August--Week 3 It's hot and I need rain.
hazelinok
8 months ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (34)
farmgardenerok
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agoRelated Discussions
August 2018, Week 1, Fire and Rain
Comments (68)Larry, Someone else got 5-lobed bells this year too, maybe it was someone on one of our OK gardening Facebook pages. I'll get an occasional five-lobed bell but not often. It sounds like you were very busy, even as a child. I think you would have made a great doctor because you would have been trying to save your patients, not trying to kill them by supper time (I hope). My best friend contracted polio from the vaccine when we were young children. He survived it and appeared to have mostly recovered, but had a limp forever after. The polio came back when he was in his 40s or early 50s and it killed him. I never knew that could happen---like he wasn't really cured. It stayed hidden in his body for decades and then came back strong. Nancy, I'm already exhausted and we have almost 24 hours more to go. She is more exhausted though. We were running around all day and when we got home about 2 pm, she grabbed her pajamas and told me she was going to go take her bath and get ready for bed---and she was serious. I told her it was not bed time, but swimming pool time, and she woke right up. Now she's fighting to stay awake until after dinner time. Unless she gets a second wind, I think it will be a really early night for her tonight. This week the kids are fascinated with icebox melons. I harvested 13 of them yesterday, ranging in size from about the size of an orange to the size of a cantaloupe and they are in love with the little ones, which I think are the variety Mini Love, and also in love with the fact that there are three colors of flesh---red, yellow and orange. We have tons of icebox melons to eat, and even are sharing them with the fawns and the mothers every evening. We slice and eat melons daily. The nice thing about the icebox sized ones is that they have a pretty long shelf life, so you can cut one or two every day and there's less (if any) left over to put away in the fridge. I don't even put all the melons in the icebox----I just leave them sitting on a counter until we use them. Usually if we cut one or two, we eat all of them that day, or throw out the leftover pieces for the deer. It is so much more convenient than having to cut up a huge one and deal with pieces of it in the fridge for days and days. I didn't do anything in the garden today. I'm just hoping and praying the heavy rain they're saying we will get on Sunday and Monday actually happens. There's been a ton of rain to our south in Texas, particularly in the areas that are in Extreme Drought, so I know that those folks are relieved. The amount of rain they got won't remove the drought, but might knock it back a good deal. The cooler temperatures are very, very nice, so at least we have that, whether the rain comes or not. The garden still looks pretty bad, but when I consider that we're in Severe Drought, I realize it looks about as good as it possibly can considering the weather we are having. Dawn...See MoreWeekly thread -- August Week 2
Comments (37)I like to hear (read) your opinion, Larry. My soil isn't great either. I just need enough of good, broken-down compost to make potting mixes. The potting mixes and composts that I've recently purchased are junk really. So, I would like to make my own. It wouldn't hurt to start a worm bin for worm castings. I've had some luck with making good compost, but it was when my gardens were much smaller, so I had time to tend to the compost. My issue was bermuda grass sneaking into the compost bin. Recently I've been a lazy composter. I throw the compost items into new raised beds and let it sit over the winter, Then top it with purchased garden soil in the spring. Because the garden areas that had the zeolite/chicken droppings dumped on them over the winter did SO well, that is what I'm going to do starting now. One bed that is empty has that combo sitting on it now. At the end of October, garlic will go there. Another bed that is mostly empty is now getting the buckets of zeolite/chick poo dumped on it (away from the 2 tomatillo that are still planted there). Anyway, that's how I plan on amending the raised beds. Rick has been purchasing Black Kow for the SG and then tilling it in. Dawn was a fan of Black Kow and it was about the only outside thing she would bring into her garden. However, the past couple of years' reviews for Black Kow have been negative. As is the situation with many purchased products. It's very discouraging. The YouTuber from Arkansas who moved so SC last year poisoned one of their high tunnels this year with purchased compost. It came from a reputable place, however the store that sold it to them was given a product that was said to be "organic", but had obviously been sprayed with Grazon or a product like it. There's countless stories like that all over the country (and beyond). I got bad stuff in the spring as well--seedlings were stunted. In my case, I believe the compost IN the potting mixes was unfinished. It was very chunky. That's what I'm finding. Anyway...it's really just too bad. I need to up-pot some brassicas soon out of the seed starter into a potting mix and I can't find anything that is good. IF I could get some good compost right now, I could make my own. Maybe I'll just splurge and use expensive worm castings....See MoreAugust 2022 Week 3
