Finally cooler weather has returned! Possibly some rain coming tonight! Its nice to not have to run the air conditioners all day and night. We can't wait to see the power bill next month.
Oh i bought some water kefir off eBay last night. It should be coming in the next few days. Only cost about $5 because i had some more eBay bucks on my own account. Water kefir is similar to milk keifer but they are not interchangeable. Water kefir makes a ginger beer type drink that is slightly sweet (of course you have to add the ginger root), most of the sugars (about 95-98%) is fermented away leaving a slightly alcoholic, fizzy beverage that has many health benefits. FMI- Dom's Kefir Page .
Showing posts with label hot weather. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hot weather. Show all posts
Monday, July 25, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Hot.
Its simply hot out there. Its 8:30 am and we are at 87 degrees. My corn is curling.
9:00 am, 89 degrees
We got a little heat lightning last night, but no rain. Still expecting another rainless week going forward. Temps are expected to go down to the 70's though. That will feel downright chilly compared to this heat. lol
I can't reach the corn with the sprinkler since i added the extra row this year. I'll have to make sure i plant something tolerant of dryness there next year. Or get a sprinkler with a stronger spray.
I'm glad i'm not relying on a corn crop or had planted sweet corn. I'm sure this corn can handle a good deal of drought, but i still need to go hand water.
I think a few more blueberries will be ready again today, but i'm not going out there to pick them. I don't even want to open the door to get the mail out of the mailbox but i have to cause my kefir might be in!
[11 am, 98 degrees, yikes!]
Oh another note i'd like to make. I think i won't bother with Kohlrabi next year. I love the stuff but it requires too much prep and then i'm not sure what to do with it. It needs to be peeled- broccoli only needs soaking.... so for something that tastes like sweet broccoli stem i think i'll stick to broccoli. Kohlrabi is too much work to peel and too much waste in leaves and skin- besides the flavor is redundant next to broccoli.
Just checked the mail...
My kefir came in! So i have it in its jar with a lid made from a coffee filter. The first batch is to revive it, so it will be discarded, tomorrow i'll get some i can drink.
Elderberry buds, bigger but not opening yet.
Some tiny flowers that show up in the lawn
Clarke's Heavenly Blue morning glory
9:00 am, 89 degrees
We got a little heat lightning last night, but no rain. Still expecting another rainless week going forward. Temps are expected to go down to the 70's though. That will feel downright chilly compared to this heat. lol
I can't reach the corn with the sprinkler since i added the extra row this year. I'll have to make sure i plant something tolerant of dryness there next year. Or get a sprinkler with a stronger spray.
I'm glad i'm not relying on a corn crop or had planted sweet corn. I'm sure this corn can handle a good deal of drought, but i still need to go hand water.
I think a few more blueberries will be ready again today, but i'm not going out there to pick them. I don't even want to open the door to get the mail out of the mailbox but i have to cause my kefir might be in!
[11 am, 98 degrees, yikes!]
Oh another note i'd like to make. I think i won't bother with Kohlrabi next year. I love the stuff but it requires too much prep and then i'm not sure what to do with it. It needs to be peeled- broccoli only needs soaking.... so for something that tastes like sweet broccoli stem i think i'll stick to broccoli. Kohlrabi is too much work to peel and too much waste in leaves and skin- besides the flavor is redundant next to broccoli.
Just checked the mail...
My kefir came in! So i have it in its jar with a lid made from a coffee filter. The first batch is to revive it, so it will be discarded, tomorrow i'll get some i can drink.
Some other pics from the other day... since i'm not setting foot outside!
Some tiny flowers that show up in the lawn
Monday, July 11, 2011
Weather
Almost 82*F right now and its only 10:30 am.
The weeds have really taken over but there is not a whole lot i can do about it. I can't just go outside and start messing around with things. The temps are another factor. Humidity is rising too...
I'm going to fire up the air conditioners in a few minutes.
Other parts of the country are seeing triple digit temps, i don't know how they manage!
Edit to add-
88.5*F at noon
The weeds have really taken over but there is not a whole lot i can do about it. I can't just go outside and start messing around with things. The temps are another factor. Humidity is rising too...
I'm going to fire up the air conditioners in a few minutes.
Other parts of the country are seeing triple digit temps, i don't know how they manage!
