What did you do in the garden today?

[AllenK RGV]

Tied up the tomato plants higher., baby maters everywhere, feel they should be further along, but it IS only mid-July.
Evicted another worm from the cabbage.

Everything is in need of a good feeding. Cloudy and cooler today, heading for humid and 100 for tomorrow and through Tuesday.

Sounds like good tomater weather.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Good morning gardeners. I drove past the oleanders on my way home from the store, they're alive and not droopy. I can't wait for them to get big enough to shade the wall in the afternoon! I've decided to rip off the side walls of the coop and and cover with hwc next spring although I'm buying the supplies now to store in the shed. Not sure what I'm going to do about the pop door, maybe eliminate it, or maybe just do half walls and keep it. I don't think the girls would like an open space behind the nest boxes and the pop door is in that wall. Everything else is still doing ok too. I'll turn the sprinkler on in the xeriscape garden tonight when I turn off the mister. Gave the flock some watermelon today and collected 2 eggs from yesterday. It's so darn hot I don't blame the girls one bit if they don't lay at all! Tomorrow morning I have bags of soil to dump in the garden along with the bunnies litter box. 2 bunnies seems to be about perfect for the amount of poop I want for building the soil. Our soil here is either slippery clay or sandy dust; either way there's usually a layer of caliche within 6 to 8 inches from the surface and it can be impossible to break through; it's not at all good for drainage. I'm mixing various brands of potting soil, whatever is on sale or cheap, with worm poop, hay and bunny poop to fill in the raised bed to about 6 inches above the native soil. The chickens have been a tremendous help with mixing everything up. Time for work, have a great day everyone!

My big girls do not need a door. They hate me for having the audacity/indignity to close them in. The possum will leave them alone at night. I guess my hens are scary enough. I only had to close the door to my big gals to keep the little ones safe. We lost 5 this spring. Little ones that is. They share the back side of an 8'x8' coop. I hate losing my little ones. we adjusted and still have 6 of 7 chicks. They are no longer defenceless they have a light.

 

[NewBoots]

I can't belive it's mid July and I'm still picking peas. No complaints. Unlike last year's planting, these peas are quite tasty, edible pods and great in stir fries or just plain raw in salads.

This is my first year for having the time and space to raise snap peas and they are amazing. Still producing plenty of peas and so good. I snack on them every morning while watering. Mine are mostly sheltered from the ground to two feet up by the brussels sprouts on their south side so they have deep shade on their roots and lowest vines, and I have to wonder if that has made them last this long. I've been cutting off the top growth that threatens to break off anyway (the bunnies love anything I trim from them) and that seems to stimulate the vines to keep sprouting from lower down on the north side of the plants. I mulched the roots with used rabbit hay and straw and I think that helped too.

Got a ton to do out there today, we picked up a bundle of 4' grade stakes so I can get the rest of the tomatoes corralled (maybe). Tomorrow I mow so back out for now while it's the coolest. Later.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning gardeners waiting on the eggs from Amazon

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

This has really been the year of the snakes! I knew the temporary run for the babies wasn't 100% secure, but letting them have some freedom was a risk worth taking. Found this in with them with my little blue laced red Wyandotte inside. Found out my snake grabber is dual purpose. Bludgeon to death and then extract! The fool in the coop waiting for the girls to come lay eggs gets a pass for now. I'm going to go back with wire and duct tape and make some more adjustments on the playpen. Got some more work done on the coop floor. This adds some urgency!

Anybody use 1 inch hardware cloth on coops and runs? Our local hardware store sells 50 foot rolls of 4 foot height for $43. I think 19 gauge. Seems like a steal if the holes are small enough! They may have some in stock tomorrow.

New sprouts from what I planted the other day in the hay bale garden.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Great snake dispense ... Glad I live here again today I would buy the hardware cloth but understand if there is not a roof snakes can walk up hardware cloth

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Great snake dispense ... Glad I live here again today I would buy the hardware cloth but understand if there is not a roof snakes can walk up hardware cloth

There will be a roof for sure. Just making sure 1 inch holes aren't too big. I was thinking of half inch, but when she quoted me the price for 1 inch I was intrigued.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

There will be a roof for sure. Just making sure 1 inch holes aren't too big. I was thinking of half inch, but when she quoted me the price for 1 inch I was intrigued.

There will be a roof for sure. Just making sure 1 inch holes aren't too big. I was thinking of half inch, but when she quoted me the price for 1 inch I was intrigued.

A snake and rodents can get through 1 inch hardware cloth. Go with 1/2 inch HC, 19 gauge. I had a cottonmouth in my coop when I lived in the south. Scary.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

A snake and rodents can get through 1 inch hardware cloth. Go with 1/2 inch HC, 19 gauge. I had a cottonmouth in my coop when I lived in the south. Scary.

That's where I was leaning. Plus mice. Might use it for the apron around the bottom though. The buried or covered in mulch part.

 

[igorsMistress]

Morning gardeners waiting on the eggs from Amazon

I'm waiting on my eggs to hatch. Next week Friday is when they're due to hatch.