I am so lucky to have the option to hose them off outside

Made to much pickling syrup again...

sort of looks like broccoli... but it is the seed-heads from leeks.

My grandma never planted fall beets, so we never canned them till hot weather. Of course, it's nearly June and I had the heat running (in car and home) yesterday. I only don't have it on today, because I would like to be thrifty and have the house not be hot without AC after a full day's sunshine (terribly hopeful of me)?

Well, I made my trip to Shoal Creek Conservation Area (Joplin) yesterday and picked up plants. I enjoyed the walk around their area, even though A) creek flooded part of it, making inaccessible B) my nose and ears were really cold by end of my walk. Here's some native flowers to enjoy.

What strange weather for here this year. 61 cool degrees. Three-four days ago we turned the AC on and set it at 77. We still have it on, so we woke up yesterday and today to chilly temps inside the house.

Moni, that mix of veggies looks really good. Looks mighty healthy. And I so appreciated your opinion on the peas. I was thinking along those lines when I contemplated planting them. You talked me into not growing them. Thx!

That spiderwort looks like it's on steroids, Danny. Is that in full sun? Also--the top one--primrose? It looks nothing like the pink evening primrose. With a milkweed right next to it? The more I read and learn, the less I realize I know!

I've been totally out of sorts and discombobulated. My back "went out" last week, and has been giving me fits. Saw doctor and had minor relief for a day; and have a specialist appt made, but first opening was July 1. Making me a bit crazy. Any of you have any great ideas for pain relief?

I watched a gorgeous Monarch floating through the yard yesterday and I was so sad. The only natives that are in bloom are tradescantia, penstemon, yarrow, a couple echinacea, pink evening primose. I guess what's worse was all the non-natives--oxalis, clematis, malva sylvestris, verbena bonariensis. So the butterfly would stop at one of them and move on. I need to get rid of more of these.

Laughing about peas being a waste of space, LOL. That's why Dawn always grew edible pod peas. For some reason my husband doesn't like those! English peas don't produce enough and get mildew. I like snow peas. They have pretty flowers. But they don't produce much either.

Nancy, I'm sorry about your back. If it's lower back, you can get a brace that wraps around your body and supports it. My mother got relief from a chiropractor after twice being in traction in the hospital. When my back went out it meant it was time for a new mattress. I was younger then, now if I sneeze wrong something goes out. My best suggestion is walk in water. As in in the lake or a pool. It supports your weight while strengthening the muscles that are complaining.

I don't know if I'll get outside today, and of course it's supposed to rain tomorrow. Tulsa had a couple of famous Memorial Day floods. Maybe just as well they canceled the Greenwood event, rain might have done them in anyway, but it's a shame.

You know, I find myself enamored with the silver checkerspot butterfly. Need to look up the host plant for that!

I must remember that conservation area. I would like to visit some of the places where they feature these plants, but walking is an issue. I'm a member of a couple of nature photography groups on FB and I'm always wondering what PLANT something is sitting on.

there is something growing in the native bed. Thorny looking. I DON'T think I planted it. It may be wild lettuce as some grew in the yard there, but could it be rudbeckia? What else did I put out there...coneflower, I've grown that and that's not it. I will let it bloom and see. Could even be a thistle. Don't have room for that.

time to start my day.

Have a good week!

Danny, yes, please tell us the common name for the yellow flower. I see spiderwort and purple cone flowers on my bike rides all the time, the yellow ones too... but have no idea what it is called.

I canned beets in August last year, and will do so again this year. I ate off the beet greens all winter long. I will most likely plant some again for next winter.

So far, I have only had the AC on twice... and with the windows open it was 70 this morning in here. I still have my fleece shirt on. :)

Nancy, the peas were SSSSLLLLOOOWWW to germinate, and very unruly growing... didn't use the provided branches at one bed nor the headboard at the other end... AND, they are kind of hard to see for harvesting.

