Wow, the weather we've been having!

[CHecker]

This year the weather has been so much warmer than I've seen it....well in my memory. I have had the doors and windows open all day, every day. And windows all night. For those of you who have warm weather all the time this isn't a big deal. But it's a well known joke around the Pacific Northwest of the US that we don't get summer until after July 4th. It's generally horizontal rain and drizzle for months. But it's been up to 60 degrees at 5 am! And we're not in a city with concrete. We're on a sand dune with pine trees. So cool earth. BUT it's so warm I sit at night until 9 PM with the door open, crazy. Absolutely wonderful.

Now that said, my garden is growing like I've never seen it. I actually have 2 inch cucumbers! They don't ever get that big till mid-July. Squash is already showing too. And potatoes have had to be trimmed back twice and buried 3 times! It's so hopeful that I planted acorn and butternut squash and carrots too! 

 

I just had to share this because I'm so thankful to have such incredible weather and a promising growing season. I already did 1 picking of lettuce, enough to fill a packed 1 gallon bag of it! And I really should do more potatoes, since I can them.

 

Is anyone else having this kind of weather? I hope those on the East coast has recovered from the winter and are having a better summer.

 

(It's funny when I looked at my post, I saw the newspaper on the ground in the front of the garden- that's the birds digging it up while they dig up the seeds and grubs under the straw! Funny what you see in a picture but don't see in real time! I'd better get out there and pick it up!)

Edited June 25, 2014 by bagwell1987

[Greg Dent]

Very nice Cheryle. We have actually had a really nice spring. Usually it goes from 10 to 15 degrees C to 25 to 35 degrees C. From late winter right into full on summer. THis year its was actually a really nice spring. 

 

We had a really cold april though so our growing season started a full month late. So our tomatoes and things are going to be late to ripen up. The cold really effected the soft fruits. Peaches grapes apples nectarines all were hurt this year. We may have reduced harvest which will drive the price of food higher.

[Dave]

My theory on the weather goes like this: If the weather seems to be unusually good for you, then you can bet that it's probably really bad elsewhere and vice versa.

As an example, we were having some of the nicest weather we've had this year around the same time when you folks in the US were having severe tornados and other wild weather.

Now the reverse seems to be true. The last 2-3 weeks in NZ have been absolutely atrocious weather. See my latest blog post for details if you want.

Anyway I'm glad to know your garden's growing so well. It's been a while since I heard a good gardening story. I can't wait 'til Jesus puts his power over the elements to work and settles the weather down everywhere for everyone.

[New World Explorer]

We had very strong winds yesterday here in Melbourne ... Hail ... And rain ... Broken trees and fallen fences and brick walls ... Very very weird weather ..... Can't say that we have nice weather at thermometer either ... Cold ! Half of the Congragation grounded with flu.

We can't even think about gardening !

[CHecker]

Well, the flu is making it's rounds here too. Might be nice weather but cant enjoy much when stuck in loo!

Any way, I just cant believe that the cuc's are so big when the plants are still so small.

I was thinking about you Dave when I posted this, I just love your gardens.

I will take another pic in a month and we can see the difference in plant size and maybe see a bountiful harvest.

[CHecker]

We had very strong winds yesterday here in Melbourne ... Hail ... And rain ... Broken trees and fallen fences and brick walls ... Very very weird weather ..... Can't say that we have nice weather at thermometer either ... Cold ! Half of the Congragation grounded with flu.

We can't even think about gardening !

Greg, isn't it your winter now? We had a good winter too. Three bouts of ice for a week or so but not bad and so much drier. We are seriously concerned about drought in many places. I think Miss Bea was talking about this in her area. We live in an area where we're close to the water table so a pump house saves us.

[feather]

   doors open at 9pm. ahhh... how wonderful for you Cheryl  
   no open doors or windows since Feb here. nighttime lows in the 80s,
     real feel day temp is 103. and the humidity is brutal. this continues til November.

