We had cool weather and rain. Now we have a stretch of 95 degree days coming up. Our helper stopped by to mulch, felt the heat, and went home - with my approval.
With a co-op electrical company and the lowest water prices in the area, we do not feel the bite as much as we did in Bella Vista. Electric was only $100 last month.
Pumpkins wilt on hot days, but they are in the sunniest garden, near a brick wall. The rose garden in the front yard has two advantages. One is the eastern location, so they get the morning and early afternoon sun, but shade during the hottest part of the day. The other advantage is a thick layer of newsprint and wood mulch. The roses simply bloom faster, because there is always enough water for them. One block away, the roses that perked up in the rain have now wilted in the sun and lack of water. On the corner, his roses are surrounded by knee-high crabgrass. He has to work and his brother does not go after the weeds.
Crabgrass is no threat in the early summer, when it is gathering strength to flower and fruit. In August, crabgrass displays its power to produce 250,000 seeds per plant on delicate seed stalks. Mulching alone will not stop crabgrass. Newspaper plus mulch will stop everything except witchgrass and the dandelion seeds that land on top. Both are easy to control.
I watered the roses and the fence garden so I can harvest with our grandson today. He can prune roses and pick pole beans if he wants.
We have always planted pole beans, but this is the first time I have enjoyed a long stretch of support - the chain-link fence. I have considered using both sides and running soaker hose around the entire perimeter.
The pole beans produce continuously because I planted them at different times. They start over with blooms and fruit when I pick them daily. If one section is still thin, I move to the next one. They are fixing nitrogen in their soil - as legumes do - and softening the soil for next year's plants. When the vines are done, they will go into the compost for the winter and be covered with autumn leaves.
My gardening neighbor was speechless when I handed him the latest vase of roses. His voice trailed off as he looked at them. That was not exactly hard work. I dug holes, put a bare root rose in each hole, filled the holes, watered and mulched them. No other plant gives so much beauty for a little well-planned work. Pruning mostly involves cutting roses for church and for neighbors.
I brought some to English class and gave them to the registrar's staff. At lunch we talked roses.
This week the yellow roses budded and bloomed at once. I never plant them on purpose, because of black spot, but this plant is immune to that problem (so far). While some roses take forever to form and bloom, this plant bursts into bloom all at once.
Here is a good example of not understanding the Creation or the efficacy of the Word:
http://922church.com/seek
Seeking ways to use technology to advance God's Kingdom.
These illiterate buffoons are going to have a conference based on pure heresy. Technology does not advance God's Kingdom - the Word alone does.
This is what they would do if they tried to garden the same way they run their churches - into the ground, pun intended:
- We need a new computer system so we can plan our garden better.
- The staff got together and created a vision statement about the future of our garden. We will go to God in prayer and tell Him how He is going to do this - and how fast.
- We cannot have a good garden unless we copy what the neighbors are doing, especially those neighbors who reject the Parable of the Sower and the Seed.
- All of us need new digital devices. We cannot garden unless we have the best tools.
- In sorrow we have to kick out anyone who disagrees with our gardening, especially those trouble-makers who quote from gardening books. Confidentially, we blame Ichabod for that.
