Maine

[superchemicalgirl]

I've stopped watering a few raised beds where the plants weren't doing so well but I'm watering everything else. Every Sunday I clean out the "duck pool" and I've been using that to water my plants. My squash plants are jurrasic looking. That's a quarter on the leaf, and that leaf is about 10 feet down the vine from the stem... it's so thick I can't get near the stem easily.



Some of them are doing really well with the extra nitrogen and some are just using it to make leaves, not fruit.

I started taking Navy showers this morning (get wet, turn off water, soap up, turn on water, rinse). There's no chance of rain here again until Saturday.

 

[Hiltonizer]

Ugh, we got some stuff planted in our poultry field which is a quarter mile ATV ride, up hill, from the house. That's where I need to setup a rain catch and irrigation and some solar to control it all. Fortunately the kitchen garden is within hose distance to the house.

Took a look at the pumpkins this morning, not looking good... looks like i'm making a few extra water runs up there tomorrow to hand water.

 

[buckabucka]

Ugh, we got some stuff planted in our poultry field which is a quarter mile ATV ride, up hill, from the house. That's where I need to setup a rain catch and irrigation and some solar to control it all. Fortunately the kitchen garden is within hose distance to the house.

Took a look at the pumpkins this morning, not looking good... looks like i'm making a few extra water runs up there tomorrow to hand water.

DH was loading buckets of water in his tractor this spring and hauling them up into our field, where we planted strawberries and high-bush blueberries. He didn't do this diligently, and we lost some strawberry plants to drought. He later realized it would be much easier to buy lots of hose. Quarter mile would be quite a bit of hose though...

 

[woods79]

Yep, what time?

Ditto, that! We have a very deep well and only get 1.5 gal./min. So, I don't do much watering. My lawn is very crispy. I'm watering the squash in the HK mound, my carrot beds, green beans, tomatoes and zucchini. Everything else is on it's own.

I have 2 sets of soaker hose. Unfortunately, they're both still in the garage, in the original packaging. (Miracle grow)
https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-MGSP...F8&qid=1470588617&sr=8-2&keywords=soaker+hose
Have any readers actually used this stuff? I bought it last year at a really good price. May even install it next year.

I have one AC in bedroom, and one in the LR. We use the fans until it's hotter out than it is inside, then I turn on the AC. Reverse the process when the inside/outside temps reverse themselves. I do not feel at all guilty about using AC to keep the temp reasonable inside. I simply wilt in the heat.

I have used soaker hose for a few years they seem to work fine and great when you plants that get leaf damage easy from sprinklers.. I have even hitched them up to barrels with a spigot and gravity fed water to them and worked fine. This year however they sit not being used around my tomatoes for we are on town water and it would cost a fortune to water this year

 

[lazy gardener]

I continue with a hose. Once/week or so, I give a bit of a shot of Miracle Grow. The squash in the HK would be dead if not for the extra water. I've heard that we are supposed to get rain on Wednesday. Need to set up some barrels at the gutters. good idea to set up soaker attached to rain barrel.

SCG, that squash leaf is awesome. Usually, by this time of year, my squash leaves are pretty hard hit with powdery mildew and squash bugs. Not so much yet this year.

 

[MainerChick]

It would appear we've lost two of my three young birds today, each about eight weeks old and otherwise very independent, they didn't return with the group to the coop. We also had two adult guineas fail to return. Tomorrow we set traps and start planning a new run for protected outdoors access during periods of predator activity, since it seems unlikely they all saw the Madagascar movies recently...

 

[buckabucka]

It would appear we've lost two of my three young birds today, each about eight weeks old and otherwise very independent, they didn't return with the group to the coop. We also had two adult guineas fail to return. Tomorrow we set traps and start planning a new run for protected outdoors access during periods of predator activity, since it seems unlikely they all saw the Madagascar movies recently...

Sorry for your loss, MainerChick

 

[MistyMae]

Thanks for everyone's help. These are two of my girls all grown up. The golden hamburg is the chick that is my profile picture. So far, so good. No predators, no disagreements with each other and no heat issues. We are doing the deep litter method in the run as suggested. It is working great, no smells, no flies. I am using DE and pine shavings in the coop. These girls are a lot of fun and have so much character. My two hamburgs and two polish are all determined to roost on my arms, shoulders and sometimes my head every evening when I go down to close them in for the night. The two sultans and cochins just look at them like they are crazy.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Well the Rain Dance didn't work so I'm going to Plan B. Everyone in Central Maine can thank me later.




I went through the drive through wash, then came home and waxed the car, Rainexed the outer windows, Windexed the inner windows. Used Armor-All on the interior and tires...

IT WILL RAIN.

In fact, it is just starting to sprinkle.

You're welcome.

 

[MistyMae]

The girls have been in the coop and run for a little over a month. I had the nesting boxes blocked off so they wouldnt sleep in them. I uncovered them two nights ago. From the amount of droppings in two of them it def looks like a least a few of the chickens have been sleeping in there. Should I cover them back up for a bit? None of the girls have started laying yet.