What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

I love Baker Creek. They are one of the three I order from every year. The other two are Seed Savers Exchange and Sow True Seed.

After a not-good experience with Gurneys, I'm done with them.

Music (hardneck) is the variety of garlic I've grown for three years now. I got the original cloves to start from a local farmer's market, and haven't had to buy any since. Eat the little cloves, plant the big ones. But since Music grows only 4-5 cloves per bulb, they're ALL big cloves!

This is the first year I had duds from BC.

 

[WthrLady]

I'm confused, lol. I said we got 3 chipmunks & you asked for a link to the traps. We did get a mouse, & 3 chippys. But they are rat/chipmunk traps. If you're looking for something bigger I'd say a have a heart & bait it with something tasty & then off whatever you catch (drown or shoot). But you do have to be careful what you trap or at least know your laws, here in CT there are laws & hunting seasons for everything from squirrels to rabbits to groundhogs & everything in between. We don't necessarily have a nuisance law, but generally it's ok if you contact DEEP & tell them you've lost livestock to, say, a bobcat - then they'll let you shoot it. I don't think squirrels would qualify for that here. Do you have any idea what you're dealing with?

We use electric/battery powered rat traps for the chipmunks and ground squirrels and voles. No escaping them and just stealing the bait.

 

[esturtz27]

Local yarn? Try owning alpacas and having it literally walking around!!! "Don't roll in the mud! ANGUS! You're making my future sweaters all dirty!"

that's so brilliant.. tell Angus to chill with that mud!

 

[TJAnonymous]

Today is not turning out as expected... Electric Co showed up to do an inspection on the new solar panel system. That wasn't supposed to be until Aug 2nd but I'm all down for turning it on early! Threw the disconnect and breakers on....no lights. No lights = BAD. I immediately called the installer. After 3-4 phone calls, I finally reached them... It was "oh, we forgot to do this ONE thing...." and then they got here cause it was only going to take 5 minutes and that one thing became 2 things....etc. It is supposedly operational now but the meter isn't showing any communication or net metering. They came back and said it can take up to 30 minutes to start working fully... If it's not working by 1:30 (an hour and a half after it was turned on), then I'm going to be hostile.

Oh, and the mystery of the missing duckling is solved. I found the poor thing dead (obviously) and squashed in the corner of the playhouse where mama has her nest. No clue what happened or how it died, but that rules out a predation. Right now I have 2 theories - 1) one of the game hens or chickens pecked it to death...although you'd think mama would have defended it (?), or 2) I noticed mama duck never left the nest since it was hatched. I don't think the poor thing ever ate or drank. I did bring a waterer out there to the playhouse AND I put chick starter out there but I don't think mama duck ever showed the baby how to eat it. I never saw it eat or drink anyway...so I'm wondering if it died from neglect?

 

[jerryse]

I just noticed that all of my stuff is hybrids except for the Green Striped Cushaw. So, I guess it won't work to save seed.

Cushaw is in the cucrbita mixta group . I can not think of anything else in that group . I checked a seed saver book and there really is nothing else but cushaw types . So you are safe to save open pollinated seed .

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Cushaw is in the cucrbita mixta group . I can not think of anything else in that group . I checked a seed saver book and there really is nothing else but cushaw types . So you are safe to save open pollinated seed .

Thank you!

 

[jerryse]

So here is a confusing fact . Four main squash groups and something called a pumpkin in each . So if you chose one from each group you would have 4 pumpkins that could not cross with each other .

 

[Wolfie2]

Well I've only ordered from one place since getting back into gardening this year and was little disappointed as to germination and growth of what did germinate. Not to mention the packets did not have very much information on then as to growing info like what you normally see when getting seed packets at local stores.
That was at True Leaf Market. And since didn't see any of yall use them I'll not go back there!
Based on research it looks like I'm in an area that can grow all kinds of garlic!
So few questions...

How does Elephant Garlic differ from any other garlic if uts not technically a garlic?

They are the ones that say sold out....is that currently or is that for pre-orders for fall that are already sold out. I know they have a large business so wasn't sure.

That is AWESOME! Do you split up the bulb and plant in the individual cloves then?

Have I told yall lately how much I appreciate ALLLL YAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!

It is in the leek family, if I remember correctly. But tastes like garlic.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Today is not turning out as expected... Electric Co showed up to do an inspection on the new solar panel system. That wasn't supposed to be until Aug 2nd but I'm all down for turning it on early! Threw the disconnect and breakers on....no lights. No lights = BAD. I immediately called the installer. After 3-4 phone calls, I finally reached them... It was "oh, we forgot to do this ONE thing...." and then they got here cause it was only going to take 5 minutes and that one thing became 2 things....etc. It is supposedly operational now but the meter isn't showing any communication or net metering. They came back and said it can take up to 30 minutes to start working fully... If it's not working by 1:30 (an hour and a half after it was turned on), then I'm going to be hostile.

Oh, and the mystery of the missing duckling is solved. I found the poor thing dead (obviously) and squashed in the corner of the playhouse where mama has her nest. No clue what happened or how it died, but that rules out a predation. Right now I have 2 theories - 1) one of the game hens or chickens pecked it to death...although you'd think mama would have defended it (?), or 2) I noticed mama duck never left the nest since it was hatched. I don't think the poor thing ever ate or drank. I did bring a waterer out there to the playhouse AND I put chick starter out there but I don't think mama duck ever showed the baby how to eat it. I never saw it eat or drink anyway...so I'm wondering if it died from neglect?

Oh I'm so sorry, thats awful.

 

[TJAnonymous]

So here is a confusing fact . Four main squash groups and something called a pumpkin in each . So if you chose one from each group you would have 4 pumpkins that could not cross with each other .

The Seed-to-Seed book I got from Seed Savers Exchange breaks down all 4 groups. It identifies plant characteristics for each group and also identifies some of the varieties in each group. Here's an example... I can't photograph the entire list because it is quite lengthy but you get the idea...