From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Dear Carol and Dee, (week 16)
Mmmm, good, mmm, good. That’s the report on raspberries from Ranch du Bois this week. So far I have had 7 reds (Heritage) and 7 golds (Fall Gold). Why the Fall Golds are ripening in June is beyond my horticultural knowledge, but they are tasty all the same. They are quite perfume-y and have a nice flavor, but the reds still pack the best wallop of true raspberry taste. The reds could be a little riper, as well. I think this cool, wet season has lessened their flavor. No, I don’t want it to warm up, 75-80 is my idea of perfect. I’d love to share some with you, but afraid they don’t travel too well. Ah! The joys of eating out of your own back yard.
It’s time for the June drop on my apple espaliers, too. At first I freaked out when I saw all the baby apples on the ground. Then I remembered that is normal – weird, but normal.
OH! I bought a little sumpin’sumpin’ special for myself (after all the hard work on the garden tour last week): a brown Mission fig tree w/about a dozen nice size green figs on it. How delish is that going to be? I think they are a couple of weeks from being ready.
My peas are but a foot high, slow, slow, slow. One had a very beautiful blossom on it, like you would find on a sweet pea. It was purple, pink and white. This is a variety I’ve not grown before, Russian Sugar Snap, so I didn’t know it bloomed quite like this. Nice bonus. And the green beans are up. Actually, they are Chinese Red Noodle Beans, not green at all. Only a couple inches, but up.
I’ve been roaming around the garden tucking in Cue Ball and Eight Ball and Romenesco zuke seeds anywhere I can find a spot: between the roses, between the perennials, along the fence line, near that big mud puddle, etc. Now to find space for the Big Red Warty Thing, a late season squash. No Indy, it’s not late season because that’s when I am planting it - late in the season - it matures in the fall. (Unlike some of us, who have never matured at all.)
Remember those dahlias I started in the black plastic pots? They are up about a foot, so it’s time to transplant them out into the garden.
Of course, the tomatoes are still growing. And I am still watching them.
Work, work, work. Lots of work in the garden. We had so much rain, the weeds are everywhere. The good news is, still, the ground is really soft and they come out easily. Plus, I can sit out there and eat raspberries as I weed.
Until next week my garden buddies, I’m yours in mud and berries,
MA
a
I know we all think we're immune and we can deflect bullets, jump over tall buildings and are as fast as a speeding plane...but, honestly! When was the last time you had your tetanus booster? 10 years ago? 20, maybe?
I'm not big on needles for any reason and while I like to consider myself "manly" enough to handle most things I become a blubbering mess when a nurse presents a needle aiming to cast it into one of my appendages. Maybe, it's just because I'm allergic to PAIN.
If there were one disease that was most likely to bring down a gardener, Tetanus would have to be it. This is because tetanus occurs from a bacteria, Clostridium tetani, found in the soil. The bacteria can also be found in dust and animal manures.
Tetanus can infect an open wound and after an incubation period of between 3 days to 3 weeks it can produce serious health problems, and potentially become fatal. While this is rare, possibly only 100 deaths per annum throughout the western world, it's also completely preventable.
Most adults receive their final injections when they're between 15-17 years of age and are then supposed to receive a booster every 10 years. Hands up who's had one since they were 17? I'm guessing, if you're anything like me, it's probably one of those things that are still sitting on the TO-DO list and you have to blow the dust off every once in awhile to read it properly.
The reason this disease is a silent killer is because it is often associated with standing on rusty nails or cutting yourself with any corroded metal object. However, all it takes is for an open wound on your hand or other part of your body to come in contact with some contaminated soil and the infection has already commenced.
In my "manly" state, I'm not likely to do anything about this and continue gardening as though nothing happened. The symptoms such as breathing difficulties and muscle tightness could be argued away as "old age" until the more dastardly problems like lockjaw and violent muscle spasms creep in and by then it's probably becoming too late.
While this may sound a little scary - and it is - a tetanus booster every 10 years innoculates any gardener from this disease. And who's scared of a little pin-prick every ten years, huh?
From The Old Farmer's Almanac.
