What did you do in the garden today?

[TropicalBabies]

Last year I tossed a few poppy seeds here and there. They aren't the best germinators. But this year was rewarded with one healthy plant! I enjoy poppies - so bright!
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While searching for some tomato cages, I looked at all seed racks in all the stores for a few things, such as gourds. Only 1 of the 4 different stores I went to had gourds. @TropicalBabies - Is this luffa one similar to the ones you grow?

Also, do they climb things like a pea or cucumber (with tendrils that grab onto a structure), or like a pole bean, where the vine just grows around the structure in a corkscrew fashion? The package does not say to even provide support or how tall they grow!

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Yes and yes except x 10 for the tendrils and growing IME. They were amazing!!!!

 

[Sequel]

Here’s a shot of my red poppy.

 

[FortCluck]

Ya I have my perrenial herbs I love so much chives garlic on one, onion the other ...
Rosemary.. mint, lavender basil and sage could go on and on .. love cooking with fresh

I have pineapple sage but still haven’t used it. Maybe I will with the next chicken I cook.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Fantastic!!! I lack the expertise and extra eggs to get an incubator that is not fail safe. I am sure I would blow it... positive, and the guilt would be more than I wanted to shoulder lol. Maybe after I get a few hatches under my belt and have the need for another I will get the courage to get a more wo-manual one. Maybe by then our local feed store will actually have one .
Please keep me posted on your hatch... most exciting!!! What breeds are you mixing? Very curious. Think after you see them you may have to keep at least a few
I separated my keepers to the lower pen this morning because I have a few people coming to pick up chicks this weekend. I figured I would keep 7 because our laws say 4 hens per household and I only have 21 hens and pullets and 1 roo now (don't tell DH) so they just kind of cancel each other out according to chicken math. Well, I picked out 15 chicks (lordy they are so cute when they are yours and mixed!) for me to at least grow out, will revisit selling later because I wanted to sell as pullets anyways... oops
Think I need an intervention because you have me thinking of a back up incubator (nothing to do with my existing chicken count...)and my first is not even shipped yet. Plus I am running out of fingers and toes to count with. Thank goodness for my elementary edumacation and pencils with erasers.

You should invest in a couple silkie hens, they should stay perma broody in Hawaii for you. My 9 hens produce much consternation on my part breaking them and 1-2 eggs daily for me. Plus I am sure they must be cheaper than an incubator and brooding supplies.

I'll never need to fire up my incubator again until I let these hens age out.

 

[pennyJo1960]

That is just how I try to run Allen let the silkies do it we have a coop just for them
and anything they brood or raise for me get 1 or 2 eggs a day depending ..
Also getting 1 giant cochin egg that goes in banty just now hope it grows allot more over time

 

[igorsMistress]

What types do you usually plant? This year we have around 36 planted (about 25 varieties). We have a few cherry type, and then the rest are primarily beefsteak type, with a couple of smaller hybrid determinates. We are still in the figure-out-what-we-want-to-focus-on phase. Nearly all look like they are happy in their respective spots, and only 2 of them are looking a bit undecided about living and growing.



Ever have any break on you? I've re-used jars, but primarily ones that I've bought and used from new.


Sounds great!




I had great luck at Lowes yesterday - it was the only place that still had smaller tomato cages and garden "staples" that I could use to hold down the soaker hose. It was an older woman who helped me (after others had tried to help me) and she found these items that were supposedly gone (according to the others helping me) and so I told her she was my good luck charm! She smiled and asked if she could get that in writing! LOL.



How much mounding should one do to potato plants? I've mounded a bit, but not sure when to stop!



I like Okra breaded and fried, and in gumbo. I'm not sure that Ive had it any other way. But, if you like it, it does grow well and continuously produces!







Glad you got out before the pigeons did! Previous owner had wild bird feeders out. We removed them. Some birds will usually try to make a nest in the roof structure of the run. We try to remove the nest before they lay eggs. If they lay eggs and hatch babies, unfortunately the babies feed our flock when they fall out of the nest!




