What did you do in the garden today?

[jerryse]

Black eyed Susans at the cabin. These are more wild type and reseed readily. I harvested some seed for a new spot. Most are done blooming. I have the improved type at home some with red.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I keep my canner in a corner closet in the basement until I start canning. It has a perch in the kitchen on top of the box I put my used canning jars after I empty the contents then wash them. My first batch of peach preserves was a little over processed. I seriously think my candy thermometer is not calibrated correctly. For the next batch I think I’ll rely on the cold plate method. We are going apple picking on Sunday so I’m looking forward to canning applesauce. I may try making a batch of apple jelly. Apparently the Concord grapes made it through that artic blast we had last winter so I’m looking forward to making a batch or two of jam from that. I pulled the remaining leeks today. Picked a couple of eggplants, an okra pod and more Lima beans. The tomatoes are pretty much done. Just a small bit of green ones on the plants. I have a couple of cucumbers and 2 small yellow squash struggling against the cooler temperatures to mature. I’m holding off on any marathon canning until the new chicken coop is completed. Yesterday was a total washout with nearly 2 inches of rain, again. Clear skies are predicted for the next 7 days or so. Today I got the fence gate on the new chicken yard hung so it opens easily. Also DD installed my new dining room light fixture. So much brighter in there now. Tomorrow and Thursday are dedicated to putting the new chicken hut together. At least the temperature won’t be in the mid 80’s so I can be more productive.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Black eyed Susan’s are my favorite. Oh, my daisies are getting ready to bloom.

 

[Alagirl]

I am doing a crazy thing this year: I am trying to get cuttings off my tomato plants.
Utterly nutty, I am sure, but I bought 2 plants this spring eventually got to plant them: One into a compost ring, where it took off, but never really bloomed (needs more potash in my compost...and phosphor)
the other I put into a big pot of soil I had sitting around for a while. it grew and just now produced one little bloom.
I got them to test the fruit, and at this point I won't lose anything by trying this for next year.
Tomorrow I will try to 'air layer' them as well.
German Empress and Pink Brandywine.
We shall see.
I bought a few little plants from the clearance rack but I am not sure if I have Mandevilla or Dipladenia.
And the available information was not much help either 'if it's shrubby, it's one, if it climbs it's the other, but they have also been interbred, so you can't really tell'
Splendid. I like them though, glossy leaves and showy blooms. Hummingbirds ought to love them.

 

[jerryse]

Brown eyed Susan - Branched coneflower - Rudbeckia Triloba. First pic is at the cabin. About 1 foot tall. Only one growing here. Second pic is at home and my source of seed. About 5 feet tall. Flowers about 2 inches in diameter. A short lived perennial.

 

[akroberts1085]

Got some more cherry tomatoes and green beans and hot peppers from the garden. Also picked the lemon cucumbers, still trying to figure out how I got those from straight eight and pickling cucumbers. Going to start getting some homemade egg noodles made to freeze for later.

 

[dirkandlorie]

Brown eyed Susan - Branched coneflower - Rudbeckia Triloba. First pic is at the cabin. About 1 foot tall. Only one growing here. Second pic is at home and my source of seed. About 5 feet tall. Flowers about 2 inches in diameter. A short lived perennial.View attachment 3639928View attachment 3639933

Short lived perennial? I planted one small plant of these in the back of my lily bed 10 years ago, I now have a patch 6 feet wide by at least 30 feet long. Original plant still there, and the only reason it's just 6 feet wide is because every spring and fall I chop the heck out of it to contain it. It puts on such a big show that I don't have the heart or the energy at this point to dig it all out. Think it must be invasive for this area, lol

 

[CNJ]

Utterly nutty, I am sure, but I bought 2 plants this spring eventually got to plant them: One into a compost ring, where it took off, but never really bloomed (needs more potash in my compost...and phosphor)

I am trying this, since I have a lot of old canned tomato paste.

 

[CNJ]

I never thought of using 10% ammonia and water to kill slugs.

 

[Dadanga]

Bees see into the UV spectrum, and don't see red well. Blue and white are very visible for them.

I might go back to that garden center and maybe snag a few seedlings of the white variety. I do love the fact they self seed very well and grow amazing. I will admit. I killed a lot of other flower seeds under a bed of mulch; but I'm not that worried when I just love how borage looks. I might even just jumpstart the process and buy some flower seedlings from bunnings.

I never thought of using 10% ammonia and water to kill slugs.

I do wonder to myself running these heirloom tomatos cocoDTW how to tackle the fungus gnat threat. I might try bleach this summer to kill them off. Might even just try some diatomaceous earth as well.