Went out this morning and checked the fruit trees, the blackberry vines,
and the vegetable garden. Pitiful looking stuff out there. We've not
gotten any rain to speak off here this year and were -21.34 inches
behind for 2010. Watering with city water just doesn't do enough, even
on a daily basis.

The peaches are about gone due to depredation by squirrels mainly. There
are no plums on the two trees, they didn't get enough water and the
fruit dropped. I've got water running on the fig tree at this time but
am afraid there won't be much of a crop there either. The persimmon is
holding its own but just barely, the quince still has several fruit on
the limbs and they are getting bigger. The blackberries are just now
blooming and they are late bearers.

The tomatoes haven't grown much but we do have a lot of baby squash. The
cukes aren't doing well at all but the Swiss chard is still producing,
will cut and preserve another batch later today. The green beans are
blooming and there are some baby green beans on the bushes. All in all
this year appears to be heading toward hardly anything to preserve.
Probably for the best with Miz Anne still on the sick list and with
moving plans in our future. Still, I do miss not being able to put up
the fruits of the earth for future use, particularly with food prices
rising so high lately.

Anyone else doing anything?

George
Father Confessor, HOSSPOJ

On Fri, 27 May 2011 09:37:45 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>Went out this morning and checked the fruit trees, the blackberry vines,
>and the vegetable garden. Pitiful looking stuff out there. We've not
>gotten any rain to speak off here this year and were -21.34 inches
>behind for 2010. Watering with city water just doesn't do enough, even
>on a daily basis.
>
>The peaches are about gone due to depredation by squirrels mainly. There
>are no plums on the two trees, they didn't get enough water and the
>fruit dropped. I've got water running on the fig tree at this time but
>am afraid there won't be much of a crop there either. The persimmon is
>holding its own but just barely, the quince still has several fruit on
>the limbs and they are getting bigger. The blackberries are just now
>blooming and they are late bearers.
>
>The tomatoes haven't grown much but we do have a lot of baby squash. The
>cukes aren't doing well at all but the Swiss chard is still producing,
>will cut and preserve another batch later today. The green beans are
>blooming and there are some baby green beans on the bushes. All in all
>this year appears to be heading toward hardly anything to preserve.
>Probably for the best with Miz Anne still on the sick list and with
>moving plans in our future. Still, I do miss not being able to put up
>the fruits of the earth for future use, particularly with food prices
>rising so high lately.
>
>Anyone else doing anything?
>
>George
>Father Confessor, HOSSPOJ

I still need to plant beans. DH tilled the area and it is so soft it
is hard to walk in and we got some rain last night so I am going to go
out and see how far I sink. I got the tomato plants out earlier,
peppers and eggplant went in last week. I just set out the squashes:
green & yellow zucchini, butternut and acorn, watermelons, cantaloupes
and pumpkins.

I am still harvesting broccoli, cabbage, spinach, chard and beets.

We had tornado warnings on Tuesday. They missed us but we did get
some hail. Took the tops off of a few plants and leaves from others.
Only one looks like a real goner.

--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

On Fri, 27 May 2011 09:37:45 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>Went out this morning and checked the fruit trees, the blackberry vines,
>and the vegetable garden. Pitiful looking stuff out there. We've not
>gotten any rain to speak off here this year and were -21.34 inches
>behind for 2010. Watering with city water just doesn't do enough, even
>on a daily basis.
>
>The peaches are about gone due to depredation by squirrels mainly. There
>are no plums on the two trees, they didn't get enough water and the
>fruit dropped. I've got water running on the fig tree at this time but
>am afraid there won't be much of a crop there either. The persimmon is
>holding its own but just barely, the quince still has several fruit on
>the limbs and they are getting bigger. The blackberries are just now
>blooming and they are late bearers.
>
>The tomatoes haven't grown much but we do have a lot of baby squash. The
>cukes aren't doing well at all but the Swiss chard is still producing,
>will cut and preserve another batch later today. The green beans are
>blooming and there are some baby green beans on the bushes. All in all
>this year appears to be heading toward hardly anything to preserve.
>Probably for the best with Miz Anne still on the sick list and with
>moving plans in our future. Still, I do miss not being able to put up
>the fruits of the earth for future use, particularly with food prices
>rising so high lately.
>
>Anyone else doing anything?
>
>George
>Father Confessor, HOSSPOJ

