The rain stopped for the time being, so I hustled out to my garden area to do what needed to be done before the predicted rain comes again Friday sometime.
First thing I did was stake the corn against the wild river winds that blow through here. We have lived on/near one river or another all of our married life, but we have never had trouble with river winds before moving to Longview. One year, on our little homestead property on Merritt Drive, the brutal river wind tore through my garden and knocked every corn stalk to the ground – 75 count! Refusing to call the crop a bust, I used everything I could lay my hands on that looked sturdy enough to stake the corn back into place (even some discarded metal curtain rods! LOL). The corn not only survived – it thrived.
I have never heard of anyone else staking their corn, but now I do it every year just in case my garden gets hit again with the brutal force of nature:
Howling winds that blew through here the past few days (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/05/gone-with-windgusty-storm.html).
PAINTED MOUNTAIN CORN STAKED.
Sprouting carrots covered with bird netting in the Painted Corn box.
KANDY CORN STAKED. Recycled wire mesh barrier behind Spaghetti
Squash
Squash
Corn staked, and moving down the line checking/inspecting plants in every planter box; I used another recycled wire mesh rack (salvaged from an old pop-up greenhouse I had a few years ago before the river winds tore it to ribbons), to place behind the yellow squash plant to keep the sprawling leaves on my side of the border so Ron doesn’t run bitching to Candy about “trespassing leaves”, though I am CLEARLY ON our side of the border – that moron is ridiculous, and I want to honor Bob by keeping the peace as best I can …
Clearly 14" on MY side of the border - that should be far enough to stave off Ron's heartburn, but Ron is not a normal person: what's his, is his ... and whatever is anyone else's he considers 'his' too.
I noticed passing the strawberry jar, that strawberries are making an appearance – and there is abundant showings of spit-bug activity too. I can’t control that until we have a break in the rain pattern because putting Bt on the plant to halt the activity would be a waste of time if it immediately gets rained off the plant:
I am really LIKING the look of Mascara lettuce – it's brilliant burgundy color is intense even from a distance; this picture does not do it justice; it really does ‘pop’ against the wet dark soil and highlighted by Tom Thumb lettuce in the forefront …
The shallots and cilantro are coming up now, too; I have never grown shallots from seed before, so I hope they thrive and make it to harvest – and I haven’t had any luck with cilantro either; maybe this year will be different. I hope so:
Shallot leaves pushing through the soil.
Cilantro coming up.
Something is chewing on my Pepper plant - this is new activity; again, there is nothing I can do until the rain gives me a few days’ break so the Bt can have opportunity work effectively …
While I was in the shed to gather the stakes for the corn plants, I spotted some plastic trellis pieces the previous owners had left behind, and decided to use those pieces to place behind my squashes and melons:
Short trellis piece placed behind Butternut & Zucchini squashes.
All I have to say, is, if Ron goes running to
Candy when he sees these, is “you can’t please
everyone, so you got to please yourself”. Ron is a miserable person and a
chronic bitcher. He will ALWAYS FIND
SOMETHING to complain about.
I think the trellis’ look okay, put up the way they are; and they are an answer to prayer – I had put the need for some sort of trellis’ on my shopping list and am tickled pink that I found these pieces in the shed; which, until December 14th, 2018, was my husband’s personal domain. I really have no idea what all is in there: and won’t know until I start to weed through it all at some point. But for right now, today, I spotted the trellis’ and am thankful.
And Ron can learn that he has no say whatsoever in what I decide to do in MY personal space as long as it is not seriously offensive, or dangerous.
I hope his house sells quickly. Please God!
And I hope my new neighbors are not acute pains in the ass with serious fallout, as he has been.
I am satisfied with the staking and trellis’.
And that is all that matters to me.
It was not put up fancy ... held in place with a discarded curtain rods at the ends, a short bamboo stake in the middle, and heavy-duty fishing line securing it against the rampaging winds to flanking shepherd's hooks strategically placed ... and further secured to the property border marker (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/01/defining-line-in-rock.html).
It will do.
I am pleased ;-)
It was not put up fancy ... held in place with a discarded curtain rods at the ends, a short bamboo stake in the middle, and heavy-duty fishing line securing it against the rampaging winds to flanking shepherd's hooks strategically placed ... and further secured to the property border marker (https://jeastofeden.blogspot.com/2019/01/defining-line-in-rock.html).
It will do.
I am pleased ;-)
