Whew, the skies cleared and sunny weather is on the menu

[Clipper]

The rain has been around just about every afternoon and evening for the last week. "Pop up" afternoon thunderstorms have been pretty regular on a daily basis. Some of those storms have been pretty rowdy with torrential downpours, booming thunder and winds.

Today's seven day forecast shows decreased chances of rain for the next week with only 10 or 20 percent chances of pop up afternoon showers, mostly over the surrounding mountains all this week.

It was dried out enough to get into the garden with the small tiller and cultivate last evening and I put up some stakes with string run between them with aluminum foil pie plates dangling in the breeze to keep birds away. Finally I top dressed around the plants with some of the processed cow manure that I bought recently. Just a trowel full in a ring around each plant.

I finished just in time. Shortly after sundown a pop up storm blew through with a downpour and plenty of booming thunder and lightning.

I checked the garden when I took the dog out a little while ago and lo and behold, there are blossoms popping on the cucumber plants, and what looks like small buds forming on the pepper plants. The rhubarb is thriving since I moved it from a large planter by the back step to the garden. Over the last month it has grown about a foot and is healthy and standing tall with sturdy looking stalks and wide deep green leaves. I gave that a healthy scoop of the manure also. Rhubarb, and vine plants thrive on manure. A friend and I once planted pumpkin seeds in a pile of pure rotted horse manure in his barnyard and at the end of summer we had large crop of pumpkins, two of which weighed over 100 lbs. My eldest son was photographed for the OD with a pumpkin that weighed 135 lbs and took two of us to lift into the trunk of my car using a tarp for a sling.

[BHU]

We had a t-storm blow thru here overnight I think about 3 a.m. I heard a clap of thunder that sounded like a bomb going off & woke me up from a sound sleep. Got a good dose of heavy rain also.

My potted tomatoes are doing ok with plenty of blossoms & basil is doing great. Peppers not so much so tomorrow I'll have to fertilize the peppers. My second planting of watermelon seedlings bit the dust. I figured out why. The area I planted is where I killed off the weeds with brush killer a few weeks ago. Duh!

[Clipper]

I quit using brush killers and anything with glyphosate because of the cancer risk and the fact that the dog has free run of the fenced back yard. I sprinkle corn gluten between the rows and use an organic citrus based organic weed killer called Avenge in the garden and the mixture of epsom salts, vinegar and dawn dish soap on the cracks in the brick walkway and along the edges of the landscape ties around the beds so I can get close enough with the mower deck that I don't have to weedeat as often. In the spring for the last couple of years I have sprinkled corn gluten meal between the rows after I plant my plants and while the soil is loose. It prevents seeds from germinating. Doesn't harm plants but will keep the weed seeds from germinating. I guess I don't need to do it every year once the weeds are under control. What few weeds that do manage to pop up I give them a squirt of the avenge. Game over for the weed. If you happen to get weeds growing up through any cracks in your driveway you can mix 1 cup of table salt to 2 cups of water and boil it until the salt is completely dissolved. Let it cool and spray it on the weed with a spray bottle. I did that with the grass growing up through cracks in our driveway and then had it professionally sealed. If you used the salt brine don't plan on ANYTHING growing there for quite some time, good OR bad. So far no recurring weeds OR cracks. I wonder if melons thrive when fertilized with manure. Any other vine plants I have planted have done well when fertilized with manure. Zucchini, summer squash, and the butternut squash all do well with it. I am not an agronomist by any means and haven't tested the soil in the garden in several years, but all seems to do well .

My biggest challenge is getting this damned clay soil loosened up enough to be able to be able to walk between the rows without the ground packing down like concrete. I have added leaf mulch, compost, and bagged topsoil and slowly it is getting better. if I could afford it I would put about a ton of bagged sand on it and till it in but sand is about 4 or 5 bucks for a 40lb bag. No sand pits around this part of the country.

[BHU]

Clipper, do you know if the salt brine or corn gluten will kill crabgrass? I was going to lay down a preemergent to take care of it but I think it's too late. I'm already seeing sign of it in my yard & that stuff ain't cheap. To do my whole yard would probably cost me over $100.00. And if it's not timed right when you lay it down it won't work equaling money down the drain.

[Clipper]

I read about the corn gluten for killing weed seeds and applied it at the recommended time both years to kill any emergent seeds. It has worked so far this year. If I read it right I don't need to do it every year. Just for a couple of years, applied at the right time, and not necessary again unless the weeds return.

I paid $44 for 50lbs. I still have over half of the bag left.