What did you do in the garden today?

[igorsMistress]

I have a dehydrator. I use it to dry all the herbs I pick from my herb gardens. I usually do it after the majority of the canning is done. But before apples and grape jam making time. It keeps up that farm fresh aroma in the house. We got about 1/2 inch of rain today. We may get a little more later this evening. The corn is growing really well. There werea few stalks that grew another foot over night. My new grapevines are looking very good. I’m so hoping these actually root and continue to grow. The Sweet 100’s tomatoes in the nightshade garden are ripening. The tomatoes in the big garden are really slow to ripen. I pruned the dying leaves off of them this morning. I am planning on pulling up the bush green beans on Friday and getting that bed ready for some cool weather salad greens. I’m so sorry for the loss of your hens @igorsMistress. The weather patterns are seriously off kilter with temperature extremes and droughts, then deluges. It makes growing food much more challenging. Every year I say I will be planting indoors over the winter, perhaps I’ll get there this year.

Thanks Sarah. I see the national news reporting about all the damage from storms and flooding and feel so bad for people. Then watch the local news and people are dying from the heat. Things are a mess!

 

[Sally PB]

Subtitle of this picture:

WAH!!

That's a 25 gram clove of garlic I sliced with the shovel! It'll go into the spaghetti sauce tomorrow.

Here's the rest of the harvest, minus a few cloves in the kitchen. These are the biggest heads of garlic I have ever grown.

No, they won't stay in the plastic buckets. I had to get them off the porch, as the house is going to be sprayed for bugs in a couple days.

I think I'm going to put them in a pillow case, and hang that in the basement until time to plant, ie, end of October-ish. Then I'll separate the cloves and plant 55-60 of the biggest ones.

I'm eager to see if I have any that are bigger than 25 grams.

 

[igorsMistress]

So DH & I were watching some show with Impala on it & he says, 'hey that Impalas butt reminded me, have you seen all the caterpillars on your flowers by the strawberries?' A bit confused about the Impalas butt part, but I got all excited that the swallow tails or the monarchs had finally found my butterfly weed! So I go out today with glasses on & phone in hand & it all made sense...
View attachment 3603508

Boooo! Not what I wanted. I think they're Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars.

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be sad with that story

 

[Smokerbill]

I have a dehydrator. I use it to dry all the herbs I pick from my herb gardens. I usually do it after the majority of the canning is done. But before apples and grape jam making time. It keeps up that farm fresh aroma in the house. We got about 1/2 inch of rain today. We may get a little more later this evening. The corn is growing really well. There werea few stalks that grew another foot over night. My new grapevines are looking very good. I’m so hoping these actually root and continue to grow. The Sweet 100’s tomatoes in the nightshade garden are ripening. The tomatoes in the big garden are really slow to ripen. I pruned the dying leaves off of them this morning. I am planning on pulling up the bush green beans on Friday and getting that bed ready for some cool weather salad greens. I’m so sorry for the loss of your hens @igorsMistress. The weather patterns are seriously off kilter with temperature extremes and droughts, then deluges. It makes growing food much more challenging. Every year I say I will be planting indoors over the winter, perhaps I’ll get there this year.

I might have to rig up some kind of dehydrator. I have a little computer fan. With that, a light bulb and a box I should be able to make something that would dry small amounts of herbs pretty easily.

Since beans (and peas) fix nitrogen into their root nodes, I think it's better to leave the roots in the ground so the nitrogen can feed the next plants you put in.

 

[igorsMistress]

I just watered my garden today. Nothing was ready to pick, but I noticed that I have two varieties of summer squash coming on that are NOT zucchinis! Yellow crookneck and what I think it pattypan squash. Maybe one of these...

View attachment 3603432

I'm thinking about drying some of my herbs. Need to figure out how. Oh, I did pick some fresh parsley this morning and added it to my morning omelet.

Dehydrator or hang in bundles upside down for a while. Both make the house smell good. I freeze my basil and chives though, they have much better flavor that way.

 

[Sueby]

I freeze all my herbs too.

 

[Smokerbill]

Dehydrator or hang in bundles upside down for a while. Both make the house smell good. I freeze my basil and chives though, they have much better flavor that way.

I freeze all my herbs too.

Good to know. I have chives, flat and curly parsley, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, dill, rosemary and thyme. All started from seed early this year. My dang sage seeds never sprouted, even after planting them a second time. And I know they are slow to sprout, but they were in the seed cells for well over a month.

I have lemon balm too, but I'm not sure I like it. Guess I need to learn what it's uses are.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good to know. I have chives, flat and curly parsley, marjoram, tarragon, oregano, dill, rosemary and thyme. All started from seed early this year. My dang sage seeds never sprouted, even after planting them a second time. And I know they are slow to sprout, but they were in the seed cells for well over a month.

I have lemon balm too, but I'm not sure I like it. Guess I need to learn what it's uses are.

If nothing else the lemon balm should attract pollinators. I don’t care for it so that’s all I’ve done with it.

 

[Sueby]

I tried to buy mint years ago & ended up with spearmint that does not go well with cocktails - but I kept it just because the bees LOVE it! Stupid stuff ends up everywhere too, lol. Bees & butterflies should love me, all I grow just for them...& what do I get, nasty spearmint everywhere & dumb moths instead of pretty butterflies.

 

[akroberts1085]

If nothing else the lemon balm should attract pollinators. I don’t care for it so that’s all I’ve done with it.

Lemon balm and grass will help deter mosquitoes