Very impatient

The July photo-op for the garden shows there has been some growth, especially among the grape vines. Squashes are showing some willingness, and the corn may actually happen. Our fourth try with peas appears to show promise, and there will, by the look of things be some decent beans and runner beans. The brassicas are hearty, and the tomatoes have lush foliage, though not as many blossoms, perhaps, as we would like to see.

You may remember the potato patch Risa laid out awhile back by simply spreading newspaper on the ground, putting down seed spuds, and throwing straw over them:

Looks like this now: (peek over the blackberries):

Not too bad. The plastic at left is next year's patch. You can see from the already-brown slope above the riparian green line that some of the "pasture" is very poor -- all cat's ears and queen-anne's lace. If you dig down an inch up there it's all small round stones, egg-size or larger, all packed together with no appreciable soil. That's why the spud patches are in the flood zone. At least there's something there for them to eat.

At this time of the year everything has to be done all at once. This morning, Risa is in the pie cherry tree. She'll get about a gallon, all her ladder can reach. The rest will go to the mated pair of varied thrushes, who are very impatient for her to go away!