We're about opposite to you George.
Like I mentioned in a previous thread, it just won't quit raining. The
only thing even in the garden so far this year are onions and leeks.
Garlic planted last November is not doing too badly but, I'm afraid if
we keep on with this wet weather all that stuff will drown.
I have a pretty decent Davis Instruments Vantage Pro weather station
and according to it we've had 33.3mm of rain in the last 24 hours;
124.5mm so far in May and a total of 238.3mm since the 1st of April.
Grass has been growing like crazy. Had a bit of a break in the rain
last Friday afternoon so I tried cutting some. Left standing water in
the wheel tracks of the riding mower. Slipped getting on the mower at
one point and tore the ligaments in my left knee so I'm now hobbling
around with a cane and I'm grumpy.

Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada.
AgCanada Zone 5b
43º 17' 26.75" North
80º 13' 29.46" West

George Shirley wrote:

....
> Anyone else doing anything?

too much rain here, wish i could send some
your way.

probably well over 12 inches of rain the
past week and a half.

today was cool and cloudy but no rain.
in this clay all planting is a risk of
getting stuck and having to scrap each
shovel full off the blade. still got the
onions in and some other plants settled.

tomorrow is forecast chance of rain, but
we hope to get some beets, tomatoes and
green peppers planted. hope to get some
radishes and other seeds planted too but
it might be a bit late for some of them.

once we get past tomorrow i think we get
a break from the rain for a while and perhaps
i can get caught up on some badly needed
weeding. i'm way behind.

i hate to think what it would be like
around here if i'd not been working on the
landscape/drainage setup the past few years.
many gardens would be flooded and the
pathways in some areas would have more than
a foot and a half of water sitting on them.

the only things to harvest here now would
be rhubarb, chives and early garlic. the
chives we like the purple blooms so we don't
tend to think of them as edibles very often.
several hundred thousand plants worth...

the garlic is going gangbusters, strawberries
are looking nice, flax in bloom, grapes about
to bloom, peas, lettuces and spinach coming
along ok.


songbird

On 5/28/2011 12:48 AM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>
> ...
>> Anyone else doing anything?
>
> too much rain here, wish i could send some
> your way.
>
> probably well over 12 inches of rain the
> past week and a half.
>
> today was cool and cloudy but no rain.
> in this clay all planting is a risk of
> getting stuck and having to scrap each
> shovel full off the blade. still got the
> onions in and some other plants settled.
>
> tomorrow is forecast chance of rain, but
> we hope to get some beets, tomatoes and
> green peppers planted. hope to get some
> radishes and other seeds planted too but
> it might be a bit late for some of them.
>
> once we get past tomorrow i think we get
> a break from the rain for a while and perhaps
> i can get caught up on some badly needed
> weeding. i'm way behind.
>
> i hate to think what it would be like
> around here if i'd not been working on the
> landscape/drainage setup the past few years.
> many gardens would be flooded and the
> pathways in some areas would have more than
> a foot and a half of water sitting on them.
>
> the only things to harvest here now would
> be rhubarb, chives and early garlic. the
> chives we like the purple blooms so we don't
> tend to think of them as edibles very often.
> several hundred thousand plants worth...
>
> the garlic is going gangbusters, strawberries
> are looking nice, flax in bloom, grapes about
> to bloom, peas, lettuces and spinach coming
> along ok.
>
>
> songbird
We would certainly appreciate the loan of some rain but not all 23
inches we're lacking, at least not all at once. Our weather has been
strange for about two years now. Normally we get anywhere from 60-100
inches of rain per year, way below that for two years now.

Went out to get the paper at 0600, the air smelled of moisture. With my
luck it will be a tornado or a hurricane.

On May 27, 10:37*am, George Shirley > wrote:
> Went out this morning and checked the fruit trees, the blackberry vines,
> and the vegetable garden. Pitiful looking stuff out there. We've not
> gotten any rain to speak off here this year and were -21.34 inches
> behind for 2010. Watering with city water just doesn't do enough, even
> on a daily basis.
>
> The peaches are about gone due to depredation by squirrels mainly. There
> are no plums on the two trees, they didn't get enough water and the
> fruit dropped. I've got water running on the fig tree at this time but
> am afraid there won't be much of a crop there either. The persimmon is
> holding its own but just barely, the quince still has several fruit on
> the limbs and they are getting bigger. The blackberries are just now
> blooming and they are late bearers.
>
> The tomatoes haven't grown much but we do have a lot of baby squash. The
> cukes aren't doing well at all but the Swiss chard is still producing,
> will cut and preserve another batch later today. The green beans are
> blooming and there are some baby green beans on the bushes. All in all
> this year appears to be heading toward hardly anything to preserve.
> Probably for the best with Miz Anne still on the sick list and with
> moving plans in our future. Still, I do miss not being able to put up
> the fruits of the earth for future use, particularly with food prices
> rising so high lately.
>
> Anyone else doing anything?
>
> George
> Father Confessor, HOSSPOJ