Edit to add-
88.5*F at noon
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Growing things
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| Marechal Foch a week ago |
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| Marechal Foch today |
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| Frontenac last week (just blooming) |
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| Frontenac just setting frui |
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| York elderberry last week |
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| York elderberry today |
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| Apples. Looking good, a little russetting but better than bugs |
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| The leftmost Edelweiss, putting on some berries. |
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| Morning Glory |
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| Some petunias to match the house |
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| Its growing! Beans are newly up as well |
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| Weeds! And a few plants. |
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| I can SEE the corn.....mostly. |
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| I forgot how tall potatoes get. What was i thinking? |
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| Broccoli, yay! |
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| Cucumber trellis up. |
So many weeds, so little time outside. But so much is growing. I'll have to look back a bit to see how it compares to last year. It will take me a few years to get a feel for the garden events like first ripe tomato, first cucumber, first bloom of squash....
Today i saw Japanese beetles and cabbage butterflies. I'll have to break out the BT soon.
I think it might be time to pull some new potatoes in about a week. If i remember what side i put the red ones on!
It hit 90 degrees today, supposed to stay warm tonight. Great growing weather!
Weather
THIS is the time of year when 6 foot snowdrifts sound soothing!
When the idea of putting on a swimsuit and going out to the back yard to make snow angels sounds like a fabulous idea.
I melt at 75 degrees.
88 with 100% humidity is almost unBEARable for me. Thank God for air conditioning.
The garden is looking well. Marechal Foch is clustering and the berries are growing more rapidly than i imagined they could.
I'll have to get pics.
But i'll do that when the sun comes up. I'm having a sleepless night, but i have to try to sleep.
2 am and 65 degrees out, its the mugginess that does it. But 65 degrees means plants are growing. I forget the actual calculations, but the numbers mean good things.
i just need to kill Colorado potato beetles and striped cucumber beetles tomorrow when i get pictures, they are everywhere.
I started to put up the cucumber trellis, but didn't have time to finish. I had bought another 6' fence stake (the metal ones) thinking i needed one more for the grapes, then realizing i didn't need it ( i had also bought 4, 4' wood stakes without understanding how i was going to attach the netting to them) since i had no more full-sun space to plant that red seedless grape i bought last year (that i now have in a 5gallon pail)... so i pulled one of the end stakes from the grapes so i could put that up for the cukes with the new stake (follow?)... the metal stakes have hooks, i can just hang the nylon netting on them. I needed to pound them in with the mini sledge that we have, so i didn't get to it. The posts are pressed into the ground as far as i could get them with bare feet.... so i'll pound them in later so i can hook on the netting. The cukes have grown by leaps and bounds in the last few days. They looked pretty sad until just about today when i really got a good look.
Last year was weedy, this year is crazy. I just don't have the time. I spend about 2 hours outside each day, but that time is spent enjoying it with my little one. Not weeding. But the weeds are seriously getting away from me this year.
My corn made it to just about knee-high (by the 4th of July), but some of the weeds are more enormouser...
My broccoli is starting to bud so that is going well, cabbages are looking good. Things are going well so far. No woodchucks (PTL!) so far and that is a major reason! This year so far, my biggest trials were direct seeding that was fruitless and those peapickin weeds.
When the idea of putting on a swimsuit and going out to the back yard to make snow angels sounds like a fabulous idea.
I melt at 75 degrees.
88 with 100% humidity is almost unBEARable for me. Thank God for air conditioning.
The garden is looking well. Marechal Foch is clustering and the berries are growing more rapidly than i imagined they could.
I'll have to get pics.
But i'll do that when the sun comes up. I'm having a sleepless night, but i have to try to sleep.
2 am and 65 degrees out, its the mugginess that does it. But 65 degrees means plants are growing. I forget the actual calculations, but the numbers mean good things.
i just need to kill Colorado potato beetles and striped cucumber beetles tomorrow when i get pictures, they are everywhere.
I started to put up the cucumber trellis, but didn't have time to finish. I had bought another 6' fence stake (the metal ones) thinking i needed one more for the grapes, then realizing i didn't need it ( i had also bought 4, 4' wood stakes without understanding how i was going to attach the netting to them) since i had no more full-sun space to plant that red seedless grape i bought last year (that i now have in a 5gallon pail)... so i pulled one of the end stakes from the grapes so i could put that up for the cukes with the new stake (follow?)... the metal stakes have hooks, i can just hang the nylon netting on them. I needed to pound them in with the mini sledge that we have, so i didn't get to it. The posts are pressed into the ground as far as i could get them with bare feet.... so i'll pound them in later so i can hook on the netting. The cukes have grown by leaps and bounds in the last few days. They looked pretty sad until just about today when i really got a good look.
