What did you do in the garden today?

[Swiss]

Love it, especially the patchwork look.

Thanks! I need to get a picture of the roof for here. It is 3 different colors!

 

[cj2024]

Love some fresh crumpets! I haven’t made any recently but man they’re good!

I just tried these, but I didn't need to follow the recipe. It's a cross between a pan cake and a bread. I used a cup of water and flour with the other stuff and made adjustments to get the pancake batter texture. I used a 3-inch metal biscuit cutter and made 4 crumpets.

This was my first time tasting and making them. I had another wow moment. It was spongy and moist on the inside and crispy on the outside.

 

[Swiss]

Today, we finally got the potatoes planted. My husband found a potato we missed last year. I'm learning that you never do harvest them all, and I wonder how many volunteers we will have this year. Thankfully, my husband was able to help by digging 3 of the four trenches. Apparently, I don't like digging so much these days (probably because I hand dug half of the fence post holes and half of the garden beds 2 years ago, and the other half when we doubled the garden size last year)...

I also dug up plants that were in random places. A small amount of mini daffodils (the first thing to bloom each year) and what I am guessing are a couple tulips (haven't bloomed since we've been here) off the back of the house, and grape hyacinths and what I assume are supposed to be more mini daffodils (haven't bloomed since we've been here) behind the garage. Those are currently in the garage while I try to figure out where to put them (I'm thinking under the fruit trees I planted last year). Then, I dug up the daylilies that are in the most randomly and inconveniently placed garden bed, and moved them to the little hill next to the pole barn that could use some help with erosion.

Once the tulips and daffodils in that bed are done blooming, and starting to die back, I'm going to dig them out and move them somewhere else. Then, take out the brick edging, and either let nature do it's thing, or plant dandelions or clover or something... 3 years I've been Saying I'm going to get rid of that bed! If it wasn't in such a terrible spot, I would have loved it (minus the daylilies that I'm not a fan of).

Everything in the grow room is doing well. Yesterday, I thinned out the peppers, but instead of killing the extras (which almost physically hurts me) I separated them and gave them their own pots. Did I have to buy more plastic cups for them? Maybe..... Is there room for them in the garden? Oh, I'll find a place for them!

Does anyone else say, "I'm going to post a quick update on the gardening thread." And then you write what looks like the first 4 chapters of a novel, or is it just me?

 

[Minanora]

All I want, is to be able to plant...my... Plants...

The weather refuses to cooperate. It was 87 yesterday. Today it was 55. Tomorrow it's going to rain. Over 1.4".

Anyway, I've been mapping out my garden to see what I need to do to have successful melons, winter squash, pumpkins. I'm taking over most of the yard with vines! Lots of previously unused areas of the orchard are getting vining plants. Under the berry trellis, and under the grapes. It's quite the experiment. Hopefully it turns out great.

My main hoop bed is nearly full. It's taunting me. I got plants from our local community college annual sale, that I pre ordered, today. And took my son to our favorite nursery, he picked out the Calendulas.

 

[Minanora]

I think so, I only wanted 40 tomatoes... I now have 61. I'm literally inventing places to plant them. I don't know why I did this to myself. I think the chickens are going to have a few tomato plants in the orchard to enjoy. However I do need to can tomatoes. Had a bunk harvest last year so I only got two cases of ripe tomatoes canned.

Tomato math is a thing. I bought more tomatoes today. There's something wrong with me

 

[chickengr]

Yesterday was so awesome weather-wise, today we have rain coming, then very windy Friday with 50mph gusts. Humidity & wind really kick my butt, arthritis & fibromyalgia, sinus headaches, the works. Yesterday I felt & worked like I was 20 & today I am paying the price, feeling old, sacroiliac pain along with a barometric headache. Oh well, gotta take the good with the bad, right?

