What did you do in the garden today?

[Sally PB]

I put some straw around two rows of tomatoes to keep down weeds and conserve moisture, after watering them well. Now I hope they're right about getting some rain tonight.

 

[Molpet]

The expensive Standard White Cornish hatching eggs that I got were duds. I checked them last night on the 5th day, they looked scrambled under the light. I conclude that the sellers who send their eggs by priority mail are more reliable than those that send them by ground. I received eggs within a week with priority mail, and it took up to 2 weeks to 26 days by ground. Also, if it passes through San Francisco, it will be dead on arrival. The San Fransico postal service has issues; it always gets stuck in transit.

I got standard Cornish eggs shipped from Louisiana 2x (1 hatched) and once West Virginia. PO does a number on them.

ETA shipped to Illinois

 

[Sally PB]

I washed all my pots/lids with a bit of bleach in the water to sanitize them. They can sit and dry for a couple weeks on the tables in the green house, and then be put away until next April.

I do it with the hose outside, so I can't really wear rubber gloves. My hands still smell a bit bleach-y.

 

[TJAnonymous]

This was one of the best egg shipments I've ever seen... It was from a breeder in Texas (SpitzBros Rainbow Eggs), I think. I don't even fully remember which breeds I got.... Isbar and Marans, I think. Out of 12 eggs, 75% were fertile and, of those, 56% hatch rate. 42% total hatch rate.

When I ordered from Alabama Silkies, I got 22 eggs. Of those, 59% were fertile and 69% of those hatched. 41% total hatched. Those were padded individually in a Styrofoam egg carton which was then padded and wrapped.

My point being, I personally don't think it matters how much a breeder tries to secure the eggs... The shipping process still pretty much scrambles half of them.

 

[dirkandlorie]

Washed outdoor pots, some already planted, some not. I'll let them dry overnight then wrap them with copper tape. Didn't have enough copper tape to do all the pots when I planted, then didn't have time to do it. Wouldn't you know it, I got slugs and snails in the pots that didn't have the tape! I got time now to finish that job, so bye-bye slugs and snails.

 

[WthrLady]

you

This was one of the best egg shipments I've ever seen... It was from a breeder in Texas (SpitzBros Rainbow Eggs), I think. I don't even fully remember which breeds I got.... Isbar and Marans, I think. Out of 12 eggs, 75% were fertile and, of those, 56% hatch rate. 42% total hatch rate.

View attachment 4143900

When I ordered from Alabama Silkies, I got 22 eggs. Of those, 59% were fertile and 69% of those hatched. 41% total hatched. Those were padded individually in a Styrofoam egg carton which was then padded and wrapped.

My point being, I personally don't think it matters how much a breeder tries to secure the eggs... The shipping process still pretty much scrambles half of them.

YEP> to the scrambling

 

[Smokerbill]

Washed outdoor pots, some already planted, some not. I'll let them dry overnight then wrap them with copper tape. Didn't have enough copper tape to do all the pots when I planted, then didn't have time to do it. Wouldn't you know it, I got slugs and snails in the pots that didn't have the tape! I got time now to finish that job, so bye-bye slugs and snails.

I wonder if running a few wraps of bare copper wire around the pots would be enough to stop the slugs and snails?

 

[dirkandlorie]

I wonder if running a few wraps of bare copper wire around the pots would be enough to stop the slugs and snails?

I tried that, seemed to work ok, but kept slipping off and down no matter how hard I tried to twist the wire. The tape is cheap and stays on for years even being outside.

 

[Smokerbill]

I tried that, seemed to work ok, but kept slipping off and down no matter how hard I tried to twist the wire. The tape is cheap and stays on for years even being outside.

I was thinking a couple little shots of hot glue would hold it in place.

 

[Smokerbill]

I thought I was finished planting stuff but realized that I had the perfect spot available to plant a few Blue Lake pole bean seeds. It's on one side on my patch of shallots and onions, where I had indeterminate tomatoes planted last year.

The ropes are still in place that I tied the tomato plants on. I think I planted only 40 or 50 seeds and if they all germinate I'll probably thin out half of them. Not many, but enough to provide fresh seeds for next year's garden and a few to eat.

I'm growing 3 varieties of heirloom beans this year, so by saving seeds I'll have free bean seeds as long as I need them. A couple of my collards are bolting so I'll probably let one of them make seeds for next year too.