Last year was weedy, this year is crazy. I just don't have the time. I spend about 2 hours outside each day, but that time is spent enjoying it with my little one. Not weeding. But the weeds are seriously getting away from me this year.
My corn made it to just about knee-high (by the 4th of July), but some of the weeds are more enormouser...
My broccoli is starting to bud so that is going well, cabbages are looking good. Things are going well so far. No woodchucks (PTL!) so far and that is a major reason! This year so far, my biggest trials were direct seeding that was fruitless and those peapickin weeds.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Still waiting for Spring
I'll spare the pictures of the snow on the ground. I just don't have the heart to take another photo of it. We got about 10 inches of snow for April Fool's Day, much of it has gone but the ground is still 90% covered. It was cold Saturday and Sunday was chilly but sunny. Today it is warmer, but cloudy and we are told it should rain the next two nights and be warmer- possible 60's toward midweek.
Last year had such an early spring that this year i'm not sure what to make of the weather. I hope we end up having a warm summer or this will not be a good garden year.
My tomato seeds are beginning to pop up and so far it looks like good germination.
Except for the Banana Legs tomatoes. This looks like signs of old seeds, the first time i have experienced bad seed from Pinetree
The Cherokee Purple died of damping-off by the looks of it. Maybe the seedling was weaker than it looked. I haven't had damping-off in a long time. I wasn't able to afford sterile seed-starting soil this year, so for a 10 year old seed, it must have been a bad combination.
The Hoya flowers are opening
Unfortunately they are too high to sniff because they are near the top of a window that is at the sink- and i don't climb chairs or cupboards anymore. I do catch a faint whiff of hyacinth-like scent with a bit of baby powder....i think its coming from the flowers.
Today we had rain, so the new snowcover is going away. I think tonight is going to be our first frost-free night in a long time- temps expected to stay in the upper 30's. Daytime temps forecast to be mid 40's to low 50's. If the sun comes out it could turn out warmer.
Last year had such an early spring that this year i'm not sure what to make of the weather. I hope we end up having a warm summer or this will not be a good garden year.
My tomato seeds are beginning to pop up and so far it looks like good germination.
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| poor dead Cherokee Purple |
Except for the Banana Legs tomatoes. This looks like signs of old seeds, the first time i have experienced bad seed from Pinetree
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| Headless seedling on the left, often a sure sign of old seed. Low germination in general. I'll likely re-sow these. |
The Cherokee Purple died of damping-off by the looks of it. Maybe the seedling was weaker than it looked. I haven't had damping-off in a long time. I wasn't able to afford sterile seed-starting soil this year, so for a 10 year old seed, it must have been a bad combination.
The Hoya flowers are opening
Unfortunately they are too high to sniff because they are near the top of a window that is at the sink- and i don't climb chairs or cupboards anymore. I do catch a faint whiff of hyacinth-like scent with a bit of baby powder....i think its coming from the flowers.
Today we had rain, so the new snowcover is going away. I think tonight is going to be our first frost-free night in a long time- temps expected to stay in the upper 30's. Daytime temps forecast to be mid 40's to low 50's. If the sun comes out it could turn out warmer.
Friday, August 6, 2010
First tomato!
I did pick our first tomato of the summer yesterday, perhaps a tad early but i kind of wanted to pick it and so i did. They finish ripening well indoors off the vine anyway.
Of course this one tomato is well ahead of the others, i don't expect another ripe one any time soon. A little disappointing, but i can handle it.
I have been watering the bare part of the yard as often as i can- we seeded it with grass seed and of course we have gotten almost no rain since. But i see a green haze forming out there which means the tiny needle-like blades have emerged from the soil. I can't wait for it to look green and healthy since it has looked like a barren wasteland for so long now.
To look at the yard you can see that all our efforts were put into the veggie garden this year. :o)
Horizon Herbs is holding all plant orders until the middle of September due to the heat wave, so thats ok.
I learned from a recent blog entry at The Never Done Farm that dehydrated zucchini makes a good substitute for potato chips. I'm wondering how well they compare since i eat low carb- but since i have not had a potato chip in ages- i wonder if i will notice if they are very different. I can't wait to try it and i wonder if i can quickly deep fry the dried 'chips' to put a little fat into them for the almost greasy potato chip authenticity. I guess i can slice my yellow squash on my mandoline, soak the slices in salted water, drain and dehydrate.
Now all i need is the weather to cool it so i can run the dehydrators without making the air conditioners compete.
Now, about the weather. For some reason its supposed to get down to the 40's tonight. Last night the forecast for tonight's overnight lows was low 40's. Thank goodness that has been raised to about 47F because i think 40F might actually be damaging.
Saturday its only supposed to be in the mid 70s in the day, that will be nice from the last few days in the high 80's. We had been expecting rain and thunder yesterday, but the clouds literally danced around us and we got no more than a few drops, not even sprinkles. It was cloudy all day and the humidity was crazy, so at least things didn't dry out.
Today it is dry and sunny.
Of course this one tomato is well ahead of the others, i don't expect another ripe one any time soon. A little disappointing, but i can handle it.
I have been watering the bare part of the yard as often as i can- we seeded it with grass seed and of course we have gotten almost no rain since. But i see a green haze forming out there which means the tiny needle-like blades have emerged from the soil. I can't wait for it to look green and healthy since it has looked like a barren wasteland for so long now.
To look at the yard you can see that all our efforts were put into the veggie garden this year. :o)
Horizon Herbs is holding all plant orders until the middle of September due to the heat wave, so thats ok.
I learned from a recent blog entry at The Never Done Farm that dehydrated zucchini makes a good substitute for potato chips. I'm wondering how well they compare since i eat low carb- but since i have not had a potato chip in ages- i wonder if i will notice if they are very different. I can't wait to try it and i wonder if i can quickly deep fry the dried 'chips' to put a little fat into them for the almost greasy potato chip authenticity. I guess i can slice my yellow squash on my mandoline, soak the slices in salted water, drain and dehydrate.
Now all i need is the weather to cool it so i can run the dehydrators without making the air conditioners compete.
Now, about the weather. For some reason its supposed to get down to the 40's tonight. Last night the forecast for tonight's overnight lows was low 40's. Thank goodness that has been raised to about 47F because i think 40F might actually be damaging.
Saturday its only supposed to be in the mid 70s in the day, that will be nice from the last few days in the high 80's. We had been expecting rain and thunder yesterday, but the clouds literally danced around us and we got no more than a few drops, not even sprinkles. It was cloudy all day and the humidity was crazy, so at least things didn't dry out.
Today it is dry and sunny.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
More hot days
Not that i'm really complaining. Its 77.4 degrees out at 7am. Last night was one of those nights where they say you can actually hear the corn grow. I guess it makes a creaking noise if you have enough of it. Of course we have those air conditioners going on, so that means i can't hear any outside noise at all. That is the main thing i dislike about the air conditioners, well that and the electricity they use. But i won't get into that.
I'm hoping to get out and put some water on the garden before 9am so it will have time to soak in really well before the sun gets too strong, its supposed to be awfully humid so it might not make much of a difference.
I think the heat is making a few of my rutabagas try to bolt. Its odd, i thought rutabagas needed to be made warm, then too cold, then hot again before they do that. I seeded them in when it was warmer and i don't think we got a temperature drop below what induces them to flower... in any case its just a few of them (like 3) in a 4'x3' square. This is my first try at rutabagas myself, so its possible that a few in each crop does this anyway.
The finocchio are looking good. I was worried for a while that they weren't going to get anywhere since they were also getting nibbled by the groundhogs. I really hope they bulb up and don't bolt!
The Provider bush beans are in full flower, i like the light purple color. There are a lot of pretty flowers in vegetable gardens that don't get noticed. My Red Eye and Carnival squashes have gigantic, brilliant yellow blooms. I have some nasturtiums planted between them and the red and orange flowers look nice with the squash flowers.
I noticed that the tiny cucumbers that started about a week ago have not grown at all and a couple actually fell off. We'd been having rain at the right times and i have watered a bit in between when necessary, so i don't immediately think it has to do with dryness, maybe heat? I'll have to look into it, i am sure i read about it someplace but i have terrible memory.
That first little summer squash i took a picture of a week back ended up melting away. I think a slug got to it.
The celery stump i planted seems to be continuing to look good, i have another package of celery hearts that i plan to enjoy with some spreadable brie, so i'll be planting a couple more later. If i don't get full sized stalks i won't mind cause anything more i get from these stumps will be a bonus. I am definitely going to try it earlier next spring by deliberately buying a bunch of celery mainly for planting. We do use a lot of celery when we think to buy it. Its so good stuffed with cream cheese and olives or no-sugar-added peanut butter, and i like it diced and added to my chicken or egg salad.
