I'm enjoying a vacation. First time in twenty years that my kids and husband are not along for the ride. I came to visit my mom and my best friend. It's so beautiful up here where my mom lives. It's healing. My best friend, my mom and I are planning on going to the hot … Continue reading Out In Colorado
After trying and trying for the last twelve years: and getting close to zero globe and beefsteak tomatoes, I went all in on plum (Roma) tomatoes. I've gotten Romas to produce before but I've never planted an entire bed with them. I fully expected to get a small supply from the six plants, that all … Continue reading I Withdraw My Assertion That I Cannot Grow Tomatoes
I have heard a lot of things, from people I know, who were touting the new hydrogen gas infused, water craze. There's already hydrogen atoms in a water molecule, but this is free hydrogen atoms added to regular tap or filtered water. Some of the people I have heard glowing reviews from are: doctors and … Continue reading Hydrogen Water. Healthy Or Hype?
Have you seen this farming family's channel? Based out of Azerbaijan? No? What!? You must watch it! https://youtube.com/@country_life_vlog?si=adfBXIRFHZx0Wr8B I'm going to add photos of my food forest. Some of what they do is achievable. But even I am jealous of the variety of food they can grow. This is a pomegranate flower. I accidentally stumbled … Continue reading Crazy Good Link
Summer is officially bearing down on us down here in South Texas. Boy, is it hot! If you garden: you sure don't want to do it in the middle of the day when it's over 100°F! However, all the things down here that I choose to plant will usually sail through the heat as long … Continue reading Summer Sun And The Fruits Of My Labor
I recently purchased this on ebay. Someone just had it for decoration in their kitchen. It hasn't been used, but it is vintage. Anyway: I'm going to crush my pomegranates with this. It has a tiny cup under the extractor but I've decided to clean the base really well and sit it in a large … Continue reading Crazy Purchase
I finally got all of the figs I froze out of the freezer and made wine. It had come down to: make wine or don't have room for this year's corn! I have the carboys out of the way, by my fireplace. Definitely don't need to use the fireplace right now! Figs thawing. So I … Continue reading Fig Wine
Well it's a day for a storm. The heat has been bullied back into its corner and I was free to do some work outside. The dripline I'm running is brown. It's really rubbery and easier to force onto the emiter posts. The downside of working in the rain is: the thick clay gets slippery … Continue reading I’m Digging In The Rain, Just Diggin’ In The Rain…
The heat was getting to the papaws. This is the north side of my yard and this area only gets about half a day of direct sunlight. It wasn't enough shade. I was noticing some thinning of the leaves and some stress that was showing up as lighter colors. Pawpaws before the heat set in. … Continue reading Pawpaw Follow Up
I created this bed in a traditional hugelkulter. Dug the trench, laid the logs, filled it in. Never again. I've been building my style of hugelkulter for over a decade. But I finally tried making one the way you are supposed to make it. I have a vole highway under these trees now. I'm setting … Continue reading When It Gets Too Hot For A Fruit Tree
I looked at my phone today. 78°. I haven't seen that temperature in awhile! Yesterday was our hottest day on record. We've beat this record for the second year in a row with 117° heat index. So: it's been crazy hot. I am not done with all of my major outdoor projects. I'm close to … Continue reading Crazy Daily Gardening In “Stupid Hot”, Heat
I have a vole problem in my hugelkulter bed. I built the hugelkulter, for the first time, like you are supposed to... and I hate it. I've been building "hugelkulter-like" beds for twelve years and I've never had voles. But I didn't use logs, I used mulch. (See how I do it here: perfect raised … Continue reading Vole Holes Day 3
Why I can't grow tomatoes. It's 10:30 pm and it feels like 91°F. We just don't cool down in the summer. Even at night. Yucky, hot and sweaty weather. It is definitely not being enjoyed by me! Crazy Green Thumbs
So I have voles tunneling around my high density fruit tree bed, inside the hugelkulter base. Under these trees is a real hugelkulter set up. Never again. I own some poison peanuts. Which I read the instructions on: post purchase. They aren't meant to use around fruit trees. Then I have a couple of mouse … Continue reading Vole Hole
My paste tomatoes are starting to blush! If you lose tomatoes to animals, pull them as they just start to blush red, and ripen them on the counter. Then you won't have to share! There's tons more in the garden that aren't ready to bring in. Great year for tomatoes for me! That's super unusual. … Continue reading Paste Tomatoes!
Because of our heat, and the fact that our main hummingbird variety will not share with other birds: I use really small feeders and place them all over my yard. On the way out the door with fresh hummingbird food. I usually have five out at a time. In our feel like 112° heat, they … Continue reading My Favorite Hummingbird Feeders
Future pomegranate. I love these, but: processing a whole bunch of these, no matter the method, is tedious. My poor sick pear. I'm not sure if the drought and heat last year got to it, or if the fireblight and iron chlorosis is doing it in. So sad to see my twelve year old tree … Continue reading Summer Fruits Are Forming
Both of my grandmother's had cast iron collections. These were things they either purchased in Kansas or are my family's heirlooms. My mom's family on a road trip to Washington DC. My granny on my mom's side married a jerk, (to say it mildly) after my grandpa died. He made her get rid of her … Continue reading How I Restored My Antique Iron: Two Methods
Because these were cut and fitted last year, I was able to get a ladder out and use pvc pipe glue (even in this horrible heat) and get this frame together in a permanent way. It took me very little time, but I'm sweating in sheets right now. Miserable heat and humidity. This is the … Continue reading Crazy Daily Gardening
Two of my favorite flowers. Gladiolus and iris. My two pawpaws are coming along nicely, but I need to put some shade cloth over them. They are already starting to show signs of heat stress. It's already in the 90s here. Making 5 gallons of fig wine. (These were frozen and I needed that space … Continue reading Crazy Daily Gardening
Crazy Green Thumbs 