Garden June 2021

Tuesday, June 1

June Garden List

1. Continue to build cage

2. Continue to plant corn

3. Continue to plant green beans

4. Continue weed management

5. Work on water tower

6. Replace weak posts

7. Work on North fence.

This is how the garden day started. This section will be the second cage. The fence behind all this tree foliage is totally trashed and needs to completely rebuilt with new posts. It lasted about eight years and I can most likely reuse most of the fence panels but some will need to be replaced. The wild vines are have taken over the North fence that in this picture. Behind the fence is a total mess of monster vines. It's going to take a lot of work to root them all out and off the fence.

This is the end of the garden day. Many wheelbarrow loads of weeds and brush were taken to the brush and weed pile at the edge of the woods next to Lonergan's potato patch. The next visit to Terra Nova Gardens will be to clean up the beds and the west pathway that's still covered in weeds. I won't recondition these beds until I finished with the corn, beans, and onions beds. 

I've decided to just cage the corn side of the first cage. I didn't really think the planting through and I planted ten foot sunflowers in a six foot cage. So if I just cage the corn side it will allow the sunflowers to grow up to their mature height. What was I thinking.

Wednesday, June 2

Not much gardening today. It will be a day at the Urban Ranch and definitely watering all the plants. The rain has not been too much lately. The rains that we get are not too helpful. Terra Nova Gardens is drying out and the next visit will have to be a watering day. 

Maybe I can work on the automation of the bucket garden watering some today. 

I tied up some of the bucket tomatoes.

Thursday, June 3

Not much gardening going on today. I might sneak out to Terra Nova Gardens after taking Bradley to work. I need to be diligent about working on the reclamation of the garden beds there. The first order of business would be to do as much watering as the natural spring will allow. That might be all that gets done. 

Saturday, June 5

I'm going to try to get out to Terra Nova Gardens and water all the plants. The forecast is for very little rain for the next week with hot temperatures. Plans for Terra Nova Gardens race through my mind constantly changing from day to day. The over all plan is the same but just how to get there is different each day.

I have an issue with one of the gutters for the patio garden. The gutter for the tomatoes has a leak. It's really too late to fix it for this year. I have to come up with a way to save the water that leaks and reuse it. I have some ideas but not sure they will work. Any open water collection is a invite to be a bird bath which I don't want from the crackle black birds or any bird for that matter.

Grass mulch is piling up at Terra Nova Gardens. I have to figure out a way to use it. I'm thinking just pile it in the two beds that will be the second cage. It will eventually be buried in the beds but for now it will keep the weeds at bay. I don't think I'll get to bury the grass until this fall. The front beds of the garden can be covered with grass as well for weed control. 

I will try to kill the trees that I cut by boring a hole in the stump of the tree and filling the hole with stump killer every time I visit the garden for a while. Then maybe next year I can remove the stumps. That way the tree won't grow back from the stump. I can't believe how big trees can get in just a couple years.

This is the potato patch. It's time to start piling on the dirt. I know that potatoes can be totally covered up at this stage and they will just keep growing up and out of the dirt. When I experimented with the three layer potato patch, the first planting was covered up twice and survived just fine. I'm using the dirt out of the path to cover up the potatoes. I'll cut the carpet out and dig about four inches of dirt out of the path. The dirt will be replaced with weed barrier fabric and mulch. There are several sunflowers up and growing that are outside the potato rings.

This is the corn. I thought about closing up the door of the cage to keep the rabbits out. They like to munch on the tender shoots. I will have to make the door the next time I go out to Terra Nova Gardens. I think the door will be just attached at the top with zip ties and when it gets opened up, I'll just flip it up on top of the cage. It's the simplest way to do the door. I'll put some wire hooks down the side. I will put a rock line across the door opening and across the back of the path.

Here's a bean. There a few beans that are up and growing. I've decided that I should have a small walk between the tires to service the tires and areas outside the tires every three tires. I'll use the stack of patio blocks for the small walk way. It will make it easier rather than jump around like a monkey.

This was a tree in the North fence line of the garden. I sawed off the tree and drug it out into the wooded area by Lonergan's potato patch. I drilled this hole to fill with stump killer that I suspect is nothing more than roundup with a higher price tag. I'll refill the hole a couple more times to kill the stump down into the root level. Maybe by next year this stump will be rotted down to be taken out easy. It's a good way to keep the stump from sprouting back into a scrub tree.

