What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

watered. we had a few drops of rain yesterday but as if we didn't.

 

[littledog]

It's like manufacturers purposely design things to break down and fail so they have to be replaced after a few years.

According to Mr. Dog, this is absolutely the truth.
He used to run the tech/troubleshooting department for an electronic-device company. He loved his job of getting the new prototypes, running them through tests, and improving their performance by making small adjustments in the wiring and components.
This company is now defunct in the USA - they didn't go out of business, they just changed their name, moved manufacturing to China, and laid off him and his whole team in the late 90's with no warning - literally, he showed up to work one day to find the place locked and everybody unemployed.
In the year or so before this happened, they started putting prototype designs on his desk and telling him, "figure out a design to make this fail in 14-18 months, so we can sell it with a year warranty." He was totally capable of doing that, but regrets that it might have all went overseas because he and others like him tried to have ethics and not do it.

Picture of something like we had back in the day.

We still have one - it was really useful at our old place that had a small yard, but we hardly use it now. I keep telling myself not to get rid of it - once I have the garden beds all laid out the way I want, it will be useful around the bed borders.

SHOCKER! <sarcasm>

It’s RAINING! It’s OVERCAST! It’s going to RAIN all day or most of it! It might reach 60F!

LOL! Two weekends ago I was so proud of myself for getting so much done. Ever since then, rain, RAIN (rain) rain Rain rain and more rain. Plus wind and cold. This is causing a bottleneck in my plant plans - I want to harden-off my big tomatoes and luffas in the greenhouse, but not until I can count on over 40's at night. My leeks and cabbage are anxious to be up-potted and moved to the window once there's space, and I need to start more seedlings in the seedling area that's under grow lights (got a few eggplants and melons seeded, though)

Love your CAN DO attitude! I have a Dodge RAM 2500. I bought it to pull our 3 horse slant trailer. DH doesn't like going to horse shows because he thinks it's boring so I had to learn to hook up the trailer, pull it, and back up with it.

Yes, haha! 20 years ago, I had a 4-horse bumper-pull long stock trailer that I towed everywhere, full of horses, and I could hook it up with one try, back it and tuck it in to any parking space, even from a right-angle. These days, what happened? Isn't backing a trailer supposed to be like riding a bike? I'm not terrible at backing my current 2-horse long, but it takes me a few tries to back it into a tight place. And when it comes backing my single-axle utility trailer, I'm hopeless! Single-axles seem to go all over the place - I should really set up cones in my field and practice.

Did anyone watch the Derby today back end of the pack came from behind to win !

Yes! I love that he won with a first-time trainer and a first-time jockey, and his groom gave a really good interview, as well. Goes to show, good horses who want to win and have the support of people who believe in them, can't be held back by an industry full of humans who try to cheat. Love the Thoroughbreds!

 

[WIchickMama]

Added supports to the bottoms of my raised beds yesterday when I found one board down Sat! No dirt fell out, which I was amazed at.

Gusty here today and 80! Slight, slight chance of a storm. 80s and 90s all week. SO unheard of this time a year, this is July weather. I will be watering this week.

Not putting in anything new in ground until Friday but I might plants some pots of beans. Youngest is home all week as she tested positive for Covid so we will see how much work I actually get done.

Lettuce, carrots, radish, onions, spinach and peas are all up. Sounds like a yummy salad Can't wait for my 1st harvest, it has been so long.

Book suggestion for all of us gardeners, This Organic Life.

Story of a woman gardener and her trials, errors and success in gardening and life. Plus a lot of recipes embedded in the book. She is from the northeast.

 

[Sueby]

Cold here, wind chill of 31. Thankfully thats not the real temp. Supposedly one more night of cold & then we look good & I can stop hauling the starts in & out.

The tomatoes that were supposed to arrive on Sat never came, new date of Tues. I'm sure a week packed in a dark box traveling in circles in the cold will be great for them. I may have to go to the garden store for tomatoes.

& I may have to go for peppers too! My friend I always get them from had his starts in the garage and a critter ate them all so he had to restart them. He's way behind now.

 

[rjmyooper]

50° at 6am just North of Wisconsin in Da U.P. of Michigan, eh. Overcast with no rain. Possible major storms tomorrow with high winds. Yep. That sounds like the Upper Midwest Spring.

 

[jerryse]

whip & tongue grafted 15 apple trees and a couple of pears today. Only cut my fingers twice. Once on a whip and once on a tongue.

I need to graft some persimmon seedlings . Rootstock is breaking bud now . Also waiting on walnut trees to be ready to graft . Harder to graft trees fail due to their need for more heat to heal . Something not many mention .

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Question for yall seeding experts!
I'm in middle TENNESSEE.
Is there any need to keep the lights, seeding trays and stuff out the next few months? Or can I put it up? Is there any need to do seeding inside the rest of the year?

 

[Sally PB]

in Da U.P. of Michigan, eh.

Spoken like a true Yooper.

My last ordered thing to plant in the garden is supposed to be here today: more purple potatoes. Magic Molly, a fingerling type. Never planted fingerlings, but we'll give it a go.

No red fleshed potatoes this year, but I'll try to find some somewhere, if I can. And fit them in if I do.

I will be sowing beans the earliest I ever have. 70s and 80s this week, so I'm going to give it a shot. If they get frosted, I'll replant.

I need to weed my Egyptian Walking and multiplier onion beds today. Gobs of hairy bittercress coming up, and it spreads like crazy if it goes to seed. Fortunately, it's easy to pull up. The chickens aren't crazy about it, but they scratched at the pile I dumped in there yesterday. Those weeds won't be taking root in the chicken run, that's for sure!

Is there any need to keep the lights, seeding trays and stuff out the next few months? Or can I put it up? Is there any need to do seeding inside the rest of the year?

I'd say you're done, so pack it up and enjoy the table/shelf space!

 

[Acre4Me]

Question for yall seeding experts!
I'm in middle TENNESSEE.
Is there any need to keep the lights, seeding trays and stuff out the next few months? Or can I put it up? Is there any need to do seeding inside the rest of the year?

If you want to start seeds for fall planting, yes. But, since you would start those outside in seedling trays, you would not need the lights. If you are waiting for bed space, you start in trays and pots. If you have the bed space, you start directly in ground.

 

[Noreaster Egger]

Cold here, wind chill of 31. Thankfully thats not the real temp. Supposedly one more night of cold & then we look good & I can stop hauling the starts in & out.

Unfortunately an actual temp of 31F this morning, but at least we avoided the upper 20s that they had in the valleys.