What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Happy Fourth of July! The rain has finally stopped coming down. We got around 4 inches of rain these past few days. That should keep everything green and growing for awhile. Busy morning here. Fed all the chickens, did my walk around the garden and picked carrots to go with tonight's dinner. I started the smoker about an hour ago and have a 4 1/2 pound beef brisket smoking away. Last night I really wanted potatoes and green beans to go with the pork chops so I poked around the red potato bags and came up with enough fresh new potatoes to complete the meal. It also gave me the opportunity to see if the rain was drowning them. They were wet but not soggy and no signs of bug damage on them despite the munch marks on the leaves. I'm hoping to make some progress on the coop expansion today. That's all I'm planning for today along with monitoring the smoking process. If I find the time I would like to plant some more carrots and radishes. Good choice @chickengr. Refrigerating tomatoes, potatoes, onions and garlic will either ruin the flavor or cause them to spoil faster. I have been refrigerating my eggs as soon as I fill a carton just because of a lack of counter space and DD and I usually have 2 dozen eggs on hand at our current consumption rate. I only sell surplus occasionally since the unwashed eggs keep for a long time in the refrigerator. They are still fresher than those from the grocery store. Have a great day everyone.

I only took what I needed. It's good to know there are more where these came from. And of course they were yummy!

Still lots more of these. Average length around 5 inches. Yum!

 

[oldhen2345]

No gardening today- did walk around the garden and get a couple ears of corn that look small, but ready and a ton on tomatoes. My bell peppers will be ready to harvest soon too.

 

[Iluveggers]

Morning everyone! I added another layer of bag to my potato tower & topped w more soil. Hopefully that means I’ll end up w lots of potatoes!
My beans are just big enough to be a tease...just small enough not to pick! In NY I have to be patient as summer veggies take forever! Found a squash vine borer sitting on a zucchini leaf yesterday...I missed it when I tried to kill it. They are in my top 3 of garden evil bugs.
Carrots look like I can start picking, & I may pull the peas tomorrow, we’ve been eating every other day since they did so well this year! Eyeballing my tomatoes anxiously...they are green & growing...cmon! Early lettuce starting to bolt but I planted leaf lettuce between my tomato rows to give it shade & it looks great! Cabbage heads about the size of baseballs...first time growing that so I’m excited!
Hope everyone has a great day! Happy Independence Day!

 

[Acre4Me]

Happy 4th of July!

We ate the requisite Hot Dogs and Hamburgers (grilled, of course) yesterday, along with fresh cherries, and grilled garden squash.

Not sure what is on the menu today - I suppose I need to figure that out!

Gourds have been flowering...Many of them flower at night, bc a moth pollinates them. By morning, they look shredded and old.

A little surprise yesterday...

I was watering the pots on the deck...so I watered the tomatoes, then moved the stream of water to the small pot of very small parsley, when all of a sudden a tiny bird chick jumped out and gave a startled chirp! Little one still had some fluff on it. Have No idea where the nest was at, and my deck is surrounded on 3 sides by my house with no trees or large bushes nearby.

quite tiny:

a little closer.

momma bird was barely bigger than chick - and had red in a v-shape on her head. I tried to figure out what kind if bird, and maybe its a wren of some kind, but not sure and I could not get a pic of momma. However, while I was on the deck, momma stayed a distance so I left the deck, but watched what happened. Momma flew down to chick once I was far enough away. She hopped up to chick and was talking to chick, they were face to face/ beak to beak for a bit, then momma was encouraging chick to come and follow... they hopped down the few steps together and then looked like dad got in the picture - bc two adult birds were trying to encourage chick to go somewhere. Apparently chick did not go too far as my spouse almost stepped on it later...in almost the same spot.

Then, a couple hours later, I saw what I think was same chick in a different area bc same parents flying around and to it, chirping encouragement. Maybe a sibling, cant tell.

It seems to be giving me a look....

 

[Acre4Me]

Hot today, near or at 90F. Garden watered well this morning.

Yesterday, while temps were lower we all spent a few hours weeding ALL the garden beds. We also removed the grass/lentil area - a definite failure this year. So, it might become a bean and beet area. We haven't decided. But, the garden sure looks better having so many weeds removed.

Potato saga: I've had to be pretty vigilant since my neighbor 2 doors up has had the Colorado Potato Beetles pretty bad. So, I have found several adult beetles in my potato patch. Quickly killed. I have found a few egg clusters - also quickly removed and obliterated. I must have not gotten one egg cluster bc then started to see the pre-beetle phase of the CPB on one potato plant. Killed them all, I think. I need to check for egg clusters again.

Melons: I have several planted. Watermelons, honeydews, musk melons. A couple are not growing well - but since they are new-to-me varieties, I don't know if its the bed/location, or if they are just not vigorous. But, a few are starting to flower.


Have a great Day!

 

[WthrLady]

Looks like maybe a baby house or red headed wren. So cute!

 

[Mutchi]

Goats got to the succulent !

 

[Mutchi]

 

[pennyJo1960]

Happy 4th Gardeners quiet day here but barking dogs at the neighbors

 

[Elyrian1]

Our neighbors (at least three of them) were up until 2 last night setting off fireworks. Ask me how I know.

It's hot today, too hot to garden. We're in a holding pattern right now, water the plants, plot the garden, plan, plan some more, because we're waiting on delivery of materials and also because our time keeps getting sucked up by little leftover things from the move/setting up my dad's new place too. Also I've hit that point where bending over=bad and getting up and down is really hard to do. Pretty much gripe nonstop under my breath through the grocery store these days.