What did you do in the garden today?

[WIchickMama]

Started tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and melons inside today! 5 weeks til last projected frost

 

[jerryse]

Been outside doing a little garden cleanup . I only did about 30 minutes . Beautiful day .

 

[Sally PB]

I checked the compost pile. Still frozen, but thawing a little. I could scrape about an inch off the top side that gets the sun. Really hoping I can get the pitchfork into it tomorrow. I'll keep scraping away at it, anyway.

 

[igorsMistress]

I learned a lot about what veg to put in my bone broth (and why) from this site, even though it's specifically about vegetable broth.

https://jenniferskitchen.com/cookin...lude-or-exclude-from-vegetable-stock-or-broth

Bookmarked that, thanks!

 

[igorsMistress]

Afternoon folks. I’m not doing anything outside today, just not in the mood. It’s supposed to get up to 87 and to be perfectly honest, it’s too damn early yet for that. However, it does bode well for planting Armenian cukes over the weekend. I’m excited for those, they go well with melons and a little jicama in a fruit salad. My mom is giving me a couple of old furniture doors with glass in them. I think I’m going to remove the glass and decorate them to hang in the shade garden. Anyway, I need to make tuna for dinner so it has time to sit, have a good afternoon all.

 

[WthrLady]

Felt icky this morning, but felt if I got moving the sludge would move on. The whole drive to the city, I wasn't sure my theory was right. But by the time I got there, and started shoveling compost soil, I felt better. UGH. I swear, if you can breathe it and it can settle in your lungs, I've managed it this Spring; moldy mulch, sour mulch, uncooked compost, dirty stalls, smoke, more smoke, chicken dander, chicken house, ammonia, dust, dander, limestone dust, old hay, new hay......ugh.
I felt pneumonia like this morning without the coughing if you get it, you get it.

So anyway, went to town were the county lets you haul away as much as the gorgeous black compost soil as you want as long as you do the work. I loaded up 20 feed bags to full and bulging and put them in the back of the truck. The compost was light and dry as a bone, but I bet those bags weighed every bit of 60 plus pounds. Drove home and decided I may as well get dirt down. I put 16 bags in the new greenhouse, and top dressed the rows in the main garden with the other 4 bags (told you they were full).

Then I watered everything down so it could settle before it washes away with the first rain. The greenhouse soil has straw and alpaca poo under it so there are voids to fill and I hoped wetting it would do that. Nope. I forgot this stuff is goofy.

It gets wet and then forms an almost waterproof layer. SO I mixed in the wet layer. I'll make up some coir with a little dawn dish liquid, and some vermiculite and mix that in to the compost in the next few days then wet it again and then I can plant. Now I'm just worn.

 

[Elyrian1]

Several days condensed update: Hubby did spend two days working on the chicken coop/run. Sunday and Monday. He had Monday off for a court hearing (voluntary name change, his nickname is now official!), so worked both before and after that. The bottom half of the run is nearly done. We need to install the upper cross boards, install the hardware cloth on the top half and over the top of the run, then get the shipping crates fashioned into an actual coop. Nest boxes can wait for a couple of months, lol.

Watered all the plants, keep watching to see if anything I planted in the cold snap is germinating yet. If I don't see anything in a week of warm weather I'll replant.

Now they're saying Thursday night is going to be near freezing, so back in the shower the plants will go for the next few nights. Ugh. So ready for those, and the chicks!, to go outside, lol.

Chicks are doing good, but fairly darn certain I've ended up with 4 yes FOUR Lavender Orpington cockerels. I've got four getting pink combs already. As they get older I'll select whichever is the most human friendly and he'll get to stay and serenade us and be an honest to goodness pet. The others will be trotted off to freezer camp. Which reminds me. I need to collaborate with hubby to make a chicken plucker. I'm thinking washing machine motor with a cut down plastic 30 gallon drum attached (instead of the standard drum) with the rubber finger thingies installed in it.

I turn my roosters into pets because I intend to keep them for their entire useful lifespan, and as such I need to know that as I'm working with the hens and the run I've got a snuggle bug rooster that won't bother me except for pets and snacks. Plus, I've got kids.

Y'all get chicken updates along with garden updates from me because those two things are immediately adjacent to each each other, and frankly they feed each other too!

 

[Sueby]

Afternoon all. Got sooo much done this afternoon - I think we all have spring fever, everyone seemed busy!

I got the run cleaned out, put it in the bottom of my new egyptian walking onion & herb beds. Got some dirt on top of that & got the onions in. Some seemed very dry, not sure they will make it or not, hopefully at least a few do. Herb bed will have to wait for real spring.
EWO:

Here's the 2 spanish onion beds & the lettuce hoop. Onions plants are so tiny you can't even see them!

Got some frozen woodchips down in the run. I really wish things would thaw out - I'd love to turn the compost here too! At least the raised beds of the garden sit in full sun & are workable. I have to extend the garden & build & fill 2 new beds. & move the rhubarb. I guess I'll need to uncover the strawberries soon too. Maybe.

Took some of the plastic down around the run, with all the birds in there it could use some air! Here's hoping for no more snow.

My canner showed up today, I shall cook a cheesecake in it & then start some broth tomorrow.

 

[TJAnonymous]

DD has the flu (Type A). Her doctor prescribed a new medication that is not covered by my insurance and cost (after coupon) $100! I'm hostile... And of course, the pharmacy didn't realize that until the doctor's office was closed so they couldn't change it to Tamiflu.

I made some homemade Tamiflu from Rum and fruit from the Gum tree which is a source of shikimic acid. Added blackberries for flavor. It's been steeping for a year now. I'd rather take that than $100 medication. Can't give that to a child though....

 

[Elyrian1]

Oh wow @TJAnonymous I didn't know that about shikimic acid! I'm going to pop that in my natural medicines notes. I'm a huge fan of naturally occurring antiviral, antimicrobial, antibacterial plants and their extracts.