What did you do in the garden today?

[Iluveggers]

I do that all the time. never learned the lesson, lol. and no way to put gloves for any reason - not sure why but that's me.

I take it you don’t wear contacts.

Rainy forecast all day. Got lucky with a 30 minute break when I woke up, so i quick did chicken chores and picked beans & cukes (the cucumbers have gone gangbusters the last few days), before the rain started again. It was perfect timing. Cucumber salad and garlic beans will be the side tonight, and I don’t have to go back out there again for anything lol.

The kale I planted is about 4-6 inches high. I would like to let the chickens into the garden in a few weeks (they will be about 4 months old then.) What do you guys use to cover things you don’t want them in? I’m not worried about the pole beans, tomatoes, cucumbers & squash, but would like to section off the greens somehow.

 

[WthrLady]

Brought in another 17 pounds of blushing/orange tomatoes.
At this stage you still get the strong tomato flavor, but it allows the plant to work on the other fruit. We are SO dry still.
So that puts 22 pounds of ripening fruit under heavy towels in the kitchen for processing later this week. I'm going to pull non-productive plants from the hoop house later today or tomorrow.
4 quarts processed yesterday, all sealed.

I have decided to cut down all the giant wisteria off the deck posts. They are lovely and full, but they are becoming destructive. Pruning knocks out the blooms for next year, so their purpose is lost. I have three that have grown over 20 feet this year alone.

 

[Dr Evy]

Forgot to post yesterday:

My sunflower opened Sunday morning!! Had to climb up on the fence to get this picture lol

Today:
I pulled up my first carrots! Probably should’ve waited a little longer but I was too excited. This was my first time growing carrots.

We also got our first pumpkin on the pumpkin plant. Smh. It is not going to be ripe before the cold weather arrives lol.


Have a great day everyone!

 

[WIchickMama]

I have been known to harvest winter squash before it is ready. I have been sitting on my hands for the last week as I have seen some at the local farmers market. I have many buttercup squash on the vines but don't know when exactly to harvest. Do I wait until their stem is brown, the plants dies off, or the fingernail test? and with the fingernail test, is it no indentation on the skin or can there be a little?

 

[NewBoots]

How do you know when the Jerusalem Artichokes are ready? Mine are very tall.
I harvested 45 yellow cherry tomatoes from 1 plant today! Picked 3 zucchini, a few green beans, some paste tomatoes and some regular cherry tomatoes. Oh and a very small eggplant.

I too wait till the foliage dies back. Plus you really want them to bloom, they look like sunflowers (related as a matter of fact)

Leave a bit in the ground and they will come right back, they are perennial, or plant some back in come spring time.

HAH! Just try to get them all. We get them popping up in the lawn too.

I don't wear gloves either. I actually enjoy licking my finger for the following 2 weeks & getting that hot sting! I'm weird.

You are not alone. I do find that using a mandolin to slice them makes prettier slices and helps to avoid some of the burn.

Processing 6 pints of dill pickle chips, I even had my own dill to use this time.

 

[Sally PB]

So that puts 22 pounds of ripening fruit under heavy towels in the kitchen

What is the purpose of the towels?

I have many buttercup squash on the vines but don't know when exactly to harvest. Do I wait until their stem is brown, the plants dies off,

On my butternut, I always waited until the vines died back, but DEFINITELY before a hard frost. If the leaves got nipped by frost, I called them done and brought them in. Not sure if the 2-3 I have on the vine will ripen before frost or a ground hog gnaws on them.

 

[Sueby]

You are not alone. I do find that using a mandolin to slice them makes prettier slices and helps to avoid some of the burn.

That's a great idea! I'm going to use one when I do the cowboy candy. No idea why I never thought of that, so I'm very thankful for you, lol. I always slice my fingers, never fails. They say dull knives are worse but I beg to differ (I say with a bandaid on my finger from dillybeans). & isn't it great to use all your own stuff in recipes! Poor DH, every night while he's eating dinner he gets a list of what came from the garden, like he didn't remember from the night before.

We got just over a half inch of rain. & while I'm celebrating that, just down the road 15 mins they got 2.8. I wanted that. But on the bright side, my tomatoes would have split so I should be thankful.

 

[NewBoots]

What is the purpose of the towels?

I use light cotton dish towels myself and they hold in the gas (is it ethaline?) that helps the tomatoes to finish ripening.

That's a great idea! I'm going to use one when I do the cowboy candy. No idea why I never thought of that, so I'm very thankful for you, lol. I always slice my fingers, never fails.

Don't forget, you can really cut the heck out of ourself with a mandolin too. This time of year I use it a lot and have so far avoided injury but it really was a great purchase.

 

[TJAnonymous]

doh....my DH isn't going to be very happy with me. My poor chickens & goats have been locked up since Friday due to me being on crutches. I took pity on the poor things and hobbled out there....on crutches...to let them out to free range. I figured that DH could just bring around the 4-wheeler for me to round them up when it's about 7 pm tonight. (That's how I usually round them up anyway so they know to go back in the run when they see me on the 4-wheeler.) Anyway, it just started pouring down rain.... Let's hope it STOPS raining sometime before 7 pm.....otherwise things are going to get really tricky.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good afternoon all. The city has already come and taken the mess from the tree; that thing provided a lot of shade and now the bathroom is super bright again. We’re already looking at replacements but not sure what we’re putting in yet. I think something smaller. I’m waiting for the grow lights to get here so I can set up the indoor plants; I have zero energy this afternoon. A pot boiled over last night on the stove and made a mess; it was too hot to deal with last night before bed so I have to work on that, ugh. Take care all.