Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Mr. T and the Gardens

Half jokingly, Keith and I have often referred to a particularly large black rat snake around here as 
"Mr. T". 
He's big, black and bodacious, you see. 


Yes, he's quite the large thing, isn't he?  When I walked in the door, he was coiled up in the water bowl on the right.  I usually keep water up there for the bantams, who like to roost in the rafters.  The black bowl is feed.  It's time for both to come down, but what the hey, as I say. 

His cousin was down in a nest box.... and I got those eggs.  There are plenty of mice in there to keep the snakes fat. 


Our flower and vegetable gardens are looking good, now that the weather seems to have balanced out. 




This is salvia and creeping phlox.  There are some tree seedlings in there that I am going to have to spend some time digging out individually.  That's one problem with planting so near our big maple. 


Several bunches of irises are sending up their flowering buds... I love irises... and they are very late this year. The big butterfly bush is still alive after my butchering pruning job, and so is the caryopteris shrub next to it. 
(bright yellow green) 


Here is the iris border, there is only iris in this side of the bed.  It's at the north end of the garden. 

There are onions planted in the hoophouse which we may or may not cover next year, so we have left it up. 


Here are eight of the vegetable beds... with lettuce, swiss chard, and spinach planted.  I'm finally cutting lettuce for the table.  I didn't think we would get any. 


The tomatoes, marching in their little rows.  The Super Sauce tomatoes are actually flowering now. 

That's it for a sunny Wednesday from Calamity Acres! 



19 comments:

  1. OMPUG OMPUG my mom is not a advocate of snakes at all even tho she knows they do good things she is just very very very afraid of them...she couldn't even go into that building if she knew there were snakes...OMPUG
    On the other hand your gardens are just beautiful.....lovely!!!
    stella rose

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  2. You forgot to warn me about that snake! :) :) Your gardens look great!

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  3. Green again!

    I'm glad they prefer mice over eggs.

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  4. Snakes scare the bejesus out of me! Love the garden, jealous actually.

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  5. Uhg, I don't like snakes....

    Everything is sprouting on up!

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  6. We never bothered snakes in the barn, but I don't think I'd take the chance in a chicken house.

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  7. Our chicken ladies attack snakes. Maybe Mr. T is too big to take on - hee hee. Your gardens look beautiful. So lovely this time of year.

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  8. I'm glad you appreciate the value of having black snakes around the barn. I could use a couple more as I have a horrible mouse problem!

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  9. Oh my goodness, your garden is amazing!
    I wish we had a snake or 2. I've only ever seen 1 snake here - a little garter.

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  10. Your garden looks great! We are soooooooo
    behind!
    The snakes not so much.

    M :)

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  11. Looks like Mr. T is keeping well fed there. I wouldn't want to have him as a visitor here. Your beds are looking good. What a difference a few weeks makes. Our Iris plants have buds too. It was a nice warm day here yesterday and hopefully again today. It felt good to be warm!

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  12. I love your raised beds!!
    The snakes, not so much...Yikes!

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  13. Your gardens are so nice. Love the raised beds. I would have been afraid of the snakes - at least the size of those - small garder...I can take...those no way! Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.

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  14. That first snake looks big!

    Your beds look awesome.

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  15. The raised beds are really coming along now. I am so happy for you. They will produce great and you will have much less weeding. Me - I still do it the old fashioned way. Maybe someday...

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  16. Would not go in there with those snakes?!?!? No way!! Beautiful beds- you are so much further ahead then we are!!
    Rsin

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  17. I am wondering what the rat snake is , as we don't have those in Australia. Is he poisonous?

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  18. Oh My! You are a brave girl. I have a big snake phobia. Those eggs would have had to rot right where they were. You are going to have a huge vegetable crop. Wish I could come "borrow" some fresh tomatoes from you when they come in. laurie

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