What did you do in the garden today?

[littledog]

I watched that video too. as I have a lot of weeds that are not edible by animals I plan to put them in a big barrel with water. I don't have time to chop them so I'll put them as they are.

I watched it too. But the point I got from it, is that this system is good for minerals only, not meant to replace compost or fertilizer.

 

[littledog]

Thank you! Do you know where I can get a hypodermic needle? I can't imagine a pharmacy just giving me one

You can order them online from Valley Vet Supply.

 

[littledog]

I was so late starting my plants this year that I only have a few crops - but the ones I do have are producing great.

Picked about 20 lbs of cukes yesterday, picked my first few tomatoes, apples, grapes and zucchini are producing like crazy. Still a little bit of lettuce and spinach, and the butternuts have lots of squashes but aren't ripe yet.
Dahlias are blooming with many more getting ready, I love them so much!

Last night I made zucchini boats out of whatever had to be eaten up, so chopped ham and tomatoes with shredded cheese on top, baked in the oven. Kind of weird, but it was a hit!

Tonight I set myself up in front of my Mariners game, with cutting boards and bowls on the coffee table, and processed apples and cukes for 3 hours while I watched the game. Filled the slow-cooker with apples to make applesauce tomorrow, and made 11 pints of creamy cuke soup.

Still need to figure out what to do with all the grapes (I wish I had winemaking supplies) but maybe I'll just make juice and freeze it.

 

[Sammster]

You can order them online from Valley Vet Supply.

Ok, thank you!

 

[Sammster]

You could try confining you chickens to the area you grew squash in the fall and let them scratch through the dirt. Maybe they'd get most of the borer larvae.

My beds are set up so I can confine the chickens in the garden, and I plan to do that once I'm done gardening this year. Pest control and fertilizer, making the chickens earn their keep. LOL

What a great idea! Unfortunately, this is just a raised bed. I'll be relocating the squash to the main garden, next year. Thank you @Birdsong 82 . I had a feeling that was going to be the recommendation. Hopefully, that will take care of the issue. DH used that black ground cloth in the main garden. It helps with weeds, but makes it so hard to ammend the soil. Not sure how it affects pest control

 

[Sammster]

I didn't get any zucchini from my one plant. The blooming of male and female
Try a parthenocarpic variety like Dunja. I got mine off an Etsy seller. They can set fruit without pollination.

Oooo! I'll have to look into that. Thanks!

 

[gtaus]

@CNJ I found another YouTube video that shows a guy making one of those DIY Earth Boxes out of a plastic tote. He cuts out the top lid to use as a separator down on the bottom, but he does all the work with a drill and a jig saw. It's a relatively short video but he makes a complete DIY Earth Box in real time which takes him 20 minutes. It looks a lot easier to cut the plastic lid with the jig saw compared to a utility razor knife. Anyways, a slightly different approach to the DIY Earth Box build if you have a few power tools like a drill and jig saw.

If anyone is interested in building their own DIY Earth Box, these industrial totes are currently on sale at Menards through the Labor Day weekend.

 

[jerryse]

91 predicted today. A few hot days in store here. Experimenting with tomato soup recipes today. Nothing fancy just like Campbell's is fine. Tried one already and will try another.

 

[gtaus]

Another thought on using those industrial totes like the ones on sale at Menards this weekend...

I used the top lid as a better alternative to the standard 10X20 trays for seed starting this year. I started my seeds in 4 inch net cups, and my 10X20 trays were not really strong enough for me to pick up the tray and move it around. the 10X20 trays I had were made with cheap plastic. These tote lids are much, much stronger. Also, one of my 10X20 trays had a crack in it so it could not hold water for bottom watering the pots. I did not want to buy another cheap 10X20 tray for $3.00, at the time,

When I was done with my seeds starts, I washed off the lid and packed up my supplies in the tote for storage until next year.

At my Menards, people often purchase the totes without taking the lids. Our store had an excess of lids without totes to go with them. One time a manager just gave me some lids for free, another time a manager sold them for a small cost. Still, cheaper than buying a standard 10X20 tray at the store.

Once again, our Menards has more lids than totes. The last two totes I purchased I put an extra lid in the cart each time. The checkout ladies never bothered to check so it must not be a big deal for them. Also, there is no barcode to scan on the lids, only the totes. In any case, they still have more lids than totes in the store. Frankly, if someone pays for the tote and does not take the lid, then the store is not losing any money if you throw in an extra lid. It was already purchased by a customer.

I talked to a manager about his big stack of leftover lids when the totes were all sold out. He stated that lots of people are using the totes for deck planters. But the totes cost about $12 (regular price) whereas a garden "planter" of the same size is about $30. So, lots of customers just buy the totes without taking the lids. That manager just gave me a couple extra lids for free. But it all depends on who you ask.

 

[jerryse]

What a great idea! Unfortunately, this is just a raised bed. I'll be relocating the squash to the main garden, next year. Thank you @Birdsong 82 . I had a feeling that was going to be the recommendation. Hopefully, that will take care of the issue. DH used that black ground cloth in the main garden. It helps with weeds, but makes it so hard to ammend the soil. Not sure how it affects pest control

You could try a crop in that area. This is information only. Since it is a raised bed = small area. You could plant squash and use a soil drench of a systemic insecticide. Do not eat the crop. Any insect that feeds on that crop will die. Effective for about 3 months. I tried it this year and it does work to reduce numbers of the pests. Do your own research and make up your own mind. This is not for everyone.