nope. Like Ross said, too much rain. I don't have a big garden
anymore anyway. I did manage to get 2 patio tomatoes in, and some
herbs, and that will probably be it as far as produce goes. I watched
my husband cut the grass last Sunday before the skies opened up again,
and the tires on the riding mower were so thick with cut grass they
looked furry. He had to 'sweep' the lawn afterwards, because the
cuttings were so thick and juicy!

Really wish we could share some of this with you, George!

Kathi

We have had a lot of rain here in southern Wisconsin. I haven't even been
able to plant anything yet.It has also been quite cold here and I have been
afraid of a late frost. I hope to get the garden in by next week.Besides
veggies I am also going to plant 6 Blueberry & 5 Black Raspberry bushes.
Have a nice Memorial Day. John

George Shirley wrote:
....
> We would certainly appreciate the loan of some rain but not all 23
> inches we're lacking, at least not all at once. Our weather has been
> strange for about two years now. Normally we get anywhere from 60-100
> inches of rain per year, way below that for two years now.

here normal is 28-33 inches per
year. May normal is around 3
inches of rain. we are well above
that with more forecast for Sunday
and Tuesday.

we'll see if i have to get out the
water wings...

might see some sunshine monday.


> Went out to get the paper at 0600, the air smelled of moisture. With my
> luck it will be a tornado or a hurricane.

i hope something came of it?


songbird

On 5/29/2011 2:08 AM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
> ...
>> We would certainly appreciate the loan of some rain but not all 23
>> inches we're lacking, at least not all at once. Our weather has been
>> strange for about two years now. Normally we get anywhere from 60-100
>> inches of rain per year, way below that for two years now.
>
> here normal is 28-33 inches per
> year. May normal is around 3
> inches of rain. we are well above
> that with more forecast for Sunday
> and Tuesday.
>
> we'll see if i have to get out the
> water wings...
>
> might see some sunshine monday.
>
>
>> Went out to get the paper at 0600, the air smelled of moisture. With my
>> luck it will be a tornado or a hurricane.
>
> i hope something came of it?
>
>
> songbird

Nada, Nothing, zilch. Cars in driveway had dust on them this morning.
I'm wondering if the ash from the Iceland volcano has made it all the
way around the earth yet. Probably just local dust as the ground here is
hard as a rock. Dug out a young hickory tree a couple of days ago and
the sawzall would barely penetrate the dirt.

> wrote in message
...
> We have had a lot of rain here in southern Wisconsin. I haven't even been
> able to plant anything yet.It has also been quite cold here and I have
> been
> afraid of a late frost. I hope to get the garden in by next week.Besides
> veggies I am also going to plant 6 Blueberry & 5 Black Raspberry bushes.
> Have a nice Memorial Day. John

Lots of Rain In Washington St. The nights have been averaging below 50 .
My lettuce starts are ready to harvest. I have yet to see any Tomatillo
Volunteers yet it needs to warm up some more.

In article >, George
Shirley > wrote:

> Anyone else doing anything?

Well, we just planted our garden, even though there's still a risk of
frost.

:-P

I'm with George, could someone *please* open the gate and send some
rain our way???

Here in Western PA, we've just planted out Garden. put in a dozen of
Giant Italian paste tomatoes, four Abe Lincoln (heirloom supposedly) 4
of a long heart shaped heirloom who's name slips my mind today. and
four Amish paste tomatoes.
a dozen bell peppers, and a dozen hot, serano and Jalapeno.

beans, carrots, radishes, two kinds of lettuce, beets, one watermelon
plant for the kiddies, and Four straight * plants, four pickling
cucumbers and four of something called Hillbillie but don't know for
sure what it is, maybe sweet potatoes. if it is, I bet it won't
produce here but it sure looks like a sweet potato.
put in on June 1st, 2011. Please Lord, no more frost this year,
amen.