What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

grab your least favorite shovel and down where the shovel meets the wood on the handle smear a good layer of vaseline, then skip about 6 inches and put another glob all the way around the handle, these are barriers for the ants.
THEN take a big old angry scoop of ant from one nest and plop them on another, repeat around the yard. Bwahahahahahahaaaa
This might have to be repeated a couple of time for a few weeks, but it does work.

 

[WthrLady]

grab your least favorite shovel and down where the shovel meets the wood on the handle smear a good layer of vaseline, then skip about 6 inches and put another glob all the way around the handle, these are barriers for the ants.
THEN take a big old angry scoop of ant from one nest and plop them on another, repeat around the yard. Bwahahahahahahaaaa
This might have to be repeated a couple of time for a few weeks, but it does work.

Dh reminded me that you can get some really ticked off guard ants if you whack the next a couple of times before you take your scoop out.

 

[chickengr]

I have blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, rose bushes, green onions, grapes, asparagus, and a pomegranate tree in the raised beds/tire planters along the western fence. I do have some space there but I am trying to get DH to build me another raised bed to put some new raspberries I just got over there. That will pretty much fill up most of that area. However, if I put them in 5 gallon buckets, I was going to place them over along that fence so they could use the fence for support. All of these are indeterminate varieties. I could also bring them up by the house in the 5 gallon buckets and use the field fence there for support. Not sure where else to put them....

you need a lot of dirt for 5 gallon buckets. if you dig a small hole and put a good compost or manure and soft dirt your tomatoes will thrive.

 

[Elyrian1]

Wthrlady has just reminded me that if you take a shoelace and dip it in motor oil, you can tie it around bird house posts to keep the ants out. Works for hummingbird feeders too.

 

[chickengr]

Pulled more weeds and emptied the compost bin that I'm taking with me to Florida. Need to till that compost into the lower garden. The pride of Madeira is blooming. Everything loves it, bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. It's supposed to be 94 degrees Thursday and Friday. In any given July we might not hit 94! Such weird weather. Stone fruit is starting to set. I thinned the peaches but have just a few apricots this year - this tree has bloomed but not set fruit in the two years I've had it - but I won't be around to taste them.View attachment 3051029View attachment 3051028

after looooong winter apricot trees here have just got light green leaves - very unusual for this climate. they say this summer is going to be brutal. I wonder if we shall grow anything this year.

 

[chickengr]

Did I mention how much I HATE fire ants? They seem to have taken up residence in just about every single raised bed I have....

put some baking powder and they will disappear.

 

[chickengr]

Wthrlady has just reminded me that if you take a shoelace and dip it in motor oil, you can tie it around bird house posts to keep the ants out. Works for hummingbird feeders too.

I might try it on my almond tree.

 

[karenerwin]

@Sueby sorry it took me so long to post this information about canning chicken.

 

[karenerwin]

Yes... Or maybe I'll just try to give away the extras? Surely someone around here might want them.

Do you have a local food pantry? Maybe see if they could give them to a client to plant at their house and provide them with a little food of their own.

 

[karenerwin]

Planted out the potatoes and onions ( but not near each other) at the farm garden. Also planted 11 blackberry starts out there too. I plan to plant spinach, kale, turnips and sugar snap peas in my raised bed tomorrow. Also going to haul buckets and bags of compost from my house out to the farm garden.
Also need to line the lower portions of the chicken fence ( cattle panels) with smaller spaced fencing to help keep out unwanted visitors from the chicken yards.