What did you do in the garden today?

[Kenzelton the 3rd]

Hey so as of today I’ve planted 8 more zucchini plants because you can never have too much, right? I saved a strawberry plant from Lowe’s Wednesday and it now has a second full leaf, so that’s a nice sight. Lastly, I found out I have a horde of blister beetles that’s moved in, it’s my third round of bugs. I have had a cabbage looper infestation that did a number on my lettuce, grasshoppers who killed a few of my peanuts, and now beetles. Fortunately so far they only got a marigold plant and I’ve got neem oil... hopefully I can keep them from my cherry tomatoes? Was worried they were cucumber beetles so I guess I’ll take these instead.

 

[NightingaleJen]

Thanks for the well wishes. My mom is going to be fine, she and I decided that already! I do have an actual dehydrator. It has 6 trays, but can take up to 9 I think, and temperature control. I've had it for a long time, ten years I think, and use it a lot. As for staying in the a/c you know it! It's been around 110 this week and that's just nasty!

Glad to hear your mom is optimistic—that counts for a lot! But I'll keep you both in prayer anyhow.

The dehydrator sounds fabulous. Have had one on our wishlist for a while...one of these days! And I can't knock the AC. Especially when it is 110! Ick! Not enough snow cones around for that...

@WthrLady Sounds like a busy and productive day.

What do you (all) feed your tomatoes? Mostly I'm old-school, crushed eggshells and emulsified fish and the like—things I learned from my grandfather and mother (though they seem to work well). Still, we can always learn...!

@Kenzelton the 3rd Sorry to hear about all the bugs! Not sure how to keep them off your cherry tomatoes.

 

[Kenzelton the 3rd]

I’ve got some bug netting I can wrap them in.

 

[WthrLady]

Glad to hear your mom is optimistic—that counts for a lot! But I'll keep you both in prayer anyhow.

The dehydrator sounds fabulous. Have had one on our wishlist for a while...one of these days! And I can't knock the AC. Especially when it is 110! Ick! Not enough snow cones around for that...

@WthrLady Sounds like a busy and productive day.

What do you (all) feed your tomatoes? Mostly I'm old-school, crushed eggshells and emulsified fish and the like—things I learned from my grandfather and mother (though they seem to work well). Still, we can always learn...!

@Kenzelton the 3rd Sorry to hear about all the bugs! Not sure how to keep them off your cherry tomatoes.

epsom salts, calcium (egg shells), crushed aprin, bone meal once or twice a month - depending on rainfall
I prepped the soil with alpaca manure in the spring and top dress/mulch with grass clippings.
I'll also spray them after each good pruning with baby asprin mixed with water.

 

[jerryse]

Should I put a bee box up ? have some every now and then ?

Only if you want to be a beekeeper .

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

epsom salts, calcium (egg shells), crushed aprin, bone meal once or twice a month - depending on rainfall
I prepped the soil with alpaca manure in the spring and top dress/mulch with grass clippings.
I'll also spray them after each good pruning with baby asprin mixed with water.

What does aspirin do in the garden?

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. It's nice to have you back to active posting @jerryse. You've been missed. Well, another dry day yesterday. There were a few sprinkles but nothing lasting long enough to moisten anything. Apparently most of the good rain stayed way south of me. So @Sueby, did you steal my rain? LOL! I did my walk around the garden a little while ago and am pretty sure there was a light shower overnight. Definitely a little wet except for under the trees. Hopefully today we'll see some beneficial rain. I mowed the backyard yesterday before lunch, so today I plan on doing some weeding. I pulled 3 carrots this morning. These are Danvers Half Longs and not supposed to get all that big. These were about 6 to 7 inches long. Not bad. I don't expect a big harvest of carrots, I plant them because they are beneficial to the plants around them. I usually plant marigolds as well as basil and radishes to help with the main vegetable plants, but this year I only got the radishes, carrots and basil in the ground. I could still try putting in some marigold seed. I don't have much of a problem with bugs in my garden. I welcome birds to help with the pest control. These darling little House Wrens consume a lot of bugs and frequent the garden along with Robins and Mockingbirds. I took a good look at my summer squash plants and there are 4 small zucchinis starting to develop and one little crook neck squash. There are plenty of flowers, so hopefully I will have something besides peas, carrots and lettuce for my table. New potatoes could be coming soon, yum! Two pictures for the day: fig buds and one of my little okra plants. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Sueby]

Morning gardeners!

@Wee Farmer Sarah I did steal your rain! Sorry! Rain gauge says we got just under a half an inch, hoping for some more today. Your fig looks happy!

Productive morning. Got my mean girls fenced off area set up much more workable for me this am, super happy about that. I'm still debating a tarp to block her off so she can't see the others, not sure if it'll help or hurt. I've been noticing one of the pullets, Green, working her way up the pecking order, I'm hoping she'll take top hen & one day I can try & put mean girl back in & Green will put her in her place. Yes, I call my chickens their zip tie color, lol. Probably all wishful thinking & we'll have to cull her anyway.

I have lots of squash on the plants, excited for that. Going to keep hand pollinating them anyway, though it's probably unnecessary - the flowers are full of little bugs & ants all the time. Can't believe my lettuce hasn't bolted yet, the shade cloth has helped so much! The dill is finally growing, I didn't think it was going to make it.

Looking into doing some type of drip line in my beds for next year. I don't really want the little ports or sprinklers (or whatever you call the little heads that drip water), I saw a drip line tube that works kind of like a soaker hose - now I want that. I could just run 3 lines directly down the length of the 4 beds. & another 3 lines down the other 4 beds. Anyway, research this year, project for next spring.

Alrightie, have a great day everyone!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I knew it. You did steal my rain @Sueby. I just finished weeding 2 of my garden beds. The humidity has jumped up a lot and as soon as I can stop sweating I’ll start a load of laundry. I’m hoping for real rain today so aside from chicken tending chores I think I’ll spend as much time as I can with my fans. Darn, you’d think they would come up with a fan emoji.

 

[WthrLady]

What does aspirin do in the garden?

In the hole it stimulates root growth. When mixed with water and sprayed on the tomato plants, it slightly triggers the plants immune response, so it up's it's game. Wounds heal faster, I get stronger branches, less disease, flavor increases. It's like getting a flu shot or allergy shot in small doses for the plant.