Green Thumb

My challenge for the past several weeks has been to keep the garden going. Even with all the rain we had to keep going to get it set up and protected. The last bit that has gone up is the 7 foot deer fence around it all. OH did I mention all the rain. I hope the tomatoes don't get blight. I hope that the six inches of standing water on the right end gets sucked into the soil.



In that process we did manage to really discover where the foundation was for the barn that was on this property years before we came. All along the right hand corner is stone. We hit the edge of it when we rototilled the new area added on from last year. This does mean that now to get bigger means moving back not to the side. If I want to get bigger that is. I think I do. But that means reclaiming more field. Raised beds are the answer. I just have to make enough compost and soil amendments to make that feasible for the size we want.

The other protection was from the massive amount of slugs the rain has made comfy. Well that and the help of the black plastic construction clothe I laid done to keep the weeds down. It does work to keep weeds down but it also assists in the moist environments that help slugs live long and prosperous lives. We even have SNAILS!! I haven't seen a snail in eons. I have tiny little snails carrying their homes on their backs. Need more beer traps! Heineken apparently is the beer of choice. It makes them turn their little slug heads away from the plants and crawl as fast as they can to slurp down all that beery goodness. They die happy.

One the other hand the rain has made the beautiful fuscia Steve bought me very happy.


The hummingbirds also find it quite lovely. They don't seem to mind the rain at all dashing back and forth from the feeder to where ever their nest is. The hard rain does make the blossoms drop off. I find my back porch littered with these beautiful blossoms that are from another world.