SSSSSSSSSSSnakes in the Bin





An outdoor bin seemed like a good idea at the time. I had a number of old plastic pots, trays, etc. I wanted to keep. I had stacked them up neatly in the trees behind the woodpile, but they were covered with leaves within a few weeks. So that prompted the purchase of the bin. It was great! Seasonal items could be stored in one place without a mess. Then one day I opened the bin to retrieve something and found a mouse fleeing its nest. Okay, I’m calm. The mouse went away. But after that, I opened the bin cautiously. I took to calling it the mouse house.

Months later, I opened the bin and found a black snake.  Okay, I’m still calm. I am the first one to appreciate snakes for their rodent-eating ability, but it’s no fun to come on them suddenly. When you think about it, the bin is a pretty good gig for the snake. Hang out in it, protected from the weather, and wait for lunch to come by!

This week I needed to get some items from the bin. I called on my husband for reinforcements! We approached the bin, my husband armed with a metal grabber to pull items out. The first thing we saw inside was a large, complete snake skin, measuring 50 inches from nose to tail. Then we found the snake, but clearly not the one who lost the skin since it was smaller. He was unhappy with us, slithering back into the bin and banging his tail against the wall.

As with many things, the bin didn’t work out the way I expected, but I can adapt to the way the snake house needs to be used.





Tomato Hornworms Part 2

I found a single, small (about the size of a pin head) round yellowish-green egg on my tomato plants, and I immediately suspected the tomato horn worm. I checked with Cahri’s Bugs Online, and my suspicions were confirmed! By this time, I noticed a few chewed leaves, and looking carefully, I found the small tomato hornworm. I removed him from the plants before he could do any more damage and looked around for more eggs. They too were removed. Hopefully that will protect the plants for a few days. But I’ll keep an eye out.



Compost

The latch on the back door of my compost bin broke a few weeks ago, and I got around to cleaning up the black gold that spilled out on Monday. I can easily empty yard wastes into the compost bin from the driveway, and the back door can be opened to remove the finished material when needed. Only this time I got help in opening it!

I put yard clippings, food peelings, etc., into the compost year round. Compost is, of course, fabulous as a soil conditioner and fertilizer.

I have a good system for getting the best out of the compost. I sift it as I dig it out and catch it into the green tub. That way, I only have the best and richest without any rocks, sticks or large matter. I can drag the tub on the ground, and I have a great homemade carrier for it on the concrete.

The compost bin, the sifter, and the wood tub carrier were all made for me by my husband. The sifter fits the tub, and the tub fits the carrier neatly. He is the perfect garden helper!

Tomato Hornworms

Tomato Hornworms are the larva of a huge moth called five-spotted hawkmoth. You may find them on your tomato plants in July or August. The one pictured here was about 2 inches long, but they get as much as twice that size. They can really strip the leaves of the tomato plant!

 

I usually first notice bare stems, which gives me a clue I have a problem. So I look for worm droppings. I can usually spot the actual worm with a little inspecting. I simply remove the worm from the plant and carry it far away from the garden.

You may see a tomato hornworm with what looks like grains of rice hanging from it. This unfortunate worm has a wasp parasite that will ultimately kill the worm. Even though the worm has been eating MY tomatoes, I do feel a little sorry for it. A little sorry.

HOT HOT HOT

It's really hot here the latter part of July. Some of the bedding plants are getting rather leggy. It's time to move through the garden and yard, cutting back and fertilizing. I started some English daisies in May so I would have bedding plants to replace any that have died. It's difficult to find bedding plants this time of year commercially.

It has been rainy enough this July, which helps with watering.

The vegetable garden is producing now. I am getting tomatoes, cucumbers, zuchini, and the staple of the South, okra. Yum!

Memories

This is my maternal grandmother’s hoe. Clara was born in 1897 in Union County, Tennessee and died in 1991. When she was middle-aged, she moved to a farm in Knox County, where she grew tobacco as a cash crop. She also grew okra, tomatoes, green beans and other vegetables to feed her family. Even though she loved the soil, it wasn’t just a hobby with her, but a way to have good food. What a summer treat it was to eat the fresh produce! Her strawberries were the best I’ve ever tasted. And the green beans! She always planted Blue Ribbon pole beans. You won’t find a better-tasting bean. I’m proud to use her hoe as a connection across the decades to her.

I put compost in the children’s garden, and I have put them to work planting what they had started from seed.

The weather has warmed up, and I have been busy putting all the plants in the ground. The rhododendrons have bloomed beautifully.

Gray and drizzly

This week has been cold and rainy; the weather hasn’t been suitable for working outside.

I put the plants I had stored in the garage out last weekend. Last night, the weatherman had predicted a low of 38. When I got up this morning, the temperature was at freezing! I quickly checked my plants, but I think they are not harmed.

The good news from the greenhouse is that the first amaryllis has bloomed! It certainly is beautiful. I have counted 9 bud stalks so far. The geraniums are blooming; soon it will be time to start emptying the greenhouse.  The other seedlings are coming along also. Makes me anxious to plant them, but the current chilly weather tells me I should wait. The average last date for frost in East Tennessee is tomorrow.

I bought a tomato plant to put in a larger container in the greenhouse. It has grown already, and should be a good size to plant out when it’s time.