Tuesday, July 03, 2018

Wild & Domestic...

The Wild Ones
 

Persicaria amphibia
Water Knotweed
 

 
Prickly Pear cactus blooms and Yarrow
 
Pussytoes
 

 
Showy Milkweed
 
 Prairie Coneflower
 
The Domestic Ones
 
Non-stop Begonia, Geranium, Wave Petunias
 
Lilies

Clematis
 
Potato blossoms
 
Summer is in full-tilt now and we are feeling the hot summer days.  I'm tending to my flowers and veggie gardens, doing lots of gardenhose watering.  We've had a couple half inch showers in all of June so I can't say we haven't had any rain, but just a few miles to our south, east and north, folks have been showered with loads of rain -- inches and inches -- that they'd like it to stop.  Some have had tornadoes, tennis ball sized hail, and flooding.  I really don't want any of that.
 
With these sunny, warm days, we are in the hay fields working, and we've also been doing a lot of barn work.  We are breeding cows artificially and so that requires quite a bit of barn work and moving cows from pasture to pasture.  After the 6th of July, we will be done with all of the AI-ing and can turn the cows and calves and bulls out for the summer and finish up the haying.
 
Despite the dry spring we had, the hay looks very good.  It's the snow that made it.  Anywhere that the snow laid in deep, the grass and alfalfa is excellent.  We are making hay in draws and in ditches and feed grounds where we've not hayed in years.  That little shot of rain we got in June stimulated more growth, and it feels like it's going to be a decent Hay Year after all.  You must know that we live in arid country where our average rainfall is just 11-15" a year, and that is counting snowfall.  So the beauty of living here is that a little rain does us a lot of good!
 
My garden is doing just OK.  The fenced in garden is being overtaken with tree roots which makes it hard for growing anything with a deep root system.  It is also fairly shaded due to the same trees.  The garden on the bank beside it is doing terrific.  It has no tree roots and it has full sunshine.  The potatoes are there and so are the squash and pumpkins along with a couple of tomato and pepper plants.  That is where I plan to do ALL the veggie gardening next year, or I may prepare a little spot below the bank. 
 
So far I have picked lettuces, radishes, and zucchini.  My Kohlrabi are close to picking and the broccoli is forming heads right now.  The tomatoes look terrible -- at least the ones in the fenced garden.  Their leaves are curling.  I think it could be the tree roots or shade or the cool spring and then sudden heat or all of the above.  I'm hoping that the few tomatoes I planted on the bank will at least give me some tomatoes for eating fresh.  I'm sure my daughters will have good tomato crops so I won't worry if I have a tomato crop failure this year.  The girls are good about sharing.
 
Well, it's time for me to head back out to help bring cows home.  Today we have another afternoon of barn work with the cows and then back to the hay field.  Summer is good.  It always feels so short to me, so I'm enjoying every little bit of it.  The sunflowers are blooming at the side of the gravel road and my dear Hubby cut a handful for me this morning.  I have to say, I do think sunflowers are my favorite.  They say "Summer" to me.  I hope you're summer is going well.  To my fellow Americans,  I wish you a Happy Independence Day! 
 


 

18 comments:

  1. The red lilies are gorgeous! So sorry about your tomatoes- I just can't wait for them every year! Good your girls share. Funny summer seems very long here in GA! Haha! Happy 4th to you!

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    1. I can't wait for homegrown tomatoes every year. It's a big highlight for me. I'll get them one way or another!

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  2. Somebody else said it was a bad tomato year. Aren't the prairie flowers gorgeous? Oh my! I love your porch flowers, too. I'm so glad the hay is so good! What a blessing. It's hot and hazy here today. My sunflowers are growing so prettily, too. They are the best, best, best flower.
    Take care, summer girl!

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    1. We can always count on the sunflowers, can't we?

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  3. It's a bad tomato year for me, the worst of all my tomato-growing in my new garden, and none of them has been good. But my new neighbor said she will share from her overabundance. :-)

    Jody, your porch display of flowers is quite delightful!! I love all the containers and staggered heights. So glad your hay is coming in well!

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    1. I'm sorry to say that I'm glad I'm not the only one having tomato growing troubles. I hope you'll be able to figure it out and grown some beautiful red globes for yourself.

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  4. All the flowers are pretty; both wild and tame. :)
    The little potato flowers are so cute.
    Glad about the hay and sounds like lots of good, hard, satisfying ranch work!
    God bless and have a happy fourth!

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  5. My garden is sad this year. My seedlings never germinated and I had to plant everything twice. It rained so much nothing wanted to grow. Then two yearling deer broke our agreement of I feed them in back and they stay out of the garden. What the deer didn't get the tennis ball sized hail crushed. I've decided to spend the rest of the summer on the porch. Your flowers are beautiful. Glad you are having a good day yield.

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    1. Oh dang it! I'm sorry you got that nasty hail! And then your deer breaking their agreement. That's not nice. Enjoy your porch sitting anyway.

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  6. I've enjoyed reading this post and seeing the wild flowers. They have some interesting names. You must be very busy, but it sounds very positive. It's good that you all enjoy growing produce and can share it around. Lots of watering needed, but satisfying work. Have a good day today. Your porch looks lovely. I like the idea of non stop begonias!

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  7. Lovely porch display and your pink Clematis is such a gorgeous colour. Even the potato flowers look nice in their own way.

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  8. We've had a very hot June with SO much rain -- my husband added up 21" in June alone. So soggy! I think the rain caused many of our tomato plants to do poorly, but other veggies are doing well. Mostly ... I can't stand to do garden work in the horrible heat.
    The prickly pear flowers are so pretty! And your porch is cool and welcoming. Happy 4th!

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  9. I love reading all about everything growing. I love seeing the flowers in the yard and out. My tomatoes are not doing that good this year either. My squash is though.
    It sounds like a nice summer and I am so glad you read about how good your hay crop is going to be that is good news.
    My kiddos are in your neck of the woods. They did get to spend the 4th in Yellowstone. They are exploring Montana and are on to North and South Dakota. :)

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  10. Oh my goodness...good hay! Words to cheer a farmer's heart! I'm reduced to buying hay now but have found someone who has alfalfa square bales. The round bales haven't been all that good so finding alfalfa square bales is a gift.
    Jody, do you know if there's a knotweed that's not similar but doesn't grow in water? I've some weedy looking stuff and it's a twin to your water knotweed; as soon as I get to it on my to-do list, it's being pulled!

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    1. Sandra, yes there is knotweed that grows on the ground. Ii have some in my yard and am constantly pulling it and trying to spray it. Nasty stuff.

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  11. I'm just thoroughly enjoying all of this prairie beauty-- both wild and domestic! Thank you for the photos, Jody. And I always enjoy the words you write about your life. The consistency of it all is encouraging somehow. Thanks for being you!

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  12. I love how you just soak up all of God's good gifts and then turn around and share them with us :-)

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