Gas Pains

Tom grew up in Milwaukee, bartended in Wauwatosa in the '70s and moved here in 1984.

Commentary, observations and musings about the outdoors, life in general and maybe Tosa politics and personalities will be the order of the day. He savors a lively debate as much as terrific cooking.

The Garden Chronicles

Backyard Homesteading, Growing Your Own Vegetables, The Garden Chronicles

The gardens are shaping up nicely.  Everything is growing - including the weeds.  One and a half inches of rain over a couple of days and I spent the better part of a Saturday weeding.  And again on Sunday.  There was the mounding of the potatoes and pruning twenty-six tomato plants.  I have been sweating like a field hand.  And it's only been 64 degrees and cloudy. 

The asparagus is done for the season and French breakfast radishes are ready to pick.  I was surprised by a couple of prized broccoli florets over the weekend.  The English peas are pollinating,

Just last week I was talking with my pal Mary Ann from the food pantry to let her know that I planted extra rows for the hungry.  When the harvest starts to come in the pantry over at St. Bernard's can expect fresh-picked, organically-grown, produce.  But I digress.

A couple of years ago I scored a bunch of soaker hose from Habitat Restore.  Coils of the stuff for just a few bucks.  With all of that irrigation hose I got the inspiration to fashion a mount with hose bibs at one corner of the main raised bed garden.  That way I could snake a water line across the driveway, hook it up and would have my very own drip irrigation system.  Hubba hubba.  Bring on the drought!

I have yet to put it to the test.  The 2013 growing season brought more than sufficient rainfall for all of the farmers and gardeners.  I did not have to irrigate.  And so far 2014 is shaping-up to be more of the same.  It's still too early to know if we will or won't have a dry spell this growing season.  With gardening just about anything can go horribly wrong.  Disaster always lurks around the corner.  So far the weeding has been easier than cleaning the sticky dirt from my clogs.  The mosquitoes are abundant.

We've even had a typhoon or two this year... 

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