What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

My chickens reminded me why I put a wire screen around my vegetables. They ate all the leaves off my newly planted round eggplant.

Although chickens can eat the fruit of an eggplant like us humans, the eggplant plant itself is considered toxic to the chickens. It always shows up on the list of things not to let your chickens eat. I'm talking about the leaves of the eggplant. Eggplant is in the nightshade family and your chickens can get sick, or die, if they eat too many eggplant leaves.

I grow eggplants at home. I toss all our bits and pieces from the eggplant fruit into the chicken bucket. But when I pull the plant, it goes into the pallet wood composting bin and not into the chicken run composting system.

A person should protect the nightshade plants from the chickens and/or the chickens from the nightshade plants. Either way, your chickens will be better off not eating the leaves from those plants.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have used rosema

I have used rosemary oil usually with a bit of soap for mites, thrips and some other insects, including some beetles will die or leave. I seldom get 100% control but it is a valuable tool and really reduces the insect pressure and gives some level of control for a while. Two or three sprays may be needed to knock out the insects if they are severe or not as susceptible as some others. Add Pyrethrum and take it up a big notch and becomes even more effective and for more insects. All organic and safe to use in your vegetable patch. Do not spray in the mid day heat or hot sunshine. I usually spray just before dusk in the late afternoon.

I like rubbing fresh Basil on my skin. Not only does it smell amazing (seriously I look like a huffing addict with fresh basil... ) but it also seems to keep the skeeters and biting flies away.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I used to grow cucumbers with no trouble. Not anymore. Cucumber Beatles spread bacterial wilt and Downy mildew is a problem. Now it is more work to control these things that were never a problem. Cucumber Beatles and corn rootworms one and the same. Bt gene was added to corn to control them and corn ear worms. I wonder if BT for the lawn would help in the garden. More Beatles can fly in but surely reducing numbers should help.

I had an overload of cukes last year. This year I got only 2-3 deformed stunted cukes before blight or wilt killed all my plants.

 

[gtaus]

I bought this 3 in one soil monitoring probe from Amazon. I stuck the 6 inch probe all the way down my 5-gallon wicking plant bucket and it shows the soil is moderately moist after 2 weeks without watering. This bucket has a half inch nylon rope that is wicking water from a 5-gallon water bucket next to it. This is truly a set it and forget planter. I am not used to doing nothing.

View attachment 3623619

I love gadgets and these watering probes have always been interesting to me. But I thought most of them were considered expensive gimmicks and did not work very well. I know you like testing out stuff, so maybe you could provide a review of this device after you have had it for a period of time?

I have some sub-irrigated planters and would like to verify that the wicking action is really working in the planter. Right now, I just look at the plants and they seem to be doing fine. But I'm all for probing down into the soil to find out what is really going on down there and I can't dig up my beans to check it out.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'm watching the hurricane reports on the Weather Channel and feeling envious. We haven't had rain in a month, I think. I have large trees that are dying at this point. Grass has been crispy for at least a week. If only they could toss some of that flood water our direction....

 

[gtaus]

I like rubbing fresh Basil on my skin. Not only does it smell amazing (seriously I look like a huffing addict with fresh basil... ) but it also seems to keep the skeeters and biting flies away.

Girl, you smell absolutely delicious! - Hannibal Lecter

 

[gtaus]

I had an overload of cukes last year. This year I got only 2-3 deformed stunted cukes before blight or wilt killed all my plants.

I have had such bad luck with cucumbers the last few years that I did not even plant any this year. I am rethinking my whole method of growing cukes. Next year I hope to try again with a different method, probably with an overhead pallet wood trellis support like I built for Dear Wife's bitter melons. I think that will work.

 

[member 655102]

Girl, you smell absolutely delicious! - Hannibal Lecter

Oh dear…

 

[CNJ]

I love gadgets and these watering probes have always been interesting to me. But I thought most of them were considered expensive gimmicks and did not work very well. I know you like testing out stuff, so maybe you could provide a review of this device after you have had it for a period of time?

I have some sub-irrigated planters and would like to verify that the wicking action is really working in the planter. Right now, I just look at the plants and they seem to be doing fine. But I'm all for probing down into the soil to find out what is really going on down there and I can't dig up my beans to check it out.

You can watch the video on this sales page. There are 4 settings light, moisture, nutrient and ph. I just did a test and it showed low nutrient and high ph, so I added 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid and master blend to a plastic cup of water and poured it next to the probe in the pot. The ph went down and nutrient and moisture went up, so it's working.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BJCLY3YL?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[CNJ]

Bottom line, I would not recommend these machines.

I got a big gasoline chipper from Sears long ago. It can chip 3-inch branches, but it is too loud, it disturbs my neighbors, and it stresses me out. Its sitting in my storage shed, and I never use it.