Author: Richard

I am in a holding pattern and were it not for the glorious weather I would be frustrated.  From my jungle clearing work and regular pruning and also clearing growth around the chicken paddocks (to better spot and dissuade predators) I have amassed a lot of chipping material.

The bush hog is mounted to the tractor and I would like to complete all the bushhogging for the season before I replace it with the chipper.  I only bushhog a couple times during the year and growth rather than kempt characterize the non growing areas.  And now these areas are populated with daisy fleabane.

So what, you may say, but approach closer.

And you will see my busy workers.

So I will wait a few more weeks and then switch the implements.  Not such a big deal to changeover though it takes some practice to do it quickly.  I only use my tractor a few times each year, so I will check the tires, oil and grease the bearings etc. before I commence my fall operations.  It’s a large (60hp), old (late 80’s) Case 585 tractor which has been very reliable.

So I continue to admire the goings on.

And will collect the flower seed and disperse in new areas.

And I transport daily the oak logs from Atlanta (see previous post) and split with my maul, and then I store the firewood in my lean to greenhouse.

The oak logs have a moisture content of +/- 29% at their ends and >35% in their split middle.  I am hoping to reduce this considerably in my greenhouse/solar kiln.  But to achieve this I have to close the openings.  The temperature controlled vent closes itself and the door I close, but towards the top I stapled plastic and feral cats (of which there are several) each winter make the greenhouse their home and they effortlessly slit the plastic for their entrance.  I decided to tack mesh to the plastic.  As I raised the hammer to attach the staples I noticed several wasps at the far end of the greenhouse.  I like wasps (as opposed to hornets and yellow jackets) – they are generally very docile and only sting if you inadvertently put your hand on them, or mess with their nests.  I withheld the first hammer blow and decided to look around.  And there, close to where I was going to hammer in the staples, were 2 nests.  I was sorry to see them, since for me it meant spraying and killing them.  This done I secured the mesh and expect I will have to secure more as the cats devise different ways for entering the greenhouse.

I previously mentioned the luscious growth of green leaf veggies.  Here is a collard – large and pest free.

And lest I forget – the muscadine are still ripening and sweetening.

With shortened sun hours and fall in temperatures, my summer vegetables are yielding, as too are the pests which feasted on the chard, collards and greens.  So I have been clearing the raised beds, adding compost and cool season seeds such as kale, spinach (after 1 week germinating stint in the refrigerator), and turnip greens.  Also lettuce and radishes for harvesting before it gets too cold.  I had packets of several years old seed and not knowing which was viable but knowing that with each passing year they were becoming less so, I used them all to seed rows.  Now, a few weeks later I know which were too old and rather than thinning  the overcrowded rows I am transplanting from the overcrowded rows to the bare rows.

I left in place the pest shredded collard and chard and I have been rewarded by their luxuriant response to the plentiful rains, cooler temps and reduced pest pressure.

The arugula grows vigorously and is a welcome supplement both to fresh salads and sauteed with the collard, mustard and kale.

I have steadily removed the tomato cages and stored under cover.  A few remain with bearing tomatoes – perhaps they will ripen?  And I can wait since the area they occupy will, after composting, be used for planting out garlic and garlic can go into the ground later, while my cool season seeds had to go in earlier to germinate and benefit as much as possible from the dwindling sunlight.

Apart from removing the summer vegetables I have not had much hassle with weeds.  I am more disciplined and weed during the summer and try cover the areas with vegetable growth to forestall the arrival of weeds.  So much less work and a better result than previous years.

In the orchard which was overcrowded with weeds, I have been at work clearing the growth and pruning the trees.  Last year I used wires to hold down and spread the branches and pruned the vertical apical growths.  I am pleased the branches have stayed horizontally in place after the removal of the wires though with some trees, especially the pears, there are a number of vertical growths I have to remove.  I am reusing the wires elsewhere and the best time to train the trees is when they are young and supple.  Here is a young apple tree whose vertical branches have been splayed horizontal with the recycled wires.

It’s all about observing what’s going on and attending timely.  Elsewhere in a wooded area I planted out oak saplings a few years ago and they have been outshaded by fast growing pines and tulip poplars and there too I have been busy with pruning saw (and also chainsaw) cutting down the less desirable trees and “releasing” the oak trees.

In the orchard area and at the top of the hill I have been weeding growing areas and seeding with winter rye and Austrian winter peas for cover crops.   And I have been seeding with clover around the bases of my blueberry plants.   So plenty of work but with the cool weather and occasional drizzles, an exhilarating time to be out doors.