I've had this stump killer in the garage for several years and have used it around the Urban Ranch along the fence line to kill the sprouting Mulberry trees. It does a good job. I have some more trees to kill behind the shed. There's trouble some tree there in the fence line that I keep cutting down but it keep coming back. I'm not sure if I've used the drill a hole and fill it with stump killer trick or not. I will this year.

Monday, June 7

Today I would really like to start covering the potatoes with dirt which will require the carpet to be removed from the center path and filled with mulch. It will be after I mow down 35th street and before Lydia's yard mowing. It will be a challenging day. So I need a carpet blade for the box cutter. And I need some Philips screw heads for the cordless screwdriver. I keep breaking the tips off the driver heads.

 

This is the beginning of the day at Terra Nova Gardens. It's bed number 8 for the second cage. Actually the weed pressure is less than I thought it would be but it's been covered all last year with old tarps. So the weeds have been really k

kept at bay. So the work begins. 

The grass from 35th street is was just two bags. So this is the next section of bed 8 that gets covered by grass. I put down a good healthy layer of grass that's about four inches. It will shrink down in a few days and I may put more on before the fall rejuvenation of the bed. Then a another coat would be great. 

This is the end of the day with the second of grass covered with carpet to let it cook and dribble the nitrogen rich juices down into the soil.  The carpet I found on Irvington Road by the storage unit for Dot. I cut it in five foot sections and it covers the bed perfectly. I really didn't get a whole lot done at Terra Nova Gardens today but every little bit helps.

Tomorrow will be spray the backyard with weed killer spray. Well, that is if the wind isn't a factor. 

Tuesday, June 8

Not much gardening going on today. I do have to water the plants again. I will have to start hauling water out to Terra Nova Gardens as the barrel at the spring is not working too well. It's not actually in the spring area which looks a lot wetter that where the barrel is. I probably should sink a couple barrels in the spring area to catch more water. Lot's to do at Urban Ranch and Terra Nova Gardens. The people garden still needs tending as well.

I sprayed a center portion away from all gardening for the obnoxious weeds. I want to see how well it works before going any farther and if it will have an effect on the garden plants. There was a slight breeze which is another reason I didn't want to get close to garden plants. If this is effective, I'll spray in smaller areas at a time to keep the drift down. Tomorrow is another low wind day. I need to get out and spray earlier in the day.

I also noticed that the tomato gutter is almost dry which means I have to be more diligent monitoring the water in the gutters. All the plants look really good. I hope that spraying won't damage them. I thought maybe I should have used a granular weed control as apposed to a spray.

Wednesday, June 9

Today will be a day at Terra Nova Gardens. I do want to start covering up the potatoes and filling in the trench where the dirt from the path is taken with the mulch that Dave Hall got for me. It's mountain of mulch just like what I've always wanted. There is so much work there that it's like starting over. I'm just keeping after it a little at a time. It's another hot one today so the progress will be slow and steady with a little work and lots of rest with lots of water to drink. I drink warm water. I don't think it's good for  the hot body to drink cold water. My thought is it shocks the body and that can't be a good thing.

The tomato gutter continues to have a bad leak. It's not fixable so I'll continue to catch as much of the water as I can and pour it back into the gutter until the season is over. It seemed to be good at the beginning of the year but now it leaks over a gallon a day. 

These are the bucket tomatoes. They are looking good. I will trim around the bottom of the plants to give them better air flow. My hope is to keep feeding them every two weeks and making sure that the they have enough water. I might have to go to watering every day with this hot weather upon us. They don't look stressed just yet but I don't want to wait for that either.

Peppers are doing well with same notation as for tomatoes. I can see little buds forming so the peppers will be coming. I need to mulch them in with grass clipping. Maybe I'll do that today. I might water them today as well. It just keeps getting hotter every day this week. The forecast says there's a possibility for rain on Friday but I'm not counting on it.

These are the in ground tomatoes. They are ahead of the bucket tomatoes but not by much. I removed the wire protection to get better access to watering the plants. The lettuce and sorrow are just about at the end of there usefulness. I will remove them soon. The idea of planting the starts from the basement was a great idea. I've been harvesting for a couple more months than usual. The sorrel really took off and produced. I might leave that in. I should plant more lettuce in the basement. That area has been shut down for quite some time. It's a mess down there and needs to be totally cleared and cleaned.

The potatoes are up and growing well. The task for today was to remove the carpet in the pathway; remove about four inches of dirt from the pathway; use the dirt to fill up around the potatoes. The next round will be to set another tire on top of these tires and fill it with dirt.

