What did you do in the garden today?

[AGeese]

View media item 7964733Since the earth is my garden, I'm putting up a windbreak finally now that my trees are half the size (in some cases) of what they once were following the derecho.
View media item 7964734

 

[TJAnonymous]

12pm-7 on the tractor today
then 8-930 moving bales. I still have 48 more to get in the hay shed.
My field alone had 100 bales.
The gifted field had 29. I had 5 more to bale over there when I blew a belt, almost had a fire, and compacted the baler. UGH.
I had to turn off the tractor, unclog the baler, and then sit there for an hour in the sun waiting for the machine to cool to kick it back on. I couldn't leave in case it caught fire. Good thing DH was home to bring me pretzels and water as I was so tired I was ready to cry.
I only had 5 bales left and I could have been in the SHOWER, but instead I had to sit and then clean the machine before I parked it for the night. I swear.
I can store 100 bales, so I gifted the other field to a neighbor with horses. we did stack those by the road.
We'll load 8 bales in the shed tomorrow, load 8 in the utv trailer, and then park it and take a AC break for an hour.
Then we'll load those parked ones in the shed and put 8 more in the trailer, park it, cool off and rinse and repeat all day until we get those 48 in.
I LOATHE doing the hay.
If it wasn't the heat, or the humidity, or the stable flies or the dust, it was the mosquitoes! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY!!!!

The mosquitoes are really bad down here too... They attack in swarms in the hottest part of the day even... Going out at night is impossible. I took a short walk to the mailbox last night and was covered in welts afterwards. This is the worst I've ever seen them...

 

[chicken opey]

Super thankful at our harvest this year. What a blessing. I have never grown watermelon to maturity b4!
Gs spent yesterday picking the cow peas off vines. Will let these dry then get peas.
I think I need a root cellar.

 

[chicken opey]

Oh I meant to tell you I tried vanilla extract on one arm and Terra shield on other and no mosquitoes around me this morning.
Vanilla eventually triggers migraines for me so I can use often but I thought would share. I can’t imagine something ate the bizillion we had yesterday. Gonna try in diffuser too.

 

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good morning gardeners. I was able to get the dogs out for their first potty break before the skies opened ip. We got 1/4 inch of rain in less than an hour. Now it’s raining off and on. It feels like a tropical rainforest outside. But I was determined to do a walk around the gardens. I picked a few leaves of kale then pruned the tomatoes. Then I went to visit the hillside garden. I picked the first 1/4 pound of blue lake bush beans. I weeded a bit there. My first zucchini is coming along nicely. I did some weeding around the grape vines. And the pumpkin plants are growing bigger. I know I’ll be needing to pick the green beans everyday now until they’re done. I’m not complaining. Have a nice day and stay cool.
This is a peek at the black turtle beans growing.

My first zucchini growing.

First green bean harvest

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I got the front yard mowed. The up side is if you go fast enough you create a little breeze. Lol!

Yup, I cut on July 4th, hot as can be, but going fast on the mower helps. Weird, I got sunburnt, the UV rays were very strong. I haven't felt right since.

We finally got RAIN!!! SERIOUS DOWNPOUR, A MONTH'S WORTH OF RAIN IN THE PAST 24HRS! Thunder & 🌩 lightning but no hail thank God .

The chickens are not happy but the garden veggies sure are!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Oh the stories they could tell, I'm sure.
We had that situation with a ceiling fan!

Wow, a ceiling fan on, then Coming down, that thing would most surely put a hurtin' on your head!

 

[Liz Birdlover]

Sprayed my brassicas with BT tonight. I've been trying to keep them alive through the summer heat so they will provide a 2nd crop in the fall... But the worms and grasshoppers are brutal. Trying to decide what to do about the grasshoppers... Maybe grab a butterfly net and try to catch them, I guess? I might have some neem oil still but it doesn't seem to help too much around here. I'd like to stay away from Sevin and other poisons.

Any other ideas?

My chickens enjoy grasshoppers, the chase is as much fun as catching & eating.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

I have a baby rabbit in the fenced garden eating my beans, tried opening the fence 3 days now to scare it out with no luck, probably going to need to shoot it.

Rabbits here seem to like hanging with my chickens & follow them around...can ya try chickens? They'll at least show the rabbit the way out.

 

[Liz Birdlover]

My only tomatoes are still green.

Ditto, although 1 has a slight green-orange streak. Hope letting it ripen on the vine doesn't attract pests. I'm lookin' so forward to our 1st tomater!!!