I can't paint on the jobsite til Sat & Sun, so today I can rake what I tilled, before it rains. (After I pop 2 Aleve). I wanted to spread the wildflower seeds in that tilled section, but with high winds I will hold off. I use straw over top of the seed so I can wait a few days, no sense letting wind blow straw all over. After raking this morning I will be washing & crating eggs for market, pickling some eggs for us, & potting about 50 house plants...my house plants had baby plants & I rooted them.
View attachment 3798209

Chlorophytum comosum, usually called spider plant or common spider plant due to its spider-like look, also known as spider ivy, airplane plant, ribbon plant (a name it shares with Dracaena sanderiana), and hen and chickens, is a species of evergreen perennial flowering plant of the family Asparagaceae.

The tomato sprouts...I guess they're growing, but darn, seems like slow motion to me. I brought them outside yesterday as it was 70s & sunny. They did like sunshine, after so many cloudy rainy days here.
But "Something" ate a few sprouts tender leaves off! What kind of bug would do that? The little jerk ate a few then took off before I could see the culprit that did this dastardly deed.

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I got the Brussel sprout seeds & 2 other types of tomato seeds started. Got more canning jars at Dollar General.

So...on a kind of funny note, I was in the newer chicken coop, which still is not completely finished, and I saw a visitor slither in. This 12x24 shed used to be a wood shop & I often found perfectly intact shed skins, some quite long. I donated them to Prime Hook refuge for educational purposes. Anyway, they're good mousers, so I left them alone. Rick despises & is quite fearful of them, so I figured I'd better relocate this one. If Rick has seen it, not sure if he would just run from it or kill it. So I took it for a ride, a safer place, huge natural growing area, where no one will mess with him/her. I asked Rick to drive but he wouldn't even come out of the house when he saw me holding it! I drove 1 handed & I have to tell ya, Mr./Ms. Snake was a better passenger than Rick...no backseat driving! I told Rick, he'd better be nice to his Lady Snake Wrangler, here. Lol
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Too long to get whole body in 1 pic while holding, had to take 3
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See ya later, hope I don't regret this...snake will be happy but I may miss a good mouser
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come to my place and get as many snakes as you wish! I will not miss them at all. I have a cat, dogs and chickens, they all are good mousers.

 

[chickengr]

I put pepper and tomato seeds in small containers without holes. about 2/3 soil, a piece of kitchen towel, watered a bit then spread some seeds. I put another piece of kitchen towel and some soil on top. watered it carefully so that seeds don't move and let it sit for 2-3 days. I add water if needed. that speeds up germination. about day 4 I pierce the containers so the seedling don't drown. that way pepper seeds don't need 3 weeks to germinate.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Oh, I had a first that I need to share. I was clearing some weeds out of the hoop house beds and found half of a corn cob from last year's crop mixed down in the leftover straw. One of the kernels actually rooted! That's the first time I've ever had a CORN volunteer!

I also found an old corn cob from last year, but it was moldy, no new plants for me

 

[MotherofOrpies]

I believe it. Last year I think our rainfall total was around 10 feet. So much sky water. This year is starting out the same. I have to delay planting until it dries out a bit. I may have to replant the few things I already planted. At least we haven’t had tornadoes @Acre4Me.

I would love to have all your extra rain, 80% of our trees suffer from drought damage there is a bug going around, burrowing under der bark, since the trees already have heat stress, they are more susceptible to that bug than usually, they had to cut down all the trees in our alley cos of that bug , they can topple without warning, they look good on the outside but are totally rotten inside

 

[Swiss]

I put pepper and tomato seeds in small containers without holes. about 2/3 soil, a piece of kitchen towel, watered a bit then spread some seeds. I put another piece of kitchen towel and some soil on top. watered it carefully so that seeds don't move and let it sit for 2-3 days. I add water if needed. that speeds up germination. about day 4 I pierce the containers so the seedling don't drown. that way pepper seeds don't need 3 weeks to germinate.

I'd love to see a picture (or more) of this process! I've never heard of anyone doing it, and it interests me greatly! Is the first piece of towel under the soil at the bottom of the container or on top? Do you take the towel pieces off when they germinate?