I have loofahs !

I did not think this would happen. But I have gigantic loofahs.

This is only 1 plant that did all this.

They will be used as a bath or kitchen sponge after being processed

Calling it quits.

With the new moon showing up tomorrow. It is best not to plant. Get your garden ready to plant fall crop and get pest issues under control. Thursday will be a good day to start planting seed.

I do not think I will be planting a fall crop.
The weather has cooled of here in July. This is not normal.
My crop is failing this year so I think I will just try to maintain what I have.

This Minnesota midget melon is looking good.

But this one has splits.

My first ripe tomato has blossom end rot. And my cherry tomatoes are cracking.
I hope others are having better success than I. Please tell me how your garden is doing.

Feast or famine

This years rain has recked havoc on the garden.
Some of the tomato leaves have returned to yellow with spots.
Some leaves have wilted and turned brown.
This is blight. Caused by to much rain.
The news going around calls is "late blight." Even though it is early in the season.
I have fought and though I won this battle in spring.
The tomato plants are over 5 ft tall with fruit developing.
Now look.

I have been pulling leaves and disposing of them.
I have mulch on the ground. But I think I need an umbrella over them to keep them dry.
The cauliflower has so many holes .

The cabbage butterfly moth has had lunch.It is circled in red.

Along with this the caterpillars. and all his friends.

the is no hope for the leaves to cover the heads

This is my potato harvest for today.

On the brighter side. The mushrooms look enchanting.

Todays harvest.

Tomorrows hope is a organic mix of 1 garlic bulb boiled in 1 quart water for 20 minutes. 1 teaspoon red pepper and some ivory soap. To to make a home make insect repellent. Wish me luck.

Full moon lunar eclipse

 http://erikfrydenlund.dk/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/S%C3%A5kalender-2015-Pierre-Mason-engl-2-.pdf

Tonight we will have a full moon.
Native Americans kept track of the seasons by giving distinctive names to the recurring full Moons
This month has several names
Full Buck Moon, Because bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time.
Thunder Moon, because thunderstorms are so frequent during this month.
Hay Moon, for the July hay harvest.
Corn moon, a Cherokee name.



Things to do.
It is best not to plant today but to control weeds.
Do something to help heal the earth.
Light a white candle today for peace and healing of the earth.
Make a commitment to live a greener life.
Prepare your soil or containers for the fall garden.
As it it time for roots to do be planted the next couple days.
Get ready to start your new seeds.
Enjoy life today. Celebrate the wonderful world we live in.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will take place today on July 7, 2009, the second of four lunar eclipses in 2009. This eclipse will only enter the southern most tip of the penumbral shadow and thus will be very difficult to observe visually. Read moor about it at wickpedia.
A lunar eclipse is an eclipse which occurs whenever the moon passes behind the earth such that the earth blocks the sun's rays from striking the moon.
This months garden
On this Full Moon, the Sun is in watery Cancer opposing the Moon in the feminine earth sign of Capricorn, drawing attention to the need to balance what nurtures us .

Here is a sample of the lunar planting guide I use to grow my garden.

It helps me to plan my July moon planting calendar.

On Wednesday, 2009 July 22, a total eclipse of the Sun read moor at Nasa.
Mythology
Greek moon goddesses

SELENE was the Titan goddess of the moon
Greek goddesses Selene and Phoebe and their Olympian successor Artemis, their Roman equivalents Luna and Diana, or the Thracian Bendis.. The moon was always female while the sun was male named.
Heng-O Chinese Moon Goddess
Tsuki-Yomi Japanese Moon God
Soma The moon god in India

The unveiling

This has been drying for a couple of days now.
So I flipped it over. it looks great

I am pealing off the hosta leaves to uncover the veins.This will work great with a solar light in the center.

Now to start the base.

I have a recycled cone and news paper will help form the shape.

It will be a few days before this will be done. It is raining here and I need it to be dry to get it started.

Hypertufa

This is my first hypertufa project.

It will not turn out facing down like you see in the photo.
I will use this one as a cast to get others to face down later.
This will flip over and be a solar light holder and a bird feeder.
Maybe even a bird bath. all in one.
The leaves are from my Kossa regal & sum and substance hosta's
The orange cone will make the mold for the base.

This is the finished product all I have to do now is place the cone on to to indent it and cover it with plastic for a few day, the I can unmold it. and let it cure for a month or so. I had enough left over to make a gnome door and the bottom of a mushroom.
I used 6 16oz drink cups of both sand and Portland cement. 2 cups of peat moss and 3-4 cup water. We will see if I made this to thick. My supply's below cost a total of $41.90. So I will later find out how much this cost me to make. I already had concrete tool. rubber gloves and reused my containers.
Click here to see more recipes and video on how to do this.

