are definitely starting to come in fast now, i'll be
putting up some freezer jam the next few days and
we've had shortcakes a few times already from the
first batch i picked. Ma has cooking projects the
rest of the day so the kitchen in hers until tomorrow
then i get to take over.

the crop isn't as much as last year, but it will
still be plenty. i picked about 10 quarts this
morning. enough for one or two batches of jam and
some more shortcakes.

forecast is for rain this afternoon and tomorrow,
we'll see... i don't believe it until it hits the
ground here as storms can fade as they come over
the valley.

the downside is that i have a lot left to plant yet
and so i will be getting out again in a few minutes
after my back takes a rest. i can get a few gardens
done and if the rains aren't too crazy i'll even plant
when it rains. by then i should be on to the larger
seeded plantings anyways.

George, you about ready to start making canoes out of
those zucchini?


songbird

On 6/7/2015 8:21 AM, songbird wrote:
> are definitely starting to come in fast now, i'll be
> putting up some freezer jam the next few days and
> we've had shortcakes a few times already from the
> first batch i picked. Ma has cooking projects the
> rest of the day so the kitchen in hers until tomorrow
> then i get to take over.
>
> the crop isn't as much as last year, but it will
> still be plenty. i picked about 10 quarts this
> morning. enough for one or two batches of jam and
> some more shortcakes.
>
> forecast is for rain this afternoon and tomorrow,
> we'll see... i don't believe it until it hits the
> ground here as storms can fade as they come over
> the valley.
>
> the downside is that i have a lot left to plant yet
> and so i will be getting out again in a few minutes
> after my back takes a rest. i can get a few gardens
> done and if the rains aren't too crazy i'll even plant
> when it rains. by then i should be on to the larger
> seeded plantings anyways.
>
> George, you about ready to start making canoes out of
> those zucchini?
>
>
> songbird
>
I think we have hit the end of the road with both zukes and yellow
squash. We're getting temps in the 85 - 90F range almost daily and the
squash plants are yellowing rapidly and dying. So we're pulling them and
turning them into compost.

We can't complain, put up about twenty three inch diameter zuke fritters
this past week and baked one humongous zuke, stuffed with pork sausage,
the cut up zuke innards, sweet chiles, and other goodies and baked for
45 minutes at 350F. Made three meals for us and was very delicious.

Tomatoes are coming in like crazy, we're washing, drying, and bagging
tomatoes daily. They then go into the freezer for use later. Grandkids
get some, neighbors get some, we eat some every day so we're happy.

Going to make eggplant fritters for freezing today, both the Ichiban and
American Beauty eggplants are producing very heavily. May put up some
Moussaka in aluminum pans too. Did that last year and had some nice
dinners over the winter.

We're back to watering the gardens again and I'm getting tired of these
cheap !@@#$ soaker hoses. I'm in the process of designing and installing
a PVC watering system that can be used at any time it's needed without
wasting water, a valuable commodity in Houston area.

Wife is off to a religious retreat this week and, next Saturday I'm off
to my high school reunion. This is the 58th year since I graduated HS
and 39th year from graduating college. I was a bit slow going to
college, U.S. Navy and getting married and raising kids sort of got in
the way.

George Shirley > wrote:
> We're back to watering the gardens again and I'm getting tired of these
> cheap !@@#$ soaker hoses. I'm in the process of designing and installing

You might find Netafim CV dripline a useful product. I used soaker hoses
last year and like you became very disappointed in the uniformity and
consistency of recycled rubber soaker hoses. The dripline seems to be much
better. Having the emitters at 12" spacing does not seem to cause much trouble.
The cost is about $.30 per foot, a little less online in 1000 foot rolls.

HTH,

bob prohaska

On 6/8/2015 12:03 AM, User Bp wrote:
> George Shirley > wrote:
>> We're back to watering the gardens again and I'm getting tired of these
>> cheap !@@#$ soaker hoses. I'm in the process of designing and installing
>
> You might find Netafim CV dripline a useful product. I used soaker hoses
> last year and like you became very disappointed in the uniformity and
> consistency of recycled rubber soaker hoses. The dripline seems to be much
> better. Having the emitters at 12" spacing does not seem to cause much trouble.
> The cost is about $.30 per foot, a little less online in 1000 foot rolls.
>
> HTH,
>
> bob prohaska
>
Thanks Bob, I will look into it.

George Shirley wrote:
>User Bp wrote:
>> George Shirley > wrote:
>>> We're back to watering the gardens again and I'm getting tired of these
>>> cheap !@@#$ soaker hoses. I'm in the process of designing and installing
>>
>> You might find Netafim CV dripline a useful product. I used soaker hoses
>> last year and like you became very disappointed in the uniformity and
>> consistency of recycled rubber soaker hoses. The dripline seems to be much
>> better. Having the emitters at 12" spacing does not seem to cause much trouble.
>> The cost is about $.30 per foot, a little less online in 1000 foot rolls.
>>
>> HTH,
>>
>> bob prohaska
>>
> Thanks Bob, I will look into it.

like you George i found the recycled material based
soaker hoses a very poor investment. even stepping on
them could ruin them easily. we put ours out in the
recycling this spring and i've returned to watering
by hand using the hoses as that works well enough for
me.


songbird

On 6/10/2015 12:57 PM, songbird wrote:
> George Shirley wrote:
>> User Bp wrote:
>>> George Shirley > wrote:
>>>> We're back to watering the gardens again and I'm getting tired of these
>>>> cheap !@@#$ soaker hoses. I'm in the process of designing and installing
>>>
>>> You might find Netafim CV dripline a useful product. I used soaker hoses
>>> last year and like you became very disappointed in the uniformity and
>>> consistency of recycled rubber soaker hoses. The dripline seems to be much
>>> better. Having the emitters at 12" spacing does not seem to cause much trouble.
>>> The cost is about $.30 per foot, a little less online in 1000 foot rolls.
>>>
>>> HTH,
>>>
>>> bob prohaska
>>>
>> Thanks Bob, I will look into it.
>
> like you George i found the recycled material based
> soaker hoses a very poor investment. even stepping on
> them could ruin them easily. we put ours out in the
> recycling this spring and i've returned to watering
> by hand using the hoses as that works well enough for
> me.
>
>
> songbird
>
I'm looking at the Netafilm or pvc, both available at local big box
stores. PVC is somewhat cheaper and, being retired, I have lots of time.
Doing the measurements needed to determine how much and which to use.
Can bury either in the short distances between raised beds and the in
ground beds or lay on top of beds and ground, easiest way. Since it will
be low pressure anyway probably won't even have to glue the PVC. I've
worked on garden watering with PVC before and it lasted the last ten
years we lived in the old place so is also hardy enough for our hot
weather. Will report on results if and when we get it done.

Right now I'm looking at dental work tomorrow and rehab on cervical
vertebrae Friday, not looking forward to either. I've been diagnosed by
the neurologist with having pinched nerves in the neck, both shoulders,
and the spine, in addition to bone spurs in both shoulders. Getting old
is tough enough without all the bad stuff that happens to your body when
you age. So far I've lived through multiple heart attacks, strokes, etc.
so reckon I can handle this crap too. Maybe it's all the stoop labor in
a lifetime of farming and gardening, not to mention running up and down
a US Navy ship for three years. <G>

George Shirley > wrote:
>>
> I'm looking at the Netafilm or pvc, both available at local big box
> stores. PVC is somewhat cheaper and, being retired, I have lots of time.

All the driplines I've seen are polyethylene; what's the pvc stuff like?

bob

On 6/10/2015 7:29 PM, User Bp wrote:
> George Shirley > wrote:
>>>
>> I'm looking at the Netafilm or pvc, both available at local big box
>> stores. PVC is somewhat cheaper and, being retired, I have lots of time.
>
> All the driplines I've seen are polyethylene; what's the pvc stuff like?
>
> bob
>
It's half inch PVC piping Bob. Been using it for irrigation for years.
Just drill small holes in the appropriate places. Has always been
cheaper than other forms with the exception of the soaker hoses. Soaker
hoses, according to the label, are made from recycled auto tires and the
big problem is they usually don't last an entire season.