What did you do in the garden today?

[Sally PB]

I anticipate moving the littles outside tomorrow finally!

Me too! I'm a bit nervous about it. This will be my first integration. Good luck to both of us!

I'm still in school....

We all are.

 

[gtaus]

Mixed up some soil block mix today and tried out my new soil blocker maker for the first time.

Jury out on whether or not I'll keep this soil blocker. Half of my soil blocks were malformed with the top of the soil block sticking in the mold and tearing off as I tried to put them on the trays. So, was I half successful, or half fail? Either case, I know there is a learning curve to getting the mix right and adding the proper amount of water to the mix. Too little water, the soil block falls apart. Too much water, the soil block falls apart. My problem today was that the top 1/3 of the soil block was sticking in the mold and ripped off when placing them in the trays.

On the other hand, my DIY PVC soil blocker worked great.

The soil blocks made from my DIY PVC soil blocker came out much better, with only an occasional fail. I was hoping that the 4 square unit soil blocker would make things easier and faster, but with a 50% fail rate, I spent maybe more time redoing the soil blocks with the new soil block maker. I know there is a learning curve to making these soil blocks, but if I don't see better success soon with the new 4 unit soil blocker, I'll send it back to Amazon.

Anyway, that's what I did for the garden today.

 

[BReeder!]

Mixed up some soil block mix today and tried out my new soil blocker maker for the first time.
View attachment 2753771

Jury out on whether or not I'll keep this soil blocker. Half of my soil blocks were malformed with the top of the soil block sticking in the mold and tearing off as I tried to put them on the trays. So, was I half successful, or half fail? Either case, I know there is a learning curve to getting the mix right and adding the proper amount of water to the mix. Too little water, the soil block falls apart. Too much water, the soil block falls apart. My problem today was that the top 1/3 of the soil block was sticking in the mold and ripped off when placing them in the trays.

On the other hand, my DIY PVC soil blocker worked great.

View attachment 2753778

View attachment 2753780

The soil blocks made from my DIY PVC soil blocker came out much better, with only an occasional fail. I was hoping that the 4 square unit soil blocker would make things easier and faster, but with a 50% fail rate, I spent maybe more time redoing the soil blocks with the new soil block maker. I know there is a learning curve to making these soil blocks, but if I don't see better success soon with the new 4 unit soil blocker, I'll send it back to Amazon.

Anyway, that's what I did for the garden today.

Would waxing the soil blocker help perhaps so the soil doesn't stick? I would think rubbing with bee's wax wouldn't hurt the soil/plants.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Okay... by some miracle... the hydrangea that I thought died and was a crispy critter in the heat as of over two weeks ago... has new leaves on the main stem. I never ripped it out because I haven't planted the roses yet, now I'm glad that I'm a procrastinator! Lol

Eta: I'll be planting those roses up in some large pots, and I think I'll put them on each side of the gate the landlady wants to install. Potted, so options!

I've had that happen a few times when I think a plant is dead and it suddenly springs back to life a long time later... I have a Meyer Lemon that died in February despite my best efforts to save it. I left the container sit because I haven't gotten around to cleaning it out. Suddenly a week ago, a whole new stem has come up from the root ball and flourished.

 

[TJAnonymous]

My haul today...

I have a bunch of cherry tomatoes that should be ripe really soon. That Sweet 100 plant hit a major growth spurt.

I have a bunch of Dill that is seeding too. I'm trying to decide where I want to shake the seeds and let them grow naturally...

I have a watermelon that is nearly ready too. I'm super excited about it. I tried last year and every one of them split open. I lived and learned and here we are! ☺

Battling mildew and squash bugs in the hoop house. I need to mix up a Bordeaux spray for the grapes, apples, and peaches. I wonder if I can put it on squash too?

 

[WthrLady]

Huge storms on the way, so I picked any tomato that was close to ripe, snapped some photos, and called it as good as I can do.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Love the photos

 

[Swiss]

I'd chuck the seeds. Not all your seeds, just the ones for that plant.

At least the seeds were free... I have 2 packets (both from Baker Creek), and only one is open. Should I throw them both out or just the one? I'd really hate to waste the seeds, even if they were free.

I just did some research, and read that you can treat the seeds with hot water, or a chlorine rinse and then vinegar rinse. Has anyone tried this with any success?

 

[gtaus]

Would waxing the soil blocker help perhaps so the soil doesn't stick? I would think rubbing with bee's wax wouldn't hurt the soil/plants.

Well, the soil is not supposed to stick to the soil block maker. I suspect that I don't have the mix and/or the water content quite right yet. There is a learning curve to getting the right mix and this was just my first attempt. To keep the soil from sticking to the mold, you are supposed to dunk the soil block maker into a bucket of water as needed to remove any soil stuck inside. If I have to use something extra like bee's wax, then I'll just pass on this soil blocker. But thanks for the suggestion.

Having said that, I think a few more attempts and experiments with the soil block mix and water ratio are needed before I get it done right. My DIY PVC soil block maker worked fine with the mix I had today, but maybe the new 4 square mold requires a different mix. I plan on giving it another try tomorrow.

There are many advantages to using soil blocks for starting plants, so I don't want to give up too quickly. I have watched a number of YouTube videos and almost all agree that there is a learning curve to getting the mix right, and that initially making the soil blocks takes more time than filling up a seed starter plug tray. But, they all agree that when you transplant the plants into the garden, soil blocks are much easier and there is little to no shock for the plants. Also, because the roots are air pruned on the soil blocks, you avoid all that root wrap mess you can get with the plastic plugs. So, the soil block transplants should have a better start and grow into stronger plants.

 

[littledog]

My favorite pruner is Fiscars brand

Mine too - we have a big Fiscars lopper we got from my sister when she moved (so no warranty that I know of) but the blade broke when Mr. Dog was asking it to lop huge branches. But we found out they sell parts on their website, and new blades were only about $3 each. Easy to replace, and the loppers work good as new.

I weed-whacked around the garden (still have more to do tomorrow) and finally tied the tomatoes up a couple more levels, just before they got out of control. They all have blossoms and several have little green tomatoes.

I have a bunch of tomato starts that are more than ready to plant, but only room in my garden for one more - I might just leave the rest at the end of the driveway with a "free" sign on them, since it's getting late-ish to plant, but somebody might find them useful.

Boy, am I loving these raised beds! I can weed-whack right up to them, without worrying about accidentally killing my plants. Can't wait to do the other half of the garden, once everything I have now is harvested.

We let the chickens out for a couple hours while we were out there, they enjoyed it and behaved themselves. Helga stayed sitting on her eggs, she's doing a good job - here's hoping we get some good, healthy chicks!