Divide-ing time
I should dig this up and divide it but who has time for things like that.
There really is very little time for gardening when there is so much to be done on the farm and The Armadillo and all his skin protocols takes a good two hours out of the day. Bless him. The Vet says to wash the exposed areas with a weak disinfectant, and proceed. He says these are areas where the skin has not yet formed. Not to worry. I found Wai walking around the barn with his sheet still attached to his back yesterday, like a very small well fed ghost. Hullo, he grunted as he strolled past, tripping slightly on his draggy back leg. Daring me to comment.
As usual my zucchini is dying on the vine once they get past a few inches in size. I should just sell the flowers- they go for 50 cents each. 
The young pigs are in training with the electric fence, a fence inside the fence. This is the only shot I got with the camera – look closely – there is a pig outside of the inside fence. So, Camera House sat on a fence post for a while as I enticed the runaway back in. 
OK . Back to work! I started very early this morning – it is hot and humid and there is more rain in the forecast.
Have a good one.
c
60 Comments on “Divide-ing time”
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Casper the armadillo!
Thanks for that chuckle!
Casper!!
This is the strangest weather ever. You are getting the weather we usually have by now. We are still enjoying decent temperatures – normally the hot, very hot weather has arrived by this time. Alas, I will enjoy this cooler summer phase. I just know the heat is lurking around the corner! We usually have much more rain in the spring than we have gotten. I guess it’s all gone north to you!
Yup we are getting it all! c
Glad to hear Wai is doing a bit better. It sounds like he has a Paddington Bear type personality. You have a lot of patience between nursing and fence training and zucchini disasters.
Do you change where you plant the zucchini? Is it some type of blight or too damp? Hope you have a successful day.
Yes this is totally new ground but we are already so humid.. c
Some of my courgette are doing that this year too! I am going to deep fry the stuffed flowers tonight. A fromage Frais and shrimp stuffing. Yummy. Can’t wait.
What time is dinner – YUM YUM!!
Sounds divine
I’m sure there are some chefs around there who would LOVE to have your zucchini flowers. You’d make more than 50 cents in an Italian market, m’dear. Those are prized around here. Stuff with mozzarella and anchovy or delicate sausage, fry in a light batter, and you have a hit on your hands!
Sounds wonderful! c
One step at a time, one day at a time…and all will work out well
Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2017 at 4:40 PM
Exactly – c
It sounds as though the vet thinks there is hope for Wai. How funny to think of him ghosting around. Bad little piggies giving you a run for your money. 😦 You must be completely worn out.
There is hope yes – c
I tell ya…. seems there is NEVER a dull day on the farmey !! ; o )
Nope – I wouldn’t do it if it were dull
D > Are the flower ends of zuchine (courgettes to us) turning brown and soft? The weather conditions are likely to cause ‘rot’ – a fungal infection.
We call them courgettes too. – and yes that is exactly what happens – it is way too humid for them here plus we have a bug that eats the stems so – !!! – not many get through – never mind
If it’s blossom end rot, they need more calcium, pop crushed eggshells around the plants, if the fruit aren’t growing to a good size, they’re not getting enough pollination. You could drift around the garden with a tiny paintbrush and pollinate them yourself……but don’t think you have time for that. 🙂
Like a calcium fairy!
Exactly 🙂
Hi C. I think that your courgettes are dropping off because they haven’t been fertilized? Take a male flower, fold back the petals and insert it into the female flower. This should help.
I have egg envy again. Baby courgettes fried up with mushrooms in butter delicious too. Laura
I love them young too
That pig is definitely on the mend if he’s up to casually sauntering around with bedding in train. Glad the vet’s given him a reasonably clean bill of health, it just shows you’re doing all the right things, and that great big wave of goodwill and positive thoughts that’s washing over him from all points of the compass can’t be hurting either. I reckon if it’s hot and humid your courgettes/zucchini are suffering from blossom end rot. I get it here too, just too much dampness in the atmosphere. I just got into the habit of picking them while they were finger-sized and then stir-frying them.
