What did you do in the garden today?

[AllenK RGV]

Operation Prickly Pear - I've been hearing the coyotes here too lately. My little Patrick has nothing on them though, lol.

@karenerwin that is a lot of soil to move! 1 more load & the beds will all be filled?

Good morning everyone! Hot & humid today (hot for me, not hot for some of you, lol). I watered the garden yesterday. I have 2 Dahlias coming up, so I know at least 2 survived my winter neglect. All my little bean & squash seedlings are looking really good, cukes - meh. I think they're just a little slower & the fact that the bunny keeps eating them... I think I'll be picking some lettuce this weekend, FINALLY!!

I pulled out an old bed that I used to have my rhubarb in, I just needed the ground to dry out a little so I can get the tractor up there to pick up the bucket of rocks & it's done - looks like today will work & I might as well turn the compost while the tractor is running. Or I just might turn on the ac & hide inside!

Have a great day all!

You really have to quit mentioning Rhubarb. It makes me salivate every time you do!

Oh well chicken o'clock is here and I have a myriad of tasks to get to. HAGD all!

 

[Acre4Me]

We’ve been busy here. Almost all done planting, including flowers. Spouse is almost done with the bean trellises - they are unnecessarily stout and strong, but I’ll be able to climb up and around them! They are 10 feet tall. I’ll post pics, we should have them up today.

The previous owners left 2 large pots filled with dirt on the deck and we’ve planted flowers in them. However, one would not drain - in a heavy rainstorm it would overflow over the top. So we moved them to the barn to investigate the issue and refresh the soil. Problem solved! They had dumped in chipped rock at the bottom fordrainage, but the rock was dirty and contained tiny chips and bits. So the silt packed in and the tiny chips packed in to create a solid bottom. It didn’t help that the pre cut drain holes had thin flaps of plastic on them and these were not removed, effectively reducing the openings too. All rocks were sorted and washed off, andonly the large rocks were put back into the bottom of the pot. The soil was removed and refreshed with new soil and fertilizer. These two large pots will hold tomatoes this year.

I have approx 9 more pots that will get peppers in them for the deck. And I planted another large pot with flowed and the wild alpine type strawberries.

so far all transplants look like they survived transplanting! Sometimes squashand melons are picky about being transplanted, or they dry out too quickly and die. But, we’ve had brief, yet heavy rainstorms the last two days, effectively soaking everything and cooling down the afternoon heat.

Chickens: we put the two hens back into the run (featherless backs) and took out the younger, 10 month old, cockerel. He and head cockerel were always at odds. And by this I mean that the head guy was actively chasing the younger one around the run on a frequent basis. The younger one would try to mate the girls, but the head rooster must have x-ray vision and would literally run to head off the younger one, even if on the other side of the run (50’ long with lots of visual interruptions). So, younger will stay in a pen, and get a companion as soon as I can lower the roost that is in there - he is a very big BJG, so the current roost is a bit too high for him. The other unfortunate thing is that there is one male in the 13 week olds who is starting to try to mount the other 13 week olds! So, if my chicks hatch and I take them to auction, he may go too. Spouse wants to keep him and butcher him with the meat chicks when they are ready. I don’t feel like having more chicken drama for 6 more weeks with hormonal cockerel and head rooster...what to do...

meat chicks, however, are doing very well! At 6 days they already feel heavy! All are sexed male. They spend very little time under the heat plate, but with mostly fluff, they need the heat occasionally. Also, there is a cool down coming and nighttime lows will be in the low 50s, so the heat will stay in the brooder for another week or two.

Have a great gardening day!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. I worked on the baby coop yesterday and made some significant progress before the heat and humidity got to be too much. I did manage to get some oregano and marjoram starts planted. The temps got up to 89F here on my outside thermometer. It's on the north side of the house so I know the sun isn't a factor. It's supposed to be even hotter today so I'm giving my muscles a break and just plan on giving the garden a good watering and perhaps running to the discount store to see if they have a reasonably priced border for the flower garden in my front yard. The one I ordered from Target never showed up. I'm still waiting for the roof for the baby coop to show up. The weather here is supposed to cool back down to more normal temps in another day or two just like yours @Acre4Me. I raised my brooder plate for the chicks but haven't turned it off yet. However, they have been sleeping on top of it for the past several days. I hope to get the rest of my planting done soon. I still have the peppers to plant. My little okra starts seem to be getting a bit stronger, so I may have fresh okra this year. Oh, and my go to pain reliever is ibuprofen at dinner time. I used to take it in the afternoon, but it seems to be more effective in the evening followed by a good night's sleep. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Sueby]

@AllenK RGV I went over a friends on Friday & chopped down 1/3 of all 3 of his rhubarb plants! I washed & cut it into 1-2 inch pieces & froze it, I will make jam (with strawberries) one of these days when I'm bored. I might get another harvest off his plants in a few weeks, the previous owner of his house planted them & my friend just lets them go to waste!

@Acre4Me I can't wait to see pics of the trellis'! This is my first year really planting beans - I planted 2 seeds at each pole (tee pee set up) & every single one of them came up! Should I thin them to 1 plant per pole or is 2 ok?
Is there a benefit to male meaties over female? Or did it just work out that way?

@Wee Farmer Sarah I've never tried okra - I'm gonna guess I wouldn't like it. I'm super picky, Mom still picks on me about me climbing into my highchair for dinner saying 'don't like, don't like' before I tried it or knew what it was even.

