Fred is gone!

Tropical Storm Fred is gone and we are happy.  His path must have changed while he was traveling north because we received only a little over an inch of rain and not the predicted four inches.  Just enough rainfall to water the garden, the grass and fill the rain barrels.  God is good! 

 

The Zucchini plant is doing well.  It is growing in a four by four foot resin bed but the plant has covered the whole bed.  It looks as if it is growing out of the mulched soil.

The watermelons haven't learned that the raised garden bed is where they should grow. Two melons grew inside the confines of the bed while three decided the surrounding area was better.

The Butternut Squashes are looking good and hopefully will provide us with many meals this winter. We like the squash baked with brown sugar and cinnamon. 

This year we planted five tomato plants that we grew from seed.  The plants are producing nicely and have had no problems with blossom end rot due to the addition of calcium to the soil. We have peeled the tomatoes, removed the seeds, chopped, vacuum packed and froze the packets.  The plan is to use the chopped tomatoes for recipes during the winter.  If the plants produce enough tomatoes, we hope to can sauce or maybe some juice.

This year we have been seeing a larger number of the destructive Spotted Lanternfly.  Last year, Terry sprayed our maple tree to protect the tree from these pests.  This year he is using his new Bug-A-Salt gun and having fun while killing the pests.  The Bug-A-Salt gun is an air gun that shoots a pinch of table salt and can kill a bug  two or three feet away. 

Terry as the "Great White Hunter" ready to eradicate those bugs. 😏

No bug is safe in our yard.  Here Terry is checking the maple tree for Spotted Lanternfly.