What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

Oops. I left the pile of bean vines and corn husks in the shade near the chicken run. Plan was to take it to the compost pile in the morning. When we left for church the chickens were having a big time spreading out everything. Oh well.

"We're HELPING!"

 

[pennyJo1960]

Hey gardners salad from the garden yesterday may have a caulifower from it tonight

 

[AllenK RGV]

Yeah, we can't legally have roosters and even though the law says they don't count as chickens at all until they're 12 weeks old, there's 3 of the little boogers and with them egging (see what I did there) each other on, the volume is going to go up. If they never got any louder than they are now I'd never cull them, but it can't last.

See and here I am with a bleeding heart for a wife that won't let me cull or put food on a needy persons table. I still cull for wing flogging and bad temperament reasons as I don't feel obliged to ask permission then.

Regardless, I have an ill tempered neighbor that set up his house close to my property line so.... My next move is to build an amphitheater style coop for a bachelor pad for them to enjoy my fowl. That or put guineas or peafowl in there.

I have never had a neighbor that I have to call the police on for their animals undermining my fencing to get my hens. One who allows their animals to run at large and take out poultry on the streets. I always get the last laugh the guy is as smart as box of Silkies regarding Texas Law.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I created a new thread about how CNN just put up an article about the dangers of BYC!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/big-ag-and-cnn-are-at-it-again.1390655/

 

[littledog]

I created a new thread about how CNN just put up an article about the dangers of BYC!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/big-ag-and-cnn-are-at-it-again.1390655/

Yeah, I saw that. Very similar to in tone to other articles I've seen recently, can't remember where but one was about how raising your own hogs is useless, because domestic hogs can't survive in a pasture, they are bred to need tiny crates and antibiotic-laden corn to be healthy. There was another one about parasites in home-raised beef, don't remember who was blamed.
These came out soon after the news stories about big meat-processing plants shutting down due to covid spreading among their employees, because of the unsafe conditions they work in.

I'd just be guessing, but it seems probable that meat companies were planning to reduce their advertising budgets due to low profits. So to prop up advertising, some low-level reporters were tasked with writing articles that are factual on the surface but subtly discourage people from raising their own meat or buying it from local farmers.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Yeah, I saw that. Very similar to in tone to other articles I've seen recently, can't remember where but one was about how raising your own hogs is useless, because domestic hogs can't survive in a pasture, they are bred to need tiny crates and antibiotic-laden corn to be healthy. There was another one about parasites in home-raised beef, don't remember who was blamed.
These came out soon after the news stories about big meat-processing plants shutting down due to covid spreading among their employees, because of the unsafe conditions they work in.

I'd just be guessing, but it seems probable that meat companies were planning to reduce their advertising budgets due to low profits. So to prop up advertising, some low-level reporters were tasked with writing articles that are factual on the surface but subtly discourage people from raising their own meat or buying it from local farmers.

Yup they always dredge up this dribble to deter folks from homesteading and making use of their own resources. Imagine being a young child in FFA asking his mother to raise livestock after she reads this recycled news article. Someone wants to discourage us from it or from taking up the hobby.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Well we finally got rain yesterday. Oh yeah, 7 minutes of steady rain then nothing. I'll have to water the front yard today and I'll likely have to water the vegetable gardens again tomorrow. I need to take another picture of my peas tower. The blooming vines have reached the top of the tower. I used my first handful of peas along with a couple of the young carrots I picked tossed with some mushrooms and leftover chicken meat for a light dinner last night. I did manage to do some weeding in the little turnip patch. They are looking so much better now. I haven't taken my morning walk around the garden yet but I'll take pictures then. The potato blooms should be opening now and hopefully the tiny squash will be showing it's color soon so I'll know what's planted where. I seriously need to work on the rose bush in the front yard. I put down bone meal in the Autumn to encourage the hydrangea to bloom. The hydrangea is still making leaves but the bone meal sure gave a boost to the rose bush. As for the CNN article. My take on that is similar to yours @littledog and @AllenK RGV. Big Ag doesn't want the poor ill informed consumer to go and raise our own food. All the money they have invested in better chemicals to produce more food needs to be recovered, regardless of the impact on public health. I've never gotten salmonella or e coli from any of my home grown produce or eggs. Now there are parasites in bagged lettuce mixes. Eeuuuw! And most small farmers who raise small herds of livestock that is mostly grass fed and free range beef, lamb, pigs and turkeys are doing so humanely thus adding to the cost of their product. But big Ag doesn't want you to know that either. So I'll keep on doing my thing with homegrown eggs and fresh produce from my own backyard. Have a great day everyone!

