Hot weather continues - hot days and not-cool-enough nights. Mid to upper 90s, and overnight lows in the 60s. After all, it's mid-July. Makes it hard to concentrate on writing or other mental things, but the tomatoes love it. Six ripe cherry tomatoes so far, and possibly some sweet 100s next.
After a few mild days and nights, we are back in the 90s again, with next weekend forecast to reach 100 (shudder). The tomatoes, however, are flourishing, creating a sort of vertical tomato jungle mixed with morning glories in their tomato cages, and covered with scores of little green tomatoes. The earliest cherry tomatoes are already getting ripe. In wildlife action, I saw a hummingbird yesterday which followed me around while I was watering, and Ruay caught two more small rabbits this week. I put the first one in another yard, but the second one got away from both of us, going through the chain link fence and finding safety between that fence and the neighbors' wooden one. I'm thinking it left during the night; neither Ruay or I have seen it again.
After a couple of delicious days of thunderstorms and rain, we are back with highs in the 90s again. Now we have to endure July. My tomatoes are flourishing, with lots of little green tomatoes now. Once they start getting ripe (usually by Lammas) I should have all I need for the rest of the summer. I have seen the first couple of morning glory blossoms, the scarlet runner beans are blooming, and I was visited yesterday morning by three juvenile blue jays and their mother, all squawking loudly! It's summer.
Weather has been going up and down between warm and too hot. Still no rain, although it sprinkled for about 5 minutes today. Some of the tomatoes are setting, but most are still just blooming. However, most of them are growing like crazy.
The weather is jumping back and forth from cool to warm to hot and back again. I have to water things daily. The tomatoes are flourishing, with some setting tomatoes; the cherry type called Sakura has about a dozen already. The marigolds and basil are also doing well. I still need to move most of the geraniums out of the garage; maybe Tuesday morning as I have a vet appointment for Mulberry tomorrow. It's definitely summer weather, but still very dry. No lawn mowing anyway.
Hot weather the last couple of days - 90s. I don't care for July weather in early June, but next week should be a bit cooler. The tomato plants are blooming, and most of the beans have sprouted. Tomorrow should be cooler, and I can pot up the basil plants and the last of the marigolds, then start the geranium migration to the cold frame.
A little wildlife excitement earlier in the week - on two early mornings, Ruay caught two small half-grown rabbits. They didn't seem to be hurt, so I relocated them to other yards. May they be well!
Gardening has been more successful than writing this last week; mowed the back yard and planted one more tomato, also marigolds. We had a good thunderstorm a couple of nights ago with almost an inch of rain, which was good. I'll need to mow the front yard again sometime next week. Most of the tomato plants are blooming. Highs in the 70s and 80s; definitely summer now.
Planted tomatoes this morning now that I think we're through with frost. Eight plants I bought at the farmers' market over the last couple of weeks - 3 Romas, 2 sweet 100s, a Brandywine, a cherry type, and a Cherokee purple. I might get one more of some kind Sunday as I have one more available pot. I still need to plant the marigolds I bought, and perhaps get some basil. Next week I'll mow the back yard, and start the geranium migration into the now-empty cold frame.
An interesting wildlife occurrence this morning - I had just gone out to water some plants when I heard a squealing noise and looked around to see Ruay coming back from the front yard with something in his mouth. I told him to drop it, and when he eventually did, it turned out to be a small rabbit about the size of my fist. The bunny immediately tried to escape, and Ruay and I pursued it until I caught it. It didn't seem to be hurt, but my problem then was where to put it that Ruay wouldn't find it again. I went up and down the alley, and was finally looking at a nice green fenced yard at a suitable distance from my house when the householder came out to put some trash out. She said they often had rabbits in their yard, so I put it in there and it hopped away. Hopefully it will find some rabbit friends there.
In gardening news, I bought 6 tomato plants at last Sunday's farmers' market, but haven't planted them yet, partly because it's been pretty warm this week (80s) and partly because we have some colder, wetter weather coming soon, with a currently forecast low Monday night in the 30s. Tomatoes are sitting in my old cold frame acclimating and look happy.
The weather has been wild the last week. After a mild sunny weekend, we got rain and four or five inches of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday with a light frost Wednesday night. Yesterday we had a high in the upper 60s, and the next ten days are forecast to have highs in the 70s and 80s. Spring in Colorado. I'll be buying tomato plants this weekend.
