Garden and Strange Happenings Update August 11

[robby]

The Meyer lemon tree is still blossoming, even though it's already full of green egg-sized lemons. The internet says this is normal, and the honeybees seem to appreciate it.

I started two tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets, as an experiment, and they now have fruit forming. They need to be watered every day, and I've been giving them nitrogen every few days. Tomato plants grow best in the ground, and I probably won't ever try this again.

I'll pick my first squash tomorrow. It's amazing how fast they have developed. I still have eight quarts of freeze dried squash from last year, that I'll finally consign to the compost pile. Squash was the only vegetable that I overdid last year, but there was some value in having lots of extra food available, in case of emergency.

The crazy evangelist is back in the woods, living like John The Baptist. He asked me if I needed any prayers, as I walked by. I said no, but Halo only growled at him. Halo does not like this guy.

I saw an odd animal hunting in the wildest area. It was maybe a small coyote.
It didn't have the thick tail, or bushy fur that I expect to see on a coyote, and had a weird hopping gait as it ran ahead of us. Was it a Chupacabra? I'm packing a camera, for the next time I see it.

Comments

[ccjohn.livejournal.com]

I was gonna ask you about tomatoes. Mine have done OK. We are beginning to get deluged. I only planted three. Turns out sunlight, seems to be the number one variable with tomatoes. It's pretty obvious in my case, all the things I planted are skewed on a line I assume follows the shadow line. But it's tough to get that 180 degrees all-day sun thing unless you have a field all around your garden.

Lemons, good for you. We tried to grow lemons in Huntington Beach when I was little. No luck at all.

Maybe animal was a fisher? I hear they are around again. Halo is a good name for a dog.

[robby.livejournal.com]

The animal bolted again from the same spot, but I didn't get a good look. For a picture, I'd have to sneak up carefully, and have a good camera with a long range lens. What's a little creepy, is that the chupacabra sightings describe what I saw, a canine head, and a hopping sort of run.

If there is a fence, it's best to plant tomatoes to the south and west of it. Did you know that you can fertilize tomato plants with coffee grounds? It's best to mix the grounds in boiling water, and let them soak overnight. The mixture is acidic, with lots of nitrogen, and the tomatoes will thank you.

[ccjohn.livejournal.com]

props. flash brain moment.

south & west is the whole of it. because of where we are on the Earth, angle of axis wih respect to plane of rotation but it was two words, this whole time: south west.

you had the idea complete, I didn't till just now.

There's shadows, building shade, how much you water, compost coffee grounds copper aluminum all that crap, lime pine but it was plant south & west. the rest is afterthought.

[fablulu.livejournal.com]

Well, sorry, but there is no doubt that it was a Chupacabra.

[robby.livejournal.com]

I had the camera this evening, but no sign of the beast. Rabbits were hanging out, and that's probably a sign that it's not around. I did manage a picture of two sad little feral dogs. I may post it, but it's not a happy thing. I was thinking they might be eaten up, with something fierce lurking about.

They don't seem to be strays, but true feral dogs, with no use for people. If the authorities captured them, they would be killed for sure.