May 8 update

It's been unseasonably hot here for the last couple of weeks. I guess Summer is here already. Also no rain.

My strawberry patch is growing pretty good. We have gotten a few berries and the ants and birds got a few. They have lots of runners so they will fill in nicely. Looking forward to a nice Fall crop.

The Atkinson tomatoes are loaded with fruit. I noticed a couple of Tomato Hornworms on them and sprayed with Thuricide to take care of them. It contains a strain of bacteria called bacillus thuringiensis which only affects caterpillars. Once they ingest it they stop feeding and die. I usually spray it in the evening when the sun is setting because it degrades quickly in sun light.

Another pest of my tomatoes is birds. This is why I need to put netting around them.

My sweet potatoes are really starting to grow.

The potatoes in pots are flowering. The one in front had 2 Tomato Hornworms on it. They hide so well on the plants that you don't notice them until one day you come out and whole branches are virtually stripped of foliage.

 

The Red Sails red leaf lettuce sprouted but the Buttercrunch didn't. The last couple of times I planted Buttercrunch it had very poor germination. Maybe the seed I got isn't good. It is one of our favorite lettuces :(.

 

Blackberries are forming on the canes. I wonder if the birds will feast on them, too.

 

Peppers are coming along nicely. It seems my peppers always do real well.

Getting a few eggplants. Nothing like fresh fried eggplant.

The eggplant and pepper bed.

Last but not least the first watermelon of the season. Crimson Sweet is the variety.