Heather here.
Every time we come out, the peanut plants are freshly nibbled, while all other plants remain unscathed.
If there is an elephant coming into the garden, he is extremely graceful for nothing has been trampled. It is possible he is sending in rabbit scouts to bring him back tender leaflets and sweet yellow blossoms. Or, there is an outside chance rabbits are coming in as free agents.
In any event, it seems the peanuts have become a trap crop.
Rabbits aside, the main scourge upon us at this time is Japanese Beetles. Of all the insects I have come across, I find their personalities the least appealing. As a whole, the population seems pretty dumb. The way they splay their legs out and fall all over the place...geeze beetles. They devoured our corn silks. I believe the silks were around long enough for pollination to still take place, but I don't know for sure. I am currently researching organic methods for controlling them.
This week we planted a second succession of watermelon. Our first succession is doing wonderful--fuzzy tendrils with lots of blossoms and tiny green globes of possibility. Nora, Jody, and I worked up the bed as a team, adding compost and hilling up mounds. While working we analyzed life in your twenties, rainbow gathering, and the growth cycle of a peanut. I always have scintillating conversations with my garden girls.
We harvested cucumbers and beans for the first time, and our preparing for our Fall Crops class on July 12th.
That's it for now!
Some thing is wrong with the peanuts -- in the (WI)Janesville Gazette, July 7 page 9a, "Food Pantry in Sticky Situation" talking about how there is no peanut butter in the food pantry for poor people said: "Peanut prices soared because of a two year drought in the southeast."... Drought shortages are all over the US but does not get the media attention or connection to global warming it deserves-- It was 106 degrees in Janesville, WI on Friday -- no rain water since Mother's Day - three people died from the heat with their utilities shut off because of the high prices --this may be the last year for my garden - I have to water everyday and the water bills are high---your peanuts may need more water.....
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