Wednesday, July 30, 2008

July 29


Naranjilla setting fruit.

No rain for 2 weeks and the deer have been wading in my kiddie pool/water storage and put a hole in it. I'm getting very low on water but I'll hike in with water to keep this beauty (and 2 others) alive.

The deer zapper fence around the garden continues to work. Alas, the beans that I saved may die from lack of water.

My Triumph strawberry plant has begun producing several ripe, delicious berries a week. Hope it throws off some runners later so I can propagate it. The Litchee Tomatoes are fruiting well and have a nice taste like a cross between a cherry and a tomato. Like the Naranjilla it seems unbothered by pests and disease. Both are keepers and I'll have seeds from both to trade.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

July 21


Volunteers

I love volunteers. Lots of volunteers this year, chichiquelite, ground cherry, basil, New Zealand spinach, the best though, is the sorghum growing in the bottom left of the picture. The sorghum I planted just didn't do much; the sorghum growing from under the bird feeder is doing great. Also in the picture: On the right, Sweat Dumpling Delicata from a squash I bought at WalMart; Cherokee Popcorn grown from last years seeds, and a Zucchetta Rampicante (Tromboncino) squash headed for the woods.

I got the electric fence up and it's working (so far). No deer damage on this visit and many plants like beans and okra look to recover.

Ate a ripe, sun-warmed, Triumph strawberry--Wonderful!

Ate the first ripe Litchi Tomato (Baker Creek)--tasty, but not, IMHO, as delicious as Ground Cherries.

Monday, July 7, 2008

July 6


Cherokee Popcorn, One of the few not to be severely damaged by the deer.

The deer broke thru, went over, or went around my mono filament deer restraint. Major damage, especially beans, strawberries, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and ground cherries.

So much for deer protection on the cheap and easy. I'll be putting chicken wire over and around some valuable plants. But most importantly, I'm off to buy an electric fence