Unusual sightings

I mentioned previously that my rat and mouse problem (more rat than mouse) in the coop has been solved with the arrival of a large black snake.  I have not seen the black rat snake again but I am sure it patrols the area, perhaps in the night and certainly rat droppings have disappeared from the coop ledges and the feed bowls.  But I did spot another largish snake about 5 feet long, probably an eastern king snake and was able to snap it (below).

I really don’t understand those who wish to kill these non venomous snakes.  Apart from ridding mice and rats they also devour the venomous smaller snakes.  As long as they don’t take a liking to the chickens eggs they are most welcome.

We noticed an unusual sight.

The white insect above was attached to the grass blade, the one below was suspended held by the one above, or so it seemed.  But why was the one above white?  Closer examination indicated that the predator was the green katydid and it presumably had sucked out the nutrients of the cricket (which looked skeletally white).  Interesting that the cricket was still attached to the grass blade.

Spiders abound and have webs across my path in the woods, so I carry a stick before me to avoid being wrapped in their webs.  Here is one fellow I almost walked into.

And here is a spider with I think, eggs on its back.

And here is quite a large fellow near the house.

The bees are hard at work on the goldenrod and, with all the rain the past week, mushrooms of different sizes, colors and shapes, are emerging.

By September the large tomatoes have passed their prime, tho the small varieties – Juliet, Black Cherry (our favorite), Jelly Bean, Sweet Cherry – are still producing.

The Juliet is a hybrid and also grows well and tastes good.

The burgundy okra is producing well – the smaller okra can be eaten raw off the plant, the oversized are tough and the covering is stringy even after grilling (we grill rather than fry) and the transition from small to oversized happens within a few days, so daily okra picking visits are necessary.

A big hit this season are the rattlesnake beans so called for their coloring which progresses in stripes from green to black and their distinctive rattle.  They seem immune to diseases and pests and grow prolifically.  If not picked tender they must be shelled, a task I quite enjoy.

With plentiful rains and cooler temps the arugula is thriving.

Basil and the other herbs – mint, organo, rosemary – are doing fine.  Another first for me this season is water melon and, now I have allowed it to ripen, it tastes great.

The Morning Glory vine is intertwining my fences, bean plants and trees.

I don’t mind the”weeds” and trim them back just enough to allow light to reach my shrubs and smaller trees.  Diversity is good and now in my hillside orchard you hear the bees working the weeds.

And step closer and you see the bees hard at work.

I have several fig varieties and each year they die to the ground but since their roots are intact and larger each year, the above ground fig grows more rapidly and larger too.  I hope that when they reach a certain mass they will be able to withstand a winter with min temps of say 12 deg F.  The winter a few years ago when temps reached close to zero is what did them in.

The jujube tree is producing more fruit each year.

Jujube ripens in September and is fragrant and sweetish when the yellow green skin has turned completely brown.  I am pleased to see several small jujube trees close to the parent.  Whether from root or seed I will only know when I transplant them in October.  But a bonanza since the jujube seems immune from disease and pests but not appreciative birds.

September is also ripen time for my Gold Rush apple tree.  The apples are pleasant to eat altho only 30% to 40% is available due to pest presence.  With my chickens graduated this year to yard range from paddock range and turning compost assiduously, I will next move them to the orchard to deal with the overwintering pests.

Comfrey is luxuriating in the cooler weather after a tough summer.

In the woods the rains have produced many different mushrooms which are devoured quickly by wildlife or overtaken by secondary growths.

And my dog Trudy who was afflicted and unable to walk a few posts ago, is now back to normal, on patrol among the vegetable beds and locating scents on the walks in the woods.

Yesterday was honey harvest day.  I have 2 hives – the one somnolent where almost all the occupants gather at the entrance to while away the day.  It had no honey for the taking.  The second hive is more vigorous and has swarmed several times, that I have seen.  September is a bit late for harvesting so I left a lot of honey behind but still gathered about 2.5 gallons.

Since I record the date of harvesting I can keep track of prior year dates.

I almost forgot to mention the muscadine which has ripened just the past few days.

And the chickens, the rooster and his 10 hens, are doing fine.  3 to 5 eggs daily and occasionally I uncover a cache of secreted eggs from several hens – probably couldn’t be bothered to make the trip back to the coop when they forage more widely across the yard.

ps – I was wondering where the rats and mice which frequent the coop had gone to and thought maybe a seasonal thing, or late summer vacation.  And then this afternoon after refilling the 5 gal water container in the coop, I saw on the outside of the coop,  heading for the entrance, a gorgeous black at least 5 ft long, rat snake.  Disturbed, it reversed direction and headed away but I hope it will return and do its duty, as long as that does not include polishing off the eggs.