Moni

Amy, I had to laugh. Every new colorful butterfly I spot is my new favorite! I love the silvery checkerspot, but there are a couple others that look like it. Whatever. . . love to see them. Seems every time I see one, it's my favorite. lol. Common buckeyes are always my favorite, as they're anything but common. All the swallowtails are, all the fritillaries are, I am especially thrilled to see the Giant Swallowtails--I see them a couple times a year.

One of the folks who are picking up on our gardening goals at legwagoner.org asked me what I love most about gardening--the plants, the pollinators, or the produce. This garden stuff has been such a worthwhile adventure for me. Five years ago, I would have said pretty plants. Three years ago I would have said butterflies; two years ago I would have said native plants and pollinators, and that's my stand today. But bottom line is native plants. Without the plants, we don't get the pollinators. Without the pollinators, we don't get the produce; without the produce, we don't get food.

The back spasms are still here.. . . I hate it so. Amy, I so wish I had a small deep swimming pool. I do soak in the bathtub filled up. Might have to graduate to 3 baths a day.

I was so happy, discovering how many asparagus I had today. I was out weeding for a couple hours; I found 14 different clumps. And I tore out many of the "sticky weed". you mentioned, Amy, and a ton of new crab grass.

Have a great day tomorrow friends.

So much for my weekend plans. Got in on the wrong end of a dog fight, only one finger got nailed but it's enough to make working in the yard impossible. So I guess I'll sit around and be lazy the rest of the weekend. With a houseful of puppy dogs (plus one little terrorist frenchie that is in solitary confinement), I'm sure I'll find someone willing to curl up for a nap.

Whatever was plaguing my tomatoes seems to be slowly clearing up. I think if they can just hold on a little while longer, they'll take off & new growth will replace all the damaged leaves. My rose still has that black spot disease from all the rain, but the newer stuff is growing normally. Pepers are covered with blooms but no fruits yet, garlic & onion are doing well, and the cucumbers are starting to take off.

Mom and I have decided that the only peas worth the space are sugar snaps, so I planted an entire long trellis of them. Ate my weight in them while I worked outside today. Think I planted 3 packets worth, and after the squirrels got a share, I’ve got barely enough plants.

Built 2 small cucumber trellises today, amended a couple tomato pots, trimmed the bottoms of all the tomatoe, checked the potato bags, and took a few pictures. Lilies look beautiful. Lots of stuff just needs a couple good sunny days and they will explode into bloom.

I'm surprised that no one knows Missourri Evening Primrose, maybe I shouldn't be...it's pretty much an Ozark endemic. It has HUGE flowers (even though a fairly low plant), and I can't grow it..because it loves good drainage.

I think I've mentioned that Donna gave me ilex vertillata (sparkleberry) plants, male and female. The male wasn't the recommended for this female (because the selections have different flowering times), and I fretted about that. They ended up blooming almost simulataneous (certainly within period for fertilization). Then I fretted because of endless rain, and then because of no visible pollinators. The berries have fallen, unfertilized. Net result, I am not seeing pollinators other than an occasional honey bee or itinerant bumble bee. Today I finally saw a sole syrphid fly, but pollinators over my whole yard have been VERY scarce. I don't know if it's horrible spring weather, or if there really is a scarcity of pollinating insects and it's showing? Anyway, it certainly does make you want to provide for them, is what I'm saying.

I visited (mid week) a local garden that has 100s of common milkweed just coming into flower. There is no sign of caterpillar damage on any of the leaves...so sad. I have seen a couple of Monarchs, but they came by before I actually had anything for them to eat, since it was so cold and rainy this year. My swamp milkweed just emerged last week (seriously...it's still a 8 inch stem with leaves just unfurling).

I've saw some cabbage butterlies, and a couple of little blues. That's all.

Well, it looks like we have started the 6th month of the year and I am still behind. I made a little progress over the long weekend. I got 2 rows of okra planted, and did some tilling in the wildlife garden. It is a lot of work trying to turn this wore out clay into garden soil, but I am making headway.

