What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

@Wee Farmer Sarah - yay on the dahlia!!

Here's my shade over my lettuce, I'm not ready to let my lettuce bolt yet, it's so good! The shade worked well yesterday here too, no wilt at all. I picked a bunch just now to bring to my mom.View attachment 2203485

Awesome! I'm hoping to scrounge up some chard seeds because the lettuce won't last long and the turnips are not doing all that well right now. Is that a "Mesculin Mix" that you planted? I have some old Black Seeded Simpson seeds I have thought about throwing some of that down to see if likes summer.

 

[Acre4Me]

@Sueby @Wee Farmer Sarah Thanks for asking. Yes, critter was back. Yes critter wants a chicken dinner. My neighbor lost 5 of 9 hens last night. only 2 heads remained, one attached to a mangled body, the other was just front of chicken, legs and head. The other 3 - no signs of. Lots of scat left. It could be a fox or maybe coyote. Could be a raccoon, too, but with the missing birds, I'm guessing fox bc they take and stash. Not sure what coyotes do. The animal was able to use some boxes as a step stool next to the run fence. The run fence has chicken wire for the top half attached to shorter fence panels, and at that spot (where boxes were), the wire was not well attached to the fence. In addition, it appears the animal left from another small upper area that did not have any wire attached to the fence. None of this is to tall for a fox, given the height or the added items that could be used as step stools. However, not sure how high a fox can jump. Inside the run, there is a sheet of plywood horizontal to the ground for shade and feed protection, and it is approx 3'-4' above the ground. No problem for a canine to jump down form that, and assume an agile fox could easily jump up to that level too. This plywood sheet had the scat on it, and was att he entry and exit points. There is an additional plywood sheet at same height on other side of the run with some scat on it too.

I'll post pics in predator forum later - have to run a kid around this morning.

 

[microchick]

Hoed, weeded, fertilized.

My garden is rewriting the definition of weird. Garden is a rectangle in shape running north and south. All the veggies on the south side of the garden are doing horrible. Stunted in spite of fertilizing, yellowing leaves. We have tried everything trying to perk them up and kick them into gear and frankly nothing has helped. Meanwhile, one the north end of the garden and farther to the west side, the plants are thriving and doing well.

Squash that I planted on a bare area of the yard near the chicken run are going crazy. The ones in the main garden look dwarfed in comparison. Two summer squash plants are starting to pop out of it and while small are blooming and producing little squash. It's past being frustrating.

We are thinking that the nitrogen levels in the soil are probably lower. Maybe fertilize it heavily this winter with chicken coop compost and see what happens next year with it?

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

@Sueby @Wee Farmer Sarah Thanks for asking. Yes, critter was back. Yes critter wants a chicken dinner. My neighbor lost 5 of 9 hens last night. only 2 heads remained, one attached to a mangled body, the other was just front of chicken, legs and head. The other 3 - no signs of. Lots of scat left. It could be a fox or maybe coyote. Could be a raccoon, too, but with the missing birds, I'm guessing fox bc they take and stash. Not sure what coyotes do. The animal was able to use some boxes as a step stool next to the run fence. The run fence has chicken wire for the top half attached to shorter fence panels, and at that spot (where boxes were), the wire was not well attached to the fence. In addition, it appears the animal left from another small upper area that did not have any wire attached to the fence. None of this is to tall for a fox, given the height or the added items that could be used as step stools. However, not sure how high a fox can jump. Inside the run, there is a sheet of plywood horizontal to the ground for shade and feed protection, and it is approx 3'-4' above the ground. No problem for a canine to jump down form that, and assume an agile fox could easily jump up to that level too. This plywood sheet had the scat on it, and was att he entry and exit points. There is an additional plywood sheet at same height on other side of the run with some scat on it too.

I'll post pics in predator forum later - have to run a kid around this morning.

Can you put 2 x 4 dog wire fence on top of the run? It’s sturdier than chicken wire and would keep a fox out. It’s probably easier to find then HC and less expensive.

 

[NewBoots]

what are you doing with all the little rabbit babies? You know I would love pics, LOL. I bet Cupcakes littles are adorable now.

