Garden Update May 15

Still no real measurable rainfall.  I did get about 1/4 inch on Saturday night, but that still take us to only about a half inch cumulatively in the last 6 weeks.  It's dry, but early last week I started running the sprinklers full bore.  I watered for 3 hours each evening and 2 hours the next morning every other day.  It made a difference.  Today I was able to pick a five gallon bucket full of snap beans and the blooms that I noticed as I picked are numerous.  I'll be picking beans again mid week and likely next weekend too.  It's great!!  We also dug some more potatoes.  We focused mainly on the dying plants today.  I'm very pleased with the crop so far.  we've been able to keep the potato bugs at bay.  Last year's killer were mole crickets.  Two applications of granular Sevin knocked those back easily.  The potato crop is as healthy as good as we've had this year.  We have small tomatoes on the bush and watermelons on the vine.  Several corn stalks are starting to tossle.  Cucumbers are struggling but some are starting to drop and run.  same with the sweet potatoes.  For a plot that is deathly dry it's actually yielding.  What if I had had some rain?  Would have been my best garden ever...that's what.  There is still time.  If it's God's will the rain will come.  I took several pics and I figured that I would make that the bulk of this weeks's update:

It's hard to tell what's in that picture, but it's deer tracks.  More specifically the digging done by a deer who got the piss shocked out of it after trying to enter the garden.  After two months of chirping, the fence charger finally got some use.  Hopefully it gets some more use.  I suspect the watermelons will be very inviting.

Speaking of watermelons....we have a few on the vine!  This one is about the size of my thumb, but it's a start.  This is where watering becomes critical or they will all get bullet-nosed.  I'll define that term in a later blog.  I'm sure I'll have an example ;)

Saturday morning was spent staking tomato plants.  I put baskets around the ones that get the most sprinkler water and used bamboo stakes for the rest.  That's The Murph in the background.  He was helping ;)

This is my "engineered" potato drying rack.  It is the base of my youngest sons old crib.  I covered it in screen and suspended it from the rafters in my shop.  Perfect for letting the taters get air from all sides.  Already had the base and the chain.  Total cost was $3.49 for the screen.  I do hit my head on it all the time though.  Doh!

Sunday's bounty.  Cooked a pot of beans and bagged 4 quarts for the freezer.

The day ended with a true home cooked meal.  Veggies from the garden and deer tenderloin.  The deer was on the money.  I recently learned about marinading it in milk for 24 hours to help tenderize it.  Worked like a champ!  The kids loved this meal because they helped harvest it and because it tasted good.  not usually a deer fan, the wife even liked it.

It was a great weekend.  It started out hot and humid and ended cooler and breezy.  We got a little rain.  The kids got dirty with me in the garden.  Murphy dug his first potatoes.  Mama Bear ate deer meat.  Davis is riding his bike without training wheels.  The Ford tractor is almost done.  Wow!  Hope next week is as bountiful and fruitful!

Y'all take it easy,

Alex