What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

I experimented with a hornworm with wasp eggs on it last year - it literally stopped moving within a day or 2 of the eggs being laid. It stayed around for weeks, not moving, but all ugly covered in eggs. I felt cruel, but I got over it. So, then I googled it & it seems that the eggs only take 1-3 days to hatch. That doesn't leave the hornworm much time to do any real damage. At least not in my observation anyway. & I can't remember where I read it, but I think it was a USDA site.

My chickens won't eat JBs but man do they love hornworms!

 

[NewBoots]

@NewBoots I've been wondering where you were! My aunt & cousin were just out here from OR & I keep telling them if it weren't for DH I'd move out there in a half a second! I love the pine trees, waterfalls & cool weather. I just love it out there - I could so live there in a heart beat.

Wish you could! We had our get together last night on our big front porch and you could have come and got to know our neighbors. And now it looks like we're going to start having game nights here. Work on convincing DH to move out here.

And it also turns out the surprise “fennel” I was talking about in my last post on here are my carrots that I planted and forgot about. But yay the carrots are growing!

Carrots seem to be good at that, so slow to get going you forget they're there.

Then what do you know, my sister tested positive for covid two days later, after testing negative the day we got home. Now I have it too, sore throat Saturday and positive test yesterday.

Hope everyone recovers quickly. And I loved hearing about your Mom's art studio, what an excellent use of the space, sounds like a great spot to drink coffee in the morning too.

We cleared all around the chicken yard, piled up wood chips, and made a rock garden. Hacked out some old rusty farm implements from the blackberry jungle that were here when we bought the place, and finally put them to use as "yard art."

All the work you you've done really shows, looks like a nice place to just sit in the garden and enjoy the garden and watch your chickens.

Last but not least, harvested enough Swiss chard for dinner. I like to sauté onion & peppers in olive oil, add the chard & a can of beans, and top with some cayenne & paprika!

That sounds delicious!

It rained last night! Probably only a quarter inch or so but that's better than nothing and rinses off the leaves. Lots of zucchinis forming on the vines so it'll be fritter time soon! The cucumbers are just starting to climb and I see the tiny first cucumbers forming. One of my amber-links has gone broody and stopped laying (I thought that production type of bird never went broody) so I'll have to get out the broody breaker cage out. I tried just shoving her butt out of the nest but it's been 4 days now and she's still wacky. She yells and charges out like a WW2 bomber coming in hot on a wing and a prayer every time she leaves the box, it's pretty funny actually. Here's a couple of pictures of DP's water feature:

The top left barrel will be the bog filter, the right tank will be for the carnivorous plants and the bottom center pond will be floating plants and a few mosquito fish. Then assorted potted plants will be sitting on the red rock around the whole thing and help disguise the cord and tubing.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

No mowing today. We’ve been getting light showers since lunch. Although the potted plants in the front yard aren’t getting much at all. I’ll definitely have to water tomorrow. My cucumbers are not growing all that well. DD will be planting some for me in her garden in a few days. I really don’t like making pickles with anything but my organic cukes. So hopefully she’ll be able to get them growing. Her garden is doing well. She’s already harvested her first radishes and cherry tomatoes. My summer squash are perking up and they look like they’re developing flowers. I wish you a speedy recovery from this bout with Covid @littledog. I’m sitting with the chickens now while they dust bathe. The white CW’s are a little gray right now.

 

[NewBoots]

Meant to add, the littles have stopped making chick peeps and started clucking like grown up girls. We aren't letting them out to range with the big girls yet, they're still hawk sized meals. But when the big girls do go out the littles and the tinies (still making chick peeping) take over the outside run and party on!

 

[Sally PB]

The JB traps: using a “Natural” one bc the main brand was out. And using one Spectracide one. Both are lure types with bag underneath. Spectracide is working better, but both doing a decent job, and location might be playing a role. None are near each other. But all these traps have caught ALOT.

Do you feed them to the chickens? All but one of my girls will chow down on JBs.

I pulled a couple more buckets of weeds today. We got about 1/4" of rain last night, so the weeds pull MUCH easier. I didn't get enough weeded, but it was time to go bug hunting, so I stopped.

I think I'm going to be pulling my garlic soon. Not sure what to plant in that bed, since it'll be empty until end of October/beginning of November when I plant more garlic there. Beans are out, because they don't get along with alliums. Kale maybe? Since it can handle some frost, it could stay until I need the bed again for garlic.

 

[Iluveggers]

@NewBoots Everything looks awesome!

Not sure what to plant in that bed, since it'll be empty until end of October/beginning of November when I plant more garlic there. Beans are out, because they don't get along with alliums. Kale maybe? Since it can handle some frost, it could stay until I need the bed again for garlic.

I am planting kale, collards & rutabaga in my garlic row. Maybe some turnips too!

 

[CNJ]

I am trying cooked egg yolk, sugar, boric acid and a little water for ant bait. I saw it on a YouTube video. The host used 2 egg yolk, 1tsp boric acid and 1tsp honey with the idea not to make it too strong with boric acid because he doesn't want the ants to die right away, he want the ants to carry it back to the queen ant to kill the colony. He pointed out that the ants can smell the egg yolk. I will do a search to see if ants can smell?

Oh, my search say they can smell food....................so this ant bait should be irresistible to them.

 

[Iluveggers]

I am trying cooked egg yolk, sugar, boric acid and a little water for ant bait. I saw it on a YouTube video. The host used 2 egg yolk, 1tsp boric acid and 1tsp honey with the idea not to make it too strong with boric acid because he doesn't want the ants to die right away, he want the ants to carry it back to the queen ant to kill the colony. He pointed out that the ants can smell the egg yolk. I will do a search to see if ants can smell?

You can search up boric acid and sugar. Much easier than a big concoction. I used this and 24 hours later I saw no ants

 

[CNJ]

You can search up boric acid and sugar. Much easier than a big concoction. I used this and 24 hours later I saw no ants

I have been using boric acid and sugar, but still see them around. This egg yolk idea claim they will be gone................................

 

[Iluveggers]

I have been using boric acid and sugar, but still see them around. This egg yolk idea claim they will be gone................................

keep us posted! I had a colony of ants that took down 2 Brussels sprout plants and a kale plant last year. Ate it at the root until it died. After the borax & sugar the problem went away.