What did you do in the garden today?

[Peep_Show]

Just throwing some water around this morning as we're scheduled to have a record-breaking day for heat. Enjoying the watermelon radishes that I forgot was seeded. Squash are loving the heat; the daily growth is quite noticeable.

 

[Arielle]

A shout out to a fellow BYCer that was very kind and sent far more varieties of tomato seeds than I expected!!! Thank you Meet the FLockers!

"
WOw, so many more green tomatos than I realized. Verde Claro, Green DOctors, Grubs Mystery green,Malachite Box, and Cherokee Green. It is already August here, which means fall is soon to arrive and then the cold winter. TIme to put away and store many of the seeds for next year. Already anticipating getting these started under the grow light in the spring.

THANK YOU THank you THank you"

 

[Ameraucanas]

Cool!

 

[Bugseye]

Okay, I've got to get off the thread and go plant some things. I was away for two weeks, so of course there's a lot to be tended. My neighbor told me that the first three of my tomatoes ripened while I was gone, and she ate them. These are my starts from February, so I was disappointed to have missed them, with no more ready yet. I am making lots of notes for next year, as the conifers are going to shade the garden during parts of the day. The Kentucky Wonders are fruiting but not ready yet. The eggplant has finally put out blossoms; we'll see if it gets to produce before cooler weather. The peas have produced less than I expected, but I have collected a few snow peas. The raspberries were hogging the pathway, so they got tied up and the runners pruned out of places they weren't supposed to be. Nope, I've got to get off the thread and out to plant. See you later.

 

[Stuffedcritter]

Ball site has simply sauce recipes good details to walk you thru, I find myself double checking it thru out the process even being seasoned waterbath canner. Also play YouTube videos on what ever I'am canning while doing it think that's more wanting a canning campion.
I just went with peas for th e empty garlic bed, summer squash bed will get rabbit cage put over it intil Oct./ Nov. then garlic.

 

[Arielle]

Worked for an hour tieing up tomatos at the community garden. Came home and kids planted the 4 x 4 in carrots, lettuces and radishes . . .while I napped. ROFL

 

[Arielle]

Oh meant to respond to spagetti sauce request. . . .I remember my mother simmering down tomatos in a VERY large pot, and adding more tomatos as there was room. I dont think there is a hard and fast rule about making sauce, but the canning instructions I have say to not use some Italian herbs as they get bitter over time . . . I canned chicken and bean with those herbs anyway. . . no complaints yet. Sorry not much help.

 

[Loc20chick]

Oh meant to respond to spagetti sauce request. . . .I remember my mother simmering down tomatos in a VERY large pot, and adding more tomatos as there was room. I dont think there is a hard and fast rule about making sauce, but the canning instructions I have say to not use some Italian herbs as they get bitter over time . . . I canned chicken and bean with those herbs anyway. . . no complaints yet. Sorry not much help.

Thanks... Will try this also, All I have in my garden is tomatoes and greens.

 

[GreenRunner]

Spent A LOT of this week sorting out the new vegetable patch. We decided to go for high-intensity growing in raised beds, but we're having to make do with the house reno scraps, so that meant much sawing and reclaining bits of old wood. Got two large beds together now and been watching the brassicas get munched by caterpillars.

Why didn't I cover them with nets?

Too late now. So every day it's a morning and evening inspection for any rogue critters that need picking off and feeding to the girls - they're delighted with this new caterpillar diet.

also, watering like MAD here because we've had hardly any rain at all - not good when you're trying to establish a brand new garden!

 

[politicalcenter]

Thanks. I love it too.
I should build a little winter coop by one of my greenhouses for a bit of winter foraging, the birds sure loved it in there when there was snow on the ground... maybe just build a year round coop over there, I'm done freeranging chickens, way to many predator losses and the chickens trash my gardens despite have tons of non garden areas to enjoy...

Any way a large pen could work near the greenhouses... A devided pen so I can switch between two sides and keep things green (in theory)...

We went to Tractor Supply a couple years ago and bought a garage in a box. The covering was junk and the first big wind ripped it up. But I took the old tube frame and framed a door on it and covered it with chicken wire. It is 10x20 ft. It makes a good chicken/pheasant house. We also framed some old pallet material and covered it with 6ft, high chicken wire for another chicken house. We lost some birds at first but we put them up in their pen every evening and let them out in the mornings and haven't lost one since. We also framed a door on that one with a handle and a hillbilly latch.

I live in the deep south and have given up on greenhouses altogether. They just get too hot and dry even with shade. The temps fluctuate so much my plants do better without one. I don't want to buy a swamp cooler and my old greenhouse is now a pig pen. I also think I use less water. So far no gnats or other greenhouse pests.


I am starting cuttings and a shady porch has been working well. I have not used rooting hormone and I am having about a 90% rooting success. Better on creeping phlox and about 80% on ice plants. The phlox is pretty close to 100%. I just started some stone-crop and some other plants.


With the very tender plants i think I will just put them in a shed when it gets real cold heat the shed. We only get a couple days of frost from March through April.