Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
We were up and moving fairly early, and after our coffee, we went to the garden and finally planted the new corn. We have twenty-four stalks in the ground and are beginning to grow. After cutting the corn from the stalks, the stalks have many uses. Corn stalks and their byproducts are utilized in more than 3,500 products, ranging from food to non-food items, including glue, paint, plastics, and even fireworks.
Mary prepared a delightful breakfast on the patio, and Scout the Wonder Dog had to pay a visit. When he saw the strawberries, his nose twitched, and he went into begging mode.
Note: It is seldom that we have the entire day with nothing on the schedule except being together.
“Watcha got, Mommy? What you go,t Daddy? Would you like me to taste it first to ensure it’s okay?
We got the Scout seal of approval; he has an odd sense of humor!
At Scout’s ripe old age of 15, we have decided to feed him whatever his heart desires. He gets his expensive health food, but we throw in hamburger, chicken, turkey, spaghetti, and meatballs, and other goodies.
“This is my sad and ravenous look!”
The rest of the day we fiddled in the garden, planting some lettuce and doing some weeding. We have to keep after the grapes to ensure the grapes get sun and all the energy the plant can produce.
Key Steps for Summer Grape Trimming
• Target Excess Growth: Use garden snips or pruners to cut back shoots that are growing too long, especially those leaning over the top of your trellis or arbor. Aim to keep shoots about 3 to 4 feet long with 15 to 22 mature leaves. Cut these shoots back to about 6 to 8 inches long if they’re excessively vigorous.
• Thin the Canopy: Remove non-productive shoots and thin out dense areas to increase sunlight penetration and airflow. This helps reduce the risk of diseases like powdery mildew and bunch rot, and encourages the development of larger, healthier fruit.
• Remove Suckers and Watershoots: Trim away any shoots that emerge from the base of the vine or along the trunk that do not contribute to the main structure or fruit production.
• Cluster Thinning: In midsummer, reduce the number of grape clusters per shoot to ensure the remaining grapes develop better size and quality. On each fruiting side shoot, keep just one or two clusters, and thin each cluster so that the grapes are not crowded or touching.
When it got hot, we went into the air conditioning and watched movies on TV. Mary and I enjoy the same type os crazy action/adventure movies.
We visited Jeff and brought him our foot massage system, which we won at an Elks event three years ago. It was never used, so we were happy to have him put it to use.
We crashed around 10:30 pm because we have an 8:00 am appointment down in Orange County to have my eyes checked, a follow-up after the eye surgery two years ago.
