BYC gardening thread!!

[papaclark]

Yes your chickens will eat that caterpillar...My chooks eat every bug, slug, and critter that moves in the run. When sifting, turning compost I pick out slugs and stuff and when i have a handful i chuck them into the run and they get devoured before they have a chance to move. Same with squash bugs. Any bugs i can catch by hand go intothe run, except of course mantis and lady bugs.

 

[ChickenPapaCT]

Hey all you gardeners, have any idea what type of worm/caterpillar this is? He did a number in my poor lettuce while I was on vacation.

Hard to tell from the picture, but my guess would be based on this identification web-site: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?&guide=Caterpillars

I would go with a Sphynx or Swallowtail.

 

[NEChickenNoob]

Based off of the guide:
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Peridea+basitriens&guide=1
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Nadata+gibbosa&guide=1
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Enodia+anthedon&guide=1

Those are my guesses. Either way you have a good starting point.

 

[ChickenPeep]

I've seen these caterpillars eating my nasturtiums as well. Will the chickens eat these guys any body know?

My girls sure enjoyed them! Just be careful because my girls got green goo everywhere.

 

[ChickenPeep]

Hard to tell from the picture, but my guess would be based on this identification web-site: http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?&guide=Caterpillars

I would go with a Sphynx or Swallowtail.

Thanks for the link! A lot of those caterpillars look the same but the one that most closely resembles the one I found is the "Abaeis nicippe" aka "Sleepy Sulphur". I thought it was just a cabbage worm at first. I feel kinda silly now.

 

[lazy gardener]

Salvation army, or second hand shops would be a great place to p/u sheer curtains. I bet they'd last a lot longer than polyspun garden fabric.

 

[KentuckyMom]

Oh, how I love this time of year! My family ate the first two cucumbers of the season from our garden last night. Cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes are all starting to produce. Beans are not far behind as I see flowers blooming. I pulled the peas and the lettuce last week because the heat was starting to ruin them,but they were good while they lasted. I learned that next year I need to plant more peas and start the lettuce earlier. The corn is growing and the pole beans and pumpkins I planted with them are popping up. Has anyone here tried this Three Sisters garden before? I have a separate plot set up for it, but this is the first time I've tried it.

 

[lazy gardener]

My peas are just starting to set blossoms. They'll be done producing before they start, with this heat!

 

[NEChickenNoob]

My sugar snap peas are producing, just not in the numbers I had hoped. I am going to step up with water and feeding. Good news, got 2 tomato plants setting up fruit. They are so tiny, but I am excited. Also, bush beans are in bloom, I expect green beans in a week or two.

 

[vehve]

Today's project was re-potting a avocado tree and a chicken molested chili or paprika (don't know which, it's the only one left of 18). I'm also going to have to figure out a wider place for the tomatoes and herbs, they're not getting enough light on their bench. Have to have them up though, otherwise the chickens eat all the leaves.

With some luck, perhaps I'll get a handful of cherry tomatoes out of these.