by CMG Ron S
October 2024
September is always a bad month for me as I reminisce of things that could have been, but never have. Of course I am thinking about the things that I could/should have done in the garden and/or yard landscape. I could have gone all in with a winter vegetable planting, but only went in about as far as $26 worth of broccoli transplants and one 4” pot of thyme. That may seem like a lot of broccoli, but that is about the only vegetable, other than tomatoes, that we both consume in quantity. I have tried earnestly to grow a Spring crop of broccoli but have never succeeded other than for a few spindly heads and some florets. I like Brussel sprouts but likewise have not harvested a single one from my planting attempts. This fall, I gave in to the temptation and compulsion and put in a few just for fun. We eat many an onion but I have likewise not pulled one out larger than a pickle ball. Actually, I would be happy for a pickle ball onion. I will try around the 15th with another bundle of TX 1015Y or perhaps Early Grano 502. The Aggies seem keen on these and both have been around for a very long time. That is going to be it for me in 2024.
I repaired the drip irrigation system that I partially destroyed in my attempt to slash and burn a previous year’s asparagus canes. I told you all about that fiasco. It took me a couple or three years to actually do the repairs as I perfected my procrastination techniques. It actually came out reasonably well. I can once again simply turn on one quadrant (I have two) of emitters and go back in the house to watch the next episode of whatever TV show may be on. I have a timer app on my phone but there are times when it mysteriously stops working, usually due to my not turning it on. When that happens my spouse reminds me in direct terms and voice. When I first got into using the drip system a friend recommended using the variable emitters rather than the “per hour” emitters. It made good sense as this allowed the adjustment of flow and even stopping some completely. The problem of hard water showed up a few years later as the emitters built up calcium deposits and clogged. I would remove the little screw caps and meticulously clean the little water slots with a pin and pen knife. Then I remembered the effect that vinegar had on calcium. Meanwhile I was avidly replacing these emitters with two gallon per hour ones. Great, but what about fallow beds in a quadrant? Well, back in July I was in Lowes just wandering around (I like wandering around Lowes, but prefer my wandering to be at Ace Hardware) and saw the 1/2 inch cut offs. That would solve the fallow bed problem, but these do not install themselves and I am still procrastinating.
I have one medium bed of Oscar okra and perhaps ten plants in a smaller bed. Thanks to those of you who have come to Herb SIG and a couple of monthly meetings to help me deal with the overabundance. I am still harvesting okra almost every other day. If I skip a harvest day the pods grow to over six inches and are inedible. Also, the fire ants have discovered that with little effort they can burrow into the pods rendering them unpleasant to harvest. The leaves have now dropped on all but the lower four or so feet of each plant. Still, the lower parts are putting out branches with more okra. I can’t just pull the pants, mostly because these plants resemble the Jack and the Bean Stalk thickness and my chainsaw is hard to start.
Oh, I almost forgot. My thanks to Emily for gifting me a Malabar spinach plant last year. While the plant faked me out by appearing to die, it actually was spreading underground. Really! The plant is beautiful and would cover a fence if the deer were not cropping it back. I do not like to eat it as it tastes to me like a very unpleasant weed, but it does produce copious numbers of very small white flowers that attract many of what appear to be Clytie Ministreak butterflies. I have included a picture so if there are any lepidopterists reading this, please identify properly. We also have a surfeit of baby skunks that are almost as tame as our cats. These babies have been eating the dry cat food since their teeth came and think we are their parents. They rub up on our ankles.
September 2024
I’m afraid, very afraid. My burr oak (one of them) has lost its leaves and both of my Crepe Myrtles are in the same process. In past years I have watered them on a weekly basis, but this year we were receiving intermittent rain, so I procrastinated. Yes, no surprise to anyone. Well, I started watering again a couple of weeks ago, but it appears too late. I have continued to water (drip irrigation) the garden every other day and my numerous rose and other driveway plants every three or four days or when my sunflower test plant appears droopy, but I still lost another David Austin rose. I could consider that an opportunity to purchase two new ones for next March, but at $50 or more each, I do not.
Another fear that I was harboring was that the extensive mulch yard that Kelcey and I spread so assiduously would end up on the driveway and over the walkway. I no longer fear that as it has happened. The hogs like nosing around in it and have generously spread the edges precisely where it is not wanted. I will be out there shortly sweeping it back and ready for another hog assault. Speaking of hogs, my spouse has departed, partially, from her PETA stance and directed that I take stern action against those hogs. We really do have a major problem and I will have to bring myself to taking actions with extreme prejudice even on the piglets. I will not do so until it gets cool enough to allow morning processing. Hogs appear usually around 2200 each evening. If I took that extreme prejudice, it would be at that time and I am too old to stay up the night gutting and skinning or even quartering and removing back straps.
On the non-gardening but Homefront, my one remaining Red Sex Link chicken is doing ok, but is very lonely. I cannot let her free-range because of the continued fox visits. I have started greatly expanding her fenced range area, but those pesky T-posts are a real devil to drive. I have a manual post driver that probably weighs over 30 pounds and after lifting it over 6’ for the first two or three posts, I am pooped. I’d get Kelcey to do it, but he is over 50 yrs old now and does not go to the gym every day. So, I am better off with me doing it and just working a short while everyday. We get one egg per day with consistency, and for the two of us, that is enough. Still as noted above, she is lonely. Chickens are flock animals that depend on each other for predator warnings, not that it did them much good in the recent past. They probably just thought that the pesky fox was too cute to be dangerous. Another thing is that while chickens can learn, mine must have eaten too much MJ in their early years.
Fire ants discovered my okra and my harvesting hands this morning. Well, they likely already knew about it, but I just saw them all over several ripe pods. This is annoying because the ants can disfigure the pods and I hope to enter a couple quarts of pickled okra in this month’s fair. Come by the AG pavilion and see if I placed. If I did not it is because the election was rigged even though I won the popular and electoral vote and first prize was awarded to a judge’s family member. Some years ago I entered a quart of Bee and Thistle honey and won first prize, probably because I was the only one who entered that category.
I am not planting any winter vegetables. I just never have been successful with it and figure that for the cost, work, and aggravation, I will just continue buying it from the Commissary or H.E.B..