Walkabouts, you're preaching to the choir. And I'll thank you to keep your dogmatic god out of my garden.

The corn seems to be about ready--a friend said to peel back a little and feel a kernal--it is a little softer now, can be creased with a thumbnail. I think we'll be eating corn for dinner tonight and tomorrow night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night. . .

The monsoon season has passed, and over the last week I've pulled out a number of big exhausted plants (lots of dead lower leaves). As the garden dries out I'll hoe in more compost and begin pegging some of the sprawling cherry tomatoes and pulling more of the old super fantastic. I planted three SF a couple of weeks ago and have three more to plant once I've cleared space. This is an indeterminent plant that trives here.

I'll try that trough method of planting corn next year. I'm going to build up one side and turn this into a raised bed for better drainage, but I can still contour the planting bed. The ears of corn will probably be smaller this year because I did some extra fertilizer but not as much as it sounds like they could have used. I did keep them fairly wet. Next year I'll start them earlier and water and fertilize more. I have some squash flowering (I try to stagger some of the crops) and I'll be tending to that, but it isn't anywhere near corn. I wonder--canteloup climbs, would that damage the corn if it grew under it?

Time for more newspaper and mulch, and since it is hot and sunny, I'll use vinegar on the grass creeping in from the edges.

Looks like a good day for gardening!

SRS