 

   you may have something in that seaweed you added last year. many benefits in it for humans...

      health, hair, skin. no surprise that plants like it too. how is your soil there?

     we have sand everywhere with very little 'soil'. amending it is a must to grow anything except hibiscus.

  

   working outdoors amid Jehovah's creations never really seemed like 'work' to me, as it comes with its own rewards.

    it can be a great stress reliever. especially while humming along Kingdom tunes.

   and an opportunity to learn and discover the many delightful life forms He has made.

    even the turtle who dug for himself a new home in the form of a huge hole at the edge of my new flower trail.

     no problem, earth is his home too.

  

     sister your garden is lovely ~ keep up the good work!

[GrumpysWife]

Later I'll take a picture of Grumpy's garden. We've had pretty good veggies this year but soooooooooooo much rain. It seems that it is rainy every day. Today we have service and what's it doing?????? Rain. Still going anyway.

[CHecker]

Oh V, please post a pic of Grumpy's garden. I really want to see it. I did hear about your rainy weather tho, irritating. 

 

We have sandy soil here but I've been dumping all our veggie scraps, we eat lots LOTS! of veggies so there's always something being composted, and I throw leaves from one of my jobs in there. They have great big maple leaves. And I have about 1/2 acre of 'clean', meaning no dog poop, grass clippings I can add every week. Then I started getting buckets of Tillamook Brown Soil, look here to see the sites:  http://www.tillamook.com/cheese-factory/oregon-coast.html, It's probably the best worm-filled, manure laden soil you can get. It's brown gold. So after doing this and adding the seaweed in the winter, we have a deep rich soil. With a sandy crust underneath that we don't touch with the rototiller. I have to tell you that I clipped a big handfull of green curly lettuce for the "Turnip's" lunch tomorrow. He looked happy when I showed him what was going into his sandwich.

 

I just went out there and clipped back the potato plants again, for the 5th time! Again all the power can go back into the potato. I will be taking photo's of the potatoes when I dig them up. Hopefully I won't be embarrassed by my expectations being dashed of having a big harvest. Guess we'll see together!   

[GrumpysWife]

Grumpy garden and the pond in back of our home.

[rocket]

We just ended a week of rainy weather and it is suppose to get into the nineties for a few days. Fortunately I got the black cherries picked before the rain started. Put 6 gallons in the freezer and gave about 50 lbs to the friends. After that I went and bought a couple lbs of Bing cherries for 3.95 a lb. Go figure.

 

Looks like Grumpy won't have to buy water this year. Do you have any fish in that lake?

[GrumpysWife]

Believe it or not, it was totally dry last year in the spring, but yes there are fish, frogs, turtles, and 1 alligator. The fish are still small but in the past we used to catch bass and catfish and eat them.

[CHecker]

Lynn, I was expecting warmer weather too starting today but last night it got up to 72 and today it's 78, here on the beach!! The garden is soaking it up. 

 

V, the garden is great, let's see...is that cabbage? does he get white moth issues? We have them bad here, I gave up growing broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage- to much maintenance. What else does he have going on out there? And I see the old plow, nice! 

You have a waterway by you like we do, I could throw a pipe with a pump out there but I'd have to do it myself and it's too hard to figure out and maintain. I'm still working on the new pump for the well, being on the water table it doesn't dry up in summer. 

[well]

Grumpy garden and the pond in back of our home.

P_20140430_161040.jpgP_20140430_161012.jpg

 

Cool,,, There's a pond... What's the black triangle in the second picture?

[Miss Mouse]

Well, the flu is making it's rounds here too. Might be nice weather but cant enjoy much when stuck in loo!

Any way, I just cant believe that the cuc's are so big when the plants are still so small.

I was thinking about you Dave when I posted this, I just love your gardens.

I will take another pic in a month and we can see the difference in plant size and maybe see a bountiful harvest.