Its looking pretty cloudy out right now and that is probably a very good thing. It would be much hotter already if the sun was out and strong right now. I think we are expected to get into the high 90's but not into the 100's.
I have a few more things to plant, so as soon as the weather relents, i will be planting them.
Oh, the other day i saw a roadside plant that looks a lot like an Autumn Olive. I want to get hubby to help me get a closer look at it. Its not in anyone's front yard, its in a scrubby waste spot next to a big road drainage trench. I don't know what those are called, a large gully maybe... Anyhow, i think i'd like to clip off a few pieces so i can get a positive ID and then try and root the cuttings. There are also a few other shrubs there with red berries, i'd like to ID those and get some cuttings if it is also an edible. There is yet another plant i need to look closer at, this one is in the back yard, beyond our fence and on the nice mneighbor's property. Its in the scrubby corner where they don't go and it will be hard to get a closer look, but i can see enough of it to try and decide what it is. It looks like a familiar plant, but i don't remember what it is. I don't think its an edible, but i like plants that attract birds. The red berries are double.... and i think its some sort of wild honeysuckle. They don't have much of a scent when they bloom, so it does not call attention until it gets those juicy looking (and probably inedible) berries.
I need to go out and take some pictures and edit them in later.
I guess its time for house work stuff.
I'm hoping to get out and put some water on the garden before 9am so it will have time to soak in really well before the sun gets too strong, its supposed to be awfully humid so it might not make much of a difference.
I think the heat is making a few of my rutabagas try to bolt. Its odd, i thought rutabagas needed to be made warm, then too cold, then hot again before they do that. I seeded them in when it was warmer and i don't think we got a temperature drop below what induces them to flower... in any case its just a few of them (like 3) in a 4'x3' square. This is my first try at rutabagas myself, so its possible that a few in each crop does this anyway.
The finocchio are looking good. I was worried for a while that they weren't going to get anywhere since they were also getting nibbled by the groundhogs. I really hope they bulb up and don't bolt!
The Provider bush beans are in full flower, i like the light purple color. There are a lot of pretty flowers in vegetable gardens that don't get noticed. My Red Eye and Carnival squashes have gigantic, brilliant yellow blooms. I have some nasturtiums planted between them and the red and orange flowers look nice with the squash flowers.
I noticed that the tiny cucumbers that started about a week ago have not grown at all and a couple actually fell off. We'd been having rain at the right times and i have watered a bit in between when necessary, so i don't immediately think it has to do with dryness, maybe heat? I'll have to look into it, i am sure i read about it someplace but i have terrible memory.
That first little summer squash i took a picture of a week back ended up melting away. I think a slug got to it.
The celery stump i planted seems to be continuing to look good, i have another package of celery hearts that i plan to enjoy with some spreadable brie, so i'll be planting a couple more later. If i don't get full sized stalks i won't mind cause anything more i get from these stumps will be a bonus. I am definitely going to try it earlier next spring by deliberately buying a bunch of celery mainly for planting. We do use a lot of celery when we think to buy it. Its so good stuffed with cream cheese and olives or no-sugar-added peanut butter, and i like it diced and added to my chicken or egg salad.
Its looking pretty cloudy out right now and that is probably a very good thing. It would be much hotter already if the sun was out and strong right now. I think we are expected to get into the high 90's but not into the 100's.
I have a few more things to plant, so as soon as the weather relents, i will be planting them.
Oh, the other day i saw a roadside plant that looks a lot like an Autumn Olive. I want to get hubby to help me get a closer look at it. Its not in anyone's front yard, its in a scrubby waste spot next to a big road drainage trench. I don't know what those are called, a large gully maybe... Anyhow, i think i'd like to clip off a few pieces so i can get a positive ID and then try and root the cuttings. There are also a few other shrubs there with red berries, i'd like to ID those and get some cuttings if it is also an edible. There is yet another plant i need to look closer at, this one is in the back yard, beyond our fence and on the nice mneighbor's property. Its in the scrubby corner where they don't go and it will be hard to get a closer look, but i can see enough of it to try and decide what it is. It looks like a familiar plant, but i don't remember what it is. I don't think its an edible, but i like plants that attract birds. The red berries are double.... and i think its some sort of wild honeysuckle. They don't have much of a scent when they bloom, so it does not call attention until it gets those juicy looking (and probably inedible) berries.