Comments (33)Jennifer, that sure is cute, but I would sure hate to try to till that. I agree about liking the natural stone, this part of the country is just eaten up with rock. There is a town a few miles away called Rock Island, Oklahoma, there are rock quarries all around this area. Rock use to be cheap, but those days are gone. I have all of the fall tilling done now, except the food plots I am putting in. Neighbor is going to try to have all the fall stuff plant in a day or two. I brush hogged the pumpkin patch yesterday, it will have to cut up with the disc before it is tilled, but I may not have time to do that, I have another hospital trip planned for next week, depending on what is done, I may be down for a month. I expect that Madge or my daughter will shoot me in the foot if I start walking toward a tiller or tractor. We are already getting more okra than we need, I would like to find some way to use it, but Madge and I are both getting to the point that we don't want to do a lot, and she does not want to freeze as much this year. Hwy20, I would spray those stones, I don't like Black Widows or scorpions. Kim, I am feeding your grasshoppers very well, but I will need to send them home before frost, because I wont have enough food to overwinter them. I see on the computer that storms may be pushed this way. I hope we don't get a flash flood like we did earlier in the year, with all the ground I have tilled we wont have any soil left....See Morehello August week 1
Comments (30)Larry, I had a talk with my plants today and just asked them to hold on. Even with watering, some of them won't make it. It's okay if some pass on. They've been productive in their lives. Others, I would like for them to hang in there a bit longer. When I can tomatoes, I just cut the ugly and/or bad spots out. Our onions aren't great this year either. They grew well, but have gone downhill during the curing process. So many of them are getting that moldy look to them. At this point, they can still be used. I just cut off the bad parts, but they certainly won't store well. I chopped up about 2 quarts today to put in the freezer. It really is NOT my favorite way to store onions. Over the next week or so, I'll try to freeze more. The better ones are in Ethan's room/my root cellar. While I'm doing the mindless jobs at my work, I'll often listen to/watch Hollar Homestead. They recently had a video about their onions. Theirs didn't do well either. They look very similar to many of mine. They are in North Carolina, I think. It's hot and humid there too. I've been brainstorming with Tom about how to make a 'cold room" in our shop in the future. That's if we stay here. The turnpike situation is back on. OTA won, so they'll be getting bond buyers or however that goes. I don't really understand. Or if we don't decide to move closer to Mason. I wish we could pick up this property and put it about 10 minutes from her. Our house isn't fancy, but I sure like my home. It would be great if we could get some rain this weekend. Really great....See Moreslowpoke_gardener
8 months agohazelinok
8 months agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 months agoHU-422368488
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agohazelinok
8 months agohwy20gardener
8 months agoHU-422368488
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agohwy20gardener
8 months agoHU-422368488
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agoHU-422368488
8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agoKim Reiss
8 months agohazelinok
8 months agoKim Reiss
8 months agofarmgardenerok
8 months agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 months agoHU-422368488
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agohazelinok
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agohazelinok
8 months agoAmyinOwasso/zone 6b
8 months agoNancy Russell Waggoner
8 months agoslowpoke_gardener
8 months agohazelinok
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agoNancy Russell Waggoner
8 months agohazelinok
8 months agolast modified: 8 months ago
Related Stories
SMALL SPACESNew This Week: 3 Powder Rooms, 3 Winning Styles
Traditional, contemporary and modern farmhouse looks transform these small spaces
Full StoryYou Said It: Hot-Button Issues Fired Up the Comments This Week
Dust, window coverings, contemporary designs and more are inspiring lively conversations on Houzz
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSNew This Week: 3 Rustic and Cozy Living Rooms
Reclaimed wood and stone fireplaces set the stage for a feel-good atmosphere away from the cold
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSNew This Week: 3 Living Rooms Focus on the Fireplace
Get crackling with inspiration from 3 spaces that center on the hearth
Full StoryBATHTUBSNew This Week: 3 Dreamy Places to Take a Bath
Care for a soak? These polished spaces will have your fantasies running wild
Full StoryFIREPLACESNew This Week: 3 Outdoor Fireplaces to Warm Your Heart and Soul
As temperatures dip, a glowing hearth can keep your outdoor areas lively in the weeks to come
Full StoryBATHROOM DESIGNNew This Week: 3 Dream Features for a Blissful Bathroom
Incorporate one or all of these essential elements for a luxurious spa-like experience
Full StoryLIVING ROOMSNew This Week: 3 Living Rooms That Ditch the Tech for Family
Quiet and serene, these spaces invite family and friends to congregate
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSNew This Week: 3 Modern Kitchens That Rock Warm Wood Cabinets
Looking for an alternative to bright white? Walnut cabinetry offers the perfect tone to warm things up
Full StoryKITCHEN CABINETSNew This Week: 3 Knockout Kitchens With Natural Wood Cabinets
Whether light and breezy or rich and moody, these wood-rich kitchens might make you rethink painted cabinets
Full StorySponsored
slowpoke_gardener