Eggs on a Tomato

On the 23rd of  May as I was harvesting Cherry Tomatoes I discovered a cluster of tiny eggs attached to one of the chosen.



Closer inspection revealed an amazing sight! Very ornate little spheres!



This morning the 26th of May 4 days later this is the scene that met my eyes.



They have popped out and near as I can tell they are Stink Bugs what variety I know not.When I took them out back in the morning light to my delight and amazement this is what happened!



I believe these to be Brown Stink Bugs Euschistus servus

Genesis 1:31King James Version (KJV)

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Ripe ?

The Avocado was almost ripe I guess. Well it was ripe enough to make a tasty Guacamole but I could have waited another few days and been even more pleased.

Avocado Update!

The avocados have made a lot of progress since this post! I picked one today as the video below explains.

God Bless!

Skipper Caterpillars on Green Bean Plants.

Today I plucked several Skipper caterpillars from the Green Bean Plants. I fed them to the laying hens!

Avocado Tree!

At least eight years ago but probably ten we planted an Avocado seedling my Grandfather started from seed. I really had no expectations that it would grow but it has survived all these years.

About three years ago it had considerable freeze damage and I pruned it way back. Sometimes the closer you are to the less you see. As many times as I walk under this tree to let the littlest chicken out of her coop it took a visit from my brother to discover that this year there is a copious amount of fruit beginning to develop.

I am not sure which variety of avocado we have I believe it is a Fuerte (Gwen) having seen a few mature fruit in the past. Last year there were two fruit on the tree one of which was knocked down prematurely by the wind. The other one ripened and I made some great guacamole with it. In the previous five or so years there were none.

 

Avocados are strange reproducers. There is an “A” list of trees and a “B” list of trees. You need one of each in a given area to have a successful pollination. On top of all that the trees flowers have two phases. The avocado exhibits a type of flowering behavior known as "synchronous dichogamy". An individual flower will be open for 2 days, however the timing of the male and female phases are distinct. When the flower first opens it is in the female phase and the stigma is receptive to pollen. At the end of the female phase, which lasts 2 to 4 hours, the flower will close. On the second day the same flower re-opens in the male phase and sheds its pollen. See figures for illustration of the female and male phase flowers. You can read more of the colorful details here.

The success of this years pollination is undoubtedly due to the hard work of our honey bees!

When it comes to trees just plant them. I know at first it seems like they will never grow but as you march through the life you have been given on your way to death and the judgment those trees are slowly and constantly growing. You will look back at the time that had flown by and the trees will remind you it has not all just been a dream.

And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
(Genesis 2:16-18)

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
(Hebrews 9:27-28)

Gareeeeeen Beeeeans!

The green beans have produced their first edible pods so I picked me some and ate me some!

Lettuce in the Grow Tower

This years lettuce is growing very well and some of the leaves are already finding themselves onto sandwiches of all kinds!

This home grown lettuce is so tasty. It is never as crunchy as store bought but the flavor is night and day in comparison!

Omelet

I just fried up the best omelet of it’s kind I have ever consumed. Ingredients from our own back yard garden include: Eggs, Cherry Tomatoes and Jalapeno Peppers. Onions, Bacon and Cheese via the local grocery store. The Cherry Tomatoes are bursting with flavor after some time caramelizing in the pan!

Heating Up In The Garden.

The Garden is getting hot! I do not know who much more it can take but I am getting some tasty produce! Home grown flavor is unbeatable and it reminds me that everything worth having is a product of your own labor.

People are like plants. We can grow each other just as sure as we can grow vegetables. We really do not have a choice in the matter. We are either growing or cutting down everyone we come in contact with. I we remember Jesus and live by His Word we can grow others even when they are slashing at us. We can encourage others to bear good fruit even as we are bearing good fruit. From seeds we plant into those around us can sprout works that bring glory to God.

Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
                                                                          (Romans 4:16-24)

Our old gals are crazy as loons. They are being broody.

Tomatoes!

Tomatoes on the way!

Container Corn

I planted Corn in five gallon buckets back in late February. I did not know what to expect. It seems to have worked relatively well although the yield was small.

I am going to try again!

By the fire and Top Bar Bee

First Ear !

Recently harvest and consumed my first ear of corn from the plants in the five gallon buckets. Very gratifying!

I noticed these amazing structures at the bottom of each corn stalk. They appeared as the plant began to grow taller. I am going to guess that they act as pilings to stabilize the plant. God is an amazing designer and His work is impressive even after the negative effects the curse of sin has visited on creation.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
(Romans 1:16-32)

Corn in the Garden

The corn has ears.

The ears have silk which collects the pollen from the tassel at the upper most part of the corn plant!

Each silk hair is connected to a future kernel of corn that will grow on the cob.

The silk is covered with fine hairs to capture the pollen.

Unlike all other major grain crops, the corn plant has separate male and female flowering parts. The tassel and ear shoot are the male and female flowering structures, respectively, of the plant. The flowering stage in corn, which involves pollen shed and silking, is the most critical period in the development of a corn plant from the standpoint of grain yield determination. Drought, high temperature stress, as well as hail damage and insect feeding have the greatest impact on yield potential during the reproductive stage. The following is an overview of some of the key steps and phases of the corn pollination process.

