What did you do in the garden today?

[fuzzi]

Your tomatoes are looking great! I plant between 40 to 50 tomatoes every year to keep us stocked in the winter. I store them in a variety of ways. I can most of them but I store lots in the freezer before so I don't have to can in the summer.

One of my favorite things to do is oven roast tomatoes, then freeze that until I'm ready to can. Then when I'm running out of room I'm the freezer I weigh out what I have, thaw it out and can it. I try to do at least 3 cases of roasted, 1 case of whole peeled, and 2 cases of diced. I only plant two or three slicing tomatoes, one or two sungolds, the rest are paste types. Which I use for just about everything anyways.

Over the weekend we were up camping and playing on ATVs. Got my son to finally take a ride! My DH is finally on the hunt to buy us our own RZR. I'm not keen on a 4 seater but that's what we're in for. I'd rather have two, 2 seaters... But that would be a logistical pain. Went frog hunting with some of the kids. Taught my son how crazy Mom is about toads. I heard one over the frogs and had to go find her.
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When we got home I pretty much went straight to the garden. Added perlite to my ground level bed to really loosen the soil structure... I had a seed emergency. It rained while we were gone and the she shed leaks a little... I had a bag of seeds get moist under a drip location on accident so I had to plant a whole packet of carrot seeds. So, I'll be doing a ton of pickled carrots this year!

Yesterday I was going to put things in the ground but the soil isn't quite warm enough. So instead I built up two more hoop houses over two of my beds. To help my garlic and onions bulb up faster and warm the ground faster.

I also applied another spray for root knot nematodes in all of the beds. I will get them under control this year. I will! I then mulched two of my beds, purslane is starting to sprout, let's see if I can get ahead of it and get rid of it. I pounded in all of the t posts I need for the garden this year as well.

Then I trenched and started my plumbing for the two raised beds that don't have irrigation. I ran out of elbows... Making a trip to home cheapo today for another bag of elbows.
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Roses are blooming, and the broccoli is coming along nicely!
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Have you tried growing marigolds? They're supposed to deter nematodes.

 

[fuzzi]

View attachment 3790174View attachment 3790175Baby chicks arrived!!!

3 breeds (2 color variations of one breed). This is replacement from August order. Only 4 survived the last shipment, and those are looking great now. This shipment included 27 chicks, and all arrived alive!!!! Yay!! Straight run, so some will be boys.

The BUTTS!

 

[fuzzi]

They're Supposed to all be hens, but we all know how that goes
I have a soft spot in my heart for Roosters. No, I certainly do not need more, but I did just lose my oldest & most personality filled Roo, my ornery but lovable Rocky, just a few days ago.

RIP Rocky, we will never forget you
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Giving up wheat is not easy. I got the Pepperage Farm Sourdough bread, but I cannot just give up bread, or pasta or pizza. I do not eat them daily, but yeah, I know I should eat less of them. I'm down to once a week, so less than before.

I have given up corn. Everything has corn in it.

I have read that the issues some of us have with grains isn't necessarily due to the grains, but with what they are sprayed with after harvest, to dry them out.

 

[Sally PB]

I don't pester him about it too much, but sometimes it drives me crazy.

I get the feeling that she does pester. They've had counseling, and this was one of the "big things" that they talked about.

 

[fuzzi]

Oh it is lovely!!!
Gorgeous oasis!!!

Thank you. One pond preform was by the side of the road, discarded. It's slightly warped, fish and frogs don't care. The second pond preform I bought at a yard sale, $20. The retaining wall blocks were the biggest expense, most of the rest of the accessories were free, cheap, or gifts.

 

[igorsMistress]

I get the feeling that she does pester. They've had counseling, and this was one of the "big things" that they talked about.

That's not good. I know it can get to be annoying, but compromise is necessary.

I'm not a plant in a pot kind of person, so it annoys hubs a lot when I just toss the plastic nursery pots into the bulk trash. Someone comes and takes them every time, and I'm good with that; I don't need them hanging out in my shed cluttering up my space.

 

[igorsMistress]

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The ponds are preform, some sort of plastic. They do get algae, and snails magically appear and keep it under control. I don't feed my minnows, they have plenty of larvae to eat. Oh, and frogs show up, too. You build a pond and they will come...

That is beautiful!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Getting some starter soil at Home Depot for veggie seeds. Darn it is very foggy! My phone camera actually seems to try & clear it up. We've got the dreaded tornado warning, too.

 

[jerryse]

I have fathead minnows in my little ponds (100g). Bullfrogs have wiped out my goldfish on several occasions, but enough minnows survive to breed and replenish my mosquito controls!

FYI Rosey minnows are a color variant of fathead minnow.

 

[Smokerbill]

My taters are in the ground! I mixed a few handfuls of Dr. Earth Organic fertilizer into the bed before I planted.

Once the plants are a few inches out of the soil I'll start backfilling to bury the vines as they grow, with compost and earth.