And Back to the Garden

While I was gone, the neighborhood deer breached the fence and sampled some of the delicacies in the Perkins Garden. I had some tomato plants severely pruned and some large squash leaves ripped right off. Two squash plants were uprooted and the deer even munched down some mild chili pepper plants. My neighbor's giant sunflowers now just look like giant poles. But most all will recover.

Tonight I thinned the big corn patch (planted in three biweekly successions so we'll have fresh sweet corn over six to eight weeks). A little blood meal and this stuff is shooting right up and turning dark green.

I've also been picking Japanese beetles off of the zinnias every night I am in town. I'm keeping pace with them, but they're still there every night. I pluck them off and send them swimming in a tub of soapy water.

Zinnias are starting to bloom, so it shouldn't be long and I'll be gifting cut flowers about the neighborhood.