May 22, First day in the ground.
Update, May 30. A deer ate four of the six plants that I had planted the week before. It had stuck its head right into the wire cages to get at the plants, meaning the cages were too big. Hard lesson to learn. But the plants are all still showing signs of being able to recover, so this early in the season I am letting them go for it. Their root systems are very healthy and big enough to get things going again up top. I guess I'll see if I'm right. Thankfully, the two biggest plants out there, a couple of 24" autoflowers, were untouched by the deer. But for the sake of hoping to have anything to harvest at all, I planted a couple more as well, making eight plants at Raspberry Acres. And I changed the cages design to close off the tops to hungry critters.
Update 2: A Very Close Call. All right. So I'm returning from a nice hike back from Raspberry Acres. The steep, gravel hillside is barely covered in grasses and weeds, and a treeline (where my bicycle is stashed) is also forming from the bottom upward as well. From there it is about ten yards of small woods and brush, then another five yards of prairie grass to the sidewalk and the street. Wild life is an unstoppable restoring force, which is but a small part of the cycle of nature in the context of human disturbances. It's a constant struggle to remain connected yet sustainable. I arrive at my bike, and from this point on I am exposed from several directions. I need to take the short deer trail down to the sidewalk and safety from discovery. It's all about remaining undiscovered off the sidewalk, which is a risk factor for raising someone's suspicions. Well, after a quick scan with my ears and eyes to make sure the coast was clear, I descend with my bike through the trees (where bikes do not belong) to the sidewalk. The instant I touched the sidewalk, another person, a lady and her muzzled pitbull, walked around the corner that had protected my presence up to then. My bike was not even turned to the sidewalk yet. It was a very close call! I started walking my bike up the hill. She apologized for her mean dog, and that was how we met. I was just an old guy pushing his bike up a hill. Then just a little further up the hill I met couple and their dog as well. Weirdly, I felt like a lightning bolt in a teahouse.
Click on a plant.
Raspberry Acres in summer drought.
Nature has been disturbed in this new spot and is reacting harshly. Click on a plant.
All plants are fully recovered and thriving, now that they got a deep watering. Click on a plant.
Raspberry Acres watering visit and autoflower check.
Raspberry Acres Exposure Check. It May Fail.
The four female photoperiod plants are all in bloom. Two plants had some initial bud rot showing and so I cut them away. Click on a plant for a larger image.
Every day more buds are getting added. Click on a plant for a larger image.
Four tops.
Two early-harvested plants due to an invasion of Eurasian Hemp Moths. The caterpillars ruined a third of the buds.
Meanwhile, the last two plants are still going strong, untouched by bud rot.
Going strong after a refreshing rain.
Purple flowers.
Purple Haze. Crazy Days.
After a day of strong rains, both plants show signs of continuing.
Everything is now harvested at Raspberry Acres. Click on a photo for a larger image.
Closeup of a nice bud of Sour Diesel. Click on the photo for a larger image.
And a closer yet view. Click on the photo for a larger image.
