What did you do in the garden today?

[member 655102]

Thinning the fruit doesn't harm a pear tree no matter how much you take off.
I'm sad when trees break too; and when fruit is lost.

Skip the next if you want just condolences.
Otherwise
How much light does the tree get?
Do you also prune the branches in the winter?

Good to see you back here, @saysfaa!

 

[First time Chick mom]

Thinning the fruit doesn't harm a pear tree no matter how much you take off.
I'm sad when trees break too; and when fruit is lost.

Skip the next if you want just condolences.
Otherwise
How much light does the tree get?
Do you also prune the branches in the winter?

It gets about 8 hours of sunlight a day, during the spring and summer (full sun, except the very early hour). Yes, I prune the branches in late November. I was told to take off any branches that cross another, does that sound right? I am all for correcting mistakes.

 

[gtaus]

If I had time to read and keep up with this thread, I'm sure I'd be a lot smarter. Seems like you miss a few days and find yourself behind a couple hundred posts.

Well, just wanted to share an updated photo of my elevated sub-irrigated planter out on our deck that I planted full of beans...

Dear Wife also has some eggplants out on the deck, but the squirrels appear to love eggplants, too. They used to eat the baby eggplants before we got anywhere near to harvesting them. A few years ago, I made some simple wire cages out of 4-foot-tall chicken wire, cutting off a 6-foot-long section, and folding it over and tying it together to make a cage. Now the plants are protected, and we actually get to eat eggplants...

We have already had a number of eggplants for supper. I started the seeds in the house this winter when the snow was still 2 feet deep on the ground. Anyways, the 8 weeks of seed starting and growing in the house has really paid off. Normally, we would be in September before eating any eggplants. So, Dear Wife is pretty happy with my efforts this year.

 

[Smokerbill]

Looks great!! good work

Thanks! And it worked, sort of. The chickens were able to grab hold of a few bean leaves, but not enough to hurt the plants. So I'm satisfied it's working good enough!

after working in the garden yesterday morning, I got Fermenting done,

2 jars of carrots, 2 jars of beets with onions, one mustard seed/ dill cabbage and one caraway onion cabbage, I still nab beets and carrots in the fridge to roast in the oven for dinner
tomorrow

I tried fermenting zucchini sticks last summer to make pickles. It didn't work out. I attempted natural fermentation, using just salt water that I mixed to what I read was the correct concentration of salt/water.

I'm going to try again this year, too, hopefully with better results. I guess beans can be pickled, can't they?

I guess you'll be my go-to guru for pickling when I have questions! And that's a lot of pickling you have going on there. What's in the crock???

 

[Smokerbill]

If I had time to read and keep up with this thread, I'm sure I'd be a lot smarter. Seems like you miss a few days and find yourself behind a couple hundred posts.

Well, just wanted to share an updated photo of my elevated sub-irrigated planter out on our deck that I planted full of beans...

View attachment 3597038

Dear Wife also has some eggplants out on the deck, but the squirrels appear to love eggplants, too. They used to eat the baby eggplants before we got anywhere near to harvesting them. A few years ago, I made some simple wire cages out of 4-foot-tall chicken wire, cutting off a 6-foot-long section, and folding it over and tying it together to make a cage. Now the plants are protected, and we actually get to eat eggplants...

View attachment 3597045

We have already had a number of eggplants for supper. I started the seeds in the house this winter when the snow was still 2 feet deep on the ground. Anyways, the 8 weeks of seed starting and growing in the house has really paid off. Normally, we would be in September before eating any eggplants. So, Dear Wife is pretty happy with my efforts this year.

Impressive!

 

[Smokerbill]

And now, I'm going out and putting up that fence around my big raised bed! For sure, today, it will get done!

Edited to add:

Before I got started I watered the garden real good.

Then I got all the fence pieces cleaned off that big bed, and now it's time to drive some t-posts into the ground.

Edited to add:

Had to pull 3 t-posts from the rock hard dirt first. Figured out a trick using a shovel that worked pretty good. The point of a round shovel will catch the rivet head that holds the flat plate onto the bottom of the post. Using that the post can be leveraged out, with a little luck and jiggling.

Then I decided to mow the yard...

 

[CedarLane]

100% seal rate- new lids- loud seals! Lol
They are not subtle.
6 chicken
6 beef mince View attachment 3596671

THe superb ones are new and I just ordered some, but the plain, unmarked gold ones at Lehmans have been around forever.

With the thicker seal (I think blue)? I know they've sold other unmarked lids for awhile.
Hmmm....Now I'm trying to figure out where I saw the lids with the thicker blue seal that weren't marked "Superb"....

 

[WthrLady]

where did you get the blue ones?

Our local Mennonite bulk market.

 

[WthrLady]

I just took a bunch of squash beetles, eggs, and mating pairs of my cushaw squash plant. (NOT svb) they are so gross. icky icky icky. and the nymphs are so creepy and alien like.

 

[Sally PB]

I was going to weed my raised beds, but took a look at the potatoes first. So many beetle larvae! Where did they come from, and so fast? I swear I looked a few days ago and didn't see any.

So I squashed bugs and pulled weeds around the potatoes. I need to spend more time out there, every day.

We have a time crunch (maybe) on another project that I'm helping DH do. I can't do it, as it's muscle and up on the roof, so I help when he can work on it. But he won't being here tomorrow and Friday, so no excuses! Weed weed weed weed weed weed!