Yesterday I must have spent at least 3-4 hours in the garden. The morning was spent putting those footies on my peach tree to protect the peaches from insects. I've heard that they work great. I've also heard that they make the peach rot. So I've only covered 20 of the plethora of peaches. I always love a good garden experiment.
While I was out by the peaches my second soaker hose was delivered. So I placed it down. I thought two 75' soaker hoses would be too long, but the ends actually meet but don't overlap. So it is perfect. I haven't been able to link them together as the two way connector that I ordered at the end of April still isn't here. I'd cancel it, but I bought it from Amazon and got super saver shipping on it. If I cancel it would cost me more as then I'd be charged shipping on the other part of the order. So here I wait. Maybe I'll put together something from my irrigation parts.
The soaker hoses are for the rock wall garden and will water my fruit trees and strawberries. I had only my earliest strawberries protected from the squirrels. I decided to finish up the later berries too. Earlier in the year I had bought some more 9 gauge wire to make some hoops to support the bird netting I use. Right now the strawberries are scattered all over the bed, but after they fruit I want them to run in one line along the front of the bed. So I cut the wire into 3 1/2' lengths before I bent them into hoops. They are the perfect width for one strawberry plant. Right now I can't really use big hoops to protect what I have as the trellises for the trees get in the way of the netting. But at least the front part is protected.
In the afternoon I got around to planting things. But my spinach patch needed to be picked first.
After picking I pulled all the weeds and the remaining parts of the spinach. You might notice that I don't pick every leaf. I often leave the oldest leaves on the plants.
After it was cleaned up I planted my melons - 4 Halona and 4 Sensation. Last year I trellised the melons, but this year I'm just going to let them run. I'll see how it works.
I also got the first of the two sisters beds up. I planted the whole 4'x16' bed. In each end of the bed I planted two Waltham butternut squash. The middle 10' have corn that is grid planted one foot apart. When the squash start to run I'll train them to run between the rows of corn. I'll plant the other two sisters bed in a couple of weeks. That way the corn will be at least a little bit spread out.
Lots of work! It's always something, it seems.
ReplyDeleteSquirrels have been snitching strawberries from my garden, too. I guess I'm going to have to put it under cover. I tossed some plastic netting over it, but the wind blew it all off yesterday.
ReplyDeleteMy butternuts ran under my corn last year, and that worked great. I would have done it again this year, but I moved the corn bed to the east garden, and the butternuts are always grown in the north garden where there are still big maple tree roots in the ground. I can't use that area for anything other than vining crops.
You have been accomplishing a lot! Interesting about your strawberry protection. Why do you leave the older leaves on the spinach? Nancy
ReplyDeleteBecause I pick them more then once so there are still leaves to photosynthesize. So the first couple of pickings I leave them. By this time, the last picking, they look pretty ragged and aren't worth eating.
DeleteI don't think it would be worth growing Strawberries without protection. The birds and squrrels would get them straight away. These days our gardens are full of "hardware" aren't they?
ReplyDeletelooks great! looking forward to see which peaches do better.
ReplyDelete