Since I woke up to temperatures in the 50’s …. in July …. in central Illinois … I decided I had to work in the pumpkin patch today. My garden of weedin’.
I found the first pumpkin blossom hiding among the big leaves:
The pollinators will now have more than the flower beds to work in.
I’ve been tilling, spraying, hoeing, pulling, bending, squatting, and mulching. I’m experimenting. Will used feed sacks work as mulch? They will get wet and bio-degrade &/or I can burn them after the crop is done.
I’m also using some straw. I stayed away from it last year after I read that bugs like the straw for their snug little buggy homes. But … I can’t decide. Bugs or weeds??
There has also been time to put my feet up, enjoy the gorgeous weather and cloud gaze!
I hope you have some time for that, too.
Just Make the Coffee 
The July monsoons have started here. HOT and thunder. Your stuff looks amazingly good!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
We have had a few days of cool temps. Lovely to work in! The animals love it, too.
You’ve got to use mulch! So it might have a few bugs. Not only will it suppress weeds but it will keep your soil from drying out in the heat. Straw, newspaper, feed sacks, last winter’s leaves, whatever you can get.
I am hoping that rotating the pumpkins yearly, from here to the patch at my Mom’s, will help break the squash bug cycle, too!
Well, if it works, I wanna know. I had to switch to a different kind of squash because of those critters.
Garden of weeding.’ Isn’t that the truth? LOL
Angels welcome! 😉
We have been using the cool weather to weed too! I love the pumpkin blossom.
I’m looking forward to lots of pumpkin blossoms …. and frying some up!