Here's the first tire filled with dirt. The weeds were just starting to grow so now they are totally covered which will help with weed control. This dirt from the path was a bit chunky and had to be chopped up with a spade to a good texture to smooth around the potato plants.

This is the pathway and the spot where the soil has been removed. There's just enough soil in the pathway to fill the tires. The dirt broke up fairly good for being a pathway for several years.

The mulch that Dave Hall got for me isn't premium mulch but instead gives the look of a forest path. I quite like it. I'm not sure how long it will last but the price is right and there's mountain of it waiting to be used. Once I get the potatoes covered in soil, I can start working on the corn and beans. I brought home two barrels to use for hauling water. The spring just isn't up to the task this year. The water level is way down but it might be the  placement of the barrel. I noticed that where the spring really is the top of the dirt is wet. So another task on the list would be to sink another barrel down into the muck of the spring. 

Friday, June 11

I have two barrels set up to haul water out to the garden. I haven't done that for years. I want to fill up the east water tower tank to see if it will hold up under the weight. It will be a test to see how well I engineered it. 

The 1/2 inch rain today will be great for the potatoes and corn planted at Terra Nova Gardens.

Saturday, June 12

No gardening today.

Sunday, June 13

No gardening today.

Wednesday, June 16

Very little gardening today. Just watering plants and trying to fix gutter leaks.

Pulled out lettuce and sorrel. That was a good run and way too much for me to eat. I think three plants each would supply me for outside lettuce. It's time to plant more.

Thursday, June 17

Today will be a brutally hot day. The heat index will be 108 and there's a winds. That's not good for plants. The bucket plant suffer the most. The soil gets hotter and the furnace wind sucks the moisture right out of the soil.  I watered down all the plants as much as the container would hold before it started heating up. I will water them again after the sun goes down behind the trees. I don't think it's a good idea to water during the hot part of the day.

I weeded the raised beds and pulled all the weeds in the bed slated to be rebuilt. There's not much more to do with gardening today except keep the plants hydrated.

Friday, June 18

Another hot day on schedule. It won't be the 105 hot like yesterday but still middle 90s. Thank goodness the humidity has been decent this year. It always starts out in the 80s in the morning but decreases during the day and by evening it's in the 30s or 40s percent. 

There'll be no gardening today. 

Monday, June 21

Day 168 of year 2021

Today will be spent at Terra Nova Gardens working on the cage, path, and potatoes. I didn't get to work on potatoes or path because Bradley needed a ride to work. I didn't know that I was supposed to take him to work. 

Tuesday, June 22

Day 173 of year 2021

I'm hoping to be able to get out to Terra Nova Gardens to work on the path and potatoes. I did get the gate and south end of the cage done. It's going to be more of a project than I thought but that's always the case isn't it? It's going to be great when I get it done. I'm not going to cage half for the sake of the sunflowers. It's more important that I get the cage built than saving some bad planning when I planted the sunflowers.

I have given up on two gutters until I have the time to try and mend the leaks. It's too time consuming riding herd on catching the water each day and returning to the gutter only to have it leak out again. I have to do some extensive sealing to keep it from leaking.

This is the first regular size tomatoes harvested. I did harvest a couple cherry tomatoes from Urban Ranch front driveway container pot. I just might make these into bacon tomato sandwiches. They are not big cover a sandwich in one slice tomatoes but it a start to the season of  juicy home grown tomatoes. After the rough start to the growing season, I'll take it and enjoy it.

I planted strawberries in two of the raised beds at the Urban Ranch to be a nursery for spawning babies to build the strawberry bed at Terra Nova Gardens. Here is the first two babies that are being planted in cups to root. When the roots are well established I'll snip the umbilical cord and let them grow up a little before putting them into the their permanent bed. It might take a couple years to get a substantial bed established at Terra Nova Gardens but it will be worth it.

This is my attempt to fix the leak in the gutter under the tomatoes. It's a thick paste that is supposed to seal water leaks. I put the entire can on this end of the gutter. I've had trouble with this for a couple years now. I might just have to replace the gutter next year. I think this is year number five or six for this gutter method. It has to cure for 48 hours. I might give it an extra day just to let the thick coat cure a little more. Hopefully, I can get through this year. 

