Tsunami started limping on Thursday afternoon. At first, she would not put her foot on the ground. We decided to watch her and see if it improved before we rushed off to the vet. She seems to be doing a little better, but then last night she could hardly walk. She has not cried or complained, We will wait until Friday to see how she is doing.
We have noticed that goats are not very empathetic. In fact, if a member of the herd is sick or impaired, they are ostracized. This must be an instinctive reaction to stay healthy. So far, Tsunami will go sit by herself, but has not been totally rejected by the herd.
Cantaloupe and Honeydew
We are seeing about six to ten inches of growth per day on the cantaloupe and honeydew plants. The bees are very active and there are some small fruits on the vines. Rather than growing on the ground, we are attempting to grow these plants on a fence. We have ordered bags to help suspend the fruit on the fence. We will let you know if this works.
Cilantro: We planted more Cilantro this morning. We love the way it smells, so we place it around all of our flowerbeds. We previously planted seeds from our home-grown cilantro, but not much sprouted. This time we purchased seeds and planted those. Cilantro also aids in pest control. The herb’s aroma deters potato beetles, and some common pests, such as aphids and spider mites. It is a good choice to use to surround your other plants.
Science Tip: What is “Bolting”: Bolting is the the process of a plant producing a flower stalk. The pollinated flowers on this stalk then produce seeds. This is the natural life cycle of a flowering plant. However, if you are growing a plant for its leaves, bolting becomes a problem. The Cilantro seeds we purchased have been developed to be “slow bolting”. The production of the flower stalk and the process of producing seeds will be delayed in our new plants. This will give us a longer time to enjoy the cilantro leaves.
Watermelon
We found some small watermelons on the plants that are a month old. (Pictures 1, 2, and 3). Pictures 4 and 5: The watermelon seeds we planted 4 days ago have sprouted. We are trying to beat the weather with our watermelon crop, so these plants better get moving in the next eight to twelve weeks.
Happy Birthday to Heddie and Heddie-Logan! So glad Darryn was in town to join you for your birthday lunch.
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