What did you do in the garden today?

[Sooner Magnolia]

@TJAnonymous I'm so sorry for your broody issues! I candled mine this morning in a hot, not too dark metal shed. I didn't see much detail on day 8, but they all seemed to look about the same. I didn't see any blood rings or smell anything bad, so I let them all stay. I wonder if you have one, if it might be better to put broody number 4 in something like a dog crate you can lock since your girls play musical nesting boxes so much and she might have a staggered hatch and need to stick close to the nest for a few days. Just my 2cents.

 

[CRmuscovy]

I planted ground cover in my ducklings future yard down at the ponds. They are currently living in my old chicken coop. I also, pulled up a tub I sunk in the ground for the ducklings, but they wouldn't go near it. They are very content sitting in the muddy grass with the hose running. Don't worry, I am not wasting water, it is from a free flowing creek. I am very curious what you all have planted for the ducks.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Question: I'm getting blossom end rot on my yellow squash. I see that it probably needs calcium as a foliar spray and then probably a fertilizer without too much nitrogen. I have some calcium tablets. Could I crush them and add to water to spray on the plant?

Also have some squash plants that seem to have only male flowers. What's up with that?

 

[Elyrian1]

Question: I'm getting blossom end rot on my yellow squash. I see that it probably needs calcium as a foliar spray and then probably a fertilizer without too much nitrogen. I have some calcium tablets. Could I crush them and add to water to spray on the plant?

Also have some squash plants that seem to have only male flowers. What's up with that?

Don't know about the calcium tablets... but I don't see why not. Scientifically speaking, it would make sense so long as you can control the amount to your preference.

Others a few pages back were having the same problem with only one type of flower showing up first. After a day or two, it seems most resolved.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Don't know about the calcium tablets... but I don't see why not. Scientifically speaking, it would make sense so long as you can control the amount to your preference.

Others a few pages back were having the same problem with only one type of flower showing up first. After a day or two, it seems most resolved.

Thanks. However, I've been seeing male flowers only since before they posted about only female. Ugh!

 

[Acre4Me]

Question: I'm getting blossom end rot on my yellow squash. I see that it probably needs calcium as a foliar spray and then probably a fertilizer without too much nitrogen. I have some calcium tablets. Could I crush them and add to water to spray on the plant?

Also have some squash plants that seem to have only male flowers. What's up with that?

I haven't had blossom end rot on my squash. However, I did with my tomatoes, despite adding bone meal and egg shells (a few). So, we added gypsum to the soil, now soil analysis lists calcium quite high and I don't have blossom end rot. Gypsum does not change the pH of the soil. You can also amend with Lime, but lime will raise soil pH - sometimes what you want, sometimes not.

I spoke with a farmer/owner of a feed store. He will add liquid calcium (pretty sure its a powder added to water), after a heavy rain bc he believes that the tomatoes cannot access the calcium after a heavy rain, so he believes in supplementing that way - I'm not saying that is what I would do, but he cornered me one afternoon when I was in there, and was talking quite a bit about this (must have been a slow day). So, the above is my takeaway from his 30 min dissertation on calcium supplementation on his tomatoes.

Squash is funny bc they seem imbalanced at first - only M or F flowers on the plants. Of course, if you have 2 squash plants - and one has M and another has F, now you can hand pollinate the female flowers if you are not sure the bees will do their thing that day.

 

[Acre4Me]

Confession:

I have Strawberry envy.

My neighbor 2 doors down, planted strawberries in 2020 (same as me). So, this year is the first real haul. I have 2 types of strawberries (I'll need to look them up for the name). He has a June bearing "Flavor Fest" I recall him telling me.

My strawberries are very bland compared to his. His are really full of very good flavor. Ours are Ok - still nice to have very fresh strawberries. But, Now I think I'll be planning strawberry bed #2 for next year to start new strawberry plants. Keep what we have in 2022 so we can get fresh strawberries while the new bed is growing and establishing. Hmmm...now to figure out if I want ever bearing or June bearing (for jam and freezing).

 

[Sally PB]

Also have some squash plants that seem to have only male flowers. What's up with that?

I see that on my butternut every year. For like about a week. I worry every year, but then the girls come to the party too.

 

[Acre4Me]

Dang, time to make liver and onions again, it's been a while.

Thanks for the recipe. Nice to hear from someone that enjoys liver! I have no idea if I will like it or not.

Once I was taking a culinary class. We cooked sweetbreads. I ate some and they were good. Not that I've ever made them again, and have no idea where I would buy them, but at least I know I could eat them.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Confession:

I have Strawberry envy.

My neighbor 2 doors down, planted strawberries in 2020 (same as me). So, this year is the first real haul. I have 2 types of strawberries (I'll need to look them up for the name). He has a June bearing "Flavor Fest" I recall him telling me.

My strawberries are very bland compared to his. His are really full of very good flavor. Ours are Ok - still nice to have very fresh strawberries. But, Now I think I'll be planning strawberry bed #2 for next year to start new strawberry plants. Keep what we have in 2022 so we can get fresh strawberries while the new bed is growing and establishing. Hmmm...now to figure out if I want ever bearing or June bearing (for jam and freezing).

Sounds like you need a runner from your neighbor