What did you do in the garden today?

[Beer can]

Peas! One of my all time favorite fresh garden veggies! Where are you located, BC? When we lived in Nova Scotia it was hard to wait so long to plant, but we had some great gardens!

Upstate NY, not as cold as further up but dang below zeroF winter to 95+F summer, though our summer is like 2-3 months. Safe no frost planting time end of May.

 

[karenerwin]

It is definately not watermelon .[/QUOTE]
Sweet! I will be expecting some pumpkins then!

Those troublemakers got into my strawberries and nibbled down all of the leaves to stubs! Grrrrrr....[/QUOTE]

Why is it they devour what you want them to leave alone and they ignore what you hope they will devour?

Apparently, people just drive up during the night, on a couple different occasions, and have dug up their freshly planted hostas and daylilies. (Their house is set far back from the road and they can not see the end of their drive from their house.) But, now I'm totally paranoid that someone is going to steal several hundred dollars worth of plants that I just spent all day putting in. Have any of you ever had a problem with people stealing any plants that were near the road?[/QUOTE]

Wow! I can't believe the audacity of people! Well, maybe I can. We had a metal and wood bench stolen that was done at the end of the driveway. We had put it there so our daughter would have someplace to sit while she waited for the bus.

Finally quit once people started digging them up . Taking seeds or a small start I was ok with . Asking was a plus . Taking entire plants was the last straw .[/QUOTE]

My allotment!

That looks like a really big allotment!

The poison ivy and Virginia creeper have kept me itching.[/QUOTE]

I didn't know that you could get an itchy rash from Virginia creeper. I wonder if that is what the rash is from on my arms.


They chewed some of my chickens feet while they were sleeping, I caught them in the act .
We are at war with the giant rodents. The rain chased them to our dry spots I assume.

Wow! That is awful!! I can't even imagine having them that badly. I think I would be getting some barn cats!! and setting up bucket traps. Good luck with your battle against the varmints.

The last few days I have been watering the garden, picking cherry tomatoes, zucchini & cucumbers. A couple of big tomatoes are just starting to turn color!! I have been trying to tape up the tomato branches, they have out grown the supports! Also pulling out more kale to feed the chickens.

 

[Pensmaster]

It is definately not watermelon .

Sweet! I will be expecting some pumpkins then!

Those troublemakers got into my strawberries and nibbled down all of the leaves to stubs! Grrrrrr....[/QUOTE]

Why is it they devour what you want them to leave alone and they ignore what you hope they will devour?

Apparently, people just drive up during the night, on a couple different occasions, and have dug up their freshly planted hostas and daylilies. (Their house is set far back from the road and they can not see the end of their drive from their house.) But, now I'm totally paranoid that someone is going to steal several hundred dollars worth of plants that I just spent all day putting in. Have any of you ever had a problem with people stealing any plants that were near the road?[/QUOTE]

Wow! I can't believe the audacity of people! Well, maybe I can. We had a metal and wood bench stolen that was done at the end of the driveway. We had put it there so our daughter would have someplace to sit while she waited for the bus.

Finally quit once people started digging them up . Taking seeds or a small start I was ok with . Asking was a plus . Taking entire plants was the last straw .[/QUOTE]



That looks like a really big allotment!

The poison ivy and Virginia creeper have kept me itching.[/QUOTE]

I didn't know that you could get an itchy rash from Virginia creeper. I wonder if that is what the rash is from on my arms.


They chewed some of my chickens feet while they were sleeping, I caught them in the act .
We are at war with the giant rodents. The rain chased them to our dry spots I assume.

Wow! That is awful!! I can't even imagine having them that badly. I think I would be getting some barn cats!! and setting up bucket traps. Good luck with your battle against the varmints.

The last few days I have been watering the garden, picking cherry tomatoes, zucchini & cucumbers. A couple of big tomatoes are just starting to turn color!! I have been trying to tape up the tomato branches, they have out grown the supports! Also pulling out more kale to feed the chickens.[/QUOTE]


I caught a couple stealing bulbs my neighbor planted at the end of our road. Everyone on the road waters them and it's a cool color spot for everyone to see. Apparently the couple really needed them. She dropped the handful when I pulled up to ask her just what she thought she was doing.

Well that didn't quite quote right.

 

[Hybridchucks]

@Hybridchucks How very orderly! That's much neater than my jungle.

thank u! we are working on it!

