Rain like catsup is always a problem, first none will come, then a-lot-el.  First we went 19 days without a drop of rain – then we had a week of drippy – showery days and two days of sun.  Then back to the showery , cloudy days.  I was happy enough with that as we got our  quarter inch of rain each day but last night it rained so hard it woke me up.  We got and inch and a quarter in about an hours time.  Luckily it didn’t hurt the garden any as we have very good drainage in both gardens but it would be nice to space some of this rain out.  Now for the next week they promise rain of one kind or another every day all week.

Yesterday Joe and his boys were up for dinner.  Laura had to work and Holly was needed at home.  We missed them but had a nice visit.  Landen helped us string  up more lines in the lower garden.  A deer got in and ate the tops off one row of beans.  We will still get some beans in that row but not as many.  We thought we were so smart with the three fences but I guess she saw a clear spot in the garden and could not resist those nice young bean plants.  She didn’t touch anything else so we strung more lines criss-cross over the bean plants and now if she tries to jump into the garden at least she will get tangled up in the lines.  They are very strong so it won’t hurt the deer but maybe it make her think before she jumps.  Today we went down to pick off the cabbage worms again and found no sign of animals of any kind in the garden- safe for another day.  We pick and squished cabbage worms- they are getting fewer and fewer each day so maybe we are getting ahead of them.  The broccoli are really heading fast now and we should be able to eat some by the end of the week.  Joe did not want any spinach this week and the part row of spinach in the lower garden is all ready to be picked so this morning we pulled all the spinach to freeze right after this.  Then we cleaned up that half row and I transplanted 9 more broccoli plants in there.  I still should take out another six or eight plants from that row but right now I have no place to transplant them into so will wait a day or two and see if I can find a spot.  Otherwise I have to just thin and throw them out.  I hate to do that but they do need the room.  My lettuce is in the lower garden is up and needs picking but we haven’t finished the lettuce in the kitchen garden so maybe I can toss that out and put a few broccoli plants in there.  We have had a salad every  noon for the past month or more and we are ready for a break.  The Swiss Chard is growing like mad also.  In past years we are lucky if we get 3 or 4 plants to grow and this year we have more than that in the kitchen garden and a half row of more than a dozen plants in the lower garden.  I hope Joe and his family like Swiss Chard because if not I don’t know what we will do with it all – I don’t have a freezer large enough for all that will be growing.    We are so lucky to have such a bounty!! Time to get going on the freezing.  Have a great day!