What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah it is nasty out there today! Just went to spread some egg shells for the girls & collect the rest of the eggs & decided there is nothing more I need to do outside today! Got 36 bagels & 30 muffins made today, my baking is done & the oven is off.

@Acre4Me that's so awful for your poor neighbor! So what's your plan? Is that a trap I see in the pic?

 

[WthrLady]

OK. Something - I'm assuming fox - stole my entire live ground squirrel trap. LOL. All my other traps are chained down. I never thought to stake this one down as we check traps before dark and the squirrels are only active in the daylight. I guess we got one and a fox wanted dinner. I'll have to go search the cattle pasture for my trap. Dang it. It's not like it's easy to see either.

@Acre4Me Wish I was closer. I'd take care of that for you.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Ugh! It’s almost 90F and not even noon yet. I loaded up 2 buckets of dirt for the chicken coop and cut 2 boards for roosts for the big girls. I went out to cover the cabbage and lettuce and was surprised by new peas dangling from the vines. The lettuce is still tasty so I’ll let it grow some more. I wish I would’ve used shade cloths in past years. They are really effective. I had to turn on my big AC unit 2 hours ago. The one in the LR is going on as soon as I finish this post. Stay cool.

 

[Acre4Me]

Our raccoon plan is to set the trap tonight. I’ve heard marshmallows are quite the treat for a raccoon. Hopefully the trap is big enough for one. If a neighbor has another trap, we will set 2.

our coop should be fairly robust. There are some areas that could do with improving, but we have done some extra security to those areas for now.

Trying to learn about electric fencing, but never having used it, I’m not finding certain pertinent info to help me understand a few things.
1. How many joules do I need for raccoons or a possible coyote or wandering dog?
2. How to turn it on and off? I can plug it in, inside the coop, as we have an outlet to use on the side closest to the fence.
3,. Dealing with gates. I have a chain link run and chain link door to the run. The door needs to open and close.
4. Braided wire? Metal wire?
Etc.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I'd love your recipe for scalloped potatoes. I love them, but haven't had them for years. Just today I was staring at my potatoes and trying to think of a different way to fix them besides mashed, baked or fried.

2 pounds potatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
9 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided
6 tablespoons butter, diced and divided
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups whole milk, or as needed
Add meat beef or pork

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Spread about 1/3 of the potato slices into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with about 1/3 of the onion slices. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons flour over the potato and onion. Arrange 2 tablespoons butter atop the flour. Season the entire layer with salt and pepper. Repeat layering twice more.
Heat milk in a saucepan until warm. Pour enough warm milk over the mixture in the baking dish so the top of the liquid is level with the final layer of potatoes.
Bake in preheated oven until potatoes are tender, 45 to 60 minutes.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners wet again I am sick of wet... pizza tonght
I make really yummy pizza

 

[igorsMistress]

Good morning gardeners. It's been a busy few days! Watered the new oleanders by hand the last couple of days but got the new end on hose so I'm trying the drip line now. I bought a couple of Plumbago @TropicalBabies and planted them near the Glads today, these are supposed to end up roughly 3 feet so that'll work and the color is so pretty! I also bought some chard, carrot seed tapes and a sprinkler for the xeriscape garden. The firebush was looking rough, wilted in the morning even though I'd watered the day before; I trimmed it back and it's looking much better now. I also cut back about half of the mass of ground cover I moved out front and the hibiscus, heather and basil are blooming. The white things I bought and planted last weekend needed trimming so I stuck some cuttings in the dirt and there's already roots on several. Will get caught up later, but here's a few snaps from today. Enjoy your day all!

 

[AllenK RGV]

I wanted to provide photos for the cacti. I have a very similar one on my property to the cutting I just received. Basically they are night blooming cacti. However, the ones I received stay open longer in the morning but are also night bloomers and have a showier flower. I need to probably just keep a camera in the car for when I go for my 6:30AM breakfast run and put a post-it reminder on the door to the outside to remember to get snaps.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Would love photos of those poor things would drown here and much too cool..
My aloe plant is in pot inside never sees outside ... Most my herbs are perrenial

 

[TropicalBabies]

Aloha gang and happy fathers day!!
Been hot and busy and have not had the time or will to write, just quick catch up reads.
Beautiful Plumbago @igorsMistress . I hope it works fabulously for you!!! I really appreciated the beautiful photos as I needed some brightening up nothing directly or tragically bad... cept we just got a bunch of new covid cases on island after doing so well for so long I know it was destine to happen with the easing of restrictions... It has ruined some travel plans and will more than likely ruin doc appointments, and all freedoms for our older (than me) population. I'm sad to know that our Auntie will lose the little freedom she enjoyed for a week or so but... like I said we were expecting this to happen... it still sucks.

Been busy hauling hay, shuffling chickens and watering. Pulled/thinned a tad more of carrots and beets, not a lot else in my garden lol. Surprise the lettuce kicked back in and the toms are struggling. I may sprinkle a little Sevin and see if the bugs will leave them alone to struggle in the heat. I don't like chemical warfare, prefer to just get varieties that are suited and work in my zone and micro climate... but am not above a smack down either.

@AllenK RGV that sure looks a lot like Dragon Fruit... though DF blooms last longer. Does it fruit? Would it be tasty? I don't grow any but it is quite popular here.

So, I know this is not along the lines of garden but we do cross talk on this tread a lot and I find it good and interesting that we do. Good we are all human and helpful.
So, here it goes...
It is getting time for me to thin my flock again. I will be picking up my chicks from my breeder friend in a few days and will most likely just sell all... ok, maybe keep a few cute ones. My 11qty- 3 week olds are cute as can be and I am not wanting to make decisions on thinning them yet, though i have a few that I will not part with and I will decide by priority...

My two 1/2 wilds... who I am very attached to but they are kind of worthless pains and they have been on my mind more than a few times these last few weeks, months, years. I just can not drop the other boot on cutting them. When they start picking on the true egg layers I almost hit the end of my patience and get ready to thin them but know they won't be great candidates to re home and the pasture may be to wild for those spoiled two. Also I don't want to hurt their little chicken feelings. I do love them a lot.... but they, beside hiding their eggs, preferring to mate with the wild roo's and constant broodiness and bringing me home mutts I have to figure out with a very full house.. now, with all of their seniority and security they are terrorizing, bullying and just not a plus... this too shall pass right? Take a deep breath and don't do anything I may regret? At least at the pasture, which all chickens love, I can see them. Ok. Thanks for listening.
K. gotta get the BBQ ready for lunches togo during the covid fathers days celebration lol.
I hope youi all have a safe and wonderful day- Aloha!