What did you do in the garden today?

[akroberts1085]

With chicken breast? Looks tasty!

Yes and homemade mashed potatoes and brown gravy and peas

 

[akroberts1085]

I'm taking the rest of it to my son and daughter in law and grandkids

With chicken breast? Looks tasty

 

[WthrLady]

Story on the bee research
https://www.1011now.com/2023/08/11/unl-professor-helps-develop-drug-combat-honeybee-parasite/

 

[Tahai]

I think you've seen how I'm growing my indeterminate tomates, up ropes, something new I'm trying this year. All the suckers are removed and only the top growth crown is allowed to grow, leaving a single vine. Leaves are removed from the vine as tomatoes set on, but a cluster of leaves is left at the top. The ropes are high enough to allow 8 feet of growth.

Grown this way a tomato plant needs only a single square foot of garden space, since they're growing vertically. Easier to access for harvest, too.

View attachment 3606203View attachment 3606205

I grow mine that way usually, too. I don't bother tying them on. Just one loose loop at the base of the plant. Vthen I wind the plant around the string as it grows.

 

[BReeder!]

Canning. Started around 7pm. It's after midnight and we're still at it. Pasta sauce, picked hot peppers, and marinated sweet peppers. I have a bunch of cherry tomatoes we will need to deal with tomorrow - cherry tomato sauce or salsa I imagine.

 

[littledog]

Oh yeah, who said they blanched green beans in the microwave? I tried to do that this morning with a handful of green beans. Didn't turn out well. My green beans exploded. And yes, I did have them in water.

That was me - mine have never done that !? Sorry it didn't turn out well for you.

 

[littledog]

She had an auction for her stuff and sold her house before going into the nursing home. She made it as easy as possible for us.

My Mom is still living, but she did the same before moving into the assisted living condo where she lives now. After what our family had to go through when her parents passed, and especially when my stepdad's mother passed (various branches of the family expecting Mom to sort through all the piles of crap, while they fought over who would get the few items of value) she didn't want my sister and I to go through that.
Mom's always been very pragmatic, organized and sensible - she chose the facility she wanted to move to, a few years before she needed to really, but she had friends who lived there and wanted to establish a home while she could still get around and socialize. She also made her own decision to give up her car after having one too many fender-benders, instead of arguing and forcing us to pry away her car keys.

 

[Sally PB]

Story on the bee research

Thanks for the link. People are doing work with developing VHS strains of bees. VHS = Varroa Hygiene Sensitive. Bees that groom mites off each other. Another non-chemical way to deal with the pest.

I have a bunch of cherry tomatoes we will need to deal with tomorrow - cherry tomato sauce or salsa I imagine.

Do you have a recipe for the sauce? I will have too many cherry toms to eat fresh. I have tried to dry them; they were... ok.

The sweetness of the cherry tomatoes make me think DH isn't going to like this as much as I will.

 

[igorsMistress]

At the risk of answering when not asked, my sister noticed the tomatoes grow better when they can sprawl. I watched for a couple of years and think so too. So we don't trellis them at all.

I think results might vary depending on all kinds of things - variety, soil, climate, ... Or maybe not.

I’ve got a friend who just lets hers sprawl too and she always has great results.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good morning all. Didn’t get my plants into bigger pots yesterday, had to take a kid to ER to make sure her foot wasn’t broken. So that’s my gardening for today, plant two trees in bigger pots.