The ever growing project list is hanging over my head like a ton of bricks tied off with 5lb fishing line and now with the added element of heat mixed in plus never having enough time and money has thrown it's knock out blow to anything that was planned not to mention any will to do it. In just the matter of days the focus has turned from the building of the outdoor kitchen and entertaining areas to trying to keep the animals alive and cool. Before church today right at sunrise I was installing a forced air system for the brooder house. We already had four fans blowing around hot air and the inside temperature was reaching up to 110 degrees. With this new system I will be able to hang wet burlap over the draw fans and maybe have a make shift water cooler effect and lower the temp some. We have already started loosing chicks due to the heat and I refuse to except that at anytime, much less in the first week of June.
On a positive note, the garden produced another great harvest this week. With the heat, the tomatoes are really putting out and by this time next week we should have enough for the first round of canning. The corn is over six foot tall and the peppers have taken off like this is the weather they have been waiting for.Last year we planted the okra about two weeks late due to the space needs and this year is no different. We have to harvest the onions before we have the room to plant the okra so last weekend was when the seeds were planted. While everyone else has one foot tall plants ours are just sprouting.
I still have the room for three to four more raised beds in the garden area and hope they get done by next year and then we will not have any more space issues.
This weeks goal is to keep everything alive including ourselves.
It's that hot here too, but no rain. We decided to wait for fall planting this year due to some time constraints and reconfiguring the 16 x 16 raised bed into several smaller beds. But our neighbors who planted are all sadly disappointed because the combination of heat and drought is taking it's toll. Even with them watering religiously, what isn't just dead is severely stunted.
ReplyDeleteI got hopeful about 4pm this afternoon when it clouded up and I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance. I'm pretty sure it was raining somewhere nearby but nary a drop fell here. Weather sure has been cantankerous this year ...all over the country!
If I could afford to wait I would but the summer gardens provide us with enough food to last up until the mid to end of winter.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it was raining to the North of you and the South of us. It fizzled out before we saw a drop.