We've now had a week of cool damp weather, and it's wonderful! I've harvested all the ripe and almost-ripe tomatoes because of the raccoon incursions last weekend, and will be canning a lot of them tomorrow. Other than that, I'm just enjoying the early autumn weather, and will be starting some yard cleanup.
The seasons are changing...
Last weekend the raccoons finally discovered my tomatoes. After losing some two nights in a row, I picked all the ripe and almost-ripe ones. The raccoons came one more night and caused a certain amount of damage, possibly out of frustration. I've now had three raccoon-free nights, and hope that they've found someone else's garden to pillage. Also after a week of mostly very hot weather, we should get a break starting tomorrow. On the whole, things are looking up.
The intermittent very hot days (upper 90s) have not helped the gardening, although the beans seem to like it. Of the eight tomato plants I started with, three have died, all large fruit types, but the sweet 100s, romas, and purple topped ones are now being very productive, and I am finally getting the occasional zucchini. I haven't had appreciable rain since early June, which is a bit unusual - there are thunderstorms from time to time, but they go around me. At least we're almost halfway through August.
This week has been dry and very hot, but things should at least cool off some starting Saturday. I'm still running a sprinkler in the back most evenings, which helps some. The garden is mostly doing well - lots of purple podded beans and sweet 100 tomatoes. The romas and the basil are also thriving, and the zucchinis may finally produce a couple of zuchs. I've had some nocturnal raccoon visits, but no appreciable damage so far - I think they come partly for water from the bird bath and an easy path from the alley to the street since I don't have privacy fences like everyone else in the block.
After last weekend's upper 90s, the mid to lower 80s of the last few days are a welcome break. It did take a couple of days to get the house cooled down, and it won't last, but it's wonderful right now. The beans are doing great and setting beans, most of the tomatoes (but not all) are doing well, and the basil is happy. With August starting tomorrow, we're at the end of the Celtic summer, but not alas the Colorado one.
We badly need some rain, but the beans, tomatoes, etc are doing well. I've been running a sprinkler in the back in the evening some days, but at least such grass as is left in the front isn't growing and therefore doesn't need to be mowed. Lots of birds in the back most of the time -- yesterday the 4 flickers and sometimes 5 or 6 bluejays were here at once. The flicker family is out there now going to it on the suet cake!
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Gardening is going well, despite Japanese beetles on some of the bean leaves. At least slug damage is now minimal. The tomatoes are mostly setting heavily, so I should have ripe ones before long. And one zucchini plant finally set a zucchini! The fact that we're not getting much rain at least means I don't have to mow, although there is always more yard work.
Gardening is going OK, although now that slugs are less of a problem for the beans, the Japanese beetles have arrived. At least they don't go for the tomato plants to any great extent. All of them are setting tomatoes now, so a lot of them should be getting ripe by the end of the month. If I have an oversupply, I'll freeze some - it will probably still be too hot for canning.
I'm still grinding my way through chapter 28 - the hot weather hasn't helped. I've got most of it laid out but need to go through and edit it - I had enough interruptions that it doesn't all flow well. I also need to set up something that comes in chapter 29, which takes Gwernin et al back to Bru na Boine. I'm hoping to get through chapter 30 (The Well of Wisdom) by Lughnasadh; then there's only Gwernin's homecoming in 31.
Pretty warm weather here - mid to upper 90s some days, but no thunderstorms or indeed other rain. As long as it's dry I don't have to mow in front, which is good because the sweet peas have taken over on the south side of the house. If I need to do anything, I can use the weed whacker.
The hot weather hasn't hurt the tomatoes et al, I just had to run sprinklers three days as well as the morning watering round. Three of them have little tomatoes which are getting ripe, but these are ones that had already set on some of the tomatoes before I got them. The zucchinis are blooming, but it would help if they could have male and female flowers at the same time. I continue my morning battle with the bean-eating slugs. And I found the first Japanese beetle on the last pink rose. They'll be on the repeat blooming David Austin roses soon. Summer in the garden...
