What Did You Do In The Garden?

[flowerbug]

It's in the middle of the tilled land.

So, there are annual plantings on all 4 sides of that ground. On 2 sides is my garden so it isn't as tho I have far to go but I have to not neglect it or -- weeds!

Steve

that or like you said, cover crop it... buckwheat is nice and quick for something different. every herbivore seems to like it.

 

[thistlebloom]

that or like you said, cover crop it... buckwheat is nice and quick for something different. every herbivore seems to like it.

Wouldn't that be like putting up a big neon sign?
* "Steve's Diner
* Come and Get it!"

 

[flowerbug]

Wouldn't that be like putting up a big neon sign?
* "Steve's Diner
* Come and Get it!"

it is here! the deer frequently top them off or eat them down to not much. i get enough seeds that they will keep regrowing if i don't accidentally scrape them away. i try not to since the the bees like them.

i was glad i got some cosmos planted at last yesterday. not sure how long the seeds are good for but we'll find out. i need more seeds to give away and to refresh my stock.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

One of my zuc disappeared last night. Guess I'll need to learn about the elec stuff like Beekissed suggested.

 

[thistlebloom]

One of my zuc disappeared last night. Guess I'll need to learn about the elec stuff like Beekissed suggested.

Nothing works as well as a good shock to deer IMO.

I use hot wire in certain areas on one clients property when they aren't in residence. I take it down when they are there for aesthetic reasons, but then I use these https://wirelessdeerfence.com/ .
They really work well, even in the winter. They are spendy, but they will last for years, and cheaper than buying plants constantly.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

Thank you, Thistle. I ordered a box of three.

 

[thistlebloom]

Saturday I finished planting my garden. I put in a block of Espresso sweet corn, which I bought last year mostly for it's reputed cold soil tolerance, thinking I would be putting it in a lot earlier than the middle of June .
I also got in some cucs, onions,and peas. Pretty late planting for peas and onions, so we'll just see what happens.
The peppers are still just puny things, they don't look like they've grown since I planted them, but look healthy otherwise. The tomatoes in the W.O.W.'s are about 4" taller than the ones without. Not super impressive, but the W.O.W.'s might make a difference when we get some of those random nights in the 40's.

The buried soaker hose is helping with weed germination, or I should say non- germination. The unplanted areas that aren't getting water are pretty much weed free. I like that.

 

[flowerbug]

picked up a load of wood chips.

watered some sprouting beans to make sure they didn't dry out too much (hard to believe that i needed to do that since there is mud in many other places here).

finished weeding the strawberry patch inside the fenced area. picked strawberries.

sighted in the air-rifle (maybe it was a bit more wind out there than i wanted).

started working on the garden where we're planting squash. not sure how late i can plant them and expect a harvest. i can plant a few hills tomorrow to get those going.

watched some birds while resting. i think i see a bit of blue sky and actual shadows for a change. i'm not sure how to behave...

[edit] was just told to not work on squash garden so we're not growing too many squash this season i guess. she wants North garden done next. ok Mom...

[2nd edit] i can expect a crop in 90-100 days, so within realm of possibility... squash is one of the main reasons for gardening. *whew*

 

[ducks4you]

@thistlebloom, my sweet corn is staggered. One thing I did, NO watering until it got rained on. They were sprouting anyway, and this week at home, while I am away, has been on and off Tstorms. I haven't use a hose on them AT ALL, but we live in a humid climate.
I am anxious to see how big my original blue dent (in the potato bed, planted 2 months ago,) sweet corn on the west side of the house (started indoors 6 weeks ago and transplanted 3-4 weeks ago), and then the sweet corn that I planted around the cistern 1 week ago, AND the blue dent corn that I planted with my okra (from seeds that I saved from last year), AND the "ornamental" corn that I planted on the south side of the garage WITH sunflowers AND cosmos.
I have yet to plant anything in my big garden plot, but I will throw ALL of the leftover blue dent corn there, on the south side, then plant my cabbage, and beets and some onion sets to the North of them, and under the arbor vitae and juniper that I left in the ground too long to transplant, and all 5 are now 7 ft. tall. I am leaving a portion that I will cover for Brussels Sprouts, that I plan to start indoors next week in the basement, and on top of my fridge, to transplant for Fall/Winter harvest.
It is SOOOO interesting to me how tolerant or fussy certain vegetables are, and I am certainly get my education in 2019.

 

[digitS']

@ducks4you : Quite the staggered plantings from corn 2 months ago to Brussels sprouts not yet started for transplant.

I have a harvest from summer squash if I transplant 2-3 week old seedlings during the first week of July, @flowerbug . I may do that this year but the reason for starting to do that was because the older plants are mildew-prone, late in the season. What I have learned is that they may be just fine 3 years outta 4 and then I have twice as many zucchini than I can shake a stick at! Also, one year, the young plants had mildew and didn't produce ... what?! Well ... it may have had to do with too much late season shade.

Today, I built a horizontal, string trellis for the snapdragons. Put some Spinosad on the first planting of spuds ... I was so pleased with how picking adult potato beetles at a rate of 1/foot had protected the plants. I found 1 immature about a week ago. Guess what? That 30' row is now covered with larva!!!

There might be an average of 30 bugs on each plant! My suspicion 3 or 4 weeks ago was that it would be a bad potato bug year ... And, the late planting is just now starting to emerge. Although it's over 50' away, those bugs are likely coming at me from all points of the compass!

Oh, and, in the 30' row, there were 2 nightshade plants severely eaten and only about as big as my hand. Weeds ... but they almost for sure played a role in that potato beetle population explosion. That is the problem - nightshade weeds. There is only one garden veggie those bugs like more than those weeds - eggplant. Good Heavens, my poor sad eggplant don't deserve a bug attack! They have had a difficult enuf time with the weather.

Steve