And the heat wave breaks!

Old Farmer's Almanac Ripeness Guide available online

Jesse found this Web site, Old Farmer's Almanac Ripeness Guide (clickable link), and I thought it was very useful and we should share. It's a long list of veggies and fruits, with clues so you can tell when they're ready to pick -- or even ready to buy. Very informative.

It looked so small and innocent!

So, we have this monstrous watermelon plant in our plot -- an unplanned endeavor! When we started our cucumber plants, we bought a flat of seedlings.

And lo and behold, one of the plants was not trailing gently along the ground, and started getting monstrous 18-inch wide leaves. We didn't know what it was, but it was clear it definitely was not a cucumber plant. Right now this plant has a rather large watermelon under it; only, we don't really know how large it's supposed to get. Hence, the guide.

It's growing more fruit, too -- can't wait to see what happens!

Please keep after the bugs ... I am dreaming about these beetles

Show no mercy -- they have none!

Don't forget to keep checking any cucurbits for our nasty friends, the cucumber beetles. If left alone, they will spread between neighbors, and they can kill your plants.

Neem oil and soap sprays are very helpful, but can also deter the good bugs. The most effective method of battle is to squish all the beetles you can find, and check all the undersides of your leaves for eggs, and squish those.

I am not a fan of squishing -- I am always afraid I haven't squished enough -- so I carry a little plastic salad dressing-size container in my garden basket, filled with soapy water (about 1/3 dish soap). I scoop up all the beetles and eggs, and put them in there, throw the lid back on, and take it home for the trash. (Never, ever just dispose of eggs in the compost or in the meadow -- they will just return.)

One of the many varieties of stink bug
(sometimes called "squash bug").
The eggs of all of these beetles look
like this -- they can be yellow
or golden brown.

Another benefit of the soapy water is that they kill stink bugs in less than 10 seconds -- and they don't make that awful stink.

Stink bugs are harmful, too, and should be squished.

Vacation time

If you're away on vacation, it's good to have someone come look after your plot, if you can. If you can't find someone, please ask Jesse and I and we'll try to look after things for you, to make sure your plants make it through your absence.

July is finally here!

Bugs

Yellow and black squash bugs have appeared. The best solution: Crushing them or spraying with NEEM oil. They will skeletonize a healthy plant in a few short days. You know they are there because the plant - usually squash or cucumbers, looks stressed. A tip - look under the leaves for small clusters of eggs. Scrape them off and drop them into a small bottle of water and dish soap. It's got to be a communal effort to keep them from running the show.

Another friend has arrived: Cabbage worms. If your cabbage or broccoli looks like the photo, you have the worms. They are tough to see. When they are brand new, they are tiny and under the leaf. When they grow up, they are the same color as the plant, and tough to see. Squashing them is tedious and time-consuming but effective.

 I've heard putting fresh basil on the plants chases them off, but I haven't tried it. They can wreck a healthy garden, so eliminate them.

Corn

We've set up the corn plot all the way down the row on the right. It's covered in black weedblock with four rows of holes cut. We have room for a few more rows. If anyone wants a row of corn, holler and we'll set it up for you.

Housekeeping 

Weeds

Someone, perhaps more than someone, is dropping weeds into the corner by the wagon. Please take the weeds to the pile just to the left of the trail out to the parking lot. We're someday going to make a real compost site there, so it's a good place to drop the waste. 

Mowing

I don't know why the meadow is so high. I suspect it's because there is a desire to leave nesting meadow birds, such as bobolink, alone until the babies fledge. I've chopped back some of the stuff around the gate, but not much. Once we have a better answer, I'll pass along reason Flerra has been allowed to go shaggy this summer.

Perennials 

Reminder that perennials [strawberries, some herbs, asparagus, etc.] aren't allowed. If you have them, they may cause us unwanted headaches. 

Recipes, please 

Harvesting has begun. We're getting peas from the home garden, yards of lettuce and now some summer squash from Flerra. This is peas and squash sauteed with cilantro and garlic. If you have a favorite veggie recipe, feel free to share.