Carnage

The fresh sweet corn minutes from the garden was 'ono with last night's dinner. The question asked was will there be more? Well we are having a very good crop and the raccoon hasn't been by to collect his tax. I'd say we can get another four meals from this row of corn.

I spoke to soon.



Last night the stinkin' varmint ate 80% of the sweet corn. All the big ears closest to harvest were chewed down to the cob. Plenty more were half gnawed and other stalks still in silk were just busted and beyond repair. My sweet corn was harvested. At least I got a small sample.



It's all tidied up and ready for the next invasion when the remaining sweet corn might be ready to eat. The second sowing is weeks away from harvest. I'll get one more chance this year for a good crop of tax free home grown sweet corn eaten minutes from the garden.

The tomatoes are ripening and the first ripe juicy tomatoes fresh from the vine were added to tonight's dinner. That should help distract from the carnage of the sweet corn.



Can this vegetable garden be salvaged before the clock runs out? As the sunflowers finish blooming, their heads are being cut off and stuck in a sack to dry. Their remains are impaled on the rickety split rail fence and left for the birds to peck. I want full sunshine in the roadside vegetable garden for late season sowing.

Carrots, parsnips, lettuce, radish and vain attempts at cucumbers could keep the garden active until the first frost. Carrots and parsnips will be fine long after first frost. I should throw in more turnips. Sister cooked some while visiting that passed the doubter's test with flying colors. We can call for the recipe.



The roadside vegetable garden was tidied and the Lush was attacked on multiple fronts. Hard to tell from this picture I know, but blackberries were slaughtered by the dozens on this slope. I have things planted there. I don't mind eating blackberries. I hate being stabbed by them. The ones here don't even have the decency to be a stab and release variety. These are a stab, grab and burrow in kind. Hate em.



An executive decision was made to move one of the Bosnian Pines to a sunnier location. It was never going to get enough sun on the slope below the scenic byway except in winter and that isn't the right time of sun really.



It joins the grouping of the Chamaecyparis nootkatensis 'Pendula' and the Heptacodium miconioides. I'll have to correct this onesey thing starting in this bed at some point. It makes the designer me a little crazy. I'm still wanting to try some holly trees. The Ilex x meserveae cultivars look best for my cold and elevation. A couple of those would correct the onesey problem and make much headway in my evergreen screening for winter privacy and winter interest.



And one sewer line bed got its full complement of soil insulation. It is ready for a layer of wood chip mulch. Somehow a rhubarb landed in there. They say you need big foliage near bodies of water.

Mostly I am feeling stumped on what to plant here. It will come in time or maybe it should just be a holding pen.



It was a productive weekend at Ku'ulei 'Aina. It has to be because the clock is always ticking towards winter lock down.