What did you do in the garden today?

[igorsMistress]

For cheap labels, I can't beat regular scotch tape. Fold one end under about 1/4" as a pull tab so you can remove it easily. You can write on it with sharpie marker. Not fancy, but cheap and gets the job done.

Yup, me too!

 

[CNJ]

I finally upgraded to a new window 11 computer; it took me a while to figure it out.

Anyway, I think I got a cross pollinated tomato seed, the fruit looks like a Sweetheart cherry, but its orange/yellow, not red. Also, another reason why I think its cross pollinated is because it got the TYLCV resistant gene from my Princess Yum Yum cherry tomato. The plant is still growing, and not stunted by the TYLCV like the previous Sweetheart cherry tomatoes that I grew.

I saved some seeds from my Princess Yum Yum tomato and this is one of the plants that grew. However, they all don't look the same. I am going to grow some seeds from this orange/yellow tomato, and if they come out the same, I will give it a name, probably Princess Sweetheart.

 

[igorsMistress]

I'm beginning to suspect the same about my mom... It's crazy the stuff I'm discovering that I had no idea she had. I can only imagine she had a lot of intentions that she simply didn't have the health to carry out.

It will be even worse with my mother-in-law. She is an acknowledged organized hoarder and compulsive buyer. God help us the day/month/year we will have to go through her place. I will need to take a sabbatical to tackle that one.

My mother in law was very much the same. She’s in a facility now, but my SIL had the clean out the house duty and it was pretty horrid.

 

[Sueby]

make green tea or lemonade with a piece of fresh spearmint and you will trim it down fast. I also put some spearmint in water in summer, tastes great and I have a feeling it helps with heat in summer.

I will have to try that! Thanks.

I'm so sorry... but thank you for the support.

I lost my dad on Super Bowl Sunday in 2017 and my step-dad on Christmas day in 2019. Losing them was hard. I guess my mom didn't want to be shown up... I had to make the horrible decision to take her off life support. I refused to do that on my birthday (and in the middle of a prearranged vacation). So I ended up losing her the day AFTER my birthday. It was still like a sucker punch to the gut. I can't wait to finish up cleaning out her house because being there without her is very sad & painful.

That is insane - must make the occasions hard to celebrate.

Oh yeah, who said they blanched green beans in the microwave? I tried to do that this morning with a handful of green beans. Didn't turn out well. My green beans exploded. And yes, I did have them in water.

I did! I got the idea from @littledog I believe. I rinsed them in a bowl & dumped the water out, left just a teeny bit on the bottom, covered with saran wrap & nuked. Worked pretty well, though I had too many in the bowl & the ones in the middle didn't quite cook enough. I had none explode though, lol. I always cook my beans in the microwave to eat.

Rain on its way. Busy work day so haven't even been outside. I did see that I have some sungolds starting to ripen - FINALLY (couldn't expect too much from volunteers though)!

 

[Sally PB]

It was a bit of a disappointment. They contradicted themselves several times. Treat vs don’t treat. They did go over what treatments are no longer effective.

What did they say about formic acid? That's what we used.

I have read of people using rhubarb leaves in their hives, since they have lots of oxalic acid.

Our last bee club meeting was about treating for mites. It was presented by one person who is very knowledgeable. I tried to attach a pdf of various treatments, but I don't know if it came through. I can't remember where I found it.

researchers here are testing a promising treatment for the darn virus spread by the mites

DWV is known to be spread by the Varroa mites

That's Deformed Wing Virus. The wings on the bees don't grow correctly. They can't go forage for pollen or nectar. This is death for the hive if enough get it.

 

[fuzzi]

This September will mark three years since my Dad passed away! It's hard -- I know! Still miss him everyday...though I've finally stopped picking up my phone to call or text him about something I want to tell him (took close to a year before I quite doing that...Pick up the phone "Oh, I guess I can't call him. He's not here anymore...")

My dad used to call me every Saturday when he was on the road (he lived in a 29' RV year-round). Once he parked it permanently by my house he'd call me every morning at my request (he was in his 90s and I was at work). He'd start with "Hello. This is your morning report..." I miss that.

Darn allergies, something is making my eyes water...

 

[fuzzi]

Yup, me too!

My mom wrote labels with Scotch tape and ballpoint pen. I use a Sharpie marker instead of the pen.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

It is hard losing your parents, but in a way great if you can spend time together, my mom passed away 1 week after her 62. birthday, breast cancer, we had a nice afternoon with coffee and cake on the porch a week before she died, if she hadn’t been that sick, we would never have made it as a family ( mom, dad, sister and me) cos I have a big family (4 kids) and usually never got away on “my own” it is still a cherished memory all 4 of us in the sun in September… my dad caught us totally unprepared, he died in his easy chair and we only found out after 4 days… he was only 73 and quite healthy, we didn’t expect something like that, now, when I see my 89 year old parents-in-law struggling with life, I think they kind of got the better part of the bargain…

 

[Tahai]

I used to have a small exotic mushroom farm, but had to close it down when I injured my back several years ago. I've missed growing and eating them, though So I just some ordered mushroom spawn from Northspore.

I ordered Blue Oysters and Snow Oysters, both of which grow well in straw. I'm excited to have some mushrooms in the freezer again! Love them in my winter soups, stews, and crocks <3.

I've attached a photo from my Shiitake harvest a couple of years ago as eye candy. Sadly, those logs have petered out, and I don't have the physical fortitude to make more.

 

[igorsMistress]

My mom wrote labels with Scotch tape and ballpoint pen. I use a Sharpie marker instead of the pen.

Me too