What did you do in the garden today?

[OnlySympathy]

I have not seen a chipmunk since I seen the weasel running through the poultry yard with a mouse this summer
I would rather have chippy

If a stray cat would show up for like a week and then disappear again everything would be perfect

 

[Molpet]

If a stray cat would show up for like a week and then disappear again everything would be perfect

I spoke too soon.
I just seen a young chippy creeping around the poultry yard. Very wary so something has been after it.

 

[cj2024]

One year I raised together from chicks a Jersey Giant rooster, a Leghorn rooster, a Buff Orpington rooster and an Australorp rooster. At first, the Leghorn rooster had dominance over the rest, but eventually the Australorp rooster took over and, in the end, the Buff Orpington rooster became the King and turned out to be a man eater. I eventually culled all the roosters at 5 months old. It's interesting to note that the Jersey Giant never contended for dominance and the other competing roosters never seem to bother him. He was bigger than then rest and was still maturing. I think they fully mature after a year.

This year I raised 3 Isa Brown roosters, and they behave like brothers. They sleep together, play together, and snuggle together while dust bathing. It's a total contrast to raising different breeds together. It's probably because they were raised without the same age sisters and with old bossy hens.

 

[TJAnonymous]

My elderly cat decided to pee on my area rug yesterday. Not sure if she couldn't get to the litter box or was just mad that I kicked her out of the bedroom at night. 🫩 So I've spent the past 4 hours disinfecting, sanitizing, and shampooing the rug in the garage. This is the very reason I refuse to allow carpet in my house at all. Everything is hardwood floors or ceramic tile... At least area rugs can be taken outside and thoroughly cleaned. If it was carpet, I'd have to end up tearing it out. No thanks...

Of course I'd love to hang it in the sun to sanitize and dry but of course it's cloudy and thinking about spitting for a moment or two.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I've been getting aphids on some of the red Russian kale plants, so I've been removing those leaves and feeding them to the chickens. I've seen no aphids on the collards or cabbages, but I think I'm going to just remove all the kale plants since they seem to attract the pests.

Do you grow dill, or anything similar nearby? Since I started putting some in for pollinators the hoverflies usually take care of the aphids for me.

I did have issues with leaf miners on my kale this year but the ones in containers with the beneficial nematodes didn’t get hit as hard.

 

[jxp]

My elderly cat decided to pee on my area rug yesterday. Not sure if she couldn't get to the litter box or was just mad that I kicked her out of the bedroom at night. 🫩 So I've spent the past 4 hours disinfecting, sanitizing, and shampooing the rug in the garage. This is the very reason I refuse to allow carpet in my house at all. Everything is hardwood floors or ceramic tile... At least area rugs can be taken outside and thoroughly cleaned. If it was carpet, I'd have to end up tearing it out. No thanks...

Of course I'd love to hang it in the sun to sanitize and dry but of course it's cloudy and thinking about spitting for a moment or two.

I read once that a common reason cats piddle outside their litter box has to do with a possible UTI. Apparently, they associate the litter box with the pain and thus avoid it. Maybe worth a vet visit.

 

[Smokerbill]

Do you grow dill, or anything similar nearby? Since I started putting some in for pollinators the hoverflies usually take care of the aphids for me.

I did have issues with leaf miners on my kale this year but the ones in containers with the beneficial nematodes didn’t get hit as hard.

I have lots of dill but I got what I needed and quit watering it, so it's all turning brown and making seeds for next year. I had a nice big 2nd year flat leaf parsley plant that was blooming and attracting loads of tiny wasp like things, which I assume are predatory. But the parsley got in the way of my new cabbage plants so I cut it down.

ETA: I just found a praying mantis on the back porch railing. Poor thing was missing one of its pincer arms and a couple others. I let it crawl onto my hand and carried it to the garden and let it climb up the bean vines. That should make it happy.

Now I need to let the bean vines overwinter in case it leaves an egg case for me.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I have lots of dill but I got what I needed and quit watering it, so it's all turning brown and making seeds for next year. I had a nice big 2nd year flat leaf parsley plant that was blooming and attracting loads of tiny wasp like things, which I assume are predatory. But the parsley got in the way of my new cabbage plants so I cut it down.

Those sound like hoverflies. Did they look like this? The adults are pollinators and the babies eat aphids.

 

[Smokerbill]

Those sound like hoverflies. Did they look like this? The adults are pollinators and the babies eat aphids.

They look like this. I don't know if they're hoverflies.

 

[Smokerbill]

Canning day today. 14 half pints plus 3 pints of bread and butter pickles, and 7 pints of raw pack green beans that were picked this morning. I cut the beans into short 1 inch sections thinking smaller pieces would pack into the jars better. I was out in the garden in the dark at 5am this morning picking cukes for the pickles too. Long, long day.