Yes that is the problem – happens every year – too humid here for them.. c
Yum yum 😍😍😍 can you guys follow me in my blog. I really would appreciate it.. I had my first post and you can see it there.. thank you 😘😘
nice to meet you
Nice meeting you too 😊😊
ah…nice news from the vet! Take care!
you too kathe
Good news about Wei (this little snippet reminds me of Eeyore: ) Good luck with plugging the escape artist’s hole. And, about your zucchini blossom dying on the vine… You mentioned the other day about never seeing bees? Perhaps a little q-tip, people-pollination is in order? (As if you need any more to do):):
The do pollinate just too wet here for them to grow too well
If it is a fungal issue, here’s another suggestion: http://www.thegardenerseden.com/?tag=powdery-mildew-on-vegetable-crops-how-to-control
50 cents per blossom is better than shrivels… And, if you kept the plants picked off, they’d keep right on trying to make more, wouldn’t they?; )
Yes – they probably would
106* here yesterday with more to come.
Sigh!
oh mercy- horrible
I too was going to suggest pollinating your zukes by hand. 😊
they pollinate then grow to about 4 inches and die from rot.. c
Oh – similar to tomato blossom end rot. I put oyster shell around mine and water through it. It’s usually soil deficient in calcium. I use crushed egg shells as well – but never have enough 🙂
So glad the news is encouraging for Wai. Those zucchini blossoms look delicious!
Yes they do!! c
Do you have the squash vine borer bug out there? That pest is here in NC and makes growing any sort of cucurbit dicey. Supposedly, you can plant a second crop after the first group go down, because the bugs only hatch once a season, but it has been my experience that I can lose a second crop, too. I like my zukes and cukes and squash, though, so I try, try again.
I wonder if there is a pony fly sheet that might work for Mr. Wai. I imagine he was quite a sight towing his sheet behind him. Maybe something like the Kool Koats they sell at Stateline Tack? I don’t want to put a link in the comment, I think those make the comments look like spam. But they have some that should be able to be made to fit Mr. Wai, I’d think.
Good thinking – Alissa is right on it – she said maybe a foal one.. c
I spotted one for miniature horses there — hope it will help Wai!
I was hoping for pictures of Wai in the back of the cooking oil car. How did that go? Was he ok with it? Glad the vet is thinking positive. Where will you be selling the flowers??
He was booked out so i sent him pictures.. c
Miss C, I have the same problem with my zucchini. Do you have a calcium or PH problem in your soil? Do your tomatoes sometimes do the same thing? Zucchinis need lots and lots of calcium or they shrivel up and die starting from the blossom end. You cannot just use eggshells, they calcium in the shells takes time to break down into a form that the plants can use. You can, however, use milk or calcium supplements for animals or people. Seaweed fertilizers can also help, or bonemeal or lime, though those last two can take time to break down.
You may want to try spraying down your plants with some milk mixed with water 2X’s a week for a few weeks, then see what happens. You should spray the leaves as long as they have time to dry off before night. They will absorb 90% of the calcium through them.
Interesting – I will try that.. c
It has saved my zucchini crops more than once! We don’t have a cow so we just use leftover milk from the grocery store, about a cup of milk for any given plant with a few cups of water, sprayed on. We’re fighting hard to build up calcium levels in our soil. Here’s some articles about it, in case (like me) you like to have the literature on-hand. 🙂
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/zucchini/zucchini-blossom-end-rot.htm
http://www.growersmineral.com/crops/faqs/dont-plants-have-to-absorb-nutrients-through-the
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/squash/squash-blossom-end-rot-causes-and-treatment.htm
Zucchini flowers are fantastic stuffed with either a rice or a white cheese mixture and plenty of herbs!
cheese and herbs for me!
Cheers for Wai. He is obviously a very determined Armadillo and that will help him on this hard joirney to heal that he is undertaking. That and the love and care you are heaping on hom.
It’s wonderful that Wai is not only responding to his treatment but to you care and his environment.
Sometimes we need to stop and eat the zucchini flowers, I put jn half a dozen plants so we could do just that ☺
I had problems with squash bugs one year so after everything was out of the garden I let my chickens in and had no bugs and the next year. I read that borage discourages them so this year I planted some amongst the vines. So far so good.
I’ll have to try that with my chickens.
Wonderful that Wai’s personality is beginning to show. He is looking much slimmer, too. And I didn’t know a cow would choose to hold milk back. Always learning.