Looks great, and surprisingly cool for such a hot area!




Cocktail is in order then! Hope next week is better!



Yay!




You should add your general location to your profile! The rest of us gardeners love to know where others are gardening!



WOW! Your pics are always amazing to us, that live in colder climes. We promise to post snow pics in exchange for your tropical pics!



Sounds awesome! Sounds like an amazing incubator! I'm doing my first chicken egg incubation now. I bought the cheapest still-air incubator that TSC had - a Little Giant. It has been going well, so far. They go into lock-down tonight, and hatching should commence Monday or Tuesday. Some eggs look more filled with a chick than others, so I am slightly concerned. However, all are moving around, so they are alive. I have only had one quitter (and 11 infertile - no embryo at all). They are going to be mixed breeds. My plan is to take them to auction next weekend, assuming that all goes well! Of course, the resident young teen is already trying to convince me into keeping some chicks!

We have these rotten birds here called grackles. One of their babies ended up in my yard and the chickens killed it. I never found it so they must have eaten it. I almost felt bad. Almost.

 

[TropicalBabies]

You should invest in a couple silkie hens, they should stay perma broody in Hawaii for you. My 9 hens produce much consternation on my part breaking them and 1-2 eggs daily for me. Plus I am sure they must be cheaper than an incubator and brooding supplies.

I'll never need to fire up my incubator again until I let these hens age out.

I do have my two very scary 1/2 wild girls who are egg collecting nightmares. I have put eggs under Jazz and hatched a few times b4, they must have some silkie in them with their blue ears, big eyes, dark combs and constant broodiness 4 sure. Currently mama Jazz is scaring all the hens away from the run and the food... and Rose has gone crazy broody with a hidden nest in the neighbors yard... again, just coming back to eat and growl now ... These two girls have been back to back broody this year with hidden nests that are too far to find. One day they may be better and I will always hope they come with pretty babies but Sancho loves these girls and most of the time their brood comes back unusable for here.
I'm hoping the incubator pays for itself in a year.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I do have my two very scary 1/2 wild girls who are egg collecting nightmares. I have put eggs under Jazz and hatched a few times b4, they must have some silkie in them with their blue ears, big eyes, dark combs and constant broodiness 4 sure. Currently mama Jazz is scaring all the hens away from the run and the food... and Rose has gone crazy broody with a hidden nest in the neighbors yard... again, just coming back to eat and growl now ... These two girls have been back to back broody this year with hidden nests that are too far to find. One day they may be better and I will always hope they come with pretty babies but Sancho loves these girls and most of the time their brood comes back unusable for here.
I'm hoping the incubator pays for itself in a year.

Well silkies only roam their way off to die to stupidity, like brooding under a chained dog or something. Sounds better than leaving the job to your ferals. As an added plus they are also easy to cull to their stupidity. I like the breed but just saying I observe this too often trusting them to free range. My feral and Sumatra just don't roll like that they have uncommonly good common sense, but can be real nasty beasts when broody.

I never thought I would ever keep a live veliciaraptor until I met them.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Well silkies only roam their way off to die to stupidity, like brooding under a chained dog or something. Sounds better than leaving the job to your ferals. As an added plus they are also easy to cull to their stupidity. I like the breed but just saying I observe this too often trusting them to free range. My feral and Sumatra just don't roll like that they have uncommonly good common sense, but can be real nasty beasts when broody.

I never thought I would ever keep a live veliciporaptor until I met them.

At least they are small Veliciporaptors.... scary!

 

[WthrLady]

@Acre4Me Mostly SanMarzano for canning. Some early girl, 4 cherry sweets, Better Boy, Jet Star, Jet setter, Chef's Orange, And a couple other's I forget.

Going to mulch them tonight to prevent splashback on the lower leaves until the plants are tall enough to prune.

@Sueby You got to see the glass poppy display in person?!?!?!?! I was signed up to get one of those after the display was taken down, but they ran out before they got to me. Bummer.


Whole world is green and tender and the damn deer are on the apple trees. ARGH.