what we have been doing....

 

We have been doing so darn much around the estate that its easier for me to show you in pictures instead of writing it all out....so here we go:

 

The cucumber seeds that my fellow Angel "Sandy" sent me, have exploded: 

 

 

Our first attempt at corn has been okay, and it has come in nicely

 



 

Until this past Tuesday night when we were hit with about 6 inches of rain in an hour and had some flash flooding through the garden. My Uncle is the oracle of gardening and said not to worry that it would stand back up on its own. It is to a point, but we do have some stalks that are just simply ruined:

 

 

Our neighbor let their cows out in this pasture behind our house, and they came up for a visit:

 

The boys baseball team won the "south division" and went to the championship game. but sad to say we lost. However, our coach is also the coach of the All-Star team and asked NW ( the oldest) to play on the team. We go to the All-Star tournament for 9-10 year olds in two weeks, and have been practicing 4 out of 7 days.

 

Between baseball and gardening, Senior built the Jersey Giants a new coop and we got it painted:

So thats been our week...just been busy, busy , busy because its that time of year for us around here. Hope you are all doing well....

-JUGM

Meet Mr. Pickle Worm

Nothing says "good morning sweetie" then waking up to this nasty critter.
 Meet "Mr. Diaphania Nitidalis" aka "The Pickle Worm"

 

Thanks to my good buddy DUKE who verified what the little holes were. I followed his lead and cut one open this morning and there it was....ICK!  It gave me goose bumps. ND who is an aspiring entomologist wanted to keep it as a pet.

These guys are a serious pest. They primarily like to feed on squash, but also like vegetables in the cucumber and melon families. What you initially see are small holes in your fruit or veggies, that is where the larva ( pictured) like to burrow. About 8-9 days later they will emerge as the "pickleworm moth" and fly out primarily in the evening hours.

 

I dusted my cucumbers in the early evening hours last night with Sevin dust. Which I have been told will work. The only problem with any insecticides is I don't want the Bees who stop  by to pollinate the blooms to die as well.  It is kind of a catch 22.

Some other ideas to protect your garden is to cover your vines with screen so the moths can not get in to lay eggs, or planting a group of squash as a sort of "trap crop" to keep them off your more important vegetables.
This is because they prefer the squash over anything else. They also do not like to feed on watermelons for some reason.

Either way, its a disgusting little cusp that I hope to eradicate from the few vines of cucumbers I am growing. 

-JUGM

There are Holes in my Cukes!

I hope by viewing this picture that some of my gardening blogging buddies can help me determine what is munching on my cucumbers. They are getting these tiny perfect little holes in them.
Google search does not come up with much, other then it possibly being a "pickleworm"

Some of my cucumbers have them. Then some I pull off don't.  Since I have no clue, if they are still edible or not, The few I have found them on, I have thrown out.

Any advice would be incredibly helpful. As this is my first successful year growing cucumbers, and my bushes have been doing extremely well. Now we are getting hit with these mysterious holy things.

A little bit of this and A little bit of that...

It's Wednesday. I have been a bit under the weather which is why I have not posted much these past couple of days. But, Now I am feeling much better.
It has been very hot here, afternoon storms kick up and provide much needed rain and a lightening show for us.
The other day after dinner, I mustered the energy to go out to the beach with Senior and the boys. First time this summer. Moo-Moo can't believe we have not been yet...but as I told her.. "ummm I have a life"...lol
Caught some good pics, including this one :

Every time we see the horses on the beach, Senior and I joke about who picks up their "poo"  lol 
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This morning I saw something I have never seen. I had taken the dogs out, and saw a bee flying around my cucumbers, it landed on one of the blooms and did what bees do to flowers.
Which leads me to my next question. The other day I was buying some local honey for my dad.
but, there were so many types.  I picked one that said "wildflower".   What is the difference? 
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Saturday we got to meet my nieces Fiance, he is a really nice guy. We like him. How in the world My niece hooked him is beyond us!.  That same day I also worked up a trade. I traded my Ruger 10/22 for a compound bow. I know I probably got the short end of the deal, but I grew up with the family of the young man I traded it too, he is supporting a young wife, and 2 small children, and could not afford to buy something that nice out right.   But, now I need to get my new bow a tune up and adjusted for me. He had it at 55#s pull, and that is a bit too much for me.
Senior is getting a "diamond" brand. It comes in the mail today..he is "Over the moon" excited about it too. 
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Today I am on the search for boxes, another community garage sale is this weekend. the proceeds we make will go to giving my Cherokee a tune up, and changing of his fluids. My goal is to out right sale my Subaru to carmax, and drive the Cherokee a while. How long the while will be I am not sure, but I am hoping to cut in to some of our debt, and this is one way to accomplish that- We will flip that car payment and put that money on something else so we can pay that item down faster.
 Then when we see where Senior will land a job in logistics, we will go from there with the purchase of another vehicle and keep the Cherokee as our "fun/ project" car.   We have been looking at the Nissan Xterras...and No way will I buy anything new.. 

