Vegetables Flourish while Roses Struggle

This week I began getting and eating vegetables from the garden! I have had some cherry tomatoes every day this week. Today I went around and took some pictures.

First we have the Roma Tomatoes. Girlfriend likes them because she red they were really good for sauce, paste, and here older and wiser neighbor likes them. I think she is right! The are growing good and they taste great! You can see they are smaller and are shaped more like an egg. The smaller they are the easier it it is for me to grab and stick in my mouth. The make me think of Cowboy's QB Tony Romo.

Roma Tomatoes

We have many green peppers! Yesterday I found out why it was a good idea to place the peppers in tomato cages last year for support. I always just did it to keep out Emma Dog, but I should have continued the practice as one of the pepper plants had so many big peppers it fell over and nearly came out of the ground. I took the peppers off and gave them to my mother and asked her to cut them up. I like to just eat them with some salt sometimes. She gave them back to me in a bag and I ate them like chips during the MLB All-star game! What an awful game, but the birds were well represented. Go O's! Good to see more than 1 Oriole.

Green Bell Peppers

Next we have the better boy. Which is better than big boy. My father always grew big boy tomatoes. Mom always insists that I get them, but this year I got the better boys. I think dad would do the same. The name just sounds better and why buy big boys if these are better? They are better and not just because they no longer remind me of the old restaurant or my brother in law calling me big boy, they really do look like they are growing and producing a lot more fruit than the previous years big boy. They appear to be stronger, more disease resistant, and just better like the name.

Better Boys

I have been eating Husky Cherry tomatoes all week.  These are really my favorite because I like just grabbing them and eating them.  The husky plant grows string and has a nice smell.  The tomatoes have been really good.  I believe this to grow better than the other cherry tomatoes I have grown over the years, regular cherry and tomato 1000 or something like that. I don't have a freezer so cherry tomatoes are perfect for me.  If it was just me that's all I would grow, cause I'm not gonna be cooking anything!  Except maybe some chili! 

Cherry!  No Red because I ate them all

There is the Red Cherry!

Jalapeno

Huge Chili Peppers!

This brings me to the hot peppers! We have Chili Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Gypsy Peppers (These are actually sweet), and I think they are Habaneros, but they don't look right and they probably sold me 3 of the wrong plant? Got the Gypsy because girlfriend wanted one that was different. Not hot, but its still going in the chili! I like the Chili peppers and the Jalapeno and the girlfriend likes the habneros. So, its kinds disappointing that the habaneros don't look right, but what ever they are I hope they are super hot so she is happy. They each have a longer than expected shriveled pepper? Every year around September, I usually grab a bunch of peppers and take an electric burner and make chili right in front of the TV while I watch Football. I normally wait until the Ravens have a late game or night game so I'm done and super drunk for the game. One year I even pepper sprayed myself with the pepper juice on my hands and had to run to the shower! It was awesome! The chili is so hot it feels like it is eating away the inside of your mouth and gums!

Gypsy Pepper

Habanero Mystery Plant?

Last we have some corn that is girlfriend's absolute favorite. I don't like it because I have had no luck. Storms knocking them over and bugs and birds eating them have affected both years so far. This year the storms got them, but not as bad as last year. They are bent, but not flattened. I really need to take the extra time to place support for the corn. This year we are growing 8 Silver Queen Corn. We had some last year, but they got soaked in a large rain storm and than birds and bugs ate them up. Also, in the garden is 4 cabbage plants that my mom planted and did not realize you can plant them in the fall. She is going to pull them this week.

Silver Queen Corn

Silver Queen Corn

More Corn

Cabbage

The Rose Garden!  It pains me to tell you that the Rose Garden needs some care.  It has been under much neglect with Memorial Day, Birthday, Independence Day, and all summer activities.  It still sits in apocalyptic zombie mode.  I hope to get things done this weekend.  I'm going to create a post and give a checklist of what needs to be done.  I will take pictures and hope the Rose garden will flourish as well.

The Rose Garden!

