What did you do in the garden today?

[pennyJo1960]

Funny living in Juneau we all used skin so soft by Avon but mosquito there can carry a small horse ... We where doing monthly banking today to makes it all interesting there was a tanker hauling used motor oil on it's side on the freeway so we stayed far away from freeway that was backed up like 12 miles mostly big rigs did get coops cleaned

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I grew to hate the smell of Skin So Soft. I've had good luck this year with my Tick Gaiters - permeated with permethrin, which humans are not supposed to put on our skin but is said to be safe in clothing. (Don't ask me, I just use the stuff.) The gaiters are by Lymeez and available on Amazon. Kills the ticks as they attempt to crawl upwards. I also have an Insect Shield shirt (got on Sierratradingpost.com) and between the two, I am safe from ticks except when they land on my head and get into my scalp.

Vermont has the second-highest rate of Lyme and other tick-related disease in the country. I love my tick gaiters! I wear them over long pants, so they aren't really touching me anyway.

 

[WthrLady]

ya. Here too. The masses of bugs can be seen on radar systems. Buffalo gnats, flies, mosquitoes, just gross icky bite-y things.

I have/had STARRI luckily I didn't get the red meat allergy. But it was awful. I was sure I got Lyme in 2013, but the doctor couldn't get me in fast enough even though I had 5 bullseye rashes from 7 tick bites. They never did a treatment and swear it was too late to do anything. They also swear there was no Lyme in that state (Lie) and that a tick had to be on you for over 24 hours. WHO lets a tick stay on that long?!?!?! good grief.

I've taken to shorts in the hayfield. I can feel them when they start crawling and can smash them. No crannies for them to hide in and start sucking.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Don't get me wrong I do not cannot use Avon I am allergic just miserable if I use any

 

[trumpeting_angel]

I have/had STARRI luckily I didn't get the red meat allergy. But it was awful. I was sure I got Lyme in 2013, but the doctor couldn't get me in fast enough even though I had 5 bullseye rashes from 7 tick bites. They never did a treatment and swear it was too late to do anything. They also swear there was no Lyme in that state (Lie) and that a tick had to be on you for over 24 hours. WHO lets a tick stay on that long?!?!?! good grief.

I've taken to shorts in the hayfield. I can feel them when they start crawling and can smash them. No crannies for them to hide in and start sucking.

Even here, near where Lyme was discovered (Lyme, CT), it is hard to find a specialist who understands Lyme. Your doc was incorrect, of course, about it being too late to treat you for obvious Lyme. The 24-hour thing is generally accepted, though. The ticks that carry Lyme are smaller than a pinhead until they suck your blood for awhile, and like to attach in unmentionable places where they are hard to find.

Try tick gaiters! Safer than shorts. They recommend long pants tucked into socks, a fashion statement that will probably take the rural US by storm.

 

[karenerwin]

Not a garter snake. Garter snakes are ovoviviparous, meaning they give birth to live young.
Those can be the black snake eggs. Missouri has those. They are non-venomous, but a person familiar with those snakes, told me they can be quite aggressive if grown and cornered. They are beneficial in controlling rodent populations.

They are probably black snakes then. We definitely have them. I have removed a 5 foot black snake from the chicken nest box 3 times over the years. I know one had to have died because it ate the ceramic egg that was in the nest box! I didn't realize that until after I had let it go and then went back to collect eggs and realized the ceramic egg was missing. The snake had a definite egg shape in it. I just thought it had eat a regular egg.
But I do not harm them, I just remove them and let them go because I know they eat mice.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Not sure take a light as is to look in boxes stack my tubs 2 high hard to see the bottom without the light have a phobia of putting my hand where I cannot see probably nasty broodies as a child
Have 6 main coop 1 silky

 

[karenerwin]

Got the peas strung up and a ladder for the cucumbers finished yesterday. Today, moving more wood chips! Of the 3 yards that arrived, I have one yard moved to a pile to age for the chickens. Another yard hauled up the hill with many tractor trips to add to the berms I created with used Christmas trees and rotting logs. The last - most of it’s already on the gardens, and now moving wheelbarrow loads onto the part of the hill that is soggy clay. I read that years of mulching with organic stuff can eventually make the clay drain better.

Cleaning up for family visiting on 7/5 to 7/8. But while the sun is out I seem to just do outdoor chores!

Can you show me/us a picture of your ladder for the cucumbers. I would like to see what you did! Thanks!

 

[karenerwin]

Hope your vacation was a blast!
I would just love to see how your vertical watermelon & pumpkins do. Could you post pictures when the time is right?

LOL! I asked for the same thing. I guess I should have read farther first!

 

[karenerwin]

I dead headed the blossoms on my Basil today that I have planted in containers on my deck. We had a brief downpour with a thunder storm earlier this afternoon and I dashed out afterwards to pull weeds in my flower beds while the ground was still wet from the rain.

My garden has suffered due to the heavy rains and cold spring we suffered this year. My potatoes are not blooming and I lost 2/3rds of my onions to rot. Pole beans that I planted are stunted and yellow. On the other hand, I planted pole beans, container sweet corn, green peppers hot peppers and a tomato plant along with basil and other herbs in containers that I have scattered around our deck and porches and they are doing marvelous.

This will be the last year that I plant an 'in ground' garden. Next year I will be doing 100% container planting, thanks to the success (so far) of my container plants and my growing problems with my joints. It is just so convenient to walk out the door, weed the containers when necessary and water/fertilize. I've even started a mint garden where I usually plant flowers that can grow to it's hearts content and I shouldn't have to worry too much about it once it gets started as I can simply mow off the excess growth!

I'm glad to hear container gardening is working for you!! I can never keep them watered enough (although I think this year would not be a problem).