What did you do in the garden today?

[karenerwin]

@pennyJo1960 my tomatoes look like yours.
I wasn’t able to do anything in the gardens today. Despite being told on Thursday that my son would definitely NOT be coming home on Friday, they sent him home on Friday. I felt very unprepared. There was also a huge hassle about whether or not his insurance (Medicaid) would cover PT/OT. It took many phone calls and several hours to find out that he does in fact have coverage for PT/OT. So at the last minute they had the doctor start working on the pre authorization form. Hopefully we will know on Monday if they got it sorted out or not.

 

[karenerwin]

@Sueby this picture is for you.

I still have more ripe on the vine. Too bad you don’t live close by. I would share with you.

@WthrLady is it you that is growing lima beans? Do they look like these? Most of the pods aren’t very filled out yet. Do you pick them green or do you let them dry out? Never grown them before. Don’t even like them. But I have a friend that loves them. However she has never grown them either nor has she ever bought them fresh. So I don’t really know what I’m doing.

 

[Acre4Me]

Out in the garden last night, equipped with a black light flashlight. Found 9 hornworms. Six were in the bed that is by itself- only tomatoes, next to a melon bed. But, only 3 found in the large mixed crop bed that has more tomato plants, but they are mostly in the middle of that bed, so maybe less easy for the bug to hone in on the tomatoes.

Squash is still producing. 16 cups of grated squash went into 4 loafs of zucchini cake. This recipe is for carrot cake (calls for 7C of shredded carrots) but a side note indicates it works with summer squash, sweet potatoes, and a few other things, but notes that parsnips -also tested- did not belong in cake…lol. Hopefully the loaves cooked through, I’ll cut open this morning.

It will be a crazy busy week! We have visitors all week, on top of fair. Kid shows two animal classes, so lots of work with regards to this.

Momma hen hatched 5 out of eight eggs. Sadly, I think the other 3 would have hatched, and one had pipped, but she stopped sitting on them and they got cold, and the pipped one died. I stick the other two under another broody, but they are not likely to be viable anymore.

 

[jerryse]

I have a zucchini ready to pick. First of the season. Pumpkins are forming. Winter squash some are blooming male flowers and some are starting to vine. Planted a second batch of zucchini for when the bugs kill the first planting. I only have 2 plants and planted 2 more. They really bury you in squash when they do well. Pickling some fish as I like pickled herring. First attempt at pickling fish. 90 + coming this week.

 

[igorsMistress]

@pennyJo1960 my tomatoes look like yours.
I wasn’t able to do anything in the gardens today. Despite being told on Thursday that my son would definitely NOT be coming home on Friday, they sent him home on Friday. I felt very unprepared. There was also a huge hassle about whether or not his insurance (Medicaid) would cover PT/OT. It took many phone calls and several hours to find out that he does in fact have coverage for PT/OT. So at the last minute they had the doctor start working on the pre authorization form. Hopefully we will know on Monday if they got it sorted out or not.

I hope they get their heads on straight Karen!

 

[Smokerbill]

I weeded my garden of milkweed and attempted to replant them where the chickens can’t eat them. I also picked lots of raspberries, strawberries, and a single blueberry. Refreshed the herbs for the chicken coop as well.

Have you seen any monarch butterflies hanging out around your milkweeds?

 

[TJAnonymous]

This is the garden my tomato are looking a bit sick this year.View attachment 3584829View attachment 3584830View attachment 3584831View attachment 3584832View attachment 3584833View attachment 3584834View attachment 3584835

Good morning Penny! Couple of questions...

1. Do you always plant tomatoes in the same beds? If not, what did you plant there last year?

2. Which amendments did you use? Compost?

3. What has your watering looked like for the season? A lot of rain? No rain? Do you have a soil moisture meter to check the moisture at the root level?

 

[TJAnonymous]

Have you seen any monarch butterflies hanging out around your milkweeds?

I used to play in a field meadow as a kid that was always loaded with milkweed and monarch butterflies. I have such fond memories of that time. I have thought about planting some here but it is highly toxic to my horses. Plus I've never seen a monarch here. Plenty of other butterflies though. Anyway, while cleaning out my mom's gardening shed, I found a small packet of milkweed seeds. I'm thinking about planting them in my garden area somewhere. Let's just hope they don't spread beyond the garden!

 

[Sueby]

@Sueby this picture is for you. View attachment 3584864 I still have more ripe on the vine. Too bad you don’t live close by. I would share with you.
View attachment 3584865

@WthrLady is it you that is growing lima beans? Do they look like these? Most of the pods aren’t very filled out yet. Do you pick them green or do you let them dry out? Never grown them before. Don’t even like them. But I have a friend that loves them. However she has never grown them either nor has she ever bought them fresh. So I don’t really know what I’m doing.

Holy cannoli, those look fantastic!

 

[fuzzi]

@pennyJo1960 my tomatoes look like yours.
I wasn’t able to do anything in the gardens today. Despite being told on Thursday that my son would definitely NOT be coming home on Friday, they sent him home on Friday. I felt very unprepared. There was also a huge hassle about whether or not his insurance (Medicaid) would cover PT/OT. It took many phone calls and several hours to find out that he does in fact have coverage for PT/OT. So at the last minute they had the doctor start working on the pre authorization form. Hopefully we will know on Monday if they got it sorted out or not.

You have my heartfelt sympathy. My husband was just approved for SSDI, 30 months after onset. Getting him on Medicare/Medicaid is the next step. What a nightmare of bureaucratic boondoggle and incompetent blundering it has been, so far.

Enjoy my Coreopsis: