What did you do in the garden today?

[Paz]

Hate to say it, but the ONLY way to deal with bindweed is chemical, and not just once. It still takes forever to kill and starve that plant.

You can water it, then cover with black plastic for a few days, it cooks them. I would however leave the plastic on for the entire summer, depriving the roots from nutrients so it can’t grow back. The other way it to dig all the roots out, one metre deep.

 

[Paz]

Yesterday, I worked for around two hours on my tomato jungle, trying to turn it into a field. I have another hour or so. I need to cut the bottom leaves. I planted many tomatoes, and I want to sell them in the recreational markte. One tomato I THOUGHT was determinate, I planted, came out as indeterminate, and it’s refusing to go to conversion therapy… tsk tsk. Picked a couple melons and one gourd, and I’ll go pick some Rijla and tomatoes too.

 

[chickengr]

watering everything and I'll sow some okra and pole beans. my first hull-less pumpkin dried. last year I didn't get any, all died. I put an irrigation system and they have plenty of water but still dry out. vines are green and thriving. they are still young and growing.

 

[5.3acredream]

I had a complete win this weekend. My husband found out the our towns entire collection of shredded leaves are piled up and dumped at a canoe launch just a half mile up the road from us. There must be 200 yards of the stuff there.

I filled up our truck and dumped a load into the chicken run. Immediate smell suppression and happy chickens scratching. Then I filled up another load and mulched my bottom level flower garden (I have two tiers, currently finishing english ivy clearing on the top). I still need another load or two for the top of the garden that we cleared this year and I've only put watermelons and pumpkins in it since I am not planting perennial flowers there until the fall. The flower garden that IS planted is now finally mulched... in mid July. I'd like to put a couple more loads in the chicken coop so I can steal it in the winter and use it as compost once it cools down outside the run. I'm trying to take advantage of all the veggies I throw in the run and the endless supply of chicken manure. It was hot hot hot yesterday so moving 2 truck loads of light leaf mulch did me in pretty decidedly. More loads will have to wait for more free time.

Light Japanese beetle activity this year which has allowed my Eleganza rose to finally bloom. She was my last bloomer from the 5 roses I planted this year but boy she is putting on a show now with more to come. I have HEAVY parasitic wasp activity and dragonfly activity as well. So happy with my insects right now.

My rhubarb seeds from French Harvest in Australia finally came and I planted them per instructions. I have high hopes for this "Success" rhubarb variety. Touted as very red, very sweet and HEAT RESISTANT by some master gardeners I've been listening to on the Gardening Basics podcast. Far surpassing "Victory", they say. My main problem may be finding a good spot for it. I suspect I'm going to put it in my flower garden, lol. I've never had good luck with Rhubarb in zone 7b so I'm thrilled to find this.

Grapes are ripening, and the chickens are surprisingly excellent jumpers. I keep securing the vines well over their heads and they keep pulling them down and munching. Little dragons.

I have green bell peppers coming out my ears. I tried a ripe Striped Roma tomato (some other creature took a chunk out of it so I knew it was ripe, lol) and it's fantastic. Really looks great for sauce AND is lovely fresh eating. I'm thinking this variety is going to be in my garden next year too but I have a bunch being vetted this year.

 

[Paz]

watering everything and I'll sow some okra and pole beans. my first hull-less pumpkin dried. last year I didn't get any, all died. I put an irrigation system and they have plenty of water but still dry out. vines are green and thriving. they are still young and growing.

Maybe a disease? There are a bunch of cucumber and squash illnesses around us.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm not sure what I'll get done in the garden today. I think I'll pick some more black raspberries. I did get a box of low-sugar pectin to try making jam again.

 

[jerryse]

Squash pollination problems? I grow a parthenocarpic zuke called Dunja. There are others out there. We once bough a butternut squash from the store that was seedless. You might do a little research and find something.

 

[Molpet]

I was working in a fallow part of the garden propping up a volunteer lettuce that had bolted.... and I put the prop into a native bee nest in the ground.

They were not happy and several got me. These are normally not aggressive, unless I accidently destroy their home. This is the second time I have provoked them and he first time they got me. They pack a punch in their little bitty bodies. My dominate hand is swollen and 6 inches up the arm. Itches like crazy too.
I thought it was just a finger because I pulled a stinger out of it 2 other spots on it,,,, put chewed up plantain taped on there. Finger is in good shape but I didn't see the stings on the hand below the finger.

https://freshbitesdaily.com/plantain-poultice/

 

[TillyPeeps]

Squash pollination problems? I grow a parthenocarpic zuke called Dunja. There are others out there. We once bough a butternut squash from the store that was seedless. You might do a little research and find something.

Never heard about seedless butternut squash. I need to look for it. I heard about 55% honeybee colonies died in the past winter, so it's possible there's less bees this year to cause pollination problems. Although we seem to have increase numbers of bumblebees this year.

 

[cj2024]

Anyone having issues with a client32exe message on their computer start up after McAfee blocks suspicious activity from a program called NetSupport Client Application.