What did you do in the garden today?

[Diannastarr]

I love dogs and when they think they did their job they are very happy.

I have a cocker spaniel Betsy that worries me when she attacks centipedes like a mongoose on a cobra. I always thought they're poisonous with a painful bite. But she handles it well until I can get it away from her. The Xolo Brandi attacks the big red harvest ants and eats them. She's figured out how to do it without getting stung.

gotta love those Xolos...! this is my tiny beanie, aka as bitzee.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Wild cucumber . Not a real cucumber but the leaves look like cucumber leaves . Grows mostly in the river bottoms . Wooded areas .

Makes sense, we live on a river. Thanks.

 

[CapricornFarm]

The bamboo forest across the river from us.

 

[black_dove2]

gotta love those Xolos...! this is my tiny beanie, aka as bitzee. View attachment 1121709

What a Darling!

 

[black_dove2]

Don't know much about roses except how to feed them to Japanese beetles and spider mites. I like the banana peel idea though, and will try that on some of our plants.

We put a care package together this morning from the garden with tomatoes, melon, apples and of course, eggs, and drove up to Columbus for Dad's birthday...90 years young!

Unless the 'cane changes course or does something unexpected, NorthTexasWink shouldn't get it too bad compared to further south. You never know with these things though, thoughts with her and everyone and everything in it's path. We lived in Houston and South Texas for a third of our lives and still have family and a lot of friends in the area. I was just visiting friends in Port Aransas and Rockport in April and am worried for them now. We've spent scary nights in hurricanes before and watching the crazy weather channel guys brings back a lot of memories. This storm will likely alter the landscape all along the middle Texas coast.

How's your family and friends doing?

I'm from Corpus Christi and have family spreading outwards from there. I understand the feeling all too well .I have a sister in Beeville which is right by Victoria Texas and hoping she holding out okay. And the house held up well.

How wonderful to celebrate your dad's 90 the b-day! My father and brother and grandfather we're all Columbus named

 

[black_dove2]

Picked the last tomatos for a sandwich today. More out there just green yet. Sprayed for aphids that have attacked the corn.
Sunflower bloomed a couple days ago.

View attachment 1121686

Beautiful! Great photo

 

[black_dove2]

Every home we have had over the many years has had a red clay soil that needed to be opened up and fortified with compost, lime, calcium, manure and peat....and lots and lots of humus

Hubby had a dump truck and would pick up loads of manure and straw washed out of semi trucks hauling livestock to our local stockyard for auction. He told the guys at work that he bought his new wife a load of "$h!t" for Christmas and that she loved it....and he was right!

We composted everything including leaves and grass we collected from curbs in town. Good compost was black gold...worth its weight in gold.
We made raised beds from many materials including cement blocks, landscape timber, used railroad ties and the end rings salvaged from a metal culvert manufacturing company. We have gardened in the empty cowlick mineral tubs, old plastic trash cans, truck tires, an old bathtub, old whiskey tubs and five gallon buckets....anything we could drill holes in for good drainage. (From experience, drill holes in the side of the tub or container about two inches up from the bottoms...not in the bottom.)
Besides a rotor tiller and a wheel barrow with a screen mesh sifter we found a cement mixer was handy back saver for mixing soil ingredients.

No soil challenge will ever deter a determined gardener!

My father always used line in clay. Always told me to make sure to add it to soul to break it up.



SOIL hahaha not SOUL

 

[NorthTexasWink]

Just popping in to say hi. Started prepping for guests last week. Got 11 people and three pets sheltering from the hurricane here. Just grateful they are all safe. Everything else is replaceable ephemera.

Rained here today, more than I thought it would. Probably more on the way, but no bad storms. Had lots of help in the garden. So much I needed to come up with more chores! I have 2new beds ready for planting, thanks to my guests. Pre-teens are "training" my chickens to be good. I think pumpkin seeds are heavily involved. Had to explain about not needing roosters to get eggs. Very carefully.

Hope y'all are safe. Be blessed. I'll be back when I can. It's kind of busy here for now!

 

[chickmom3941]

Just popping in to say hi. Started prepping for guests last week. Got 11 people and three pets sheltering from the hurricane here. Just grateful they are all safe. Everything else is replaceable ephemera.

Rained here today, more than I thought it would. Probably more on the way, but no bad storms. Had lots of help in the garden. So much I needed to come up with more chores! I have 2new beds ready for planting, thanks to my guests. Pre-teens are "training" my chickens to be good. I think pumpkin seeds are heavily involved. Had to explain about not needing roosters to get eggs. Very carefully.

Hope y'all are safe. Be blessed. I'll be back when I can. It's kind of busy here for now!

So glad to hear you're okay, Wink! Nice of you to take in guests - hope all their homes, etc. are safe, and also hope you get no flooding where you're at. Oh, side-stepping the birds & bees issue is always fun... Take care and come back soon!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Had my baking cap on this morning made peanut butter cookies then started making oatmeal chocolate chip found my baking soda had failed