They are, they're eyes are just opening. We took the nest box out and sat by the chicken run and took them out one by one to get them used to being handled, and they are darling. And they seemed to enjoy being snuggled close and nose petted. We didn't do that with Cupcake's first batch (out of an excess of caution) and they are not easily handled. I'll drag a stool outside and get a pic of Fern's babies today, they are tiny and nearly nekkid. We raise our rabbits for meat but their lives are comfortable and happy and they will not even know when it ends. I'm truly sorry if that is upsetting.

I'm losing a bunch of pole beans. I'm wondering if maybe the metal bed is too hot for them, is that even possible? I only say this because it's the side where the sun comes up & it's the only place where they're turning yellow & have stopped growing - all others are doing fine.

I don't know if beans are like peas, but my peas do much better if I cover the bases in straw or heavy shade from other plants growing in front.

Here's my shade over my lettuce,

That looks like the most beautiful salad bowl ever!

All the veggies on the south side of the garden are doing horrible. Stunted in spite of fertilizing, yellowing leaves.

Try shading the bases of the plants, probably not the issue but keeping cool roots is my current hammer of choice.


Just a sprinkle of rain so far today so I did the watering. It rained just about as I was finishing so the rest of the garden will have to wait. We picked up a nice big native crab apple (dang it, it isn't a native at all, it's a graft of an ornamental that I don't even like, now I have to decide if I want to return it.) yesterday and will have to get it planted today, going to be a job, but once we get past the top layer of rocks it shouldn't be so hard.

Here's how the deck looks now:

The sweet potatoes and strawberries are coming along well, a lot of the basil has been getting too much sun I think. The basil that had the most protection has done the best.

Here's what the red clover bed looks like now:

The rabbits and chickens love this stuff, no sign of flowers yet. We just keep it watered and crop it off for feed.

We ate our first raspberry yesterday:

Is there anything better?

And does anyone know about shallots? The first shallots I planted have turned into gigantic Chernobyl shallots:

Is that how they should look? This is my first time growing them and I had no idea they'd get so big.

And Glynis wanted to say hi:

She also wants to know where are the treats?

 

[Acre4Me]

@Wee Farmer Sarah we have chain link panels around our run. There is 6' tall panels on part of the run, and 4' panels on the other part (someone else had the area as 2 dog runs - not sure why the height difference). So, a critter could get into the run, especially a climbing one. We do have plans to re-do the fencing, but time and money are two factors, so we try to keep the coop secure for nighttime predators. The coop is fairly secure at 2.5' above the ground. However, the window needs some HWC on it (instead of screen), and a couple of other improvements would help as well, but for the most part, I think it could withstand a fox or coyote one night siege. It was the neighbor that had the half chicken wire fenced in area and their coop is not secure against predators, which is why theirs got hit first. However, once they exhaust any other food supply, then they will come to our place in ernest. We did have the electrician put in an outlet inside the coop above the window, which is the closest point to the run fence, so an electric fence may be in our future. Neighbor lent us his game camera so we could put it up for tonight.

 

[pennyJo1960]

At least give who your preditor is then you know how to proceed

 

[pennyJo1960]

@karenerwin love how the greenhouse looks what do you have to do with it ?
or is good as it sits?

 

[WthrLady]

I'd like to have one of those high tension shades over my WHOLE garden like they do at plant nurseries

Another snapping turtle is passing through.

I LOVE THAT green house....more information on that please!

 

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah It's just a loose leaf lettuce blend, it's my fave cuz it has a good variety & is so tender.

@Acre4Me how horrible! I agree with @penny1960 once you see what it is you'll be able to better plan what to do. But that's so stressful knowing something is out there & probably coming back.

@NewBoots no worries, they sure are cute but there is usually a reason someone raises them, LOL! My neighbor gets SOOO upset that my other neighbor eats her chickens, she told me she hoped I wasn't going to be that cruel with mine. Uhhh, ok, you go buy yours from the grocery store & believe it came on that styrofoam tray from nature. Don't think twice about how it was raised or anything. Whatever. I think I might try a shade cloth for the beans, if they aren't too far gone. Thanks!