ETA: 3 pullet eggs today! One more to go & everyone's laying!

 

[AllenK RGV]

@AllenK RGV I went over a friends on Friday & chopped down 1/3 of all 3 of his rhubarb plants! I washed & cut it into 1-2 inch pieces & froze it, I will make jam (with strawberries) one of these days when I'm bored. I might get another harvest off his plants in a few weeks, the previous owner of his house planted them & my friend just lets them go to waste!

@Acre4Me I can't wait to see pics of the trellis'! This is my first year really planting beans - I planted 2 seeds at each pole (tee pee set up) & every single one of them came up! Should I thin them to 1 plant per pole or is 2 ok?
Is there a benefit to male meaties over female? Or did it just work out that way?

@Wee Farmer Sarah I've never tried okra - I'm gonna guess I wouldn't like it. I'm super picky, Mom still picks on me about me climbing into my highchair for dinner saying 'don't like, don't like' before I tried it or knew what it was even.

ETA: 3 pullet eggs today! One more to go & everyone's laying!

Sounds like you are planning on using my grannies recipe. I wish they sold that on the commercial market.

I feel you on the okra thing, unless it is fried right it is a gummy nasty tasteless mess that got me in trouble often as a child if the dog wouldn't back me up and eat it. Badly made okra is just bad okra it doesn't matter how well you grew it.
Honestly, to prepare it correctly I think you require a micrometer. But hey I think KFC offer's it as a side so give it a try. I'm sure it will still be a soft gooey mess but if you like the batter it is fried in that is all that matters.

 

[Acre4Me]

Should I thin them to 1 plant per pole or is 2 ok?
Is there a benefit to male meaties over female? Or did it just work out that way?

well, I’m all for more plants rather than less. How many plants per teepee, and how tall is it? If the space is tight, I’d thin to 1 plant, but if open and airy, even with leaves, then leave 2 (or alternate 1 and 2). The pole beans do not have tendrils to wrap around anything, it’s the whole stem than wraps around and grows upwards. So, as they get tall enough, begin to train the stem around f the pole, and it will continue that path up the pole. They are not overly dense with leaves either , and I successfully had 2 bean vines going up the same string last year.

the meaties were purchased as sexed males. They do grow bigger than the females (although both are substantial sources of meat). Usually male chicks are cheaper to buy when getting layers or dual purpose but in the case of the meat birds, the males are more expensive.

I've never tried okra - I'm gonna guess I wouldn't like it. I'm super picky, Mom still picks on me about me climbing into my highchair for dinner saying 'don't like, don't like' before I tried it or knew what it was even.

lol! Kids are funny. My youngest tries that (although certainly past the high chair phase). The rule here is you have to earn the right to say “I don’t like it” by trying it. Otherwise, can only say things like “it doesn’t look like I’ll like it” or “I don’t like the way it smells”, etc. Okra can certainly turn one off due to the slimy texture it can provide if cooked Certain ways. Ifsliced and coated in cornmeal and pan fried they are tasty and not slimy. Otherwise, they are good in gumbo, but you don’t notice the slimy texture bc it’s in a stew. Another dish that I’ve seen is stewed tomatoes and okra, but that seems like it could be too slimy for me, so I’ve never desired to eat that. I’m pretty sure using the descriptor “slimy” has turned you off already as you are a picky eater!

 

[Sueby]

Yep, 'slimy' & 'a gummy nasty tasteless mess' has done it - no desire to ever try it! I'm all about the texture of things, it's why I don't like most stuff so I'm gonna say okra is out.

The beans are on 6 foot bamboo poles, 4 poles to a teepee - I have 2 of these set up. In hindsight I should have done 5 poles at least, so def open & airy. I do have others that are on a trellis made of leftover hardware cloth & are 7-8 feet tall. I figured I'd try both set ups & see which worked best. & ITA on the more plants the better, I have such limited garden space & have to grow up so if 2 vines per pole will work I'm all about that!

 

[igorsMistress]

Good morning gardeners. You've all been so busy and I feel like a bum! @Xalthir welcome to the thread, I love the name Walter. @karenerwin you have been crazy busy! Glad you talked to your mom and she's sounding better. I haven't done much but water. The forget me nots are blooming, I love the little blue flowers, and I pulled basil and dill yesterday because they bolted. The dogs managed to sneak out the gate into the chicken area when I was pulling the hose out of their yard, thank goodness they listen because that could have been bad. My son is coming over tomorrow to help me finish moving blocks for the new garden bed; he keeps telling me I put up with his growing pains so helping is the least he can do I appreciate him a lot though, based on my slow progress to feeling better I might not be able to finish it without some help. Then I can start filling with dirt and bunny poop. Speaking of bunny, she is a he and he's a red eyed white Rex. I named him Walter White. Have a great day all!

 

[WthrLady]

Yep, 'slimy' & 'a gummy nasty tasteless mess' has done it - no desire to ever try it! I'm all about the texture of things, it's why I don't like most stuff so I'm gonna say okra is out.

Every seen Harry Potter Episode when Ron is spewing up slugs. Yup. Okra.
When we lived in the deep south it was everywhere. I couldn't stand the stuff.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Thank goodness I am not alone in my aversion to okra. Stick to the safety of halapeno poppers. I had almost always felt alone in that my entire life.