What did you do in the garden today?

[karenerwin]

I chipped up a bunch of branches. I’ll use the bags of wood chips to cover cardboard for the pathways between raised beds at the farm garden. I put 2 black trash bags of wood chips out there yesterday but I need lots more! I currently have 3 bags ready to go out. Tomorrow I need to start planting my clearance flowers.

 

[Smokerbill]

All I did in my garden was do a little watering over the newly planted seeds and picked a handful of lettuce leaves for a lunch salad. I noticed I have pea pods forming on the vines, but they're not filled out yet.

Oh, and I went to Tractor Supply and bought 8 fiberglass electric fence posts. I need to get my shock fence installed because the deer have been sampling my pea vines. Not much, but I see a few vine ends missing here and there.

I need sturdy corner posts for my electric fence, and I have plenty of t-posts. But at two corners there's possibly a drain line in the ground going to the septic drain field and I don't want to risk driving a post into it.

I mixed up some concrete and set a short t-post (4 feet?) in one of the holes in a concrete block with the mixed concrete, and filled the other hole to add weight. Made two of them. Above ground, portable but relatively sturdy corner posts.

The leftover concrete? I filled a pair of 1/2 gallon yogurt containers to make blocks. I guess I'll find a use for them eventually. Better than dumping the extra on the ground.

I mowed a border around the raised beds really short in preparation of installing the electric fence.

I guess I did get some stuff done today. Even barbecued some giant chicken drumsticks from the store in the oven. Those must've been some huge cornish crosses! Ate four because I was starving!

 

[chickengr]

I put mung, azuki and black beans in water to speed sprouting. mung beans sprouted within 12 hours I had to run to plant them on top of many other things that had to be done.

night temperature is cold for some vegetables like melons. this year sucks.

 

[Acre4Me]

Tomato season is almost over here. By the end of June it will be to hot for them, except for the wild tomatoes.

I’ve got a good bed of wild tomatoes, but there’s a broody hen inside of the bed that is picking off the tomatoes as they ripen.

View attachment 3522709

In my sweet potato bed I have a few small wild tomatoes that are producing well.

View attachment 3522711

It’s been too cold at night for the tomatoes. Not freezing, but mid 40s, until a few days ago. Peppers and tomatoes hate being cold, so I waited to plant until night temps were 50s.

I can see why your broody chose the wild tomatoes. Looks cool and shaded in there.

 

[Sueby]

That fig tree has me drooling! Boy do I wish I could plant mine in the ground! I'd have a forest of them.

 

[Sally PB]

I have figured out ONE thing I like about the lack of rain:

NO MOSQUITOES!

The ant bites I got the other day are more than making up for it though.

 

[saysfaa]

I planted a patch of 35 tomato plants yesterday. I'm trying to set up a watering system for them. I want it to be suitable for filling once a week so should hold as close to an inch over the root spread as possible. And to deliver the water as slowly as possible.

I'm thinking of putting a pin hole in the bottom of milk jugs half buried in the ground ( to minimize evaporation loss and so they don't blow away when they are empty). Tomato roots spread about two or three feet; each way, I think, so up to nine square feet. One inch of rain over a square foot of ground is about 0.62 gallons. So, 5 1/2 gallons per plant. That would be more milk jugs than I want to fill.

I have 15 gallon barrels. I don't really want to drill holes in them and one would water at least three plants. I think I might be able to set up a siphon system. Fix sections of tubing that reach the bottom of the barrel, go over the rim of the barrel then down to below ground level inside the milk jugs.

Maybe fill the milk jug a few inches with coarse sand or pebbles to stabilize the tubing and the jug. The volume in the jug would be less important than if it were not being filled from the barrel.

It is not ideal to deliver all the water to the one point but it might be good enough to be worth the time setting it up. Multiple jugs per tomato plant would help. Or a channeling system under the jugs. Maybe another year if this much works.

Does anyone see improvements?

 

[Sally PB]

I'm thinking of putting a pin hole in the bottom of milk jugs half buried in the ground

I did this. I put 2-3 nail holes in a milk jug, but I put the lid on too tightly. It turned into an example of the power of air pressure.

 

[Acre4Me]

I planted a patch of 35 tomato plants yesterday. I'm trying to set up a watering system for them. I want it to be suitable for filling once a week so should hold as close to an inch over the root spread as possible. And to deliver the water as slowly as possible.

I'm thinking of putting a pin hole in the bottom of milk jugs half buried in the ground ( to minimize evaporation loss and so they don't blow away when they are empty). Tomato roots spread about two or three feet; each way, I think, so up to nine square feet. One inch of rain over a square foot of ground is about 0.62 gallons. So, 5 1/2 gallons per plant. That would be more milk jugs than I want to fill.

I have 15 gallon barrels. I don't really want to drill holes in them and one would water at least three plants. I think I might be able to set up a siphon system. Fix sections of tubing that reach the bottom of the barrel, go over the rim of the barrel then down to below ground level inside the milk jugs.

Maybe fill the milk jug a few inches with coarse sand or pebbles to stabilize the tubing and the jug. The volume in the jug would be less important than if it were not being filled from the barrel.

It is not ideal to deliver all the water to the one point but it might be good enough to be worth the time setting it up. Multiple jugs per tomato plant would help. Or a channeling system under the jugs. Maybe another year if this much works.

Does anyone see improvements?

We also planted many tomato plants yesterday. Around 33 plants. If you want jugs - maybe start to collect these type:

This is something we buy at Walmart. But I’m sure other things are in this style container. It holds closer to 2 gallons it seems - I can fill up a 5 gallon chicken waterer (nearly empty) to close to top with 2 of these. Bottom flat, plastic a bit heavier than milk jugs, but bonus is the wide opening. Label is a plastic tube so easy to remove and have a plain white jug.

 

[saysfaa]

Thank you both. I will leave the top of the jugs open or at least not fully sealed so air pressure won't be a problem.

Yes, other types of jugs might work better. This year, it will be what I can find laying around. Probably not all milk jugs either.