Temps are up, invaders in the garden.

 It has crept up to the mid to upper 90's today and yesterday, I watered well on Friday but Saturday was busy and when Sunday rolled around I had to water and got out in the late afternoon when it had cooled off a bit.

Oddly enough, the sky was a bit bluer than that to my eye but it was still very clear, very warm and only vaguely breezy. Morning Cloak butterflies have been flitting around which means they are laying eggs on the Liquidambers.

Flowers in my garden, the oregano stems are slowly spacing out and showing clusters of flowers on the end of stems. Twin flowers on the squash plant, none look like females on the bottom but when I looked in the flowers this morning, the reproductive parts looked different between two of them so I took a chance and grabbed a 'male' flower and dusted another that looked like it had 'female' parts. Will see what happens.

 

I know the difference in squash flowers having grown the yellow squash last year and cucumbers. That one on the left had a very solid central stamen, looked like a corn cob and the one on the right had no swelling behind the flower but that is not the same corn cob as the male flower. It was very odd and confusing.Oh and the male flowers were twins.

That is only from Saturday, three days ago and they were full blown open flowers today. Again, not sure what kind of squash this is considering the one that Dolores grew was a much bigger plant but then she was growing it in more shade. Still thinking it's a butternut.

Two of fourteen! 

I counted them! All sizes and all over the bushes and one was even getting ready to cocoon.

Squished a few of the smaller ones but tossed the larger ones still on the leaves into the compost bucket.

This has me a bit more concerned.The red circles are spider mites I didn't notice until I was zooming in to circle the worms. I definitely need a bottle of Captain Jack's Dead Bug Brew (spinosad) for sure. Another reason why I am cleaning and thinning out the branches as well.

And something that's been happening since I harvested the Romaine, the lower leaves on the peppers have been eaten. Stripped off in one case and just entirely gone in the other one. Yes there are caterpillar holes in one leaf but other than that not a sign of worms. Could it be birds? And the growth is just not there either. I just do not have good luck with peppers unless I get plants. They're always spindly and never get full height or fruit well. More fertilizer? Might have to at this point. I did notice some tiny flower buds so nipped those off and some of the apical (tip growth). Maybe I should shake them up a bit after I give them some food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall though, the tomatoes are coming in nicely even though there's some failed flowers that are withering on some branches. But these two clusters are going to be ready soon, very slight coloring and they're getting very shiny. Another two weeks at least, maybe less.

 

It's a rather tense growing season this year, yes there's bounty but also problems.