What did you do in the garden today?

[TJAnonymous]

Ya tell me about it, at my age it’s a real struggle, in the end here I left it to my niece and her man-friend to finish up - I just couldn’t do it - those last 50 bales were brutal, each one almost my height and at least 60lbs.

Hay and water my worse chores.

I need a stable boy

I absolutely HATE hay duty... It's always so hot outside... And because I break out in an itchy, awful rash when there's skin contact with the grass, I have to wear long sleeves and pants. Not to mention that the bales are so heavy too... Ours are also 60 lbs. My DD and I usually have the job of pushing the bales to the end of the trailer and letting the menfolk actually stack them in the barn.

 

[jerryse]

This heat brings back old memories. Growing up we had no AC until we got a window unit in 1968. We used to put a box fan in the bedrooms window and turn it on high blowing across the bed. Some people had a screened in porch they slept out there when it was really hot. My parents told of a summer in 1936 I think where people slept outside in the parks.

 

[NanaK]

Went to the garden early this morning and tried to pick before it really heated up. I picked green beans, butterbeans, some giant zucchini (how's that stuff grow so fast? lol) and a bunch of cucumbers and tomatoes.

When I headed back to the house I was so hot and sweaty and itchy! The beans and tomatoes do make me itch! Straight to the shower!

Now I have plenty of work to do but at least it can be done inside. Suppose to heat up some more the next few days. Be glad when we get back to "regular heat".

Some of these were picked Monday.

 

[Sally PB]

I’m almost out of home grown tomato sauce. I picked up 2 cans of tomato sauce at the grocery store today in case I run out. I still have some salsa leftover from last year.

DH is almost out of salsa. We have 19 quarts of tomatoes left. I will need to do at least 55-60 quarts of tomatoes this year, I think. And more salsa than we did last year. But I don't recall how much we did, so just more than I think he will eat.

I definitely want to make more green tomato salsa for me! I ran out a few months ago.

 

[CedarLane]

DH is almost out of salsa. We have 19 quarts of tomatoes left. I will need to do at least 55-60 quarts of tomatoes this year, I think. And more salsa than we did last year. But I don't recall how much we did, so just more than I think he will eat.

I definitely want to make more green tomato salsa for me! I ran out a few months ago.

We keep a record of everything canned or frozen each year. At the beginning of canning season, I count everything left so I know how much we used. It helps me know how much we need to can for the following year. I like to keep a "cushion" of extra in case we don't get very much the next year. (I will admit to making mistakes... One year I asked myself "How do I have this much corn left, if I didn't even freeze that much last year?"... It's so easy to lose things in my chest freezer.... But I'm usually pretty accurate with my canned goods))

 

[Fishychix]

Searching for good pickling recipes now. Thanks for the advice!

something keeps eating the tops of my tomato and cuke plants, and the green tomatoes I have planted Mr. Stripeys for a few years and NEVER got to eat one yet.
i do have fencing that should be placed close enough the deer cant jump over but far enough so they cant reach over. But i guess they are managing it anyway

 

[Sammster]

I would love a pic if you wanted to share! This is my winter project - to take down the deer fence & put up 7ft tall chicken wire. The deer netting did keep the deer out, but not the critters. I'm sick of, & grossed out by, the rabbit having babies in my strawberry bed. & like you said, it's hard to do with flowers around the outside so I'm planning it for winter when everything has died back. I'm saving up for 150 ft of 7 foot chicken wire. Hoping to find black coated.

Busy work day so I haven't even done my garden walk thru. It's hot out so I know the garden needs water - I hope it's not dead. LOL. It's supposed to get stupid hot in the next few days.

Oh, I just added 2' of chicken wire to the bottom of our existing fence. We don't have deer. Rabbits are my culprits. Yes! It will be much easier after the garden has died back. So sorry about your strawberries.

Thunderstorms... again. At least we haven't lost our power. Yet.

 

[Sammster]

We picked our first 2 tomatoes today, several cucumbers, and about a 5 gallon bucket of green beans. Still need to pull the pea plants, take down the pea fences and maybe plant more beans in that spot???

5 gallons - what a haul!

 

[Sammster]

Today the garden was tough. Mostly because there were so many cute animals in it! I let my chickens loose to weed it out for me, and found two toads! Luckily I let them out before the chickens could grab them. And I also found a chipmunk. As for productive work, I planted some lavender and oregano. One of my chickens managed to lead me to an unexpected strawberry patch as well. Guess I’ll be making jam this summer.

Good girl! That's a great find!

 

[DotToDot]

Good girl! That's a great find!

She didn’t ‘find’ them so much as discover a very ripe strawberry and eat it. I thought the juice on her feathers was blood at first. Then I followed her to the berry patch.