July Garden Activities

Harvest black berry's.
Enjoy fresh salads
Pull up garlic bulbs when the tops start to yellow and dry. Do not wait until the leaves are completely dry or storage life may be shortened
Keep beans, cucumbers and other crops harvested so plants remain productive.

This is the height of weed season. It’s easier to control a small weed than a large weed. Organic or plastic mulches can help you keep weeds under control.
Water you garden as needed. This can be the start of the driest part of summer. Plants need at least one inch of water a week.

Remove any stagnant water to avoid mosquito problems. Consider flowerpots, gutters and birdbaths.

Watch for insect and disease problems with all crops
Watch for tomato hornworm on tomatoes and peppers. Remove by handpicking.
Inspect squash plants for the presence of egg-laying black and red squash vine borer moths. Stems may be protected from egg-laying by wrapping them in foil or old nylon stockings, or by placing a cardboard collar close around the base of plants. Row covers can also provide protection until plants start blooming. Otherwise, dust or spray the bases of plants with organic insecticide to kill hatched larvae before they tunnel into the stems

Side dress vegetables such as corn or tomatoes as they start to set fruit.You can use compost or manure. Coffee grounds, etc.

- Plant fall garden beets, broccoli, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots and cucumbers.

Deadhead perennials as they finish blooming.

Mow high for season. Long grass blades shade the ground and reduce soil water loss.

After strawberry harvest is complete, be sure to renovate the bed by mowing all the tops off, fertilizing and rototill to narrow the rows.

Enjoy the beginning of your your harvest.
BBQ and have fun with the family & friends.

Sit back and enjoy your flower garden

A very hot day

I have never seen a day start like this one Temp: 91°F Heat Index: 102°F before 7:00 am. It is not the temp as much as is it the moisture in the air. The grass is glistening in the sun as normal but I could not take a photo with out wiping off the lens. Also the purpel martins are missing. Normally by the crack of dawn they are making all kinds of noise. Chirping away and feeding. The windows are all covered like frost in the winter but it is moisture.
Hot out side and cooler inside.

I final have the photos under control wipe and shoot.

This cuke is blooming away.

The cauliflower leavers are getting big but no sign of veggie as yet.

The beans are flowering and healthy

The newest tomato is perked up well in the self watering bucket.

And this hosta is blooming away today

Tiny harvest

The first day of summer brought in my first harvest.

There is only 2 of us now so this will do.

I will add potatoes and bacon and make this a soup.
I was up all night and waiting for the sun rise on the first day of summer.
I have to learn to rejoice in this event as I am a spring person.
The heat of the summer is hard for me.
So I will try really hard this year to overcome and have fun.

You can see the sparkle of water droplets in the grass tonight.
My cat Reba above was out with me to harvest this morning.
She and Crash in the photo below, are the guardians of the yard.

I am finally learning to take better night photos.
All I did was lighten them up a bit.

I have Loosestrife 'Firecracker' (Lysimachia ciliata 'Firecracker')
It has the yellow flower to the left of the photo.
Center in ball form is Elephant Ear Garlic
Right is Hosta Abiqua Drinking Gourd'

POW WOW photo's

I was amazed to see a star still visible in the sky at sunrise this morning.

Click on photo's to enlarge.

It is below the top line in the photo.

We joined in on the annual pow wow by my home last night.

My pow wow photo's were a surprise to me.

I have other video's taken with the same camera on my other blog
The empty nester
But they are not so abstract.
These 2 turned out a bit magical looking
Like capturing the spirit of the dance.

They remind me of art rather than blur.

The grass sparkled with droplets of water all night last night.

Deep root watering

I am going to try to control the water to my tomatoes by Deep root watering spikes.

Maybe this will help control the early blight I have been fighting this spring. And the over watering in my upside down tomatoes.Caused by all the rain we have had.

I have placed them around some of the ones on the ground.

See the withered leaves are from to much water then not enough.

tomatoes need about 1 inch of water per week 3-5 gallons of water per plant. With the the summer heat , they need 11/2 to 2 inches per week. If the roots are shallow the plant will likely dry out faster (causing wilting). Watering once every 2-3 days is a good idea. By using a stick to check the depth 8-12 inches deep is about right where the water should reach.

But there is hope. I have my first tomatoes started

An over view of todays garden.