Gardening and other related things

JOURNAL
I heard a lovely gentle rain during the night and it was still drizzling at 4:15 AM when I got up. Looks like we got 1/4 inch which we needed very much.

I tilled on the new plot yesterday morning; it was very slow going because "someone" hadn't been careful about baler twine left on the ground. I would till some, pull up twine; till some unwrap twine from tiller.........I have found that the first third of the plot is the deeper best soil. Now I have to rethink the long straight rows for every thing.

Sweet potatoes will not like that shallow rocky end so I will plant them in the deepest soil.

While I was back there (it seems a mile from the house; I am used to just walking out the back door) I soaked the new fruit trees.

Before it got too hot, I quit and picked about 1/3 of the strawberry patch. I always let them set overnight before working them up. I will do that this morning. I am guessing another 6-8 quarts.

I see the broccoli is ready. I just have 4 or 5 plants so that won't take long. The heads are huge though so for just the two of us, it should be enough.

Today is fruit tree spray day...don't know if the rains will allow that or not.

FARMING

The custom brushhogger showed up at 7 AM. He has a 15-foot batwing cutter pulled by a l00hp Ford tractor. He can move right along with it. We think he will be able to finish today if the rain doesn't continue. What a relief.

I am still after the helpmeet to get the steer up to finish for the freezer! I want a steak.....we have hamburger and pork but no other cuts of beef. The steer is being very difficult about leaving the field with the other cows.


GARDENING

I thought I would post pictures by beds to give some order to things on the compound.

The first I will do is the East Yard that has the Grass Bed, the Cellar Bed and the new Hidden/Grace Bed.

The first is the Grass Bed that is to the right or north of the Cellar. This the the front of the bed that I can see out the window either in the kitchen or at the computer.

From East Yard

This is the south side of the bed.

From East Yard

This bed began because of a huge mound left when a tornado ripped up a large Ash Tree while DH and the milker were hiding in the cellar. The root ball created the mound. I decided to hide it with things that could take well-drained soil.
It has miscanthus (2), Pennisetum (1), sedums (2), in the middle I stuck a piece of Black and Blue Salvia root which has settled in very nicely, and you can see the rose campion and perilla which have self-seeded thickly. In the very back is a Wine and Roses wiegela. It is never seen and must be relocated...possibly back with the Grace smoke tree. This is where my favorite Barb's iris lives. There is also a red switch grass and two mums that come on in the fall. I see there are a couple of ss nicotiana in there too.

I see an eragrostis too and the ss tall white is garden heliotrope. A lovely, tall fragrant old fashioned plant. It has sprung up here and there in the beds.

Poppies

I am seeing more varieties each day. Here is one for today: