What did you do in the garden today?

[Acre4Me]

I was reading about ways to protect them from Squash Vine Borers. The advice was to cover them with a floating row cover as soon as they're planted. Then when they have 4-6 leaves, uncover them, and wrap the stems with aluminum foil, and have the foil extend about 1/4" into the soil. This means you need to replace the foil as the plant grows so the vine won't be girdled. I'm going to try this, and I'm sure I'll report about it.

Also, I’ll recommend planting a “trap” crop if something they Love! Hubbard squash will draw them in and they will preferentially attack those over less desired ones.

 

[jerryse]

Sunshine and cold here. Had not seen then sun in 8-9 days. Going to try grafting grapes onto wild grapes this year. I have some large wild vines. Vitas riparia often called possum grapes around here. Well adapted to my soil and climate. Yes been watching youtube.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'm working on the garden layout for next spring. I'm keeping potatoes in the same place, simply because they are already buried in the ground to overwinter. I'm going to try to do vertical squash this year and see if that helps against the squash bugs. They will be inside the hoop house so VB isn't an issue. I'm also growing small pumpkins and melons in there too. Those will also be grown vertically. The only thing giving me fits are the tomatoes. This leads me to a question.... I will be growing several tomatoes in self-watering 5 gallon buckets but the those buckets will be physically placed within 2 ft of my potato beds. Anyone think this could lead to any problems? I might be able to shuffle some things around if this is a bad idea But about the only thing I have to put in that spot is maybe some sunflowers.

I'm also trying a little experiment. I have 4 pepper plants which I left in the ground. They are pruned way down to about 5 inches from the ground. Then I did some layering for insulation - burlap, then leaves & straw and covered them with buckets or empty stoneware pots. I will uncover them when the temps go back up. I don't know if they will make it through the winter, but I wanted to see if they would. Our winters are USUALLY mild with only a handful of nights in the single digits. USUALLY. I don't think this will be a usual year though. In fact, nothing about 2022 was usual from a weather perspective. Oh well, the worst that can happen is they'll die. I won't be broken up about it if they do....but I would be quite pleased if they make it through....

 

[TJAnonymous]

Here's the preliminary layout. Each square is meant to represent a 1 ft x 1 ft space so if a block is colored in by a 2 x3 array it's mean to represent a 2 ft x 3 ft space. This garden space is 20 ft x 20 ft (approx) but the right half is actually covered by the hoop house (10 ft x 20 ft in size). I've represented that with the black lines. The black squares on the left side are permanent planters which are currently home to my runner beans, butterfly pea, and various herbs. The grey area denotes walking paths.

See anything that could be a red flag? I'm hoping that I have enough of a buffer with other plants between the cauliflower & cucurbits.

 

[chickengr]

Hello gardeners. I’m sick, face is pouring like a faucet and a cough with sore throat. Tummy is a wobbler too, so I’m going to urgent care at 0500 tomorrow. If I didn’t have an appointment I’d have to wait in my car until they had time for me, no thanks. The teenager picked lemons today and a neighbor is coming to get some. Igor will take a bunch to work which will help get rid of them. He picked about 500 lemons off that tree I kid you not.

if you have fresh ginger cut about 1/2 in, peel it and chew it as long as you can. when there is no more juice in it spit the rest (takes 5-10 minutes). 2 x a day (morning/evening) till the cold is gone. get well soon.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I'm working on the garden layout for next spring. I'm keeping potatoes in the same place, simply because they are already buried in the ground to overwinter. I'm going to try to do vertical squash this year and see if that helps against the squash bugs. They will be inside the hoop house so VB isn't an issue. I'm also growing small pumpkins and melons in there too. Those will also be grown vertically. The only thing giving me fits are the tomatoes. This leads me to a question.... I will be growing several tomatoes in self-watering 5 gallon buckets but the those buckets will be physically placed within 2 ft of my potato beds. Anyone think this could lead to any problems? I might be able to shuffle some things around if this is a bad idea But about the only thing I have to put in that spot is maybe some sunflowers.