Okay, so that is that. Have a happy Wednesday ! 

-JUGM

Andrea and the Cucumber

I told y'all that when the Weather man says "tropical moisture"...it really means "folks your screwed."...  This is Tropical Storm Andrea, and some where under there is Florida.  We don't know where exactly, but we are down there...   I can testify to this because I am here blogging to you all.
I was suppose to have the carpets cleaned today, and you know the weather is bad when even they don't want to show up.  Oh well, got to reschedule for another day.  Its probably a good thing, because with all the mud in the back yard the two boxers are as happy as pigs eating slop, and we don't need that mess trampling in across clean carpets. 

On another note and updating about my cucumbers, while poking through them the other night, NW and I found this beauty just hanging there. It literally exploded out of no where.  More are soon to follow. I just wish they would all be ready at the same time so that I might can a few jars of pickles.

 

Kids spent the night with the G-parents. I hate saying this, but I needed the break. Senior and I watched "TAKEN 2"...  Good movie, I still liked the first one better though. This one did not have the classic one liners like the first one. But Liam kicked butt as always.  If you are like MAMMA BEAR and I, and are a Liam Neesan fan--watch "THE GREY".  Ohhh that movie is awesome. I still would like to see him team up with my other four favorite actors: Vin Diesel, Mark Wahlberg, Russel Crowe, and Dwayne "the rock" Johnson for a movie..

 

More planning today for Seniors graduation dinner, Family is coming in from NC tomorrow. I am making a "cupcake tower"...so yes I will post a pic of my creation.  Senior is on the hunt for ammo, and rushing me out the door...so I must say "CIAO" for now.

 



For my entire Southeast Friends... STAY DRY!....  

-JUGM

JUG-M And The Giant Cukes...

They just keep growing and growing and growing..  My 2 pickle bush cucumber plants. In the jungle of yellow buds, vines, and leaves are plenty of baby cucumbers growing nicely. By end of July, I hope to have them picked and ready for canning.

Now, with that being said.. and Summer in full swing. I begin to worry about snakes hiding in things. The fear comes from a story from childhood: On one of my Summer visits to South Carolina, a little boy went out searching for worms to go fishing with. He happened upon a nest of what he thought was Earth worms, Only they were actually baby pygmy rattlesnakes. He died- I have never forgotten it, and freak every time ND comes in and tells me he has a "pet" earth worm.
Last summer Senior found a Pygmy near our wood pile- you can imagine my reaction... *shivers*

So, my question for all my good vegetable gardener blogger friends is this:  Can I cut back the larger leaves of my plants?  Or, will doing that hurt the cukes that are growing? 
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My beans are also sprouting. These too are the bush variety.

 

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Our skies here have been opening up in the afternoon, we are in a disastrously wet pattern with some Tropical Moisture promised for the weekend. Translated that means : " Sorry folks, your screwed..flooding rains are expected"  Anytime you hear the weather man say "tropical moisture"...grab your john boat and oars.

 

 I swear Florida is going to break off and become an Island. Hopefully it does so SOUTH of the Cape...because that area is a whole different country! 

This is a funnel cloud that some one snapped a pic of. Nothing like what those good folks in Oklahoma and the plains states are dealing with , but for us it is a scary sight. 

 

 

And here is another one taken from a river near our home: 

 

 

Seniors college graduation is Saturday. He is doing so with Honors. We are so proud. But I must get this house cleaned up, and a carpet cleaning scheduled. As his brother and G/F are driving down to attend. I can't tell how awesome it is to have something positive happen, instead of something sad.

So I am happy as a pig in mud to make dinner plans and etc.... 

My Niece is coming as well, you know the "bride to be"..  Its hilarious because she has been engaged for all but 2 seconds and all ready an authority on marriage...    anyways..that is a story for another day and another blog post...  

 

-JUGM