the little wild kingdom

[flowerbug]

irises just coming out.

tulips

the north garden on a hazy morning (i did even bump up the exposure on the picture to brighten it but it still looks washed out). the creeping thyme is filling in nicely. the large turnip plant will give plenty of seeds for the goldfinches to thrash out.

ferns just budding to send up fronds.

the two sides of the driveway after the culvert was replaced, not as artistic as the first versions we had before, but it is nice to have them put back in place and not sitting there waiting for me to get to it. Mom decided she wanted it done right away instead of waiting until i got done planting so she had one of the nephews do it with her supervision. i was quite ok with that decision.

i needed to really armor both sides because the driveway can be overtopped by water and i didn't want things to get washed out. there's weed barrier, smaller chunks of concrete and then the larger stones on top. hopefully that will hold up to any storms.

 

[flowerbug]

purple columbines.

flax, always such a pretty shade of blue. we used to have a large number of flax plants flowering in the more wild spaces, but i've mostly turned those into gardens. this is one of the last flax plants i've seen. i should get those seeds (they're the black ones that are more perennial and last several years instead of the golden kinds of seeds which are an annual).

 

[flowerbug]

the beehives to the north east of us (by about 150 feet). blocking our access again. grr... talked to the landowner again and he said he would be seeing the bee keeper today so perhaps this issue will finally be resolved. it's annoying to have to deal with things like this and Mom said that she would just leave things be, but i told her that if we need to do something back there that access should not be blocked as it sets a precedent for future land issues. besides it is also the principle of the matter to not block your neighbors when sharing ownership of an access road.

at least i did solve the mystery of the empty metal drum that was left back there. the beekeepers use it to hold sugar water to feed the bees at times.

i don't know how many hives there are in each of those stacks.

 

[flowerbug]

looks foggy out there today, but it isn't supposed to rain so i should be able to get some more beans planted (outside the fences).

 

[flowerbug]

planted a few rows of beans and then decided it was enough for yesterday, went out this morning not sure i was going to get much done (rain perhaps on the horizon). turned out i got one more row done and then it got dark so i packed up and came in. was talking to my brother on the phone and said that it looked like the rain missed us (not uncommon for some storms to break up as they come over the valley) but then a few minutes later it started to rain a little so now we have dampness and i can wait to see if more rain predicted will happen or not. if not i'll go out later and spritz the seeds i have sprouting or recently planted. everything else has been watered enough for a cooler day like today.

should take a look at some pictures from the other day and decide if i want to use them or not...

[later edit] pop up storm looks like we may or may not get some of it. hope so. even a few moment downpour would help out a lot.

 

[flowerbug]

teased us all day yesterday with little bits of sprinkles but nothing major that would really help, but it did keep me from having to use the well for that day. will get out this morning to water all the sprouts and seed plantings done so far.

in places around us a few miles in almost all directions they did get significant rains - i'm glad for them, but also very envious at the moment.

now there is no more rain in the forecast for the next week.

 

[flowerbug]

Watering your sprouts and seed plantings is crucial, especially during dry spells. It's great that you have access to a well to ensure your plants get the necessary hydration. Consistent watering is essential for their growth and development.

so true, plus at times it helps get them through the heavier spots of soil where the clay may cap the seedling and hold it back from popping all the way out of the ground. at times i have beans that get stuck and if i don't get them out they'll be crooked or have a loop going up and then back down into the ground.

 

[flowerbug]

i had some trimmings from thinning out the squash and melon plants and decided to give them a try. raw or cooked too bitter to be edible, but underneath the bitter was something similar to asparagus.

don't learn if you don't try.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Interesting! What did you try - the vines or leaves or both?

 

[flowerbug]

Interesting! What did you try - the vines or leaves or both?

the sprouts at the stage of first few leaves. no vines really yet to speak of. i had to thin them out anyways and thought why waste all these greens and perhaps they are edible? nope. not to me. i like bitter to some extent so was going to be ok with a little, but not this much. so, hard pass, the septic system got what i cooked.

gladly i did not clean and cook up the whole pile because i wasn't sure if they were good so at least i didn't waste another 10 minutes prep time - the extra sprouts are out front on some trays drying so they'll get fed to the worms eventually.

so definitely eat the seeds and fruits instead!