It's been awhile...

1st strawberry picking, July 1st

It's been awhile since I wrote/reported anything here - felt a little burned out - or maybe just tired. Doing a lot - a LOT - of gardening, and am just worn out. I thought I'd get started reposting with a smaller report. Am about 2 weeks behind with Independence Days reporting - better catch up soon or I won't remember all I need to report!

I think I'm finally catching up in the garden - most everything has been planted at least once, I think. (Pop)corn was just about knee-high by the 4th of July, but then, I have low knees (as in I lack height, or as I once heard, "I'm not short. I'm just vertically challenged.") Trying to to other yard stuff, too: keep the grass level at an acceptable height for the neighborhood, weed flower beds, etc. I even dragged out the hammock stand on Sunday afternoon, which I didn't do at all last year, and promptly took a nap whilst listening to the ballgame!

Now it's pretty much a matter of maintaining, weeding and watering. Didn't plant more radishes soon enough, so there's something for next year. The peas are ready for picking. Strawberries are going crazy, so I've been picking, cleaning & hulling (ugh), freezing, & making jam. Blueberries are ripening, and raspberries have a jillion little nubs of future berries.

Cucumbers, even though they till look a little puny, have blossoms (!); second planting of potatoes (Yukon Gold) are pushing through the compost/newspaper mix I dumped on them, and I covered a wide path/'ditch' between the corn & the garlic with newspaper, threw in the withered-but-trying-to-sprout Kennebec seed potato pieces & covered with compost/soil/steer manure. We'll see what happens.

Here's a photo of the second strawberry picking, on July 4th - I was flabbergasted there were so many!