I need to go out and take some pictures and edit them in later.
I guess its time for house work stuff.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Woke up to no power this morning. Its weird when that happens, everything is so quiet. It took a few minutes to decide that it was not something caused by our end. Then i started planning my day according to having no power. Like reducing the times i open the fridge, which windows to keep open to let in cool air rather than hot.
Then the power came back on. Its supposed to get into the 90's again today it is nice to know we would have air conditioning and the fridge won't be in trouble. The local news has mentioned nothing about the power going out so whatever it was, it apparently wasn't critical enough to draw the attention of our very bored and overreactive local news stations.
The majority of my corn plants did manage to reach the "knee high" goal for the Fourth of July. Some didn't do very well at all though. I had some seeds leftover from 2008 "Incredible" was the name. It germinated well the first time i planted it, but not so well this time around. Since it came up so thin, i went ahead and planted that packet of Purple Podded bush beans i bought the other day. The Stowell's Evergreen and Golden Bantam seem to be doing well enough.
Saw my first Monarch butterfly of the year yesterday. It looked like it was thinking about laying its eggs on one of my uncertainly identified perennials... it came tangled with another plant i bought, which died during winter. The seller of the original plant told me that the stowaway was a white hyssop. Since it now has pink buds i have decided that was a missidentification. I think it might be some sort of milkweed, but i have not gotten a close enough look to be sure of which one. I tore the tip of one leaf and there was a small bit of milky sap. I'm leaning toward Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) I looked for Monarch eggs, but didn't see any.
It has been three days now since the last raid on my garden. My Swiss Chard is almost recovered enough to harvest some for myself.
Not much else to report i guess and i have some busywork to do around the house today... Have to pick up some odds and ends at the hardware store too.
Then the power came back on. Its supposed to get into the 90's again today it is nice to know we would have air conditioning and the fridge won't be in trouble. The local news has mentioned nothing about the power going out so whatever it was, it apparently wasn't critical enough to draw the attention of our very bored and overreactive local news stations.
The majority of my corn plants did manage to reach the "knee high" goal for the Fourth of July. Some didn't do very well at all though. I had some seeds leftover from 2008 "Incredible" was the name. It germinated well the first time i planted it, but not so well this time around. Since it came up so thin, i went ahead and planted that packet of Purple Podded bush beans i bought the other day. The Stowell's Evergreen and Golden Bantam seem to be doing well enough.
Saw my first Monarch butterfly of the year yesterday. It looked like it was thinking about laying its eggs on one of my uncertainly identified perennials... it came tangled with another plant i bought, which died during winter. The seller of the original plant told me that the stowaway was a white hyssop. Since it now has pink buds i have decided that was a missidentification. I think it might be some sort of milkweed, but i have not gotten a close enough look to be sure of which one. I tore the tip of one leaf and there was a small bit of milky sap. I'm leaning toward Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) I looked for Monarch eggs, but didn't see any.
It has been three days now since the last raid on my garden. My Swiss Chard is almost recovered enough to harvest some for myself.
Not much else to report i guess and i have some busywork to do around the house today... Have to pick up some odds and ends at the hardware store too.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Things will need watering....
The forecasters are telling us we may see temps in the 90's before midweek. High 80's until then. Its going to be dry until Tuesday when they are saying the humidity will be heavy and there is a chance of thunder storms.
I made some "beer fertilizer" a while ago. Its a home made fertilizer i learned about on an exotic houseplant forum a few years ago.
Beer Fertilizer
1 12oz beer (something medium bodied, light beer isn't worth anything)
1/2 cup of household ammonia, non scented
1 cup epsom salts
2 cups of water
Mix one tablespoon per gallon of water. Its mild enough to not damage leaves. I think i will feed the garden with it when i do some watering tomorrow. I got one of those Miracle Gro feeder-waterer sprayers, so if i put the fertilizer in there it should mix about right, and if its stronger i think it won't be too strong.
I gave my tomatoes some calcium the other day too, i read that about 3 capsules per plant is about right. I had a couple bottles of a calcium & magnesium supplement that had expiry dates from 2005, but i didn't want to throw them out because i knew i could use them in the garden some day. I never remember to take supplements and it takes me 5 years to remember to use things i have saved for other purposes. At any rate, it finally got done the other day. I simply scratched them into the soil surface at the base of each plant and will let watering and rain take over the rest. I had enough to put around every plant in the garden. So calcium should not be a problem in the garden this year.
I tried to go yardsailing today, but i guess i stink at it. We followed a couple posterboard signs around town, but they were small sales. A couple tables full of used Walmart glassware and little wall hangings from the 1980's, you know, the ones that are made to look handmade but are just factory prints from China.. We checked out the local flea market too, but nothing worth paying for there either. A few genuinely interesting things, but sellers wanted too much for what was essentially dust collecting agents. Lots of cassette movies and romance novels though. Gag.
Sooo.... we ended up going to Good Will. And i found a a few good things. I got a waffle iron, i have been trying to catch up with one for about a year. Found a good Oster for $4, its a round one. I can make my low carb waffles in it, the divots make wonderful butter-catchers.
I found a really nice roaster pan with a lift out rack and domed lid. I have needed one of those for quite a while as well. That was only $15. I'm tired of trying to cook turkeys and chickens with roasted vegetables on sheet pans.
The really cool thing i picked up was a new Food Saver vacuum sealer that was only $25. It came with a roll of bags and an unopened stack of pre-cut bags. It was immaculate looking, even still had the permanent freezer marker clipped to the inside of the lid. I looked it up online and direct from the Foodsaver website it is a $170 machine! Its really great because yesterday i was using my old, smaller Foodsaver and i was thinking i'd really like to have a new one. It can be finicky and since my hands were feeling terribly achy that day (from who knows what) it was more difficult to use than it should have been. I was planning on researching the cost of a new one so i'm glad i found this one right away. Hubby was even impressed.
This one is all automatic. You put the food in the bag set it in place and push a button. You don't have to press down and lock the lid and it has settings for wet or dry foods and a gentle setting for stuff you don't want smashed. It will also seal without vacuuming out any air so i can reseal things like potato chip or cereal bags. I am so thrilled. I hope to dehydrate a lot of herbs, fruits and greens this year, i really hope that i can use this Foodsaver to seal and store them.
I also got the beta a new home, his vase was too small and i didn't like how it looked. I got him one of those vases that look like a very large brandy snifter. It holds just under a gallon of water, which is way more fair than the tiny vase he was in, even though i changed his water regularly. I washed it well with vinegar and hot water and he looks much happier in that. He gets more attention now too, i'm sure he appreciates that.
I got a few other odds and ends, some clothes for the kids, a fascinating little tea bell shaped like a tiny house that i really shouldn't have bought cause i am trying desperately hard to not acquire any more knick-nacks.... It would make a great Christmas ornament with a cotton ball soaked in pine needle extract tucked inside it.
It was a really good day, i am sore and achy from walking but the sun was out, it was almost too warm, but nothing has raided my garden in the last couple days, things appear to be on the mend or growing well. The kids are happy and healthy and i had some hot jalapeno cheese for a snack. Things are good!
I made some "beer fertilizer" a while ago. Its a home made fertilizer i learned about on an exotic houseplant forum a few years ago.
Beer Fertilizer
1 12oz beer (something medium bodied, light beer isn't worth anything)
1/2 cup of household ammonia, non scented
1 cup epsom salts
2 cups of water
Mix one tablespoon per gallon of water. Its mild enough to not damage leaves. I think i will feed the garden with it when i do some watering tomorrow. I got one of those Miracle Gro feeder-waterer sprayers, so if i put the fertilizer in there it should mix about right, and if its stronger i think it won't be too strong.
I gave my tomatoes some calcium the other day too, i read that about 3 capsules per plant is about right. I had a couple bottles of a calcium & magnesium supplement that had expiry dates from 2005, but i didn't want to throw them out because i knew i could use them in the garden some day. I never remember to take supplements and it takes me 5 years to remember to use things i have saved for other purposes. At any rate, it finally got done the other day. I simply scratched them into the soil surface at the base of each plant and will let watering and rain take over the rest. I had enough to put around every plant in the garden. So calcium should not be a problem in the garden this year.
I tried to go yardsailing today, but i guess i stink at it. We followed a couple posterboard signs around town, but they were small sales. A couple tables full of used Walmart glassware and little wall hangings from the 1980's, you know, the ones that are made to look handmade but are just factory prints from China.. We checked out the local flea market too, but nothing worth paying for there either. A few genuinely interesting things, but sellers wanted too much for what was essentially dust collecting agents. Lots of cassette movies and romance novels though. Gag.
