What did you do in the garden today?

[igorsMistress]

Good morning gardeners. I got outside a little before 0500 to fertilize the shrubs, still have 2 out front to do yet. I let the chickens out at that time so the damn pigeons were late to the party There's probably 60 or so that come every morning because the neighbor used to feed them, thankfully that neighbor has moved, so I have to hang out with my flock to make sure they get to eat their feed. Yesterday afternoon I repotted the string of pearls and moved it over with the rest of the succulents. Have a great day all

 

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah - interesting. I was originally supposed to go to MS, but ended up in Lake Charles LA for Christmas & New Years 2005 into 2006. It was a great experience. We did head into Slidell for a day, not such a lovely place at the time! I had a very hard time eating there, there wasn't much open & everyone wanted to eat at the buffets & everything in the buffets was fried. I longed for a good salad, lol. & I do like seafood! Just not shellfish, it's a texture thing.

My birds are all sick with a respiratory infection - the original girls have had it a couple times & I would imagine stress can bring it on. So everyone is on antibiotics. I knew that there was a good chance they'd be carriers for life (though my avian vet said that wasn't true ) & anyone introduced would probably get it. I should have culled them but decided to take my chances & deal with it if I had to. These chickens are going to be the death of me, if it's not one thing it's another. It's been a bad week all around, I should mix a big fat cocktail & celebrate the end of it!

The garden, on the other hand, is looking great! I moved a couple of cukes around, now if they would grow before the bunny finds them I might be ok. The beans & squash look fantastic & we're having taco salads with lettuce from the garden tonight! Yay! It's so nice to see everything starting to grow. Even DH, who has never stepped foot in my garden, commented that it's filling in & looking good. He must have been hungry to notice.

 

[AllenK RGV]

@Sueby so sorry to hear about your flocks less than stellar health ATM. It sounds you have in in hand though.
It is raining again and I had planned on harvesting Basil seeds, so that is another day. Please PM me with address if anyone else if after my southern tip of Texas drought tolerant variety and I will get those in the post for you.

I was pleased to see my early winter passion flower finally growing gangbusters, the early spring started one though is still in the hang on for dear life mode. Also morning inspection shows 90% of the Aloe fencing is looking like it has made it into survivor mode.

 

[Acre4Me]

Planted 35 of the 55 tomato plants

What types do you usually plant? This year we have around 36 planted (about 25 varieties). We have a few cherry type, and then the rest are primarily beefsteak type, with a couple of smaller hybrid determinates. We are still in the figure-out-what-we-want-to-focus-on phase. Nearly all look like they are happy in their respective spots, and only 2 of them are looking a bit undecided about living and growing.

Some are quite old. A couple I've never seen before. I get my jars from them every year

Ever have any break on you? I've re-used jars, but primarily ones that I've bought and used from new.

Joined the local BuyFresh, Buy Local program run by the university.

Sounds great!

I don't know what's going on with Lowes but their website was really wonky yesterday and so was their phone system.

I had great luck at Lowes yesterday - it was the only place that still had smaller tomato cages and garden "staples" that I could use to hold down the soaker hose. It was an older woman who helped me (after others had tried to help me) and she found these items that were supposedly gone (according to the others helping me) and so I told her she was my good luck charm! She smiled and asked if she could get that in writing! LOL.

I also mounded some dirt on my potato plants

How much mounding should one do to potato plants? I've mounded a bit, but not sure when to stop!

I'm glad I'm not the only one who appreciates okra

I like Okra breaded and fried, and in gumbo. I'm not sure that Ive had it any other way. But, if you like it, it does grow well and continuously produces!

the neighbor used to feed them

Glad you got out before the pigeons did! Previous owner had wild bird feeders out. We removed them. Some birds will usually try to make a nest in the roof structure of the run. We try to remove the nest before they lay eggs. If they lay eggs and hatch babies, unfortunately the babies feed our flock when they fall out of the nest!

Yesterday afternoon I repotted the string of pearls and moved it over with the rest of the succulents.

Looks great, and surprisingly cool for such a hot area!

It's been a bad week all around, I should mix a big fat cocktail & celebrate the end of it!

Cocktail is in order then! Hope next week is better!

I'm nearly finished the baby chicken coop

Yay!

Tilled up a garden plot again today

You should add your general location to your profile! The rest of us gardeners love to know where others are gardening!

This is what happens when you plant a garden variety Potho house plant in Hawaii.

WOW! Your pics are always amazing to us, that live in colder climes. We promise to post snow pics in exchange for your tropical pics!

I called and got my dreamy R-com pro 20 this morning b4 leaving to garden

Sounds awesome! Sounds like an amazing incubator! I'm doing my first chicken egg incubation now. I bought the cheapest still-air incubator that TSC had - a Little Giant. It has been going well, so far. They go into lock-down tonight, and hatching should commence Monday or Tuesday. Some eggs look more filled with a chick than others, so I am slightly concerned. However, all are moving around, so they are alive. I have only had one quitter (and 11 infertile - no embryo at all). They are going to be mixed breeds. My plan is to take them to auction next weekend, assuming that all goes well! Of course, the resident young teen is already trying to convince me into keeping some chicks!

 

[Acre4Me]

Last year I tossed a few poppy seeds here and there. They aren't the best germinators. But this year was rewarded with one healthy plant! I enjoy poppies - so bright!

While searching for some tomato cages, I looked at all seed racks in all the stores for a few things, such as gourds. Only 1 of the 4 different stores I went to had gourds. @TropicalBabies - Is this luffa one similar to the ones you grow?

