Amazing what a little rain will do. A month ago this pasture was brown, dead, and with top soil blowing away. We had a little over 8 inches of rain in September. Everything is so green; we also sowed winter rye near the house in the rain. Praise God, it rained again and again after we threw it out!
We have tomatoes! I have two out of five tomato plants left and this one is growing tomatoes. I understand if temperatures go over 92 degrees, the blooms will not mature. Our temperatures have been in the nineties some but not much over 95. The other tomato plant never produced a tomato but have found at least one. I was so disgusted with the other plants that I pulled them up. . .kept thinking how much water was used to keep them alive without tomatoes.
If there is one thing that has flourished in my garden, it is gourds. I planted some seeds on a whim and the plants went wild. This is just the first harvest. A gourd is ready when the stem turns brown. I am using cement blocks to stack some wooden pallets for shelving on which to dry the gourds. I understand it takes up to a year for the gourd to dry. When completely dry, I'll drill a hole, get the seeds out, and probably drill a hole at the top to run some leather cord through for a bird house. There is even a chart somewhere that tells the hole size for which bird species.
Here are two gourd plants and couldn't get the entire spread in one photo. Next year, I am going to plant gourds along the fence line. You actually see green in the background! We no longer look like we are on the edge of Death Valley. That's my white shadow, Luc, on the left; Maggie is investigating something.
We have tomatoes! I have two out of five tomato plants left and this one is growing tomatoes. I understand if temperatures go over 92 degrees, the blooms will not mature. Our temperatures have been in the nineties some but not much over 95. The other tomato plant never produced a tomato but have found at least one. I was so disgusted with the other plants that I pulled them up. . .kept thinking how much water was used to keep them alive without tomatoes.
If there is one thing that has flourished in my garden, it is gourds. I planted some seeds on a whim and the plants went wild. This is just the first harvest. A gourd is ready when the stem turns brown. I am using cement blocks to stack some wooden pallets for shelving on which to dry the gourds. I understand it takes up to a year for the gourd to dry. When completely dry, I'll drill a hole, get the seeds out, and probably drill a hole at the top to run some leather cord through for a bird house. There is even a chart somewhere that tells the hole size for which bird species.
Here are two gourd plants and couldn't get the entire spread in one photo. Next year, I am going to plant gourds along the fence line. You actually see green in the background! We no longer look like we are on the edge of Death Valley. That's my white shadow, Luc, on the left; Maggie is investigating something.
6 comments:
Oh my gosh! You grew gourds! I always say that you are my idol. Very nice. Oh you get to try one of those basil recipes.
How lovely to have rain..please send some here!
Tomatoes, gourds, very good!
Stumbled across your other blog Heal the Land ..good on you!
He looks just like Sadie! Our new pasture is so beautiful! After all the dryness, we've had more rain than sun since we planted. God is good!
Daisy, gourds are sooooo easy. Found out the other day that there is a national gourd society on the web.
Annie, thanks for the encouragement on the other blog.
Lily, I think I'm looking at Luc when I see your Sadie photos.
I envy your gourd harvest. I would love to have them for bird houses also. Nice photos.
Oh wow, look at all that green. I am so glad you are getting some rain finally. The tomatoes seem to be enjoying the moisture.
I love the gourds, I was wondering the other day how hard they would be to grow, I might give them a try next year.
Great photos,
Judy
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