Base Line...

Alright, it's time to knuckle down and make this blog what it was intended to be, namely my gardening diary.  Keeping one has been suggested by several sources and it sounds like a good idea.
So this is the first actual diary entry.
I was all set to do this Sunday, but I had to wait for the camera to charge and then it was raining too hard.  So I got out Monday and took some pictures.

I can't say it's pretty.  The storm was kinda hard on the tomato plants.  I need to go and tie them up again.

And even though I weeded last week, it's twice as bad this week.
But things are growing well.

Especially the large bottle gourds.  These things are fast.  I can see daily growth in the runners.

Large bottle gourds

Large bottle gourds

They went straight for the fence.  All on their own.  I think we stand a good chance of establishing a strong perimeter and muscling out the sucker footed crap next door.

Large bottle gourd

Large bottle gourd

That's the best shot I got of the ends of the vine.  It's got a sorta soft spiny, feathery look.

And the 2 surviving cucumbers are doing well.

Cucumber: straight 8

They headed for the fence all on their own too.

Cucumber: Straight 8

Dealing with the sucker footed crap, the grape vine, and the large bottle gourds, I can see where the idea of killer plants comes form.  Watching the bottle gourds grow is cool, but it doesn't take much imagination to twist that around.

The herb bed is looking good:

I need to get the mulch down.  But I'm fighting the battle of the weeds right now.  And I still have tomato plants to move.

Even though the first ones almost didn't survive, cuz I forgot to water them.  Command oversight.  But it looks like they are going to pull through.  When they tell you to water after planting, they mean it.

The hydrangea bush is bouncing back.  I need to make a final decision on where to move it.

Another example of poor leadership.

This one was not a fault in planning.  The spot I picked out was nice and shady.  But there was a big root tree root in the way.  I moved a few feet and dug again.  It was shady then.

Problem was, it didn't stay shady.  I managed to pick the only spot with full afternoon sun.  1/2 foot in any of 3 directions and everything would have been hunky dunky.

The week of 90+ degree temps right after I planted it didn't help.  The poor thing fried.

I built a make do sun screen and it worked.  Now I need to move it.

I have a new plant:

Sunfire Coreopsis

 to plant.  So I have to be moving other things too.  I'll cover the flower garden later.

And soon we will have the adventures with the wood chipper.

But first I have to mow the yard, again.