What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. It warmed up to mid 70's yesterday. Got all 3 AC units out of the windows and stored for the winter. The highs today only around 60F. As I'm sure I have mentioned before, getting an accurate forecast for my specific area is difficult. I have an app on my phone that is somewhat accurate and the lows over the next 3 to 4 nights keep bouncing around. Since my poblanos and my okra are in containers I'll let them remain one more night. The butternut squash should be fine if we do have a light frost and the garden bed they are in is raised so I'm hoping for the best with them. Considering the bugs and the frequent heat waves this summer, it hasn't been such a bad harvest. I have several pounds of green beans, sweet peas. okra and peppers in the freezer. I also have my canned tomatoes and salsa, peach preserves and a few jars of pickles. The most disappointing things were the cucumbers, cabbage and leeks. However, I'm letting the leeks go into next Spring to see what happens with them. I'm running low on jars and lids but I do think I have enough to can the grape jam and apples. I can't complain. When I'm cleaning and snapping my beans @Sueby and @Compost King I toss anything with a hole in it into the compost container. The only thing worse than finding a worm in your produce is a half of a worm. Ick! Non poisonous snakes do not bother me as long they stay out of the chicken coop. Years (many, many) ago I was reaching into the nest box and before I could grab the eggs a Cotton Mouth snake raised his head to say good morning. THAT bothered me. I know basically nothing about carnivorous plants, I have enough issues to give me nightmares. A meat eating plant concerns me, like what do they eat when they run out of flies? I don't want to go there. I'm glad your daughter made it through Sally and got a 5 day weekend out it @Acre4Me. OMG @igorsMistress, that little Nn is adorable. I'm pretty sure my third little golden girl, Brassy is laying eggs. For the past couple of days I've been getting a much smaller and rounder egg. Vey cute. The old hens have let up on the littles so there is now peace in the hen house. Back to prepping for winter. Have a great day everyone.

 

[Acre4Me]

A meat eating plant concerns me, like what do they eat when they run out of flies?

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners, We have rain today .. They have called for that for days it finally is here... Maybe the smoke will leave the area arthritis is full bloom

 

[NewBoots]

A meat eating plant concerns me, like what do they eat when they run out of flies? I don't want to go there.

They're fun plants really. The huge family of pitcher plants look like something from a science fiction movie and the flowers even more so. These picture aren't ours, they're from an awesome nursery not far from Portland.

The venus fly traps have those fringed leaves that have (usually) a three haired trigger mechanism that close on anything that trips three hairs in a short time. They're just soft leaves so anything strong enough just ignores them. They have a very pretty delicate simple flower. The sundews are the ones that invented sticky traps. We put them in the kitchen when we get a bloom of fruit flies in the house. They also have pretty flowers and bloom like crazy, and the ones we have are very easy to propagate. That's the three main families and I've simplified the heck out of them. The US has a surprising number of them and we grow nearly all of ours outside year round.

Years (many, many) ago I was reaching into the nest box and before I could grab the eggs a Cotton Mouth snake raised his head to say good morning. THAT bothered me.

OMG I love snakes and that would have freaked me out.

It's raining this morning! I'm hoping it keeps up long enough to do some real good. It's already improved the air quality up in Portland from what I hear so that's good at least. Hopefully it'll help the fires and the firefighters.

No real plans for today, I have enough ripe tomatoes to add to the frozen ones to make another batch of sauce for canning. I think I'll save enough sauce aside to make a pot of spaghetti, it's been months since I've made any. I can try out the super mild Italian sausage I mixed up.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Even with just gartner snakes here I shine light in my nest boxes before my hand goes in

 

[Compost King]

Years (many, many) ago I was reaching into the nest box and before I could grab the eggs a Cotton Mouth snake raised his head to say good morning.

I hate snakes, I keep outdoor cats to keep the rodent population down as it also keeps the snake population down. Sadly my mouser died and all the other cat loving people moved out of the neighborhood. Just 1 cat left, my female who doesn't kill anything. Worried I might meet up with a copperhead trying to collect eggs.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I hate snakes, I keep outdoor cats to keep the rodent population down as it also keeps the snake population down. Sadly my mouser died and all the other cat loving people moved out of the neighborhood. Just 1 cat left, my female who doesn't kill anything. Worried I might meet up with a copperhead trying to collect eggs.

I’m allergic to cats, so this is just another reason my best friend is hardware cloth.

 

[Compost King]

I said in mid summer I would never grow Okra again because it took up too much room and did not produce enough food to warrant the time and space it uses. I am changing my mind, The Okra plants are the best producers now. It takes them a while to get going but when they do they produce heavy as other plants start to die off.

Okra Leaves are a favorite of rabbits.

Beans still drying on the vine

Only a couple of Jalapeños left from that first wave. a 2nd wave formed that I may pick green because there is a quite a time period between the 2 waves. I want to get them harvested and trimmed up for greenhouse regeneration.

All gardens start here, with the soil. I am shoveling out a chicken run right now. I have many of these runs so I am always shoveling them out. about 18 months of compostable carbon has been thrown in this run... scratched up, broken down and many high nitrogen bird pellets dropped in too. Its already soil for the most part but I put it through the 6 month pile process anyways. I am reading that growing in 100% compost is not the best thing to do even though I have excellent results doing that. I am starting to believe the chickens scratching it up and breaking it down faster before I actually compost it in a pile is why I am getting away in growing in 100% compost.

3 CX (used for breeding) feeding off a compost pile. I ration feed them but today I cleaned out a Serama cage/brooder and there is a lot of high nitrogen spilt feed in there so today they get no feed ration. But they are getting exercise. They are somewhere between 13 and 14 weeks.

 

[Eggscaping]

Thanks!

So then. Venus flytraps CAN be kept indoors but are much happier outside. Mine stay outside all year long. We're in Oregon where it's not horribly cold in the winter, but mine had survived freezing temperatures for SHORT periods of time in Portland before we moved further south. If you want to keep yours in (and I'd still recommend putting them outside during the summer ) then you need to provide as much sunlight as possible. If they aren't used to any sun, start them slow so they don't burn, but once accustomed they sit outside in full sun all day happily eating bugs. Just make sure they are ALWAYS in water. They are a bog plant and want their feet wet. The wetter the better. Do not feed them anything that isn't an insect. I will catch earwigs for mine if they look like they need a boost. You hold the bug by tweezers, and gently touch it to the hairs on the inside of the traps. Two separate hairs have to be touched within a short period of time...that prevents the fly trap from closing on things like rain drops, and expending energy that they will then have to replace.
There is a type of flytrap called "Red Dragon", too. The leaves are scarlet and very pretty. If you get your plant happy enough to bloom, you will probably want to snip the blooms off, as the plant probably won't produce viable seed and take energy from the plant.
If you feel the need to repot, after a few years' growth, either buy a specific type of potting mix intended for carnivorous plants, or mix peat, sand, and perlite together.
If you have any specific questions, ask...I adore all my carnivorous plants and they do very well for me. Here are some pictures:

 

[pennyJo1960]

I am mildy allergic to cats hair in face causes a real bad reaction needless to say I keep the door to the master bedroom closed