I now have most of the tillable areas behind an electric fence. I still have a lot of area within the fence that in not gardenable, if that is a word. It will take a lot more work to get it to where it will drain. I will have to conture the land and amend the soil. I expect that will keep me busy the rest of my

Moni I am glad it is doing well. I have several from fling with fruits. Amish paste jet setter and a weird name one.
They are all huge and happy. I have been trimming lots of foliage. We’ll see how they survive this rain.
Beans are up and climbing. The Chinese red noodle beans produce all summer never really slowing down. They are my favorite crop of all time.

Kim, I had to go look up 'Chinese red noodle beans' for myself. Interesting, at least one reviewer on Baker Creek said they didn't like the flavor as well as normal green beans, any personal comments?

The long beans are cow peas, so they taste different from green beans. I like them in stir fries, but not like a side of green beans.

Larry, I just saw that you are under a flood watch. Take care!

The yellow evening primrose I grew was 5' tall. That one looks a little more manageable. I'm not sure the one I grew was even native.

Apparently one of the checkerspot host plants is rudbeckia. I have a couple of those going.

Odd that you have no pollinators Danny, do the neighbors spray?

Nancy, can the doctor give you muscle relaxers? Sitting in the garden weeding probably doesn't help ;)

The plan is to put things in pots today. We'll see. Not SUPPOSED to rain.

Isn't this strange? The weather. It is June 1 and currently 57 degrees. It's warmer in Portland. E went swimming in the Columbia river at Sauvie Island a couple of days ago. He said it was pretty cold though. So funny that they are warmer than we are.

I wore a coat to walk Josi yesterday afternoon and my heavy coat to put up the chickens late last night.

The garden looks mostly good. The cherry tomatoes are the one thing that doesn't look good. They are in a new raised bed and I wonder if the soil isn't so great there yet. I'll probably grab a couple of cherry tomato plants next time I'm at the store. I'll put them in another place.

I am concerned about the SG beans. Only because too much rain. They don't look exactly happy right now.

Kim, I'm glad the Amish Paste and Jet Setters are doing well. We have noodle beans in the back garden. They look okay, but if I remember correctly, those beans enjoy warmer weather and we've not had much of that. If we can get a few days of rain-free weather, they'll probably take off.

I've got a mystery.

I lost my Big Beef plants at the freeze on April 21. The next day I bought 4 Beefmaster, 4 Better Boy, and 2 Arkansas Travelers at Marcums Nursery, to replace them.

All the plants except the Beefmaster have set fruit and are right on schedule. I can't figure the Beefmaster. I googled it, but the internet is so commercial these days, all I got was sales info, almost.

I'm thinking its been too cool to set fruit for this variety ? I know nothing about Beefmaster tomato, never grown them, and chose that variety because they appeared to be better than the other options available.

I'm also thinking this variety won't be very prolific. I gotta hunch if they ever set fruit, they won't produce a lot of tomato.

This cool weather and rain is just getting ridiculous, and Mesonet says this pattern will continue to end of next week. Great for the electric bill, but not sure its good for my tomatoes.

BTW, here's pics of the Beefmaster, they are taller than any of the other plants.

Danny I absolutely love them. They are not good if you boil like regular beans. I pick thin and sauté in bacon grease. Or roasted in the oven with other veggies. Amazing stuff.

Those are my absolute favorite ways to tolerate canned green beans too!

Happy days are here again. Back pain is resolved. I have found, in the past, that once it resolves, it's good for a few years. Hoping that still is the case. Yep, I got pain pills, but I think they must have been very low dose. They didn't really dent the pain. LOL. sitting in the garden pulling weeds. I got a heating pad and applied it to the back for a few hours--I think that allowed the muscles to relax.

How messed up was your finger, Jen. Brave lady.

Amy, no clue what your thorny plant might be. I know what MY thorny plant is, and if I don't get it transplanted soon, it's apt to wound me severely--that's the devil's walking stick, aralia spinosa.

