What did you do in the garden today?

[Elyrian1]

I had a sales rep show up at my door today pitching bug and rodent control services. I certainly use home defense, specifically to prevent carpenter and and spiders from making our house their home. This guy was offering a service though that included lawn treatment that he claimed penetrates into the ground, killing all insects on and below the surface down to 2ft. I personally found this to be very disturbing. While I don't enjoy them in my house insects are a vital part of the ecosystem, especially pollinators. Is disturbing to think that neighbors may be having broad spectrum pesticide spread all over their lawn. Creating a home barrier is one thing, but killing every insect on your property!? That seems extreme to me. The best part of this whole experience was the company the sales rep works for is called Eco(something), and he boasted how they use all natural plant based insecticides. Seemed odd that they want to destroy all insects, but they rely on plants to produce the chemicals they use - many plants (if not all) rely on insects in one way or another.

Yup, nightshade is all natural too... doesn't mean it's safe, lol. Much as I'm tired of deadly spiders, I still wouldn't opt for something like this. It's terrifying, sheesh. Wonder how long your lawn glows in the dark afterward? I'm with you, wonder what the neighbors are doing...

 

[pennyJo1960]

I had a sales rep show up at my door today pitching bug and rodent control services. I certainly use home defense, specifically to prevent carpenter and and spiders from making our house their home. This guy was offering a service though that included lawn treatment that he claimed penetrates into the ground, killing all insects on and below the surface down to 2ft. I personally found this to be very disturbing. While I don't enjoy them in my house insects are a vital part of the ecosystem, especially pollinators. Is disturbing to think that neighbors may be having broad spectrum pesticide spread all over their lawn. Creating a home barrier is one thing, but killing every insect on your property!? That seems extreme to me. The best part of this whole experience was the company the sales rep works for is called Eco(something), and he boasted how they use all natural plant based insecticides. Seemed odd that they want to destroy all insects, but they rely on plants to produce the chemicals they use - many plants (if not all) rely on insects in one way or another.

I would react just as you did

 

[BReeder!]

Aside from the sales rep, I picked two baskets of cucumbers today. That's another 3-4 gallons of pickles to process. I've got them sliced and packed with salt in gallon zip bags and will can them tomorrow. While out in the garden I noticed there's a lot more banana peppers growing, so I might pickle then too tomorrow. I also noticed that there's habaneros growing. I'm not sure what I'll do with them all just yet... thinking about getting some fermentation jars and making hot sauce. Anybody experienced with fermenting, especially fermenting hot sauce?

 

[Acre4Me]

There is a nice thunderstorm rolling through here. Nice rain, lightening, rumbling but not much wind. Garden must be enjoying their midnight drink.

 

[Phaedra Geiermann]

Collecting this basket of rainbow

 

[BullChick]

It’s overcast, and so hot and humid, you’d think we were expecting rain. Unfortunately, there’s only a 14% chance. I’m going to have to water today.
You guys have convinced me that Gurneys isn’t a great company these days, but I’m still tempted by their dwarf lemon and container blueberries.

 

[chickengr]

I watered and picked a few bell and hot peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and mung beans. then watched how firemen fought fire on the hill opposite of my area. at least 200 olive trees burned in 10 minutes or so

 

[WthrLady]

Morning everyone.
DARK DARK DARK here- foggy and smokey. It looks like it's about 15 minutes after sunset and it's 9am. Huge storms far to our south, but not heading our way.
The walk today was, hmmm, breathless.
Not even the ducks and hens are making noise, nor the little sound birds. EEERIE outside that's for sure.
I still have half the garden to prune. I'm trimming the sunflower leaves from ground to 4 feet up so I can get down my rows and the tomatoes can get more airflow and sun. I'll admit, that aside from getting a bra full of caterpillars, I do like being in the shade of those towering flowers when working out there. But working out there is going to have to wait a bit.
OMG I SWEAR it's getting darker out!
I have a counter top covered in tomatoes, so I need to do something about that. Maybe some pizza sauce.
Anyone else giddy to see school supplies back in stores? And I don't even have a kid in school anymore!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. I managed to get the backyard, chicken yard and side slope mowed yesterday. All that's left is the front yard and the trimming. I forgot DD's warning about the wasp taking over one of the birdhouses and got attacked as I mowed by. I felt them all buzzing around my head and one stung me on the back. Fortunately I'm not allergic. But I won't be making that mistake again. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. A little over 80F but not humid. It's currently 64F and raining. I got a nice pause in the showers when I went to feed the chickens and do my garden walk. Some of my cherry tomatoes are turning the yellow before they ripen color. I can't wait. I picked another zucchini this morning. There are some yellow squash that look like they may have been pollinated. Two of the pepper plants are loaded with flowers now. I picked some more chard and green beans. The bean plants are loaded with small green beans so I'll be freezing the pound I have in the refrigerator later today. My butternut squash plants are looking good and are getting lots of flowers on them. I haven't noticed any squash development yet. But it's still early. I haven't been inside a store for over a week @WthrLady, but I would be thrilled to see signs of "back to school" coming. There were only a few short weeks of regular "in classroom" instruction before the summer break so the children have been out and about more than usual since the pandemic started (social distancing was an adult only issue to them). I really miss the peace and quiet in the neighborhood when the kids are in school.

 

[BullChick]

School scares me.