Also, do they climb things like a pea or cucumber (with tendrils that grab onto a structure), or like a pole bean, where the vine just grows around the structure in a corkscrew fashion? The package does not say to even provide support or how tall they grow!

 

[AllenK RGV]

What types do you usually plant? This year we have around 36 planted (about 25 varieties). We have a few cherry type, and then the rest are primarily beefsteak type, with a couple of smaller hybrid determinates. We are still in the figure-out-what-we-want-to-focus-on phase. Nearly all look like they are happy in their respective spots, and only 2 of them are looking a bit undecided about living and growing.



Ever have any break on you? I've re-used jars, but primarily ones that I've bought and used from new.


Sounds great!




I had great luck at Lowes yesterday - it was the only place that still had smaller tomato cages and garden "staples" that I could use to hold down the soaker hose. It was an older woman who helped me (after others had tried to help me) and she found these items that were supposedly gone (according to the others helping me) and so I told her she was my good luck charm! She smiled and asked if she could get that in writing! LOL.



How much mounding should one do to potato plants? I've mounded a bit, but not sure when to stop!



I like Okra breaded and fried, and in gumbo. I'm not sure that Ive had it any other way. But, if you like it, it does grow well and continuously produces!







Glad you got out before the pigeons did! Previous owner had wild bird feeders out. We removed them. Some birds will usually try to make a nest in the roof structure of the run. We try to remove the nest before they lay eggs. If they lay eggs and hatch babies, unfortunately the babies feed our flock when they fall out of the nest!




Looks great, and surprisingly cool for such a hot area!




Cocktail is in order then! Hope next week is better!



Yay!




You should add your general location to your profile! The rest of us gardeners love to know where others are gardening!



WOW! Your pics are always amazing to us, that live in colder climes. We promise to post snow pics in exchange for your tropical pics!



Sounds awesome! Sounds like an amazing incubator! I'm doing my first chicken egg incubation now. I bought the cheapest still-air incubator that TSC had - a Little Giant. It has been going well, so far. They go into lock-down tonight, and hatching should commence Monday or Tuesday. Some eggs look more filled with a chick than others, so I am slightly concerned. However, all are moving around, so they are alive. I have only had one quitter (and 11 infertile - no embryo at all). They are going to be mixed breeds. My plan is to take them to auction next weekend, assuming that all goes well! Of course, the resident young teen is already trying to convince me into keeping some chicks!

best wishes on your hatchout hope you hear those singing eggs soon!

 

[jerryse]

@Wee Farmer Sarah - interesting. I was originally supposed to go to MS, but ended up in Lake Charles LA for Christmas & New Years 2005 into 2006. It was a great experience. We did head into Slidell for a day, not such a lovely place at the time! I had a very hard time eating there, there wasn't much open & everyone wanted to eat at the buffets & everything in the buffets was fried. I longed for a good salad, lol. & I do like seafood! Just not shellfish, it's a texture thing.

My birds are all sick with a respiratory infection - the original girls have had it a couple times & I would imagine stress can bring it on. So everyone is on antibiotics. I knew that there was a good chance they'd be carriers for life (though my avian vet said that wasn't true ) & anyone introduced would probably get it. I should have culled them but decided to take my chances & deal with it if I had to. These chickens are going to be the death of me, if it's not one thing it's another. It's been a bad week all around, I should mix a big fat cocktail & celebrate the end of it!

The garden, on the other hand, is looking great! I moved a couple of cukes around, now if they would grow before the bunny finds them I might be ok. The beans & squash look fantastic & we're having taco salads with lettuce from the garden tonight! Yay! It's so nice to see everything starting to grow. Even DH, who has never stepped foot in my garden, commented that it's filling in & looking good. He must have been hungry to notice.

On respiratory infections . Viruses stay dormant in the body of recovered birds . Reemerge when stressed and infect new birds . I no longer have a medicine chest for chickens . My policy is not for everyone but it works for me . I cull at first sign of illness . No exceptions .

 

[Acre4Me]

best wishes on your hatchout hope you hear those singing eggs soon!

thanks! I was looking up audio or videos of momma hens clucking to chicks, bc it is motivating for hatching chicks, particularly when they are tired from zipping and need momma motivation. Unfortunately, was unable to find ones without humans talking over the momma hen, or without loud interference or wind noise, or without other birds chirping very loudly over themomma hen. So, if you or anyone else knows of a good link to momma hen/baby chick, post it! My plan is to start to play it for them over the next few days!

 

[Sequel]

Last year I tossed a few poppy seeds here and there. They aren't the best germinators. But this year was rewarded with one healthy plant! I enjoy poppies - so bright!
View attachment 2166265View attachment 2166266



While searching for some tomato cages, I looked at all seed racks in all the stores for a few things, such as gourds. Only 1 of the 4 different stores I went to had gourds. @TropicalBabies - Is this luffa one similar to the ones you grow?

Also, do they climb things like a pea or cucumber (with tendrils that grab onto a structure), or like a pole bean, where the vine just grows around the structure in a corkscrew fashion? The package does not say to even provide support or how tall they grow!

View attachment 2166267

Those poppies are stunning! I have some orange ones and a bright blood red one. I got them as plants, Good on you for doing it from seed because I’ve tried and didn’t succeed.
If gourds grow like cucumbers yes they have tendrils that will grab and climb. I find that I have to train some of the vines to go up but they have stayed when I insist. Good luck! Post pics!

 

[Franklinridgefarms]

So far today, we have planted 6 rows of sweet corn, another row each of cantaloupe and watermelon. We also started planting some pumpkins and cushaw. A little early maybe for the pumpkins but maybe we can sell a few early. Going back down to the garden in a little bit to plant more pumpkins and till another plot for some more corn and beans if we can hold out.