RUNuts 2018 Garden thread (attempt)

[baymule]

Sounds like your garden is coming along! I need to get my cucumbers planted, I am out of my Mamma Wall's Spicy Sweet Pickles! (my great grandmother) I can eat 'em right out of the jar and they are the best on hotdogs and hamburgers.

 

[Clarity1210]

And another thing, what is the best way to evict fire ants? The 45 gallon plastic pots seem to attract them faster than I can put plants in them. Not a fan of the kill everything sprays because of the parrots and dogs. Boric acid and cornmeal?

This is late, and I haven't read through the rest of the posts, but to discourage fire ants it also can help to sweeten the soil with dried molasses.

 

[flowerbug]

This is late, and I haven't read through the rest of the posts, but to discourage fire ants it also can help to sweeten the soil with dried molasses.

i've not heard of that one before. as i'm not in the deep south and don't have to contend with them it's a tip to remember to pass along to others i know down that ways and see what they report back on trying it out...

(welcome to the forums... )

i think @RUNuts is on walk-about... hope they are ok...

 

[Titan Farm]

This is late, and I haven't read through the rest of the posts, but to discourage fire ants it also can help to sweeten the soil with dried molasses.

Molasses won't 'sweeten' your soil. It can actually lower the pH of the soil.

 

[RUNuts]

Hello all!

Back from walk about. Garden got demolished by the puppies. So, my plans came to naught. The onions survived in the kitchen garden. The 2 planters in the dog yard that were happily growing tomatoes got dug out. The back garden was converted to chicken pen for the meat birds and they ate the cucumbers, squash, marigold, radishes and all. Not the original chicken plan, but the garden was suffering from the heat. The potted peppers and tomatoes were saved. The heat in July and August tapered everything off and I thought I was done.

The cool September let the squash spring back from the chickens and vine borers (OMG - those things are terrible!!!) and actually set another butternut.

The one original Jalapeno has given lots of peppers. HOT too! Now has two others starting to fruit. One of the original in ground that I wrote off has struggled all summer and is now 8" tall with a couple peppers. One of the surviving replants (I started 2 more batches and killed them) has made 18". Should have peppers through Christmas and a couple pints frozen.

The local church had squash leftover after the pumpkin patch festivals. I brought home 50-ish. The dogs, chickens and I are enjoying fresh pumpkin squash. The white Boer is better than the green Jarrahdale which has crunchy chunks floating around. These are the first ones, so I'm keeping an open mind. Fried squash mash and pumpkin harvest cake on the menu.

@baymule - what happened with your CX - I didn't see how the harvest went. I ordered 25 on 8-15 and harvested 21. The heat did not treat them well. Will wait until later in the summer next time.

 

[flowerbug]

Hello all!

Back from walk about.

glad to see you back.

 

[Nyboy]

How many puppies did you have

 

[baymule]

@baymule - what happened with your CX - I didn't see how the harvest went. I ordered 25 on 8-15 and harvested 21. The heat did not treat them well. Will wait until later in the summer next time.

I lost quite a few too, but butchered 44. Here's a thread on Sufficientself.com sister site to TEG where I posted the whole thing, start to finish.

https://www.sufficientself.com/thre...-2018-cost-profit-loss-or-freezer-meat.15621/

I will point out that the tractor I built was WAY overbuilt and now houses a flock of Australorps. When I try again in the spring, I will have to build a more lightweight chicken tractor, LOL I started 2 of them, finished one. Am now building out the other base for Grand daughters 3 Silkies.

 

[Nyboy]

I just ordered baby chicks for first time How bad do they smell ?

 

[baymule]

I just ordered baby chicks for first time How bad do they smell ?

I put them in a water tub (for horses) with a drop light. I put papers on the bottom and change them daily, sometimes twice daily. They smell if you leave the papers too long or if you have too many in too small of a place. I have also used pine shavings but they are messier. I run around town, picking up those free classified papers.