What did you do in the garden today?

[Dadanga]

Didn't do a whole lot today in the garden but I did have some veggie mix and jungle mulch delivered to top up the garden beds. Sadly our bobcat's handbreak cable has bit the dust (which means I can't use the pedals) with the weather so some of the day was spent taking it out and assessing the damage. With it removed, I'll be able to use it again after the batteries charge up and hopefully top up the beds and seedlings planted out before rain comes on Mon/Tues.

I'm starting to realize though I'm probably going to need to pot a few seedlings due to the sheer abundance of them. A guy I watch on youtube called Hoocho is trialing NFT cherry tomatoes by laying a 90mm pipe with foam pucks along the ground and have them crawling up a net. My kratky idea will be different as I like the idea of a great big jumble of black, red and orange cherry tomatoes tumbling and spilling over the side of the 220L res.

 

[Smokerbill]

I really like the way Red Russian kale grows in my garden. This picture is from September 17.



And this picture is today, showing eleven days growth. It's cold hardy down into the low teens, so it looks like I'm set for winter greens.





Most days it was covered with the white row cover, which may have helped by keeping the temperature in the bed warmer overnight. I'm thinking of letting a couple of the best plants go to seed next year.

My Brussels sprouts aren't doing well. Probably because I used cheap seeds. Need to try a different variety next year.



I'm planning to put a fence up around this bed today, so I can leave the row cover off when the chickens are out foraging. They really like eating the kale.



And I'll need to support the Roma tomato plants better next year. I tried using the Florida Weave method this year, but the plants were so heavy with fruit it didn't hold them up.

 

[WthrLady]

Pro_tip for the day - avoid getting a hay mite trapped under your bra band, or any other place for that matter. OMG I'm going to loose my mind!

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Nothing in the garden today except picking another cucumber. I’m thinking of making cucumber soup and leaving out the cream so I can freeze it. I still have green beans, a few limas, cherry tomatoes and mustard greens in the crisper. I made lasagna last night. Today I moved all the concrete blocks, leveled the ground a bit, then put down hardware cloth to cover the base of the chicken coop foundation. Then I put down the concrete blocks and put the floor frame on that. It took 1 1/2 hours and despite it being 55F I was dripping sweat at the end of it. Now I can start working on putting the walls up, but not today. It was 44F outside when I crawled out of bed but it was still in the mid 60’s inside @Sueby. I dread turning my pellet stove on this early. With the chicken complex construction I’ve been using it for some of my tools to keep them handy. But I think we’ll be okay. Next week is going back up into the 70’s. Fingers crossed I won’t need to turn on the heat until mid October this year.

 

[CNJ]

I want to prune my clementine fruit tree, but I am afraid I will get carried away like I did with my satsuma tree.

 

[Sally PB]

I bought a half bushel of Empire apples at the farm stand and they're in the dehyrator now. Smells nice in here!

The long range forecast for temps did a big switcheroo today. This morning, it was "above to much above average" for the 8-15 day outlook. Now at the 6 pm broadcast, it's totally different: average to slightly below!

I will need to pay attention to possible frost soon, and get the sweet potatoes dug if it threatens.

 

[Smokerbill]

I bought a half bushel of Empire apples at the farm stand and they're in the dehyrator now. Smells nice in here!

The long range forecast for temps did a big switcheroo today. This morning, it was "above to much above average" for the 8-15 day outlook. Now at the 6 pm broadcast, it's totally different: average to slightly below!

I will need to pay attention to possible frost soon, and get the sweet potatoes dug if it threatens.

Did you try cooking up a mess of sweet potato leaf greens this summer? Supposed to be pretty good.

 

[Smokerbill]

I put up a rickety, ugly, temporary fence around the raised bed that has kale and Brussels sprouts in it. With the ropes above the fence and crisscrossing over the top, and lots of obstructions inside the fenced area I'm pretty sure deer won't take a chance trying to jump inside. And it'll stop my chickens too.

I found that 30 foot length of 4 foot fence down in the woods this spring, all twisted up and kinked. It took some work to get it semi-straightened, but it works well as a temporary barrier.



My horseradish is starting to die back. I've read it can be dug up late fall, anytime before the ground freezes solid. I'm looking forward to trying some of it. I'm sure I'll have quite a bit. Hope the neighbors like horseradish too.



It's difficult to see through the chicken wire, but a lot of the turnip roots I replanted are sprouting leaves. More Greens!

 

[Sally PB]

Did you try cooking up a mess of sweet potato leaf greens this summer? Supposed to be pretty good.

No, I didn't. I do know they're edible.

When I grew sweet potatoes a few years ago, I tried eating a leaf raw. "Fuzzy" is the best way I can describe the texture. I didn't try cooking any.

I wonder if the leaves at the tips of the vines would still be worth a try...? Anyone know?

 

[akroberts1085]

Went out to the garden yesterday got a handful of green beans 3 cherry tomatoes a zucchini some hot peppers and then I decided to pick some of the wild mustard greens. Will probably use it all for a stew/soup. I am still waiting for my tomatoes squash and green beans to finish producing. It's starting to chill out a bit more at night so apparently they're not taking a liking to it. There's probably close to 20 lbs of tomatoes still needing to ripen.