Tag: trellis

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Getting there on post-geothermal landscaping and other Wednesday news

You can see where I plan to put Peruvian ground cherries (the tomato cages) and honeyberries (white flags) on the last raised bed in the side yard. Those four plants were dug up when the geothermal HVAC was put in.
Ready to be planted! The buckwheat seeds I planted around them. I’ll take another pic in a day or two as it got too dark by the time I got done planting and watering them.
Earlier in the day I noticed the bisbee gray cowpeas are producing nicely in backyard.
One lone seedling of a Texas mallow is coming up!
A native cucurbit with a very tiny gourd. Not edible or at least not good according to various sources. But it’s an adorable vine and quite pretty when a bunch grows in one spot.
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Harvest and pruning

Surprise! A loofah gourd I didn’t plant has already reached the top of the trellis.
Chard, mini bell peppers, and Chimayó peppers.
The Chef found a cutworm in the chard.
I found a big beautiful banana spider (Argiope) in the tomatoes while I harvested! I made sure not to bother her more.
I finally determined the zucchini plant was a total loss to squash vine borers. I also made an executive decision to not let the very thriving white currant tomato plant shade out the moon and stars watermelon or the salvia or the rosemary. There’s only one plant and it’s a monster! I got over 900 g this evening alone.
All tidy now. I hope the watermelon will do better now.
I came inside to find this beautiful meal prepared by the Chef. Greens are chard from the garden and the bell pepper topping is mini bell peppers sliced. Yum. Nice and cool after working in the heat and humidity.
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A day without rain??

Dill seeds are developing.
A lightning bug rests on carrot leaves.
This pillbug (rolly polley) looks very fresh, perhaps it just molted? It’s on a dayflower.
The prairie is very lush and some of the tepary beans are sure climbing tall!
Beautiful fungi on woodpile.
Dog says things are okay!
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Assorted day off activities and observations

Several strawberry runners took root so I snipped the runners.
I set out a tray of dirt to try to capture more strawberry runners.
The Chef helped me cut down the yaupon holly that was planted in a bad spot. It kept hitting the garage roof and gutter. Nine of ten water barrels are now in place for use!
Dinner… I made it this time. It includes a few of the new tomatoes (as well as a store tomato) and fresh garden basil and oregano.
Got mail!!
Drying coriander (the cilantro seeds) for later harvest!
Tepary beans reaching up!
Wild poinsettia (A volunteer).
The prairie and its rain barrel.
Rudbeckia is looking great.
A true bug.
Standing cypress about to bloom!
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Little things growing

Some of tepary beans have started to climb!
Salvia coccinea seedlings emerge in an earwig-free environment.
Likewise, maybe the baby basil will have more luck away from earwigs.
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Moving and chopping the woodpile yesterday

The Chef very kindly moved and chopped the woodpile yesterday away from the bean trellis so I can keep it weeded. He found many creatures which I have documented.

Ant nest
Young beetle
Angry larval thing waving its head around
Pupal something
Long-horned beetle (family Cerambycidae). Many like it were inside the logs.
Big beautiful beetle living under the bottom log. I moved it over to new log pile.
A small caterpillar alternatively playing dead and thrashing its head threateningly around.
While we were outside, I noticed the basils and Salvia coccinea (tropical sage) sprouting.
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BEAN CENTRAL HERE WE COME

A very kind friend came over this evening and helped us attach a 100 ft roll of welded steel fence to our new wooden backyard fence. Now all I have to do is clear more of the non-bean plants near the fence base, and wait a few weeks for the soil to warm up sufficiently for tepary beans. I might start some runner beans in the shadier areas so they stay cool longer.