Tomato demolition

Generally, I don't ask for Dan's help with yard work or in the garden. He hates those activities, unless it can be done from a piece of machinery like the tractor or the backhoe. But I needed additional strength this morning. The tomato towers welded with reinforcing rod work great, but they are heavy and if you add the strength of the plant in the soil, it is just too much for one person to pull up.


We soon worked out a routine without damaging the irrigation and were able to clear the beds in little time. It is amazing to see those huge plants that grew from just one little seed some months ago.

I find it very interesting that not only does every season have its particular insects, every year seems to feature a species more than another year. Last year I saw a lot of Horselubber grasshoppers, they are huge and beautiful, but this year we saw a lot of mesquite bugs that were not as prevalent in previous years.


The mesquite bugs are big too, and apparently much liked by the Chihuahuan ravens who came down with their family and cleared off an entire mesquite tree. All that was left was a bunch of wings when they were finished.


While we were having a water break on the shop/shed porch, Dan snapped this photo of a grasshopper we do see a lot right now.