How to Keep Squirrels Out of Bird Feeders

Maybe you have been trying to keep squirrels out of your bird feeder but you haven't had great success in keeping them away. Even if you buy the bird feeders that are categorized as squirrel proof many find that they are not squirrel proof. When it comes to keeping squirrels out of unwanted areas it may be hard due to the determination of the squirrel. When the squirrel sees his favorite seed the sunflower seed, he or she may go after it no holds barred no matter what the case may be. Sometimes it depends on where the bird feeders are placed, if they are placed conveniently next to a tree it is less likely that you will keep squirrels away. Finding tips that will help keep down the squirrel population on your bird feeder may not be enough. You may have to find products that will help you keep the squirrels away. There are a few things you can try before you make the decision to go buy a product. Moving your bird feeder away from trees or other objects squirrels can use to jump off of may help. Another suggestion is to not paint the metal pole of the bird feeder. When you do paint the metal it makes it easier for the squirrels to climb up. Choosing a feed that the squirrels are not especially fond of may be hard to do but keeping away from their favorites may help.

When all else fails there are actually safe products on the market that will allow you to keep the birds happy by keeping the squirrels away. There are actually products that you can place directly on the bird feeder and the birdseed that will not harm the birds but will deter the squirrels from coming around. Some of these products are also used to keep squirrels out of attics. When you use these products correctly they are effective and safe in deterring those squirrels from the birdfeeders.

When finding a product that will keep the squirrels out of your bird feeder it is important you pay attention to exactly what a product does. Products that are on the market to deter squirrels away from your property have different uses. Some products deter the squirrels from bothering plants and vegetation, while others stop them from entering indoor areas. When you need a product to do a specific thing it is important to know what product does what. When you are trying to keep squirrels from your bird feeder you must find a product that is designed specifically to do that.

Some may find that if they create a perimeter wall with a squirrel deterrent it may help but it may not keep them completely out of the bird feeders. Again, depending on where the feeders are and how determined a squirrel is may determine how well a repellent will work. The best way to keep the squirrels away from the bird food is a repellent that's only purpose is protecting bird feeders from squirrels. When you know what each product does you will choose the right one to get the job done.


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Michael Brown









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I Love a Hoe to my Finger!

I spent the weekend with my favorite gardener. Our first gardening encounter was probably rolling in the dirt and a hoe to my finger.   Later we would have several gardening encounters.    The battle of the cucumber patch. The planting of the trees.  Don't dare trim my willow tree standoff.  And I'm sure we had many more.  Maybe she will remember better.





Me,  I stick mostly to roses, birding, and some vegetables.  I'm good with roses and birds, but when we talk about all of the different, plants, flowers, butterflies, I really need to take notes.  I think I fill up all that mind space up with sports and beer.  She plants so many cool looking flowers.  There is a group of trees that someday will be a mighty orchard with Oriole birds flying around and featuring great Emma Peaches, had one this weekend it was totally awesome.  It made me bark and say Roll roll ROLL(I Love you in Emma Dog) ?  The Late Great Emma Dog is Buried under a peach tree.  Millions of grapes and other vines will one day rule the vineyard. The Owl in the clown pants on the pergola will be proud. Humming birds and Butterflies (and probably some bees) galore will enjoy the vast variety of plants just for them.  All the different planters, garden statues, and garden stakes will one day make this a fine art gardening museum.  All the bird houses will hove no vacancy and the martin houses will scrape the sky.  The bird camera will one day capture rare never before seen pictures of butterflies, birds, and the back of her head.  While she herself is an awesome photographer.  The fountains will explode like old faithful.  It will be filled with birds drinking. bathing, and unfortunately, pooping.

I hate that sometimes I get carried away in drinking, eating, and joking.  Like that time in Assateague where I saw the busted up road and all the sand and could not shut up about Mad Max and the Apocalyptic wasteland we were traveling through.  I swear I thought we were going to Bartertown and the Thunderdome.  I really got carried away.

If I thought of something about gardening or birds that I could not accomplish here in the city it would telepathically travel to her.  No astral projection and the insidious old lady man crap.

Of course I'm talking about my sister.  I think she should create a blog or other page about all of the gardening she does.  I run dry on this blog, but she would kick my ass in cool stuff to write.  She is the greatest gardener, she will not stop learning and trying and doing awesome stuff.  She is very intelligent and I hope she does not feel like she is wasting her life.  We should have just went away somewhere and became farmers or something.  Maybe we should have grown up on a farm or been Amish.  I guess we were meant to see the Tawn (Daughter) and The Boy Val (Son).  Sometimes I think we should have just been the Batman and Robin of birding, gardening, photography, astronomy, or whatever the hell we want.  We probably will be one day.  Even cats if you must, as long as one has a Natty Bo mustache.

Thanks to all who fought, served, died, and stood up for and continue to stand for and live for Independence for us all.   Happy 4th of July!

Hey Val, I think we should take a few million pictures and add them to this blog post!

Love Char