Odds and ends

I went out and treated the squashes for fungus. it seems to have bloomed overnight. I didn't get to go outside until after that other entry today, but when i did i saw a few squash leaves totally gray with powdery mildew. The summer squash are polka dotted with it too.


I also treated the tomatoes against any local blights  (early or late) that have been circulating.

And then i sprayed some BT to keep the worms out of my cabbages and corn.

This is what i picked yesterday.  They are ripening, slow but sure.

Oh, those square, gallon plus ice cream boxes that  i have them on,  they make great kit containers. I save them for storing lots of things, like my reusable yogurt cups & lids, i kept baby bottle parts in them, cake decorating supplies and we use one as the scrap bucket for the outdoor compost. (The worm bin gets the small bits right away), we keep it next to our coffee maker and its handy for the grounds to go in. The lid keeps fruit flies from getting curious and setting up house.

Um, lets see... i took some more pictures since i had been so lazy the last handful of days.  I love the carnival squash.  They are so decorative on the table that i don't mind them hanging around as decorations until they are stored away, Here's another variation.

Here is a Long Island Cheese

I don't know that i have seen anything from my Red Eye recently, i thought i saw some starting a couple weeks ago, but i didn't happen across any today.  They are a delicious squash, so i hope i have a few this fall.  They are butternut in texture and reminded me of hubbard in flavor.

Here's my single artichoke- its actually a small victory for me in a way because they say you can't grow them up here. This variety gives me the best shot that i know of, and the seed developers didn't fib. Of course one artichoke does not make a grand harvest, but i really hope this means that next year's starts from this year's roots will equal a modest harvest next summer.  Of course, i have to admit that i have no idea when it is or will be ready. Artichokes vary in size and shape by cultivar,  this looks like what is sold as a "baby" size at the grocery store.  I want to eat it, but it would just be one small bite even if it reaches standard size. I have considered letting it flower and set seeds in hopes of retaining a type that is likely to continue producing the first year.  But i have to look into it more:

Barring any more woodchucks, i may have some good cabbage soon. This is Point One:

.The other plants did recover like i hoped they wood. That gardening book i got from my Grandfather before he passed away said that a cabbage can regrow from a stub and produce multiple, smaller heads...the author was right!  I can see 3 good ones and 2 smaller ones getting ready to head up.

I never did cut down that swiss chard.  The seeds i started to put in their place never germinated. Not one. It may have been too hot. That was when we had those days close to 100 degrees. I don't think what i planted likes heat.  Too bad cause it was a waste of seeds.  But the chard is looking good again, its been cut or woodchuck raided at least 3 times now.

This is my only pepper so far

I checked for egglpant again and i don't see a thing, not even a hint.

Burdock leaves,  i'm really curious to learn what this root veggie will taste like. Its been interesting watching it grow.

And finally, the bare spot we want to become grassy. Its slowly coming in.  It needs watering daily though, which is a problem since we haven't gotten more than an inch of rain here for 3 weeks or more.

But the peegee hydrangea is enjoying the extra watering!  I expect some great color this fall.

Since the air is so dry, i decided to use the Durabrand Dehydrator* to try making some beet chips.  I pulled some beets yesterday thinking i'd share them with the neighbors, then i got distracted and they stayed outside all night on the side step.  I didn't want to give them wilted beets, so i decided to try and see if they make good chips since i said something about it at the Never Done Farm blog.
I used my mandoline slicer on the finest insert and i put them in with another summer squash.  I did the summer squash on medium last time, but i'm trying the thinner setting this time. Might not have been very wise because the mid size slice produces a veggie chip only slightly thicker than a standard potato chip.  These squash chips might turn out like stiff paper. But then, they will be easier for the little one to snack on, they should melt in her mouth.   I have no idea what to expect from the beets. If they do what sweet potatoes do, they will be a nice crispy crunch.

I spent a good deal of time last night at the Excalibur dehydrator site. They have some nice instructional videos.  I watched the entire Dehydrate2Store presentation and learned quite a bit.  She gives a lot of good and practical advice and the presentation is nice and clear.  The only thing i wished she would have done is turned on the Excalibur so i'd have an idea how loud it is.  But everything she used in the videos sound loud so it may be a good thing. lol


*I noticed when trying to find a replacement dehydrator about a year ago that a lot of people are looking for the Durabrand Dehydrator User Manual. I found that i still had my original copy so i scanned it into my computer and uploaded it to my Photobucket account for anyone who may wish to find it by searching for Durabrand User Manual or Durabrand Dehydrator.  Here is the link to the scanned images of the manual:
Durabrand Dehydrator Manual

Hopefully anyone who needs it will find it.

Woodchuck #2 has been apprehended....

My sources say that a 10 mile ride is about right for relocation. We know of a few places where a woodchuck won't become someone else's problem, will be able to quickly make itself at home and have plenty of forage.

I used the Mantis as a weed-eater in the walking rows of the garden.  Well, most of them anyway... the vining plants are taking over too widely and were in the way too much. I got what i could.  It clogged up  the tines quite a bit!  I also snapped my wrist good and sharp with the handle of the starter cord. Right where i got a cortizone shot for tendinitis around this time last year. I really hope it won't inflame again!

I also carved out the rest of the area that needs weed fabric and will become home to the Beach Plums and whatever else i come up with.

We got about an inch of rain last night, we are now right about where we should be for average rainfall this year. I treated the tomatoes for blights since its a preventative thing. The alternative is for them to contract it themselves and be part of the spreading of it. I'd rather that not happen.
Almost all of the plants have a green fruit on them by now.

I just got back from the dentist, needed my one filling replaced,  it was loose.  They had to numb me to the eyebrow cause i kept feeling it. So i'm not feeling all that well.  Anxiety attacks are awful.

Late Blight returns....

Link to Article.

I didn't garden last year so i missed it last year. This only gives me a slight advantage because my plants can't catch it from contaminated remnants of the previous season.    But since it can simply spread through the air, its really not much of an advantage.  Bonide Fung-o-Nil or Ortho's Garden Disease Control can work i understand. I'll ask hubby if he can grab me a bottle of one of them at Home Depot if he goes shopping during lunch.  He was planning to get some driveway sealer so he might be going there anyway.  I looked them up at Aubuchon, but all their concentrated garden fungicides are by order only and not in store.
I guess its been around for a while this year but i have not seen any reports of it reaching Maine yet... i did a search for articles but didn't find anything dated for this year.

Not much else going on. I haven't checked the Havahart trap yet and the weather is off and on sunny, not too hot but still quite humid.
I was going to start clearing out the flower boxes yesterday, but i wasn't able to find my big Fiskars pruning shears. I haven't seen hide or hair of them since last year. I hope they didn't get left outside to rust and then hubby had to throw them out.  I asked him if he's seen them and he hasn't.  I tried to do a little of it by hand but it was too much to do.  Pulling out the vines broke the stems off at the roots which will make it hard to locate and dig up the plants for their move. The thing is that i can't get into the mess without removing the vines first.
I've decided to use the Mantis on the walking rows in the garden. The weeds have come back too thickly to try and pull them. On the plus side, its more organic matter that will break down in the garden.

Plenty to do today and in the next few days.