoil.

These are the Adirondack Blues.  I also put in German Butterball in a separate setup but only just got to it last week. Really late start on the long season potatoes.

Didn't get the Mouse Melons in until the 27th either.  They are such small plants at first and don't build strong roots quickly so its a delicate process planting them at just the right size,  at least for me.

Favas again.  "Windsor"

Doorknob sweet pepper

One of the better looking okra that day

Meatball eggplants

Inside the house,  the Hoya are flowering

After a night of particularly heavy rain,  there was a frog in one of the garden puddles.

Not sure where it got in,  hopefully it got safely out.

6-30-2016

I think this is a Mayfly of some sort. The gigantic eyes amused me.

The cherry is looking full.

 These will need to get much darker before they are ready and i'm going to get more bird netting.

I'm hoping to get a ton of cucumbers this year. I'd like to can some up as pickles.

I have to go out and get something for the mouse melons to climb. They are beginning to quest so i need to get right on that.

I'll get more pics today.  Maybe even post more!