What did you do in the garden today?

[jerryse]

Here is a funny story about the walking onions . When I was young and first married I gardened on my parents lot . I like storage onions . Love cooked onion but not green onions . Dad loved green onions and could wipe out my entire planting . So one year I planted a row of the top sets of the walking onions . As expected Dad hit them hard . Eventually they got strong = hot . He finally said what kind of onion did you plant . They are hot . I told him what they were .

 

[Sally PB]

I haven't found anything that deters them. I'm all ears tho.

Getting back to this after everyone else answered, but...

I've had good luck with marigolds helping deter pest from tomatoes. I had trouble a couple years ago with soldier bugs, and the marigolds helped with that last year, a lot. Last year, I saw VERY few hornworms too. I don't know if it's because of the marigolds, but I'm planting a lot of marigolds around the perimeter of my garden.

Re: Butternut squash: I love that you get A LOT of squash in each one. If I have a bunch to process at one time, I don't feel bad at all just using the neck and then tossing the seed cavities to the chickens.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

About those hornworms for anybody that's interested, go out at night with a black light and the suckers glow. You can pick them off, throw them in a jar, and give the chickens a treat in the morning!

Thank you! It’s so hard to find them in a large planting. All this talk about them gave me a nightmare about them!

 

[Acre4Me]

Robin Update:

getting bigger and hungrier!

Still 4 chicks!

 

[jerryse]

Thank you! It’s so hard to find them in a large planting. All this talk about them gave me a nightmare about them!

Spinx moth - humming bird moth is the adult form of the hornworm .

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Still no sign of corn yet, fingers crossed. I thinned the curly kale yesterday. The plants were about 4 inches high and I picked a total 1/4 washed and cleaned greens. I also thinned the arugula and the greens combined with a little romaine lettuce on hand and home grown radishes made a nice salad for last nights dinner. I still have more greens left. The kale seems to have grown taller already. I added dirt to the potatoes yesterday and watered them this morning. The first row of carrots are doing quite well so far after the last thinning. I need to set up some shade cloth to shield the lettuce and arugula from the sunny 90F temps over the next few days. I be making a run to HD this morning and pick up additional supplies for putting together the new grow out pen. The new chicks are supposed to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday so I need to set up the brooder and have that ready. The sunroom is cleaner, only houseplants remain. I still need to dust some more and scrub the floors. But at least it doesn't look like a green house now. Love the baby bird photos @Acre4Me. As for tomato hornworm, never had much of a problem with it. Only have found just a very few over the past several years and three of those were covered with the parasites that destroy them. I still need to get my marigolds in the ground. Always something.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Still no sign of corn yet, fingers crossed. I thinned the curly kale yesterday. The plants were about 4 inches high and I picked a total 1/4 pound of washed and cleaned greens. I also thinned the arugula and the greens combined with a little romaine lettuce on hand and home grown radishes made a nice salad for last nights dinner. I still have more greens left. The kale seems to have grown taller already. I added dirt to the potatoes yesterday and watered them this morning. The first row of carrots are doing quite well so far after the last thinning. I need to set up some shade cloth to shield the lettuce and arugula from the sunny 90F temps over the next few days. I be making a run to HD this morning and pick up additional supplies for putting together the new grow out pen. The new chicks are supposed to arrive on Wednesday or Thursday so I need to set up the brooder and have that ready. The sunroom is cleaner, only houseplants remain. I still need to dust some more and scrub the floors. But at least it doesn't look like a green house now. Love the baby bird photos @Acre4Me. As for tomato hornworm, never had much of a problem with it. Only have found just a very few over the past several years and three of those were covered with the parasites that destroy them. I still need to get my marigolds in the ground. Always something.

 

[WthrLady]

About those hornworms for anybody that's interested, go out at night with a black light and the suckers glow. You can pick them off, throw them in a jar, and give the chickens a treat in the morning!

Yup. We do that too. Well not the chicken part. Mine don't like them, but the barn swallows sure do!

 

[chickengr]

This is my fear now... I waited to plant beans until corn sprouted. Right after planting beans that drake of ours got into the corn sprouts. I replanted some of the corn and protected the area form the drake. I was not expecting the beans to sprout so quickly, and the corn being damaged by the drake didn't help. I may need to pop a few canes in the mounds. I'll see what things look like over the next few days. But being out of down next week, I better make a decision before the weekend is over. I don't have any poles or canes laying around right now either, so I'll need to spend more money on the garden if I decide they're needed.

I have no experience with 3 sisters but I have read a lot. they say to plant corn first. when it is at least 6+ in tall then to put 2 beans/corn. you planted to many.

 

[WthrLady]

Boston Marrow is a good one . Was the standard for baby food . Replaced by a cross of Boston Marrow called Golden Delicious . A canning factory in MN used it for canned pumpkin . It had a huge following . Factory closed about 4 years ago . Fans scrambled to buy up the last cans . I have grown it . Very best pies and excellent used like butternut .

That's the way cushaw is. YUM!