Cheryl stop feeding your cukes steroids ...........LOL

[GrumpysWife]

Cool,,, There's a pond... What's the black triangle in the second picture?

It is a bell that sounds like one of the buoy's in Portsmouth Harbor in New Hampshire. We get a little homesick. The sound is wonderful to us.

[CHecker]

Ok, I just did a lettuce picking, I trimmed off 2 green leafy lettuces and filled a gallon baggie! The deep dark purple is called Red Deer Tongue and it's rich looking. and the other is just red leaf lettuce but also beautiful.

The pic of the garden is also really nice, It's still immature but you should see all the bitty cucumbers ready to grow, and the big leafy plant, behind the cuc's hanging over the side, is a pumpkin with lots of bitty pumpkins, and BOY does he take up real estate! That's why I directed the cuc's over the side. Even the marigolds are looking nice, they're usually the first line of attack for slugs!

Edited July 5, 2014 by bagwell1987

[CHecker]

Here's the marigold. Lots of buds forming to bloom.

Edited July 5, 2014 by bagwell1987

[shali]

We aren't getting as much rain as normal but not as bad as the spring two years ago - grass was all dead in May. Had 11 tornado's touchdown the 1st of this month, 3 in my county alone - that stuff usually happens from april-June, but our spring was unusually cool. Even very cool for July so far which is going to be great next weekend for our convention!

[CHecker]

I have heard the wild weather over in the Eastern parts. And a hurricane in the Carolina's?? Or was that further south? We've just had it amazingly nice this year. I've had my doors open since the end of May. To do this normally would be stupid, it's too cold and rainy. I just love this weather! 

[shali]

Really, I've always said that little po-dunk Indiana isn't such a bad place to live - no earthquakes, mudslides, fires, floods, hurricanes, sand storms, avalanches or rock slides - just the occasional tornado. Problem was this time, the tornado's hit at 1 a.m. and the news never even warned of a storm before we went to bed at 11:00 so when they touched down, everyone was in bed and even though they were only on the ground for a minute or two, they killed two people. Even our winters haven't been that bad until this last winter (it was horrid! we cancelled more meetings than we actually had!) - so really Indiana isn't such a bad place to hang your hat!

[CHecker]

Kinda like here from time to time. A few years ago we had the end of an Asian cyclone. We had 100 plus winds for parts of 3 days. Leveling forests, houses, fields. Flooding and washing out 100 year old homes and changing the natural flow of streams and rivers. Just to name a few things. We went to Arizona 2 weeks later and the people there were shivering, (ya 60 is shivering weather!) but they said when the cyclone tail went through it blew out all the warmth. Weird!

Or some summers we don't even have a summer. It'll rain and blow all summer long. That's why I'm living with my doors open now. I want to appreciate the blissful warmth as long as it'll stay. And when I show pic's of my garden it's right outside of my bedroom sliding door. So I look at it and play in it every night. I have another bale of straw to put in there, keeps the ground from drying out to quick. And the critters love playing in it. I think I already said that before!

[shali]

Have you ever grown Kale? My husband and I just discovered it and he hates every manner of green vegetable but he will eat Kale! (if I saute it with garlic and salt) Wonder how hard it is to grow.

[CHecker]

It's as easy to grow as lettuce. Not over water, not over hot sun, fertile soil, great in pots on the patio too! Grow it B, it's not too late! Even in early winter put the pot in a cheap styrofoam cooler and cover at night with a plastic bag, remove in morning, will keep growing for a while. 

I cannot eat kale or any leafy green- yep even my lettuce! It has too much vitamin K, blood thickener. So the lettuce I grow goes to ones who can't grow it or can't really afford it, or are disabled. My lemon cuc's are grown for the same reason, I like to share. I also hope to have lots of acorn and butternut squash too, so to share.

Edited July 6, 2014 by bagwell1987

[shali]

Thanks Cheryl! I may just try my hand at it! So nice of you to think about others and put all that effort into getting them fresh, organic, home grown veggies!