Carolina Wrens

Carolina wrens are nesting in an aloe plant on my front porch. I spent a lot of time this weekend sitting on the porch watching them bring food to the babies. The babies are getting big--I can hear them chirping when the parents approach. I think they'll fledge soon. One of the parents hopped all around the porch this afternoon, with a big bug in its mouth, chirping at the nest, as if encouraging the babies to come on out for a snack.

In other backyard bird news, the chickadees have fledged. Chickadees took over the bluebird box this spring. By the time we realized they were there, there was a nest full of babies, so we just let them be. This morning, a male bluebird was calling and investigating the nest. I cleaned out the old nest bits; I hope the bluebirds decide to stick around.

Peonies

It's that time of year again--the roses, peonies, and irises are blooming like crazy in my front yard. It's nice while it lasts. I don't usually think to cut flowers and bring them in, but today I filled one vase with roses and another with peonies and irises. The irises have the strongest and best scent, which surprised me.

It rained last night, and is beautiful and sunny this afternoon. It was a soft and steady rain, so the peonies are still standing. Once they're in full bloom it only takes one good thunderstorm to flatten them as the flowers fill with water and fall over (or get knocked down by strong winds). So far so good, and there's only a little chance of thunderstorms midweek.

Wow.

This is why they call them Knockout Roses.

Potatoes

How do I know when the potatoes are done? Since they're growing underground, I can't see when they're ready...

So far, the potato experiment seems to be going well. The plants are healthy and green and hip-high. They're growing so much, I'm worried that I planted them too close together.

At least I don't have to worry about the potatoes getting sunburned. One of the websites I looked at for growing advice said to keep piling up dirt at the base of the plants so the growing potatoes aren't exposed to sunlight. I haven't seen any potatoes near the surface, but I'll keep checking. I also need to make sure I keep them watered. The raised bed drains very quickly, and potatoes don't tolerate drying out.

The website (an extension service, but I don't remember where) said that the time to harvest was after the foliage had died, usually in July. It's also possible to harvest some potatoes early (but I don't know how early...). That would probably be a good idea--to spread out the harvest--since potatoes don't freeze, can, or keep particularly well. I guess when they do come in, we'll be eating a lot of potatoes for a few weeks!