What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

I used commercial seed starting soil in January or February, and had some very tiny mushrooms grow in one of the pots! I guess it wasn't totally sterile. Maybe I can find the picture I took...

I watched some YouTube videos that recommended a person soak the commercial sterile potting soil in boiling hot water for about 30 minutes, or something like that, just to kill off anything that might have contaminated the potting soil after it was sterilized. I did that with the bag of potting soil I bought at the store and did not have any problems.

I don't think I could soak my chicken run compost in boiling hot water to sterilize it. I think it has to be cooked at temperatures high enough to kill everything.

 

[gtaus]

Make pickled eggs?

Seriously, can you make pickled eggs from leftover pickle juice? That would be a big win for me.

 

[gtaus]

You have such a pretty area there, and I like the trellis.

Thank you. I decided to move my garden into my backyard next to my chicken coop and run. Just makes so much sense in many ways. The chicken run compost gets used in the raised bed gardens, and the weeds, or not so good veggies, get tossed into the chicken run for the chickens to eat. Everything is right there and that makes it easy. Plus, I get to watch chicken TV while gardening.

Here is what the trellis looked like last week (before I mowed the lawn)...

FYI, I let my lawn grow out a bit before cutting it because I feed the grass clippings to the chickens. I treat my lawn grass as food, but just for the chickens. What they don't eat gets turned into compost in the chicken run. I have 3 acres of property to mow, so I mow it in sections over a number of days, keeping the grass clippings as fresh greens for the chickens. I can't let my chickens free range, but I bring the free range to them that way.

 

[igorsMistress]

Seriously, can you make pickled eggs from leftover pickle juice? That would be a big win for me.

I use it that way, but only a single batch and usually small batches only. I don’t like to let them sit too long in there.

 

[gtaus]

I use it that way, but only a single batch and usually small batches only. I don’t like to let them sit too long in there.

OK, that makes sense. I am assuming hard boiled eggs. Do you add any other spices to the pickle juice for pickling hard boiled eggs? I have some small jars ready for pickled eggs. That sounds really tasty.

 

[Acre4Me]

Poison ivy: this product has been around for probably 35+ years.

They have some other products too. You can use it on clothing/equipment too.

They say use within 8 hours of exposure bc that is best time frame to remove the oils from your skin before the poison ivy oils bonds to the skin/causes reaction.

Anyway, good stuff, works well. Can purchase it in regular stores too, not just thru the company. I’m sure there are knock offs, but I think this was the first product for the purpose of specifically removing the poison ivy oils.

 

[Acre4Me]

The burpee Mango hybrid melon.

Easy to tell when ripe, easy to slice, great flavor and prolific producer.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

The kids are 2 preteen sisters @igorsMistress. DD chose them because siblings are more difficult to place together. Most adoptive parents prefer younger children or babies. As for the poison ivy. I’ve been dealing with it for the past 5 1/2 years. I use the weed whacker on it but I wear work boots and jeans while I’m doing it I suspect I got “infected” because it’s been so wet that I roll the cuffs of my pants up when I’m working outside or my the rounds of the gardens to keep the wet grass from soaking my jeans. This is the first time I’ve had the poison ivy rash since I moved in. I thought I had bug bites on my ankles, turned out to be PI. I’m on the mend now. I wash my clothes normally on the ecowarm water setting on my washer. That seems to work fine removing the urushiol oil from my clothing.

 

[gtaus]

This is the first time I’ve had the poison ivy rash since I moved in. I thought I had bug bites on my ankles, turned out to be PI.

First time I got poison ivy, too. In my case, it was a hot day and I was outside weed whacking some overgrown brush and tall grass while wearing shorts. At first, I too thought, or hoped, it was mosquito bites because they were thick that evening. But it was evident it was poison ivy as the rash spread.

I'm wearing long jeans now when weed whacking the tall grass, despite how hot it may be outside. Not only does wearing long jeans protect me against poison ivy, but it also prevents the mosquitoes and flies from biting around my ankles.

 

[Sequel]

The burpee Mango hybrid melon.

Easy to tell when ripe, easy to slice, great flavor and prolific producer.

View attachment 3610903

Very beautiful too! I’d love a hunk of that!