We have spent the last few days cleaning up the garden due to our absence. The vegetable raised beds look good. The tomatoes are starting to fruit, the leeks are growing nicely, there are some baby zucchini and the chard, which we harvested severely before our trip, has leafed out again. Yesterday we added some new squashes, cantaloupe, okra and a new type of pepper (super chili). T says that is about all we can plant for now. We still have asparagus, globe artichoke and celeriac we have not planted yet. We will find spots for them. We don't know for sure, but since there is no evidence of rabbit attack of the chard, perhaps the marigolds are doing their job.
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I sent John (landscaping) a note on Sunday telling him we were home and he should stop by to discuss the status of his work, at his convenience. We have not heard anything from him yet.
Today we bought our first fish for the pond. We bought six goldfish, three common and three Shubunkin. Each is about 5-6" in length. According to what I can find on-line, they could grow to a foot long and live for 10-20 years. I added some more detoxifier to the pond before introducing the fish. After introducing these first six fish, the pond is so big and with the stone bottom, it is hard to see them. We easily could accommodate a couple of dozen of these fish, but we thought we would see if these first six survive.
The parrot feather, horn wort, water hyacinth, iris, rush and water lily all seem to be alive and healthy. Even one of the pitcher plants is still functional. There are several dragon flies that seem to be enjoying the pond. T says that is a good sign. We will need to get some additional water lilies and/or hyacinth to provide some shade, hiding places and snacks for the fish.
The Scottish moss and Irish moss both seem to be doing OK, The Irish moss is propagating much more so than the Scottish.