Sooo.... we ended up going to Good Will. And i found a a few good things. I got a waffle iron, i have been trying to catch up with one for about a year. Found a good Oster for $4, its a round one. I can make my low carb waffles in it, the divots make wonderful butter-catchers.
I found a really nice roaster pan with a lift out rack and domed lid. I have needed one of those for quite a while as well. That was only $15. I'm tired of trying to cook turkeys and chickens with roasted vegetables on sheet pans.
The really cool thing i picked up was a new Food Saver vacuum sealer that was only $25. It came with a roll of bags and an unopened stack of pre-cut bags. It was immaculate looking, even still had the permanent freezer marker clipped to the inside of the lid. I looked it up online and direct from the Foodsaver website it is a $170 machine! Its really great because yesterday i was using my old, smaller Foodsaver and i was thinking i'd really like to have a new one. It can be finicky and since my hands were feeling terribly achy that day (from who knows what) it was more difficult to use than it should have been. I was planning on researching the cost of a new one so i'm glad i found this one right away. Hubby was even impressed.
This one is all automatic. You put the food in the bag set it in place and push a button. You don't have to press down and lock the lid and it has settings for wet or dry foods and a gentle setting for stuff you don't want smashed. It will also seal without vacuuming out any air so i can reseal things like potato chip or cereal bags. I am so thrilled. I hope to dehydrate a lot of herbs, fruits and greens this year, i really hope that i can use this Foodsaver to seal and store them.
I also got the beta a new home, his vase was too small and i didn't like how it looked. I got him one of those vases that look like a very large brandy snifter. It holds just under a gallon of water, which is way more fair than the tiny vase he was in, even though i changed his water regularly. I washed it well with vinegar and hot water and he looks much happier in that. He gets more attention now too, i'm sure he appreciates that.
I got a few other odds and ends, some clothes for the kids, a fascinating little tea bell shaped like a tiny house that i really shouldn't have bought cause i am trying desperately hard to not acquire any more knick-nacks.... It would make a great Christmas ornament with a cotton ball soaked in pine needle extract tucked inside it.
It was a really good day, i am sore and achy from walking but the sun was out, it was almost too warm, but nothing has raided my garden in the last couple days, things appear to be on the mend or growing well. The kids are happy and healthy and i had some hot jalapeno cheese for a snack. Things are good!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Expecting a hot day
Under the hoops this morning at about 6:30 the temperature was 67, outside temp was 62.
Expected to be unusually hot, some forecasters are calling for low 90's. Others are staying at 87-89.
Its already 74 at 8:00am
I have the dog outside under her shade tree. I'd like her to get her outside time in now, cause she'll want to nap the rest of the day on the cool kitchen tiles.
We have air conditioners, but i don't like to use them much. The cold from them is too direct, and once i turn it on, outside becomes even more intolerable.
On the weather maps, our state is mostly in red for severe weather (depending on what channel you watch), I am right on the edge of a red and yellow zone. If we are going to get storms, i hope they bring some rain. I expect that the row covers will protect my plants from a heavy rain. I may not be happy to see if they hold up under hail, but if they get a test today, i have plenty left to rebuild as long as the plants don't get whipped. I don't really expect that to happen though.
I still want to try and do something in the garden today. I might end up just lifting the edges of the covers so things don't cook under there... mid 80's got the undercover temps to almost 100... 90's will put it well over that i expect. Little to no breezes are expected.
I'm glad i watered yesterday, if i hadn't i bet things would be try as toast by tonight.
Expected to be unusually hot, some forecasters are calling for low 90's. Others are staying at 87-89.
Its already 74 at 8:00am
I have the dog outside under her shade tree. I'd like her to get her outside time in now, cause she'll want to nap the rest of the day on the cool kitchen tiles.
We have air conditioners, but i don't like to use them much. The cold from them is too direct, and once i turn it on, outside becomes even more intolerable.
On the weather maps, our state is mostly in red for severe weather (depending on what channel you watch), I am right on the edge of a red and yellow zone. If we are going to get storms, i hope they bring some rain. I expect that the row covers will protect my plants from a heavy rain. I may not be happy to see if they hold up under hail, but if they get a test today, i have plenty left to rebuild as long as the plants don't get whipped. I don't really expect that to happen though.
I still want to try and do something in the garden today. I might end up just lifting the edges of the covers so things don't cook under there... mid 80's got the undercover temps to almost 100... 90's will put it well over that i expect. Little to no breezes are expected.
I'm glad i watered yesterday, if i hadn't i bet things would be try as toast by tonight.
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