Great expectations and more invasion

 Not much in the way of noteworthy pictures so will just get down to it. It's warm this week but again it cools off when the sun goes down so we can open up completely and have a pleasant night temperature. Night before last I smelled skunk...really bad and knew there would be tracks in the garden.

I didn't pull the fencing forward as much as I should have, luckily nothing was damaged and had no plants growing there. I am doing it to try and discourage them when they do come around, and they have not gotten into the raised bed or the crate of soil.

The first pictures of the south bed, the log wasn't there and they just slipped right underneath and rooted around in the dirt. I then put that piece of wood and attached the plastic fencing on the ends. That was the ticket and I used two logs for either side of the west bed also turning it over so it was like a tunnel rather than inverted and crumpled.

Peppers are still doing well and the tomatoes, despite being ripe looking wouldn't pull off easily so will check them again tonight. I still have a number of logs and bark in the raised bed just in case.

Oopsie... I may have forgotten to turn the water off completely last night. When I went to check on things tonight it was on and I didn't even use the hose. It was Layla because her pots were watered. Grrumble.

So when I went out today I brought the lettuce, romaine and cilantro seeds with me with a mind to plant in the south bed. Well...... I took the deterrent off and ended up working in that entire bucket of compost and watering it in well. 

I was only going to use half of the bucket but as I worked it in I realized it really needed all that compost and a bit more. After working the last of it in and then watering, it took the water just fine but was still very gritty and sandy and clay but I think even that small amount is better than it was before.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything buttoned down for the night and you can see how clumpy the soil is after I mixed in the compost and wet soil. Going to let it sit for a few days to let it dry a bit then use the cultivator again and smooth it all out before putting seeds in.

The tomatillos are starting to look burned on the tips like the other ones were a few weeks ago with the sun beating down on the wall. I am now thinking reflected heat is not a good thing for these plants. I may be giving the seeds to someone else because I don't have the room for the production needed.

But there are a handful of the fruit that is splitting the husks already and turning purple! A lot of them are still small but at least four or five that were splitting. These are definitely smaller than the standard green ones. Yay I have fruit but man if I had more room I'd dedicate a good half dozen bushes to growing the green ones. Will see how this progresses.

Waiting in the wings is Romaine, mixed lettuces, green onions and cilantro. I think I'll only be growing onions in the south bed. They seem to do good for Layla in just plain dirt so will hold off the lettuces and cilantro for the raised bed and am still considering at least a few potato plants for the crate and maybe the raised bed. Have to put them on the West side as that's a bit drier than the East side that gets a bit more shade in the winter. 

The potato slip I planted in the corner is turning color at the tips which I seem to recall meant that it was staying too wet. I may just pull that one because it is going to hold that corner forever at this rate without the benefit of potatoes and I have some languishing spuds in the cupboard right now that will be perfect for planting.

Did I mention I'm an impatient gardener?