What did you do in the garden today?

[chicken opey]

I dug up my squash and zinnias and gave to my processing plant, aka chickens. I’m very thankful for the amount we got from them b4 bugs took over - 15lbs or so . Turned soil and will wait to plant baby squash.
My butternut is going crazy. After throwing vine back in garden I just let it go out. That vine is more than 15 ft.
More cucumbers and beans and peppers. We are giving this to a family in need since we can’t give fresh produce to local food bank.
I also hoed my corn row. so thankful I don’t have to mow after this - more energy spent in garden

 

[chicken opey]

Question on pickling cukes: what should I do? ~ I have a lot of cucumber plants, but I'm only getting a handful a day. Not enough for canning. I made 1 jar of refrigerator pickles and have a few stray pickles in the fridge. The stray pickles don't stay firm in the fridge - so it seems I won't be able to "collect" pickles until I have enough to can a batch. Ideas?

Technically you need 7 lbs to can according to recipes but you could do with half that - I won’t because of work - heat etc.
Are you SURE you don’t have more cucumbers? My dd goes behind and fills up basket.
If you are sure, those not firm anymore will usually crisp up in a lime bath (part of sweet pickle recipe). Some use the crisper in store that’s not lime (don’t know what it is).
AND there is always the farmers market to get extra lb or 2 to do the full recipe! I called a local one and they are 1.99/lb for the pickling cukes.
That’s what I would do

 

[chicken opey]

I walked down middle of watermelon patch. I think I have 15 good size ones!! That I could see I have had zero in past harvests.
6 plants, hills

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Don't plant walnuts anywhere near your garden. Google "juglone;" it's an allelopathic compound that walnuts produce that inhibit germination and/or growth in other plants.

Very true. A squirrel keeps burying walnuts in random places here. I dug a few little tree sprouts up & tried to plant them elsewhere but then when I went to water them, they'd been eaten! Deer, I guess? But yeah, they're toxic to other plants nearby. Darn squirrels...repeatedly plant them by my gorgeous Lavender shrub.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Because we had some rain, today will be prime weeding time.

Because we had some rain, today will be prime bug time.

Ya gotta take the good and the bad.

Biting bugs are vicious this year. Yes, the typical ones, fire ants, horse flies, but we really have an overabundance of those tiny biting gnats! Little ba$!@rds, climb inside my shirt, get hung up in my hair, which is usually in a ponytail, so I'm itching & scratching, pulling my shirt out, messing hair up & wiping my face...yeah, DH asked me if I got into a wrestling match with the groundhogs, or some critters that dig dirt. I didn't realize it, but on my knees pulling weeds with no gloves, then wiping the sweat out of my eyes & scratching hairdo loose & tugging on my shirt trying to blow the darn gnats out from under my shirt, all with gardening hands...yeah, I was a sight alright.

(Oh yeah...so basically in the garden...been watering, sweating, swearing at biting bugs & pulling weeds.)

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Nutsedge will always be Ball Grass to me

Oh yeah, & Ball Grass is pronounced with a certain tone of voice, ya know. Makes my DH laugh every time. Reminiscent of how this lady speaks with disgust, about Balzac.

 

[igorsMistress]

G’morning all. Went outside just before dawn, it was warm and the air was absolutely still and humid. 92 degrees and the dew point was at 62 degrees or so. Super ick! Watered the melons and cleaned out a five gallon waterer that had been in the coop. It’s more useful out under the Arabian lilac where everyone hangs out. I must have not set the other waterer up right after I cleaned it yesterday, it was dry as a bone this morning. Think I got it right now I’m not doing anything else out there today other than take out ice and snacks for the crew and probably turn on the hose. Have a good day all.

 

[Acre4Me]

The little sweet potato that could.
I thought for sure it was dead…but nope, there is a leaf.

The other I thought might die now has 3 leaves, after loosing all its leaves.

 

[WthrLady]

Biting bugs are vicious this year. Yes, the typical ones, fire ants, horse flies, but we really have an overabundance of those tiny biting gnats! Little ba$!@rds, climb inside my shirt, get hung up in my hair, which is usually in a ponytail, so I'm itching & scratching, pulling my shirt out, messing hair up & wiping my face...yeah, DH asked me if I got into a wrestling match with the groundhogs, or some critters that dig dirt. I didn't realize it, but on my knees pulling weeds with no gloves, then wiping the sweat out of my eyes & scratching hairdo loose & tugging on my shirt trying to blow the darn gnats out from under my shirt, all with gardening hands...yeah, I was a sight alright.

(Oh yeah...so basically in the garden...been watering, sweating, swearing at biting bugs & pulling weeds.)

Thrips.....OMG the thrips. Then in the fall we have pirate bugs.

 

[cj2024]

Have you made crackers from the leftover starter?

Nope, I have been making a small size 450g flour/300g water sour dough bread daily for breakfast and I only have about 2TBS left over starter for the next day. It takes about 2.50 hours at 87F from my refrigerator to double in size.

I eat half a loaf with butter and make ham sandwiches with the other half. Sour dough bread takes ham sandwiches to another level, it's something everyone must try.

I put mayo, mustard, two slices of the Costco Kirkland brand ham on my sour dough bread and refrigerate them in plastic food wrap. I microwave them 30 sec on both sides before I eat them. It's kind of addicting...........