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.