I'm also trying a little experiment. I have 4 pepper plants which I left in the ground. They are pruned way down to about 5 inches from the ground. Then I did some layering for insulation - burlap, then leaves & straw and covered them with buckets or empty stoneware pots. I will uncover them when the temps go back up. I don't know if they will make it through the winter, but I wanted to see if they would. Our winters are USUALLY mild with only a handful of nights in the single digits. USUALLY. I don't think this will be a usual year though. In fact, nothing about 2022 was usual from a weather perspective. Oh well, the worst that can happen is they'll die. I won't be broken up about it if they do....but I would be quite pleased if they make it through....

Hope they make it through for you! Have you ever tried taking a pepper plant cutting? We had a Tabasco that our neighbor loved so I did a cutting and it rooted up beautiful.

if you have fresh ginger cut about 1/2 in, peel it and chew it as long as you can. when there is no more juice in it spit the rest (takes 5-10 minutes). 2 x a day (morning/evening) till the cold is gone. get well soon.

I love ginger too for colds/flu. I just add a ton of fresh grated to a cup of tea and let it steep, then sip away.

 

[Sueby]

Morning. I’m not even thinking about plotting out next years garden yet! I’m only thinking about how fun a year off from a garden would be.

Went for a little walk outside yest to check on the chickens & the nest sleeper was def ill so DH culled her. Normally I would have tried to figure out what was wrong & care for her but I physically can’t. Poor girl, I hope I didn’t let her suffer too long.

DH is funny, he has NO idea which chicken is which, what they are named or who lays what color eggs - but for some reason he knew Paige was a GLW & what that actually was! I had to make sure he REALLY knew which one he was talking about before he culled my BA or something, but he had it right.

 

[Sally PB]

I will be growing several tomatoes in self-watering 5 gallon buckets but the those buckets will be physically placed within 2 ft of my potato beds.

I think the issue with tomatoes and potatoes too close has to do with them sharing soil, and the pathogens that can live there. The 'maters being in buckets should take care of that...? If anyone knows better, please chime in so we can all learn.

As far as my garden layout is going, I know where the asparagus and rhubarb will be!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning all. No gardening or outdoor work today. The big two day storm that rolled through here a few days ago dropped 5 inches of snow and rain for a rain gauge total of 3 inches. The snowblower handled the slush but I'm not sure if it was too much of a workout for it. I still have a few inches of the white stuff that has refrozen a few times. The good news is I believe our long time drought is over. The sump pump ran constantly on Saturday and Sunday. I hadn't heard it running in nearly a year. I believe you are right about potted tomatoes @Sally PB. Planting tomatoes and potatoes in the same garden bed will likely have them competing for the same nutrients and their susceptibility to blight. However, if they are not sharing the same soil, they should be fine. I might be concerned that the same winged insects might enjoy having these two nightshades close together. Good to hear from you again @Sueby. Hope your surgery on Friday goes well.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Hope they make it through for you! Have you ever tried taking a pepper plant cutting? We had a Tabasco that our neighbor loved so I did a cutting and it rooted up beautiful.

I love ginger too for colds/flu. I just add a ton of fresh grated to a cup of tea and let it steep, then sip away.

I haven't but mostly because I didn't want to have to baby it all winter. I already have a gazillion plants inside, not counting the seeds I'll be sowing indoors for the garden. Space is at a premium so I figured I'd try it outdoors this way and see if it works. We really don't need any more peppers as I still have around 4 or 5 gallons frozen in the freezer. Therefore if this doesn't work and they die, I won't be heartbroken.

Speaking of sowing seeds indoors... I'm going to build a hanging shelf to put my seeds on. I have a great South facing window that gets great sunlight but my dog is notoriously for getting into my seed trays. Plus I have 3 giant planters along that window so floor space is limited. If I put up a hanging shelf, it will keep the seeds out of reach from the dog and I don't have to move the existing plants. Win-win.