What did you do in the garden today?

[LittleMissCountry]

I don't kill spiders, either, unless they are poisonous. I have a few fat orb weavers living in the chicken coop helping control the fly and gnat population.
We just moved to Virginia in August last year. I have never seen so many black widows before. I have seen a few brown recluses in the house, but not outside. We have killed 10 black widows on or around our house just in the past two months. Now we are going to have a bunch more, as I am sure some of those babies were long gone before I found them.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Where I grew up, we had both brown recluses and black widows but we saw way more brown recluses. I was bit by a brown recluse once, and thankfully got treated right away but it was still unpleasant.

 

[deepbluesea]

Where I grew up, we had both brown recluses and black widows but we saw way more brown recluses. I was bit by a brown recluse once, and thankfully got treated right away but it was still unpleasant.

Oh, ouch! What happened? They cause nerve damage, don't they? Brown recluses scare me, and I love spiders.

My big thing over the weekend is fly strike. Cleo, my head girl, got it. So while I had company, I was ducking out and soaking her butt in dawn and epsom salt baths and picking maggots, which is just as gag-inducing as it sounds. I really really hope she makes it.

Ate lots of tomatoes, cukes, peppers and greens (bok choi and chard--some bug munched the heck out of the kale). I'm wondering if I should pick one of the watermelons. Need to roast the eggplants, because they're starting to get old on the countertop.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

Oh, ouch! What happened? They cause nerve damage, don't they? Brown recluses scare me, and I love spiders.

My big thing over the weekend is fly strike. Cleo, my head girl, got it. So while I had company, I was ducking out and soaking her but in dawn and epsom salt baths and picking maggots, which is just a gag-inducing as it sounds. I really really hope she makes it.

Brown recluses are more skin damage and necrosis than nerve damage. I got bit on the hand, and got antibiotics right away. It developed a big sore, kind of like a popped blister and a burn combined, but I did not get necrosis, since I caught it early.

 

[jerryse]

First tomatoes .

 

[igorsMistress]

I did a major coop clean out over the weekend, staying with bare dirt for a bit, and added more shade to the habitrail. Also put the shade screens on the front of the coop.

We bought 2 yellow and 1 red lantana to plant with the hibiscus, which went back out to the patio Saturday evening. I also got a succulent of some type that was on clearance and need to research what they need. Those are going out front somewhere, maybe where the stonecrop was.

We picked up 3 oleanders to plant outside the west wall of our yard. Our coop is located near there and said wall gives off a tremendous amount of heat on Sumner afternoons. It was a last resort because they're poisonous, but most other things I've planted over there died from the heat. I need big and hardy and drought tolerant for that area. I'll have to transplant some aloe when I plant the oleanders, but I have holes ready. Now I just need some cooler weather and a decent monsoon season to help

Have a great day everyone

 

[igorsMistress]

Sunflower

The things in bottom pic are something native to Australia. It blooms with pretty red flowers.

 

[LittleMissCountry]

View attachment 1461621 View attachment 1461622

Sunflower

The things in bottom pic are something native to Australia. It blooms with pretty red flowers.

I love sunflower! That one is beautiful! I planted two rows of sunflower and when they got about 6 inches tall the deer ate every one of them.

 

[cavemanrich]

I attempted to grow sunflower a number of times. It grew and bloomed, but I never got a chance to harvest it. Squirrels beat me to it. But I still them and forgave them.
I think if I grew a LARGE PATCH, maybe there would be a seed or two left for me.

 

[igorsMistress]

I love sunflower! That one is beautiful! I planted two rows of sunflower and when they got about 6 inches tall the deer ate every one of them.

I grew them in an enclosed garden. Deer aren't a problem but the wild birds dig them up otherwise. Corn too darn them.