What did you do in the garden today?

[akroberts1085]

It was supposed to be thundershowers today, so I put my chicken coop painting project on hold for another day.

However, I got a little work done out in the yard. A few days ago, I finished burning out a stump from a tree I cut down last year. I had a little fire ring around the stump and burned junk wood in it last summer, then this summer. Finally, I put my burning barrel on top of the remainder of the stump, loaded it up with some trash wood, and was able to finish it off.

Today, I raked out the ashes and used my blower to clean it off. Ran my magnetic pickup tool over the stuff and picked up any stray nails or screws from the junk wood I burned. After all the metal was out of the hole, I took my mini tiller and started to work up the soil around the fire ring edge. Raked that old loose soil back into the hole to start the backfill. Then I got some good compost and soil mix I had in a cart and filled it level. Put down a bunch of grass seed on the top of the soil, then sprinkled a few more shovel fulls of dirt on top of the seeds.

Looked pretty good when I was done. All set for the rain. But it has not rained yet so tomorrow I might have to water everything. I guess I should have finished painting the chicken coop today. Lost opportunity there, but it really looked like it was going to rain hard any minute. Maybe it will rain later tonight when we are in bed.

It's always fun to finish off a stump burning operation and plant some new grass. Nothing left but a fading memory of the tree and stump. Most stumps are burned out in a few days, but this stump was very big and very hard to burn out. It was left over from last summer. But, little by little, I got it burned out.

Of course, now I am down to only one stump left to burn out, so I might take down a really big dead birch tree that is out in the front yard. I have 2 burning rings and like to keep them busy. Plus, the 55-gallon burning barrel if/when the stump is small enough.

But that big dead birch tree puts the fear in me because the trunk is bent, and nobody knows which way it wants to fall. Also, you can see on the base of the trunk that the wood is rotted. It looks like the tree could barber chair if cut down. That's very dangerous. I have cut down many trees over the years, but this one looks like trouble to me, and I don't know if I have the skill to take it down safely. Frankly, it can fall in any direction, and it would not matter, as long as it doesn't fall on me. But I don't like the looks of that rotted wood going into the trunk and have seen too many YouTube videos of the barber chair tree trunk kicking back on the guy with the chainsaw. So, I'm taking my time and studying this one particular dead tree.

I heard that you can use briquettes to burn out a stump without the worrying about it causing a wildfire.

 

[akroberts1085]

I released the chickens to wreak havoc. I’ve given up it’s too hot here. I would have to soak my garden multiple times a day. Everything stopped producing once the temp hit over 105° and pretty much stayed there. Hoping next year will be different.

Sad to hear that. My temps have been absolutely horrible but I am not going to give up on my garden. Maybe building some small cold frames it could help. Find a really nice shady spot to place them.

 

[akroberts1085]

View attachment 3616354Meet Percy. He arrived around 11:00 this morning. Everyone is doing great. He weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces!

YIKES ! I can't even imagine a baby that big. My first born son weighed 8.6, 22.5 in long. I had to have a C-section. My 2nd to last g-son was over 9lbs. All natural birth. NO THANKS

 

[akroberts1085]

So I haven't done much in the garden this past week but I will be getting back out tomorrow. I'm trying to help a friend get her family into gardening. They don't like committing themselves to anything much more than work, family and friends. So sad . I want to help them make their lives better.

 

[CNJ]

Let us know how it goes. I will read so much more about your experience.

I got the idea from this video but made a slight adjustment. My nylon rope circles near the bottom and top. This guy has success with a rope ring only near the top.

 

[gtaus]

I heard that you can use briquettes to burn out a stump without the worrying about it causing a wildfire.

I use 12-inch-high fire rings around my stumps to contain the burning wood. The 55-gallon 3-foot-high burning barrel also works great. We need to have burning permits for open fires, but, as far as I know, small contained fires in a fire pit or fire ring are exempt. I would not use briquettes in an open fire because the wind could possibly blow ashes around. I have used briquettes for stump burning in the past. They work fine. But I have lots of junk wood that I need to use, so using it to burn out stumps is a good use of that wood. Cleans up the yard and I don't have to buy a bag of briquettes.

 

[Sueby]

I made cucumber chips once. They were delicious. I ate an entire cucumber's worth.

You know how cukes can make you burp? What ever makes that gas made it farther down. Too far along to be a burb. It was actually very painful.

Any suggestions on how to get around that? I don't know what variety of cuke it was, so maybe it wasn't a "burpless" kind.

I grow burpless & they actually are burpless! Maybe that's the trick? I grew the sweet success this year & they are great - even if they get way to big they aren't full of seeds. & are parthenocarpic so they can be covered.

Do you wash, slice, and dehydrate? Or is there salt or oil or any such at some point?

I wash, slice on a mandolin, salt & let drain for like an hour & then add spices, a little oil for sure, maybe vinegar, maybe some parm cheese, cayenne, etc & then dehydrate. I refuse to waste anything I grow so it's a great use for them if we're sick of eating them.

Fighting it here too. still felt like 109 after sunset.
Waking up each morning to 81 degrees and dense fog.
The garden is not liking it at all.
The deluca tomatoes are pretty much dying back. None of them are pollinating in this heat, They are ripening when it cools at night at about 80, but great day in the morning. Like this until Friday.

It's so weird, we had the wettest July on record & now they're saying we may have an August with NO 90 degree + days - that never happens. It's just insane (not complaining). & then the rest of the country, it seems, is fighting this awful heat.

View attachment 3616354Meet Percy. He arrived around 11:00 this morning. Everyone is doing great. He weighed in at 9 pounds 3 ounces!

Awwww!!! Congrats! I love the name Percy - that's great.

I need to pick beans today & water. Maybe tie up a couple dahlias a little better.

 

[-Chanticleer-]

Fighting it here too. still felt like 109 after sunset.
Waking up each morning to 81 degrees and dense fog.
The garden is not liking it at all.
The deluca tomatoes are pretty much dying back. None of them are pollinating in this heat, They are ripening when it cools at night at about 80, but great day in the morning. Like this until Friday.

My tomato’s where the first to stop. We have another week of 100+ degree weather and then it’s suppose to drop into the 90°s.

 

[-Chanticleer-]

Sad to hear that. My temps have been absolutely horrible but I am not going to give up on my garden. Maybe building some small cold frames it could help. Find a really nice shady spot to place them.

I blocked off my herbs everything else that fruits is gone. My herbs are in a shaded area so they haven’t been hit hard. Everything in direct sunlight just stopped fruiting. They would flower and then drop off. No mater if I hand pollinated or gave them extra care. They were producing just fine until this weather got really bad. There is always next year .

 

[muddy75]

I picked a bunch of pears yesterday along with a couple tomatoes and a few cucumbers