What did you do in the garden today?

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Someone reassure me I didn’t ruin my basket
I had to rinse it out bc I carried watermelon pieces in it to chickens!
It turned a reddish color - cedar color?
I have it hanging to dry.
Is there a chance it was just that dirty?

Using baskets and getting discolorations just adds character.

Are you worried about it being dirty? I don't know if a 50/50 water vinegar mix would further discolor the basket, but it would disinfect it.
There are wood sealer sprays if you want to preserve it, some are probably food safe. Or you can use mineral oil.

 

[chicken opey]

Using baskets and getting discolorations just adds character.

Are you worried about it being dirty? I don't know if a 50/50 water vinegar mix would further discolor the basket, but it would disinfect it.

Good idea w vinegar. My dd said if it falls apart that have a whole section at thrift store for $2.
I wonder if the hens would use as laying box?

 

[WthrLady]

@chicken opey My chickens will use the space between the snowblower, ignoring the 5 box nesting tower right next to it. Add to that the top of the hay bales in the barn, under the tractor, behind the barn toilet, and in the bottom of the water bucket rack in the stalls. I swear....
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I'm all but giving up on the garden at this point, well the tomatoes anyway.
We are far too cool at night for them to thrive and then swing to too hot during the day. They don't like the swing. We are also wet. Which is nice for everything else, but not making the tomatoes happy. I ripped out two more plants today and am eyeballing a 3rd.

Drought years gave us bumper crops, nice weather nope on the tomatoes, but a banner apple year coming and wowzers on the blackberries.

 

[muddy75]

Preparing fresh stewed tomatoes for goulash tonight

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I went to check on the green beans, zucchini and grapevines and they’re thirsty. Despite the showers we’ve been getting the dirt is just dry. I’m running the sprinklers now. I picked a handful of green beans and a small zucchini. I won’t be able to get up to that garden until likely Friday or Saturday. There’s another zucchini growing but it shouldn’t get too big by then. Still only that one plant producing, but I’m really hoping the other plants will start soon. The pumpkin plants look really good and are making male blossoms. Hopefully will get a few pumpkins from them. The tomato plants are all making tomatoes. Nothing ready to harvest yet. I’m trying to decide when to plant Brussel sprouts.

 

[Smokerbill]

I picked the kale and collards this morning. They were so hydrated that just barely bending the stems caused the leaves to snap off with a pop. They must've really enjoyed the upper-40s temperature last night.

I ended up with a 6 quart container packed full of trimmed leaves. Feels like 2 or 3 pounds.

 

[chicken opey]

@chicken opey My chickens will use the space between the snowblower, ignoring the 5 box nesting tower right next to it. Add to that the top of the hay bales in the barn, under the tractor, behind the barn toilet, and in the bottom of the water bucket rack in the stalls. I swear....
=========
I'm all but giving up on the garden at this point, well the tomatoes anyway.
We are far too cool at night for them to thrive and then swing to too hot during the day. They don't like the swing. We are also wet. Which is nice for everything else, but not making the tomatoes happy. I ripped out two more plants today and am eyeballing a 3rd.

Drought years gave us bumper crops, nice weather nope on the tomatoes, but a banner apple year coming and wowzers on the blackberries.

mine will probably do same, lay where they want! Will be Easter egg hunt each day

 

[Sueby]

Has anyone had jalapenos that were totally lacking in heat?

I'm sure I planted the right seed. It was from the same packet I used last year, and those were hot. They are planted near sweet peppers and a habanero, with tomatoes near by. Just like last year.

2 years ago I bought a half a bushel from a local farm stand to make cowboy candy & the jalapenos tasted like bell peppers! I was so sad. I put them in the food processor & froze them to feed to the chickens during the winter. Anyway, are you sure they're ready for picking? If they aren't ready they won't be hot. If they've had too much water they don't get as hot. If it's been cool out they don't get hot. Hot peppers like abuse. But sometimes it's just a bad batch for whatever reason.

It may be time for me to give up on winter squash, altogether.

Can you grow under cover? That's how I start all my squash & cucumbers. These are my cuke & squash beds this year, just raised beds & cattle panels with bug netting over the top. I hand pollinate till I can't take it anymore or I go out of town, then I uncover them for the rest of the season. It at least gives me a good head start & I get a decent crop. It's sad because squash/cukes are my fave thing & the bugs just make it unbearable sometimes. I went years without growing any because of the bugs. Then I got cattle panels.

Speaking of, I found cucumber beetles & SVB moths under the covers so I uncovered them all today. I'm going away this weekend so it was about time. I have a 2nd round of cucumber plants in a GreenStalk up by the house, that will get me more cukes for the end of the season.

We have a groundhog that I think might need to go. His Dad has lived peacefully with us, under the shed, since we moved in but his kid is causing problems in the garden & under the deck. I think his time has come to an end. He is eating my eggplants & knocked supports off a GreenStalk, last thing I need is him tipping it over.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Lot's of weeds in the garden right now did get 3 nice zucchini 1 yellow squash it is going great guns.
1 tomato partly red not even enough to make fried green tomato.

 

[chicken opey]

We decided on Astro turf to line the boxes for chickens and I feel so bad!
It was about $25 cheaper to buy off roll than the precut so I went w the off the roll. The worker had problems feeding the new roll in the machine to cut it . After getting another worker to help him, as it was feeding the whole roll unwound onto floor behind him
I felt so bad bc he really wanted me to buy that precut and I really wanted to save that $25 for something else