Lynn, the Beefsteak are huge! I fear I won't have a summer harvest---I got everything in so so late!

HJ, downright freaky weather. We had to have light jackets on today. Like Danny, we have few flowers for the pollinators yet. Bet they'd like to see some warm weather, too.

I saw the pictures of your garden on FB, Amy, It reminded me of the liatris I planted at the school last year. It had only two blooms. This year it is enormous! It's going to be so gorgeous. I was over there 8 days ago and what a nightmare! I told John I was going to have to thin out that big round center bed. That' almost criminal--having gone to all the trouble to plant those great pollinator plants and then having to take some out! Maybe I'll try to save some of the ones we thin out.

Rebecca, how did you make your trellises? I'm still working on finding the perfect trellis.

Larry, I am SO behind. I don't even really care, for that matter. Just not going to worry about it.

And no you didn't tell us she brought you ilex vertillata, I don't think, Danny. Another beauty I'd like to have!

Off to dinner fixing.

Garlic is harvested, sitting in a box to cure. Now, how long do I let them dry out? I'm planning to dehydrate the majority and make garlic powder, but I'm also thinking about dehydrated minced garlic too. Which reminds me, I need to order another dehydrator. Mine isn't usable anymore. Any recommendations? Preferably under $75-100.

Nancy, it's not bad enough to warrant a hospital visit. Why would I go there anyway? They're full of sick people! But it's bad enough that my hand is pretty much useless. He only got the middle finger but the rest are sympathizing with it.

Lynn, I have only one Beefmaster, and I just picked it's only tomato,a very ugly tomato. I know nothing about this plant, but I am already having disease problems. The wet weather this year has been very hard on my plants.

Amy, thanks for the " heads up", I feel like I have been under a flood watch all year.

Jen, I think I need to harvest my onions and garlic. My daughter has taken a good supply of onions and garlic home with her, but, I expect I still have 125 plus garlic and 200 pus onions to harvest.

My peppers just want grow in this wet cool weather. I noticed yesterday that I will likely well loose a few plants

Here is a picture of my one row of bush beans my great grandson planted for me, also my better looking tomato plants, but they are getting disease. Please note that the weeds are doing very

I have been having gardenweb dropping the last word in my post. My computer is down and I am trying to use my tablet, which I can't see.

I've never grown garlic before and I planted mine late, something like the first week of December. How can I tell when its ready to harvest ? I had figured on maybe late June being the time.

I read something on the net about when the lower leaves turn brown. But the lower leaves on my plants have been brown for a couple months.

Jenn, I never grew garlic before... and I see, you have green on the stalk. So, it means, to harvest now? Mine are mostly green... My daughter planted them in April last year... yes I know, wrong time... but it happened.

What I read said when the bottom 4 leaves die then it's ready. The leaves are green but showing a lot of brown in person, pic didn't really pick up on it. And a few were rotting, which I'm guessing is from all the rain, plus several the cloves were starting to separate from the rest, so I figured it was time.

Here's a thorough article on harvesting. Mine are getting enormous, but I don't see any leaves turning brown yet (which pleases me--small bulbs are a pain. lol). https://garlicseed.ca/blogs/growing-garlic/36556481-when-to-harvest-garlic

I'm afraid mine are rotting also. they're in a place that gets a lot of runoff from the house. But I'm not near having 4 brown leaves.

I wish they had stayed blue...but still

so lovely.

I harvested 20 elephant garlic, 20 onions today, still have 27 more elephant garlic, 109 regular garlic, and 276 onions to harvest. I have a lot of fungal disease. I am afraid to wait for the onion necks to break,for fear of rot, we have more rain on the way. The Egyptian walking onions have some fungal disease also, but you can't kill an Egyptian walking onion. I don't even count the Egyptian onions, they just seem to be a permanent fixture around here anyway.