 

[Lazy Farmer]

.[/QUOTE] I have been trying to tape up the tomato branches, they have out grown the supports! Also pulling out more kale to feed the chickens.[/QUOTE]

Tomato plants are actually vines. Try training them to grow up strings. I had to delete my garden pics for space so I can't show an example. But as the branch grows, periodically twist the vine branch around the vertical string and as it grows it will be supported by the secure string. One season I had my tomatoes grow 10 feet tall. Had to use a tall ladder to pick the fruit.
Also tomatoes flowers have both sex organs. Meaning insects are not needed for cross pollination. When trained up the strings, I would walk down the line of tom plants and strum all the strings lightly with the handle of a broom like playing a harp. That motion would vibrate the vines and cross pollinate the flowers. I yielded so many fruits that year.
I love making homemade tom sauce.
I will look for those pics, reduce their size and show you them soon!
Fc

 

[Pensmaster]

.

I have been trying to tape up the tomato branches, they have out grown the supports! Also pulling out more kale to feed the chickens.[/QUOTE]

Tomato plants are actually vines. Try training them to grow up strings. I had to delete my garden pics for space so I can't show an example. But as the branch grows, periodically twist the vine branch around the vertical string and as it grows it will be supported by the secure string. One season I had my tomatoes grow 10 feet tall. Had to use a tall ladder to pick the fruit.
Also tomatoes flowers have both sex organs. Meaning insects are not needed for cross pollination. When trained up the strings, I would walk down the line of tom plants and strum all the strings lightly with the handle of a broom like playing a harp. That motion would vibrate the vines and cross pollinate the flowers. I yielded so many fruits that year.
I love making homemade tom sauce.
I will look for those pics, reduce their size and show you them soon!
Fc[/QUOTE]
I'm actually set up this year to try that. It got so hot last week I built a temporary awning over them. Well they have grown up to it now so strings or strips of old sheets would help. I'm also trying the pruning method for the first time. I like the extra air space it gives especially at the bottom of vine.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I have been trying to tape up the tomato branches, they have out grown the supports! Also pulling out more kale to feed the chickens.

Tomato plants are actually vines. Try training them to grow up strings. I had to delete my garden pics for space so I can't show an example. But as the branch grows, periodically twist the vine branch around the vertical string and as it grows it will be supported by the secure string. One season I had my tomatoes grow 10 feet tall. Had to use a tall ladder to pick the fruit.
Also tomatoes flowers have both sex organs. Meaning insects are not needed for cross pollination. When trained up the strings, I would walk down the line of tom plants and strum all the strings lightly with the handle of a broom like playing a harp. That motion would vibrate the vines and cross pollinate the flowers. I yielded so many fruits that year.
I love making homemade tom sauce.
I will look for those pics, reduce their size and show you them soon!
Fc[/QUOTE]
I'm actually set up this year to try that. It got so hot last week I built a temporary awning over them. Well they have grown up to it now so strings or strips of old sheets would help. I'm also trying the pruning method for the first time. I like the extra air space it gives especially at the bottom of vine.[/QUOTE]
Try adding extra fresh soil as the bottom is exposed.
I sometimes mix fresh potting soil and dried aged manure in a 5 gal bucket with a little water. Almost like poop gravey. I mix it thick so it doesn't run away when poured. It's like steroids for toms.
Since the tom is a vine, the stem (trunk) will grow roots out the sides if the trunk gets buried with more soil.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Upstate NY, not as cold as further up but dang below zeroF winter to 95+F summer, though our summer is like 2-3 months. Safe no frost planting time end of May.

I was born in Oneonta, NY and grew up in Delmar (outside Albany). My Dad always had a great garden with towering tall tomato plants and lots of delicious peas. I grew up wandering in the woods and catching wild things to enjoy, then release. It was great fun.

 

[NorthTexasWink]

I grew up moving a lot since Dad was an AF officer, but Mom refused to live on base, so we often had a little house that was a part of a "native" family's larger compound. Frequently we were outside the bigger population centers and around livestock. Both my parents were from farm families, so I guess that seemed right to them. Wherever we were, I always gravitated to the animals. I also tended to have great little backyard zoos filled with whatever local wildlife I could catch and keep for a short time. Almost everything was released after I'd gotten to know them. This pattern continues today. I often have some kind of critter around for a bit. Right now I'm between zoo specimens, as I released a couple more snakes after mowing this morning. Common brown ground snakes and a garter snake. I'm hoping to catch the giant skink I keep seeing out back, but he's quick!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I am fortunate that we live in a very small but safe town set back but not local to many big city issues as we have no stop lights but for the one at the highway but means we leave something out it is there always