Is it hot at your place?

Hotter than heck here but I shouldn't complain since the south is really hot and burning up. We at least got a nice rain shower last night which helps keep everything green. Our chickens are hot too. I gave them some frozen vegetables to cool off on. They really loved that.

So far the veggie garden is doing great. I planted too much as usual and have been sharing with the nieghbors. We put the hose on it every day and that helps. Flowers are pretty as long as you give them a drink every day in this heat.

So, how is everyone else doing? I miss our chats.

Here is a pic of part of our yard going down to our pond.

Brenda

Wow, TDF. What a lovely piece of property you have.

Just picked my first full sized tomato today, though it is on the counter for a little more ripening. Have been having ripe cherry tomatoes for the last week or so. Also, green beans and cucumbers.

This is the first night I have come home from work and not had to water, thanks to an afternoon rain. Not brave enough to look at the water bill this summer yet.

Perennials and annuals are doing great with this weather. Too bad I just have a little yard for them to grow in. Imagine how happy they would be is they had room to roam, like you have.

If Brenda can show off her pond, than maybe I can too. As you will note, the view is much more of close up as that is all there is. The pond was install when the house was built in 1930. I resurrected it and embellished it. Sure is a soothing sound. Anyone else for a little show and tell?

Hi Nancy,

You are ahead of me. WE did get one ripe tomato today but it was a patio tomato on the deck. :) I don't think that counts. Lots of green tomatoes and about a zillion blooms. My climbinb beans went all the way to the 8' fence and are twining with each other with no place left to go. Still blooms and no ripe beans yet but soon. I have baby cucumbers but none eaten yet. Have way too much broccoli and yellow squash and zucchini. I've been sharing with the neighbors. Eating cabbage now too. I always plant too much stuff.

Your pond is beautiful. Nice that you were able to get it going again and decorate it. My pond is so far from the house I can't hear anything. I do have a huge windmill down there that turns and ariates the water so the fish get more oxygen. We don't decorate it except for one corner where I have a lot of different ornamental grasses growing. God decorates it with cattails but I cut them down as much as I can. :)

We're still staying busy watering everything. We let the chickens out to roam because it's so hot. They look funny with their wings sticking out running trying to cool off. I gave them a big bag of frozen vegetables and they jumped on that like it was candy. Helps cool them off.

The dang deer tick me off. They eat the flower buds on my daylilies and phlox and roses. I spray with deer repellant but I must have forgot to spray again. Makes me so mad. I sprayed today so maybe the plants will put out more blooms. They must not like petunias so they are blooming and spreading around.

Keep chatting and posting more pics.

Brenda

Loon, I had the same problem with the deer. so I tried a mixture of hot pepper sauce and water in a spray bottle, I mixed 1/2 and 1/2, and sprayed the blooms, did not hurt the blooms, and the deer are now leaving them alone, worked on the hostas too. i respraied after each shower.
Yesterday we had heat index of 103 degrees, and they tell us today is going to be hotter. I am in Southwestern Michigan. The weather persons say we are to get some relief by Monday. but, the garden seems to love the heat, water every morning, and wait for the produce, we lost all of our sweet corn in the storm we had of the 11th of July, but the rest is doing great.

We are getting tons of green beans. All I have is about a 10 foot section of chain link fence they are climbing and yesterday my hubby picked 2 bags of them. We have been picking for a couple of weeks already. A few years ago, I planted some prestarted bush ones I bought locally, and one of the plants vined like crazy. I saved seed because the beans were just as tender as the bush beans, which I hadn't found in a climber before. They continue to be our green bean of choice.

We savored our first tomato, a new variety for us. I got really carried away and am trying about 50 new varieties this year. This one was called Terhune, and at this point, is not invited back next year. No zing. So far, only one of the new cherries is returning, and that is Koralik, a small red cherry. I was on a mission to find a red cherry I really liked this year, so I tried 5 new ones. Beside great taste, no tough skin like so many cherries.

Ah yes, the deer. Big problem at the cottage where they get mad and snort at us when we interrupt their munching. Soon they will be charging at us. Worse than ever this year. I think it is because their population is up, they cannot be hunted where out cottage is. They live in the woods across the street from us. Only bad smelling stuff seems to deter them. In frustration, I tried a new product (for me) called Plantskydd®. Looks ugly initially, but is supposed to last all season. Organic, too. My hubby was up there this weekend and said they were leaving things alone. I also use Milorganite fertilizer in my beds, which is supposed to deter them, and is a wonderful fertilizer. Can't use anything that would be harmful in my butterfly garden which is the bed closest to the street, or I won't have any butterflies. Mostly I plant what they don't like to eat out there. I've accumulated a pretty good list of perennials they leave alone. This is a picture of my "Under the tree" garden at the cottage, mostly things they won't eat. The bright grass in the front of the picture is Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola', variegated Japanese forest grass, one of my favorites for brightening up a shady spot. Best of all, the deer don't touch it.

I did put Milorganite down in April. The Liquid Fence works great if you remember to respray about every three week. I swear you go one day over and they come in munching. At least they haven't pulled the plants out. Just nibble the blooms off the top.

Man, it's hot out there today. I went around with hubby watering the container plants and was happy to get back in the house/air conditioning.

Love your pic Nancy. I love plants the deer won't eat. So far, they have left alone my catmint. They seem to be staying away from the petunias too.

Well, I need to go make supper. Salmon patties tonight with veggies from the garden.

Stay cool everyone.

Brenda