Wednesday, June 23

Day 173 of year 2021

Today I'm planning on a day at Terra Nova Gardens and working on the potatoes next ring of dirt and extending the path mulch. But first I need to water all the Urban Ranch plants and give them some fish emulsion. I gave them all a dose of fish emulsion but not a full watering. I'm going to let the plants soak up the fertilizer and maybe give them a full watering tonight or see if we are really going to get rain tonight and wait until tomorrow morning if no rain comes.

Here's the second ring of potato tower. I could keep going but I think I'll stop with just two rings. I have enough space to put the rest of the dirt from the path. I have one more double ring and four more that I can put dirt to fill one ring. That will be enough to see if this indeterminate potato thing is for real.

I replanted the first corn tire ring. Something ate the sprouts. I now have the two beds semi secured. Rabbits can go through the fence but raccoons can not. However, raccoons can climb over the fence so the corn is not secure just yet. I will have to step up the progress to put the top on the cage.

Here's the path mulch that Dave Hall got for me. There is a mountain of mulch that will fill many pathways. The wheel barrow that Dottie my wife had me buy all those years ago has finally worn out after about 25 or more years of use. I have another wheel barrow that I'll take to Terra Nova Gardens. It also needs a bit of work with replacing the handles.

This is the potatoes that are double ringed. I have three completed with one more to go. It's taken over half of the pathway dirt. This will be amazing when I'm finished with it. I used the water tower today to water all the plants. I need a new end to the hose to soften the flow of water.

Friday, June 25

Day 176 of year 2021

Now that the gutter leak is fixed I have an idea for the automatic watering. This is a three gallon water container but it could be any size. I need to put a special cut block under the front of the water container to lift it up off the end of the gutter or the weight will break the seal. I put a little water in the container just to see if it will work. I'm sure it will work great. I cut a PVC pipe to lift the container just a hare up and take the weight off the end of the gutter. Then I filled up the container and it seems to be working great. Tomorrow morning will be the witness to working or not working. The leak on the far end of the gutter seems to be sealed as well. So one gutter down and one to go.

I rooted five more strawberry babies. That makes a total of nine all together .... I think.

Saturday, June 25

Day 177 of year 2021

The automatic watering is working perfectly. Because of the rain, I expect, not much water was used from the water jug. The leak seal must be working or the water jug would be much lower.  I really would like to see it dry up for a few days to see if the leak really is fixed. I'm pretty sure it is. 

There won't be much gardening today as it rained again last night and everything is wet. Maybe Monday. It will be grass mowing day for Lydia's yard and 35th street.

Sunday, June 26

Day 178 of year 2021

The days of June are dwindling away. Only four more left. I'm hoping to continue to work toward an enclosed cage by the time of corn tasseling.  I have to get busy and make it happen or the electric fence has to go up again. 

I definitely need to water today. I rooted four more baby strawberries. Yesterday I planted six Zucchini seeds. We will see if they sprout.

The watering system is working wonderfully well and the leak is finally fixed. It doesn't take much water to keep the gutter full. I might cut another PVC pipe to fill the gutter just a smidge more. Now I'm ready to work on the other gutter that leaks and set up a automatic water system there as well. I thought that it would take more water to keep the gutter full than it does. I like this automatic watering system better because I can see just how much water is being sucked up by the plants. Last year with it hooked up to the big water tank I couldn't tell how much water was being used and it's a really simple way of watering. There's no timers, no valves, and no worries. What could possibly be better than that.

Wednesday, June 30

I'm hoping to get more corn planted after mowing 35th street to acquire mulch. Some trimming on the fallen tree will be scheduled but depends on the back health as to whether it will be done.

The temperatures are amazingly in the 80s and quite tolerable to be outside working. I'm not sure how long it will last but I want to take advantage of the cooler days as much as I can.

The tomato auto watering is working wonderfully well. The next gutter is not leaking dry any more and I'll have to use my shop vac to suck out the water. I don't trust that it's cured itself. I'll get another small container of the Flex Paste. It certainly worked on the tomato gutter.

This is the last day of June. I did work on the cage but it really needs to be stepped up in building it. I do have the area fenced in and secured. Well, probably not for rabbits or raccoons just yet but certainly from deer. I'm not sure what nibbled the corn at the entrance and I did replant that ring. The rest of the bed will be planted traditionally in rows.

The corn is up in the first ring that got nibbled. The rest of the corn has been planted in traditional rows. This bed is fully planted. It was a sticky day and I sweat a lot. I can mark that task off the list. The next time out I'll be finishing up bed 8. The weeds need pulled and the ground covered with grass clippings. Then a carpet cover to keep the weeds under control.