Bees!! Glorious Bees!!

So this morning I did my every other day morning bee check. Took Buddy out with me and I am down looking at the squash hoping to spot a squash bee and I hear the ubiquitous "Whassat Daddy", look up and my son is about to get ahold of this guy:

Not sure what kind of bee it is, but its about 2 inches long. Sent a photo off to U of I to get some help identifying it. Buddy was trying to pick it up, so I stopped him and grabbed the camera. Then I continued my tour out front and LO AND BEHOLD the BEES HAVE ARRIVED! Here is my first official spotting of a honey bee, they are all over my Delphiniums! Now I have to figure out how to get them to move to my tomatoes.

There are actually a whole bunch of different types of bees out there including some paper wasps, honey bees, a couple of different bumble bees, etc. Now I just need my beloved squash bees to come back!

Garden Update, and a Brief Diatribe Regarding Rabbits

Hello, its been too long without photos, so without further ado.... The Garden Update...

Here we have the left two beds. The pumpkins, raddichio, tomatoes, etc are doing fine. The peppers (all 5 or 6 kinds) are not doing so hot. Oscar from freedomgardens.org who lives just north of here is having the exact same problem with his. Also, some of the bok choi went to seed and I was going to cut them, but when I saw the gorgeous little flowers, I decided that I would let them seed and collect some. Hope they breed true!

Below, near to far we have potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes all doing well. Next bed we have turnips, beans, radishes, tomatoes, all doing well and carrots (that bald patch) not doing so well. Furthest bed are melons, ground cherries, onions, shallots and more tomatoes all doing well.

My favorite view.

Lettuce recovering on the right, squash, zuchs, etc on the right.

The raspberries (which I foolishly transplanted in late spring) seem to be taking, but just enough to survive, which if they survive the summer, I am all about it!

The strawberries are doing pretty well, but THE EVIL SUBURBAN RATS ARE EATTING THEM ALL. I thought something (hawk, cat, neighborhood kids?) had gotten the baby bunnies, but, in fact they had only gone to visit and are back. And bigger. And hungrier.

Blackberries a year ahead of schedule. Need I say more?

Grapes. Yummy. Concord grapes. Like I had when I was a kid.

Anyways, thats an update on where its at. Any questions or comments or suggestions appreciated!

Teach Your Daughter Well

Still need to post pics, but had a great experience last night teaching my early teenage daughter how to trim tomatoes and some basic garden care. She did really well and is a natural.

She stated she really didn't see herself as a gardener, but as all the adults in her family are gardeners I noted she is doomed and she may as well accept her fate and learn to do it well.

I got that smirk, but she knows whats in her future. And its dirty fingernails.

:)

Two Weeks of Nothing

Well, due to some family situations I have had to not pay enough attention to my garden for two weeks.

It is overgrown (in good and bad ways) and lush and full of a few vermin (mostly the rabbits) and tomatoes that might be too big to cage now, so I may have to stake for the first time ever. That should be interesting.

Will try to get some pics of the good, the bad, and the ugly going tonite or tomorrow.

Rabbits and Wind

Wow. Hard day for the garden. Got home last night just ahead of the storm and found rabbit damage in my raddichio, broccoli, and cabbage.

I haven't put cages on all the tomatoes and the 70 mph winds last night did some damage. Will have to sort it all out and keep my fingers crossed.

Garden Update

Well here is the above shot that has been progressing through the summer. These are the main beds (but by no means all, I need to find a better way to summarize visually). Everthing is thriving with a few exceptionsl. The broccoli and carrots are not doing to well. I only have about a dozen carrots and I should have three times that amount. I will plant some more seed tonite and see what happens. The broccoliI am just not sure about. It was some borrowed saved seed and I am not sure how old it was. I may have to try and plant more of it as well.

Here we have two of the beds around the deck. Lettuce (seven varieties confirmed) on the left and Patty Pan, zuchs, acorn and crookneck squash on the left. Still no sign of my beloved squash bees, but its been wet and a little cold.

Here is my favorite shot down the walkway. I still have a lot of work to do to get the finishing touches on the garden back here, but I still enjoy it SOOOOOO much. This is my sanctuary.

And that is my organic seaweed fertilizer in the bucket. That stuff works like charm. I am totally impressed with it. Unfortunately I just realized this is a slightly dated photo of the walkway. Will update tonite.

Assisting The Helmsman