What did you do in the garden today?

[Sally PB]

The sun came out, so I decided to go weed a bit. Got farther than I had planned. That's always a good feeling.

In the heavy soil garden, I can see it's going to be a maintenance battle with weeds. I'm just going to have to keep knocking 'em down.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I bought 1/2 flat of strawberries and pound of bing cherries have a strawberry cobbler in the oven

 

[NewBoots]

I had a gooseberry turn red today so I ate it, it didn't taste anything like I thought it would. Didn't taste like much really.

Was it slightly soft? If not it was probably not really ripe yet. Not that I'm and expert, I just started mine last year and only got a few fruit then. But I couldn't stop tasting them and they did have flavor but were very tart.

I bought 1/2 flat of strawberries and pound of bing cherries have a strawberry cobbler in the oven

I would love some of that so very much!

Saw to critters and watered this morning then went into town and got a bbq and the stuff for about 100' of drip line. I'll start work on the drip line tomorrow. Going to have to start getting up earlier so I can get more done before it gets too warm.

 

[oldhen2345]

I keep telling myself "I'll weed this evening when it cools down...." Then evening comes and it's "I'll weed at dawn when it's cooler.... So goes the cycle. News flash - it's the Deep South. It won't be cooler until November.

Boy, do I hear ya.

 

[Acre4Me]

Tonight, I found a potato beetle on my potatoes…. It was caught and squished quickly. Now I must be vigilant and do some regular inspections of the plants.

 

[Sueby]

Was it slightly soft? If not it was probably not really ripe yet. Not that I'm and expert, I just started mine last year and only got a few fruit then. But I couldn't stop tasting them and they did have flavor but were very tart.

It was soft, almost mushy soft, I didn't like the texture. That's what everyone said, tart & it wasn't tart at all. But then again I LIKE rhubarb without sugar. I had read that you can harvest them early/before ripe & they have more pectin for canning so I was thinking of just pulling them all & throwing them in the jam - they weren't tasty enough for me to pick & eat like I do with the blueberries.

Maybe I just got a bad one. An old BF of mine - the very first pistachio he ever ate was rancid so he spent half his life hating pistachios, he never understood why people would eat them. Then he tried them again & it all made sense. Maybe that was my first gooseberry story & I should try another.

 

[Acre4Me]

Good morning. Hot and muggy today.

one more potato beetle found in the farthest patch. They are from the neighbor 2 houses away. He had them terribly last year. Wasn’t going to plant any potatoes this year, but found some leftover from last year. So those got planted snd grew. His way of dealing with them (as they devour his plants) is to flick them off - which is like doing nothing.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Best of luck with the cataract surgery @igorsMistress. Happy Father's Day to all the Dads and Happy Summer Solstice! The garden is coming along. Yesterday I worked on fertilizing and putting straw down on a lot of the garden beds. I picked the last 3 heads of Romaine. The heads were starting to look a little loose like they were getting ready to bolt. They will last for two weeks in the refrigerator if they aren't consumed by then. There are a few more lima bean plants coming up and the pole/ green beans in the corn patch have started to come up. I was concerned about the okra plants being slow so I planted some seeds over a week ago. Well, they are coming up and looking strong. (BTW: the okra plants are looking better now) I am beginning to like direct seeding more than the grueling starting seeds indoors I may do more direct seeding next year. The butternut squash I direct seeded is coming up strong and doing so much better than the summer squash. A second red potato plant is blooming now and knock on wood - no signs of bugs yet. DD discovered a wasp nest in one of the bird houses this morning. I found out that wasps do have a purpose in the garden, they eat a lot of bad bugs like aphids, whiteflies and gnats. So I can live with that. We have 2 more days of higher than normal temps before we go back to the cooler, normal temperatures. So I'm hoping to get some time to get the coop building completed and move the littles out of the house. They are really into the "pig" stage right now, but they are not fully feathered yet, just 3 weeks old. Soon, very soon....

 

[Sueby]

@Wee Farmer Sarah I know it's a wasp that lays eggs on the hornworms & then when they hatch they eat the hornworm. Gross, but nature at it's best!

Took some pics.
First squash of the season, will be dinner :


Beautiful purple bush beans:


Tiny cucumbers, can't wait for them! For the first time in a couple years the plants look good. *knockonwood*


The butterfly weed is flowering, such pretty colors:


Shallots bulbs have divided & are getting huge:

Onions are poking out of the ground:

 

[Sally PB]

Tonight, I found a potato beetle on my potatoes…. It was caught and squished quickly. Now I must be vigilant and do some regular inspections of the plants.

I've been seeing the eggs and maggots for potato beetles on the wild ground cherries near the garden. They don't live long after I see them. Wish I could get rid of the ground cherries; yeah, the fruit is supposed to be edible, but the plant attract potato beetles, which outweighs any idea of "free" fruit for me.

My potato plants are looking good. I had 3 out of 72 NOT come up. I added 4 plants from seed, and had at least 6 volunteers from last year. I really wasn't expecting so many seed potatoes to grow. I've never had so many.

When they are flowering, I plan to dig the over crowded plants up. I've never dug any summer potatoes, because I wanted them all in the fall. Last year's harvest was the best ever. This year could blow that record away.