Lawn & Garden Update

My garden has grown notably over the last month or so! The only plants really thriving are the jalapenos and cucumbers. Everything else is flowering, but the flowers wither and die before turning into fruit. I've been watering every day and spraying regularly, and I know you're not supposed to fertilize when it's this hot and dry, so I don't know how else to help them. :\

I did harvest two Roma tomatoes before this problem set in. I have six kinds of tomato plants, along the back. It's hard to see here, but they have a definite downward-slope growth pattern from left to right. More tomatoes in more places!

In past years, I've gone crazy with 10-20 different potted herbs. This year I decided to keep it simple and put basil and oregano (the only fresh herbs I consistently cook with) in a container together. It was a good move - they've grown larger than any of my previous plants. I also had some cilantro in there for a while, but it died quickly. Cilantro is fussy.

There's a nice planter on the north side of my garage, which gets very little light. In the past I've planted caladiums there, but this year I tried impatiens and coleus, and they're doing great!

I have a major squirrel problem at my backyard bird feeder. They're cute, but I also want to see pretty birds, and by the time they come around, the squirrels have scooped out and eaten all the seed. :P I'm not about to invest in higher-quality birdseed only to watch the squirrels eat it. So I was VERY excited to find "Squirrel Away," which makes the seed too spicy for squirrels to eat. (Birds can't sense spiciness like mammals can, so it doesn't make a difference to them.) This stuff is basically pure habanero and comes with warnings and disclaimers - I had to wear gloves and protective glasses while mixing it. (I can confirm its legitimacy, because some of it got on my leg and it burned.) I gleefully filled the feeder and waited to see what would happen. To my disgust, less than 24 hours later, squirrels were not only still eating the birdseed, but they also appeared to love it. Where else have they been hanging out, in the alley behind El Porton?

Chipotle Squirrels

It's been a month now, and they show no signs of backing off. Sigh. :)