Harvest! 8.9.22

 Here is the tomato, zucchini, summer squash, fig, cucumber and pepper harvest today.  Plus some tiny "Orchard Baby" sweetcorn.  

Puttering. Heat. Bean Care. Drip Irrigation. 7.31.22

It's above 100F now.  I didn't feel like going outside to check the thermometer when it rose above 90F.

I installed drip emitters for the last row of bush beans, and placed cardboard mulch next to the row.  I also installed drip emitters for the four o'clocks.  They were looking droopy in the heat. mI was hauling ten buckets of water each day.  These emitters have a stated 1/2 gallon per hour rate, six inches apart.

The other bush beans looked so dry.

So I cut cardboard strips to cover between the rows.  There wasn't enough, so I also cut kraft paper.  Spring was too wet for kraft paper - it rotted.  I think summer will plenty dry enough for it to last as long as needed.

I thinned the beans in the container planter, taking out about half of the plants.

Coreopsis is blooming now.  First year from seeds.

I Made A Willow Tripod For Thunbergera. 7.31.22

 Thunbergera was one of my bucket list plants this year.   They are finally taking off and growing vines.  They must love this heat.

I made a tripod using willow sticks.  It's about three feet tall.  I bet they will climb it in a month.

The plants have lots of buds.  The first flower opened yesterday.  

Echinacea With Visitors. 7.31.22

This echinacea continues making more flowers.  It's really a remarkable flower.

There are four other echinacea plants, that I started from seeds. I don't think they will bloom this year.  They are building up to bloom next year.

Cleome Is Not What It Looks Like.

 Somewhere I saw cleome listed as the plant most likely to be mistaken for something Willie Nelson probably had too much of.  But it's not.  Not even close.  It's just a flower.

Once it's blooming there is no mistake about it.  I think it's funny, but I do worry about nosy, loopy neighbors calling the sheriff.  It will need another month to start blooming.  Then they are very nice,