George Shirley wrote:
>songbird wrote:
>> George Shirley wrote:
>> ...
>>> I picked four cucumbers and two tomatoes earlier this morning, now 0751
>>> CST. Lima beans and cukes are at the top of the four feet tall
>>> trellises, hoping they start blooming soon. Lots of baby yellow squash
>>> and there are four Acorn squash on the volunteers along the fence. Looks
>>> like this may be a good year for us, depending on rainfall. The new
>>> soaker hoses are working well so we're happy.
>>
>> we have been growing the fordhook lima
>> beans which are bush type. i try to find
>> extra spots behind other things to wedge
>> them in as they are the last to finish.

> We are growing Hopi red lima beans this year for the first time. Forgot
> where I found them but it was a Native American Heirloom seed outfit. We
> just barely can walk around our tiny backyard, I mow it with the weed
> eater. Thirty-two feet long by four feet wide raised beds plus two feet
> wide beds around 64 feet of fence and another bed under the windows of
> the house. Doesn't even cover the roll around potting bench on the
> patio. Then there's flower beds in the front of the house with veggies
> growing behind the flowers plus a pear tree in front and a fig and a
> kumquat tree in the back. As we age we're trying to cut back on acreage.

it's dangerous to mention the B-word around me as
i've really enjoyed growing many different varieties
of beans. are the Hopi red lima beans anything like
the Jackson Wonder limas?


>> i have to remember to get the squash seeds
>> planted. they are on my list in my head, but
>> where they go is far enough in the back that
>> out-of-sight-out-of-mind may happen for a bit.
>> we'll need to cage them as there are woodchucks
>> and wabbits about.

> We've been eating summer squash for three weeks now. Big difference in
> climates.

Ma ended up planting them and put netting over the
holes to hopefully keep the chipmunks and other critters
from digging them up. these are the squash for fall
and winter eating.


>> we used soaker hoses for the tomatoes last
>> year and while they worked i still wasn't
>> all that happy with the flavor of the tomatoes.
>> i'm going to do things a little different this
>> year and see how things go.

> It's always better with natural rain, the rain brings down meteorite
> dust and nitrogen from the atmosphere, helps everything green. Saw a
> news program the other day that the meteorite and volcanic dust in the
> atmosphere has bacteria with it and helps with the rain. We don't
> fertilize but a tiny bit, the rest comes from compost. Wish we still had
> rabbits, best fertilizer there is, put it on the garden straight from
> the rabbit and it doesn't burn. Been many years since we had the
> rabbitry but we did have wonderful gardens back then, cow, chicken, and
> rabbit manure all composted nicely. About two acres of gardens and six
> acres of grazing pasture. Lots of work but fun in our twenties, which
> were a long time ago. Plus we had two kids to work with us. They both
> still garden. But neither cans anything, to busy I guess, both have
> careers as do their spouses.

oh yes, a good rain is always appreciated. the
forecasts for today went from rainy to partly sunny
and then it ends up raining a little anyways. which
is fine with me as it gives me a day off to rest up
a bit and it keeps those seeds properly moist.

two acres of gardens is plenty for a few people
to keep busy that is for sure!

i won't keep any animals until i'm ready to kill
and clean them for food. Ma will not put up with
anything other than the worms and they are doing
what i need them to do - good enough for now.
things may change in the future...


songbird