• Pollen shed usually begins two to three days prior to silk emergence and continues for five to eight days with peak shed on the third day. On a typical midsummer day, the shedding of pollen is in the morning between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m.
• The tassel is usually fully emerged and stretched out before any pollen is shed. Pollen shed begins at the middle of the central spike of the tassel and spreads out later over the whole tassel with the lower branches last to shed pollen.
• Pollen grains are borne in anthers, each of which contains a large number of pollen grains. The anthers open and the pollen grains pour out in early to mid morning after dew has dried off the tassels. Pollen is light and is often carried considerable distances by the wind. However, most of it settles within 20 to 50 feet.
• Pollen shed is not a continuous process. It stops when the tassel is too wet or too dry and begins again when temperature conditions are favorable. Pollen stands little chance of being washed off the silks during a rain storm as little to none is shed when the tassel is wet. Also, silks are covered with fine, sticky hairs which serve to catch and anchor pollen grains.
• Under favorable conditions, pollen grain remains viable for only 18 to 24 hours. However, the pollen grain starts growth of the pollen tube down the silk channel within minutes of coming in contact with a silk and the pollen tube grows the length of the silk and enters the female flower (ovule) in 12 to 28 hours.
• A well developed ear shoot should have 750 to 1,000 ovules (potential kernels) each producing a silk. The silks from near the base of the ear emerge first and those from the tip appear last. Under good conditions, all silks will emerge and be ready for pollination within 3 to 5 days and this usually provides adequate time for all silks to be pollinated before pollen shed ceases.
• Pollen of a given plant rarely fertilizes the silks of the same plant. Under field conditions 97% or more of the kernels produced by each plant are pollinated by other plants in the field.
• The amount of pollen is rarely a cause of poor kernel set. Each tassel contains from 2 to 5 million pollen grains which translates to 2,000 to 5,000 pollen grains produced for each silk of the ear shoot. Shortages of pollen are usually only a problem under conditions of extreme heat and drought. Poor seed set is more often associated with poor timing of pollen shed with silk emergence (silks emerging after pollen shed).

Source: Aldrich, S. R., W. O. Scott, and R. G. Hoeft. 1986. Modern Corn Production. 3rd edition. A&L Publications (Chapter 1 - "How the Corn Plant Grows"). Prepared by: Peter Thomison Extension Agronomist

Amazing!

Last night I went on a little photo expedition. There was a Cuban Tree Frog on the Burgundy Beans!

The bees were guarding the entrance to the Top Bar Hive as they do every night, rain or no rain!

And Pot Pie was snuggled up with Itty Bitty the 2nd in Ye Old Hen Coop!

Garden Today and Starling Vs. Flicker

The Garden is looking just great! We had two days with some rain and the plants are beefing up!

The corn is blooming and I am waiting for my bees to get busy pollinating! I started having some serious problems with caterpillars in the whorls. A friend recommended Neem Oil and it works!

I just purchased a grow tower from shell’s feed store for $75 and it is great! 20 plants in a very small space!

Today as I was leaving the house I noticed that the Flicker nesting in one of my bird houses was very agitated. I then saw a Starling hanging around. I knew something was up but did not know just what. Starlings are a non-native species and very aggressive . I thought a wood pecker would be to much for one and went on my way. Three hours later when I returned home I heard bird screams coming from the box. I ran to the shed and retrieved the ladder. When I reached the top I could see a flapping wing at the entrance so I grab on and tugged. Out pops the Starling wing in hand followed by the flicker. The Starling got away and the Flicker flew off. I checked the box and sure enough the Flickers had laid eggs. One was destroyed but the other seemed to be intact. I do not know if the Flickers will return and I am very disappointed. They had been in and around this box for the last month and were there to greet me in the mornings as I would go outside and in the evening just before dark.

Garden Update: Growing Good

The garden is beginning go kick off and I am excited. Tomatoes will be going in soon!

I am slowly populating the the raised beds in the back.

I planted three corn plants and three tomato plants in containers!

The Dove Is A Survivor!

I am happy to report the Dove from this previous post has made it a week and is healing. She has a friend and protector. It is a blessing to see them convalescing in the trees of our back yard when I go out to tend to the garden!

Where Doves Come To Die?

Recently we noticed a mourning dove in the garden. Not unusual except for the gaping wounds. My guess is a cat lost this one after the pounce.

I am rooting for her but birds can be very delicate. I have in the past put an end to the wounded little creatures if they appeared to be suffering but this bird was very relaxed and seem to have fight left. I hope she makes it.

I am honored that our yard is her safe haven.

The plants are growing but I feel as though they are growing slowly.

The dill from winter is blooming. I have not seen dill blooms until now.

This wasp landed for a closer look.

The purple beans are blooming and in the next month I expect to be having some with a meal now and then!

Last years were very tasty!