 

[B40chick]

Good morning gardeners. Well we finally got rain yesterday. Oh yeah, 7 minutes of steady rain then nothing. I'll have to water the front yard today and I'll likely have to water the vegetable gardens again tomorrow. I need to take another picture of my peas tower. The blooming vines have reached the top of the tower. I used my first handful of peas along with a couple of the young carrots I picked tossed with some mushrooms and leftover chicken meat for a light dinner last night. I did manage to do some weeding in the little turnip patch. They are looking so much better now. I haven't taken my morning walk around the garden yet but I'll take pictures then. The potato blooms should be opening now and hopefully the tiny squash will be showing it's color soon so I'll know what's planted where. I seriously need to work on the rose bush in the front yard. I put down bone meal in the Autumn to encourage the hydrangea to bloom. The hydrangea is still making leaves but the bone meal sure gave a boost to the rose bush. As for the CNN article. My take on that is similar to yours @littledog and @AllenK RGV. Big Ag doesn't want the poor ill informed consumer to go and raise our own food. All the money they have invested in better chemicals to produce more food needs to be recovered, regardless of the impact on public health. I've never gotten salmonella or e coli from any of my home grown produce or eggs. Now there are parasites in bagged lettuce mixes. Eeuuuw! And most small farmers who raise small herds of livestock that is mostly grass fed and free range beef, lamb, pigs and turkeys are doing so humanely thus adding to the cost of their product. But big Ag doesn't want you to know that either. So I'll keep on doing my thing with homegrown eggs and fresh produce from my own backyard. Have a great day everyone!

I live in south Georgia and can garden year around. I had to look where you were from to see why your garden was just getting started. Now I know. I was born in southwest Mass., but we moved south when I was very young. My grandfather was a blueberry and apple farmer.
I love gardening. I have already dug up all my potatoes. Green beans and corn are done, as well as English peas. I have to wait until fall to grow any greens because of the bug population.

 

[Sueby]

I added water to and checked on my carnivorous plant bog and I transplanted my spearmint into a bigger pot. More than anything, I spend a moment in gratitude that it was raining when I woke up, which is desperately needed right now.

Pics!!

You just reminded me, we planted so many trees and shrubs that are for shade and wildlife that I had forgotten the figs are for us! I would love to have some figs but they're all so small that they're probably not going to do it this year.
I'd have thyme near the rosemary, they both like to be on the dry and hot side. I've done best with the basil that I've planted really close to the tomatoes, they keep the basil shaded and moist.
I'm embarrassed how childish some Americans are about a small request to wear a mask. I want so badly to eat in a restaurant again but we have to be responsible grown-ups sometimes.

Grats on the raccoon sweep and the first egg! I am so jealous!
I love that morning walk in the garden, and I get to snack on stray peas and assorted berries. I'm wishing I'd planted some cukes for pickling if nothing else. How are the sungolds?
We have a kids wading pool with some of our potted carnivorous plants in it, and a big low cracked pot with the rest. We have assorted fly-traps, sun-dews, and pitcher types.

Good Morning Gardeners, it rained a little bit last night but not enough so I did the watering. Removed more of the bolting lettuce and shared it out to the chickens and rabbits, I kept the individual peas and raspberries. The bush beans are starting to get beans and my silly 3' corn is developing ears. The cat didn't pee on my radish seeds so that's a win. At 5:40 this morning, Carl (I caught him in the act) started crowing his little crow but within a few minutes someone else made a weird choking crow different from Carl's call. Whomever it was did it a few more times before I got up about 8. Then once I was up and getting dressed, I saw Louie up and make a different crow in response to Carl's. So it looks like all three cockerels are crowing now. Yay for crowing 8 week olds. So now since the whole lot of them are crowing I'll have to freezer camp them all. The boys are so obnoxious it's probably time anyway.

I am not a fan of anything but the Bandywines for eating, but everyone else loves the Sungolds. I made a salsa with them last year that is fantastic & easy to make though. I would really miss my pickles if I didn't do it. I tried to plant a lot of cukes this year just for pickling but that darn squirrel fought me all the way. We shall see what I end up with.

Morning everyone! I watered yesterday, boy do we need rain. Can you find the septic tank?

Cut the garlic scapes this morning, does anyone have a good recipe to share? @penny1960 maybe? I'm thinking eggs...we don't eat carbs so that limits us quite a bit, I had a great tart recipe I wanted to try but can't.

 

[FastEddy22]

Pics!!

I don't have a super recent picture, but here are some of them coming out of dormancy (hence the presence of the old dried up pitchers from last year. I will try to take more pictures soon that show my fly trap and some others. Plus they look more fresh and summery now!