If not properly mature, the alliums may not keep very well. Just keep an eye on them and consider freezing or something to preserve them. Though yeah, I *certainly* know about water and rot :) It looks like a couple of days of sun now...finally.
As a further 'omg the weather is insane', an aril iris opened today for it's first bloom..and it typically is over in April for the whole group.

Wow Danny she is stunning

One plant. I would have had eight more but they rotted in the rain

what is it, Kim?

Hah, it looks like some kind of bean? (though I admit I thought of coccineal insects or something like that first).
But they're so irregular ?

I think it's eggplant

Purple potatoes!

Wow, eggplants were a good guess (I can definitely see it). Wow, I can't believe we're only a couple days now from needing June week 2...it is going so fast and with (likely) no more cold rainy weeks (lol), it might go even faster for me.

I had to turn the AC back on after about a week and a half. So..AC totals are now less than one week for the year...I like this (because of power bills). I'm a wimp, so it will probably stay on now though.

WOW, purple potatoes... I didn't see this coming Kim. Just wow.

Danny, I had my AC on only 3 times so far this year. I just stay out more.. and then, my house feels cool in comparison. LOL I am cheap...frugal, what ever you might want to call it... and I use the AC sparingly.

My first canna bloom

Nancy, you sent me a nice supply of seed last year, because I already had my plants started I did not get to try any of the vegetables. I have tried two tomatoes this year that are impressing me so far. They are growing quick and strong, they are Truckers choice. Ant Old Germany . I deport later about production

This is not a good gardening year for me, but I have picked two tomatoes, I expect they will taste weak because of all the rain.

Larry

I've been sick all week. Spent a day outside, last time I posted which says 3 days ago, but it was Tues I think. Digging in a nasty bin of not quite done compost. I don't know if I inhaled something there or something I'm allergic to was blooming or I'm thinking this is a cold. I don't think I'm sick enough for it to be THE virus. Maybe sinus infection. Anyway I've been useless.

I did get some plants up potted. I rescued some I didn't realize were sitting in water. Ron has them all sitting in a bed as far away from the house as it gets. The yard is a swamp. His project is grinding up the wisteria.

I just realized I was supposed to get a package from almost Eden this week. It did not arrive.

The AC has stayed on here, because I breathe better with it on. I can't handle privet at all and of course it's blooming.

Have a good weekend.

Got my sweet potato slips in and it quit raining.

and I thought, I was running late with my slips. Kim, I finally have slips. I planted some, and have some more to plant.

Good luck to both of us. :)

Moni

As cool as our nights were into the middle of May I didn’t want to chance ruining them. I ordered from Macmex. They arrived beautifully. I found 10 more in my garden. The one I thought was never going to produce, did.
The more the merrier. Mine will all be in pots.

Surprises slips under a regular potato plant.

I took my extra slips down to my neighbor, he was out planting then a while ago. I had tilled a spot for him to plant them earlier. He told me when I went back to return a towel that it looked like he would get 150+ plants, those, along with the 83 plants I have should made a nice pile of potatoes.

I also 30+ hills of squash. Madge says we are nuts, but, neighbor thinks he can sell all we grow.

I just love the color combination. Verbena bonarenisis front & center, really should have planted toward the back so I cut some back & moved to the other side. A white daisy I got at spring fling 2016, a gaillardia, lots of coneflowers (original came from spring fling too), rose campion blooming for the first time, and my cutleaf coneflower "bush" for lack of a better term is about 5ft tall. In the midst of that jungle are some daylilies (another fling thing or grown from seeds), cosmos, marigolds and basils.

Volunteer lettuce that came up from last year's seed. I think it's setting blooms? The stem has grown thick and tall, then these tiny leaves are sprouting from the top in almost a petal look.

One of my coneflower blooms. I know the centers start out green & turn dark brown, but this one seems to have stalled out halfway. I've always been fascinated by aberrations.

Jen those are great pictures

It could be a mal-formed flower, but if it keeps up that green business, it could be aster yellows too (fatal and contagious).

Nancy, and the ones that ask for calendar pictures of our Fur Baby, this is his June picture.