What did you do in the garden today?

Something was eating my chicken pellet bait in my rat trap, so I smeared peanut butter mixed with boric acid on the trap peddle. The reason why I used boric acid was to kill the ants that are attracted to the peanut butter. I woke up one morning with that idea and it worked. I caught a small mouse and there were no ants.

I usually saw lots of ants when ever I used peanut butter on my 5 gallon mouse trap, so I stop using it. This is the one where the mouse climbs up the bucket and fall in on the trap cover and drown. Now that I know how to get over the ant problem, I will use it again.
I bought one of those 5 gallon traps but can't get it to stay together. I'm going to try glueing it but for now it's back in the box, sitting on a shelf until I get to it☹️
I've been busy loading up free pallets from our local Harbor Freight and breaking them down into parts. I already built a pallet tool holder for the garden, finished a pallet potting bench last week, and am getting ready to build some pallet raised beds and planters.

After breaking down just the pallets I hauled today, I used a quick spreadsheet to calculate that amount of usable lumber would have cost me over $140 at the lumber yard. OK, reclaimed lumber is not the same value as brand new, I know that. But I can make some more good things for the garden with that free pallet wood instead of spending that $140 on lumber alone.

At any rate, I'm having some fun building stuff that I have always wanted and it doesn't cost me anything more than the nails or screws I use on the final project.

Oh yeah, I also built a long pallet workbench on wheels for the garage. Easy to move around and put it out of the way when we park the cars in the garage for the night. Just a nice 7 foot long X 3 foot wide rough benchtop for throwing together some of my projects. It even has a storage shelf underneath the benchtop. Cost me $10 for the wheels and maybe a couple dollars worth of screws to put it together.
I love using reclaimed wood of any kind! I went through a pallet phase a little over ten years ago and built a tortoise house, chicken coop, compost bins, garden beds, greenhouse shelves, fencing...I even used some on the horses shade cover. The garden bed only lasted 4 or 5 years but think it would have made it longer if I'd built it better. I made it three pallets long and two wide. It start to bow out where the pallets came together on the long sides. Two spots in my greenhouse need repairs where the boards broke and I decided it doesn't belong on anything for horses. I just tore apart the chicken coop to turn that area into a duck run...but it was still going strong and I'm able to reuse some of the boards. Everything else is still in use after all these years. I'm not good at building pretty, but that's not the woods fault 🤣
Curious, I didn't know they went after berries. Nasty things hornworms!
They eat the plant and the blossoms so no berries. ☹️
 
Morning all. Day 14. I think Covid is well out the door, but now I think I have a sinus infection on top of my normal allergy issues. My geographic tongue has returned, which only makes an appearance when things get out of hand and my immune system is in complete overload. I can do spacey and stupid all by myself, so this crap can stop. And I really miss tasting things.

The tomatoes in the hoophouse are past being out of control. I have a couple that I'll cut at the ground and let younger plants take over , the currant tomato is utterly useless.

I'll not be planting cloudy day tomatoes again. This was year 3. I'm not impressed with their yields.

The san marz are just starting to ripen. So far it's just been nice ripe slicers for DH to sample. I'll also not bother with the russian oxheart slicers next year, muskovich. Now's the time for me to remember to start snitching and fermenting seeds for next spring.
 
Feeling much better today . Grandnephew is at the old cabin . He mowed my place and is using the old boat until his rented pontoon comes Monday . I am fortunate that we all get along and help each other .
Morning glories grow well here and there is a native species that grows here not as pretty and does behave a little better . However I can not get them to grow at the cabin .:confused:
 
Your surgery looks amazing! Did you feed the grubs to chickens?

Hope tomorrow's a better day for you!

Tobacco! That's an unusual crop! Do you cure the leaves and make cigars or something?

I've been busy working on chicken and duck stuff. Got two mini beds refreshed and ready to plant though. Think the highs were only in the 80's today...might of been hotter. But lots of clouds and the tease of rain that never actually fell. It was a beautiful day at any rate.
My rain lily's are enjoying the humidity...nothing's changed but the moisture in the air and that sets them blooming ❤️View attachment 3204952View attachment 3204954View attachment 3204955
Never heard of them but they are very pretty.
This is the recipe I use: https://www.ballmasonjars.com/dilly-beans.html
But to just do one jar I'd use half vinegar, half water & .5 tps salt per pint or 1 per quart. Then I also add a bit of dill from the garden, a clove or 2 of garlic & a slice or 2 of hot pepper, depending on what I have on hand.

I've been meaning to ask you, do the greens turn brown like regular onions? Mine are but it's either they're supposed to or I just haven't watered them enough (which is probably true either way, they don't have a soaker hose on them so they get a bit neglected).

Morning all. I uncovered one bed of suyo longs & spaghetti squash. I tore out the kabocha, it wasn't producing. I also tore out the pickling cukes, not really interested with all the suyos & they squash need the room. Tied up some tomatoes & squash, picked the one tomato that's turning - won't let the critter get it again!

A hint for anyone trellising squash - keep up with tying! I missed 2 plants & they broke at the last tie. Not sure if they'll heal or not but I'll wait & see.

Pulled the shallots, lots of big ones, a couple smaller I may hold onto for replanting instead of ordering.
View attachment 3205216


My wall of morning glory:
View attachment 3205219

My favorite Dahlia, they are little & round, I call them lollipops:
View attachment 3205221
thank you!
 
Beautiful! I ended up pulling my morning glory when it was determined to keep wrapping itseld around the entire deck rather than where I had placed it...it was grabbing hold of the chairs and all on top of the deck. Never a single bloom either.
So DH said it was invasive and I pulled it.
Yours is gorgeous!
I grew morning glories on a chain link fence one year and never had to plant again. They make a nice barrier as @Sueby said. Maybe you could put them somewhere else. I don’t grow them here because there’s not a good spot, but I would love to!
 
G’morning all. @jerryse glad you’re feeling better! The girls have made a huge mess in the yard, I need to put some bricks around the base of each fruit tree. We also had some wind overnight because there are a few things blown over and a coffee can in the middle of the yard. Tomorrow morning early we have a few things to put out for bulk trash so will clean up then and make the boys help. It’s time for them to get back on a schedule anyway, school starts soon. Going to spray the fruit trees with neem again tonight, we’re supposed to have a lower chance of rain this week. Hopefully the yard will dry out a little more and it’ll be more comfortable after work this week to get outside!
 

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