What did you do in the garden today?

[Smokerbill]

Potato beetles are a problem. I killed all the beetles I found, looked for and removed the egg masses from the beetles I didn't find, and smoosh any of the larvae hatched from the eggs I didn't find.

Potato beetle larvae can ruin a plant. They're also squishy and gross. I wear gloves when I squish them.

I've looked for potato beetles and haven't seen any. I think it's little slugs causing the damage.

According to WA State University potato bugs aren't found in western WA. Is this the beetle you were talking about?

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I've read if the plants have flowered, they've at least started making tubers. I dug this particular plant because I pulled a potato out from under it when I was weeding by it a few days ago.

I'll be digging potatoes probably once a week now. The patch is several rows of plants, with a lot of volunteers in between. I have always thrown out potatoes that we didn't eat over the winter. I'd like to throw away less food that I have literally sweated over.

Cook them, then freeze them.

 

[DandyBanty23]

8 cucmbers

our first for the year.

I've had such good luck with cucumbers this year!

 

[Smokerbill]

Fifty years ago my grandpa and I did some farming together and grew three acres of potatoes. The field became infested with Colorado potato beetles so Grandpa pulled out a jug of the good (and banned at the time, I think) stuff... DDT! It did a great job! LOL

The previous year potatoes were wholesaling for 10 or 11 bucks per 100 pound bag. When we sold our potatoes they were going for $1.00 per 100#!!! Every other farmer decided to make big bucks with potatoes that year and caused the price to plummet.

 

[WthrLady]

We only made it to a non-humid 85 today, so I took full advantage and
cleaned the garage, the seed shed, the greenhouse, the gator, and put up tools, trickle charger went on the tractor, 4th of July got put away, and I cleaned the bathrooms, made a loaf of sour dough and a batch of cookies. After supper we walked 3 full acres of pasture looking for buffalo bur to pull.
I'm BEAT.

this is Buffalo bur- doesn't it look snuggly?!

 

[pennyJo1960]

I was given a bag of bing cherries.

 

[cj2024]

Correct. Meaning I didn't use purchased starter yeast from somewhere else. Many people here do.

I bought a dry packet of San Francisco sour dough starter from amazon, but it took the same amount of time as the ones we can make from scratch, so I think it's a money-making gimmick.

 

[Supercow]

What type tomatoes are they?

Siamese?
Or Derriere?

View attachment 3882365

They are just plain old Stupice, early ripening, okayish taste. This one got a bit creative

We're still waiting for the main crop, some have started ripening in the last few days - Super Sioux, Chocolate cherry. Homesteads are going to be enormous, I hope nothing goes wrong with them, I'm adding calcium and magnesium every so often.

It's interesting that following this year's super mixed up weather (April that felt like June, June that felt like April) we got summer apples one month early (!!) while tomatoes are sticking to their usual July harvest.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

I bought a dry packet of San Francisco sour dough starter from amazon, but it took the same amount of time as the ones we can make from scratch, so I think it's a money-making gimmick.

Sorry you weren’t happy with the results. The batch I purchased was good. It took about 3 days before it was usable however, that’s less time than it takes to make a starter from scratch.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. Our “scattered showers” yesterday turned into 3 to 4 hours of steady rain. The rain gauge had over 2 inches of rain in it. Everything looks bigger this morning. We’re supposed to get another shower this morning. Still humid with temps in the upper 80’s for the next 4 days. Yuck.