Heatwave. 6.26.2021

Current reading is 103F. I've been diligent about watering, but one can only do so much. So far, most ornamentals and food crops seem to be tolerating the heat. Fortunately, the squashes are mulched, most with black plastic. Roma and some other tomatoes have brown paper mulch. The hose splitter broje, so Inordered a four-way manifold from Amizon, to install when it is cooler tonight. tonatoes, peppers, onions and some others are on drip irrigation. Sweetcorn gets early am sprinkler irrigation.

Rufus sticks his nose out the doggie door, checks the heat, then returns to the house.

Thornless Raspberry Crop and Jam. 6.26.2021

The thornless raspberries that I moved here early 2020, settles in and made a nice crop this year. I don't know the name. They are red, floricane bearing, thornless, good productibity and delicious. I was able to get 5 1/2 cups of mashed raspberries, enough for a full batch of low added sugar pectin jam. There was a 1/4 pint extra, so the recipe was about right.

I love raspberry jam. These berries were not too much work, and were free of diseases. Definitely worth growing and worth making some jam for future months.

Chestnuts are Blooming. 6.26.2021

The chestnut varieties Marivale and Precose Migoule are blooming like crazy. The air is full of their somewhat musty fragrance. The Bisalta #2 graft from this spring is almost blooming. Same for Marigoule. The Marisole grown from seed is not blooming, but it has grafts from Marivale and Precose Migoule with minimal flowers.

So far among my varieties - Marivale = most vigor and productivity. Precose Migoule = second for both, but smaller nuts. Marigoule slower growing, this will be the firse year of nuts. Graft compatibility - On Marisol seedling, Marivale, Precose Migoule, Marigoule, and Primiato all took. I only tried Bisalta #2 on Precose Migoule. That also took. Marivale especially is becoming a large and very handsome tree. The bloom is incredible.

More Alstroemeria. 6.26.2021

These Alstroemeria were arpt the old place. I remember planting pink ones but not red. Ning dug them up and planted into a container. They are tough plants and very pretty.

Deer Repellant. 6.26.2021.

I bought some "liquid fence" which seems to work, but that can become expensive. I think the main idea is to use something stinky, especially sulfur based. Many home recipes for deer repellant make use of eggs and garlic, blended and allowed to ferment. Here is "The enemy". Plus there is a doe and two fawns. That's a lot of garden plants. I feel sorry for the deer, but they can reduce years of garden efforts to nothingness overnight, due to one forgotten gate or one weak spot in the fence. This buck is new to the neighborhood.

I blended 6 eggs, a scoop of home made hot sauce that is too hot for me to handke, and several cloves of garlic. And sone water. That was yesterday. It's not that stinky yet, so I'll give it time.

When it's basically gag worthy, I'll filter out the solids and dilute the liquid to spray susceptable plants and shoots. I can also leave the residue among those plants, mainly squashes now.