What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

I felt like it would be ... uhm. To let you know what you are in for in the way of weather (for those with record October highs):

It was 26°f at my house again this morning.

I pulled the 2 tarps off the clustered 4 tomato plants in the backyard. Burn/Burn! Right thru the tarps. Three are cherries and they had dropped lots of fruit. I suppose, from stress.

Predicted to stay above 35°f for the reminder of the week. Leaving them uncovered, I'll still be watching temperatures during the early AM. The plants need some sunshine and maybe I can have more ripe fruit from them. They are loaded.

Steve

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Still hot and dry here. Pulling the weeds out slowly. I saw a snake twice in the garden and I am terrified of snakes! So is dont pull weeds without DH. Any good strategies to get rid of voles? I think that's why the snakes are in my garden, to eat the voles.

 

[Prairie Rose]

The weather finally broke here overnight....as soon as it gets light out, I am going out to weed!

 

[ducks4you]

Well, Sorta. It's still muggy. I'm not turning off the AC until this afternoon. Still, Fall is finally here!

 

[flowerbug]

Still hot and dry here. Pulling the weeds out slowly. I saw a snake twice in the garden and I am terrified of snakes! So is dont pull weeds without DH. Any good strategies to get rid of voles? I think that's why the snakes are in my garden, to eat the voles.

hide some mouse traps with bits of dried apricots on the triggers under some plants around where they are prevalent.

most snakes are going to be more scared of you than worth being afraid of, but like spiders people react badly to them out of proportion to what they can do for pain or damage. i am startled by the snakes here once in a while as we have so many rocks around that they like to hide behind or under but i've never been bitten by any of them. one tried but it was so small that it just bounced off my skin on the palm of my hand. it was only about six inches long, but fierce. these are the snakes we call the fiesty ones that will coil up and try to strike but they aren't poisonous - just have a bit more attitude than the others.

only one poisonous snake in these parts and it is rare unless you are near a woody or mixed wetlands type of place. i don't think i've ever seen them here on this patch of planet erf.

 

[flowerbug]

Well, Sorta. It's still muggy. I'm not turning off the AC until this afternoon. Still, Fall is finally here!

yeah, we're getting down into the low 40s at times overnight now.

 

[Prairie Rose]

My ac is already off and all the windows are open. Fall is my favorite season, and I gotta soak it up for the short time it's here! Went out and did some deadheading on roses, pulled some new weeds out of the already-cleared flower bed and came back inside.

I have one more day of work left before I go on vacation, and the weather is supposed to be nice all week. It's still really wet here, and the days are hands down the craziest day of my week. I want to save my energy for it. It is torture trying to keep to the pace of a fish friday when I'm already sore from gardening.

I am hoping to get my gardening done this weekend and early next week. Think I can do everything I want to do in two days, if I have the opportunity to just get out there and work!

 

[ducks4you]

Both @Prairie Rose and I live pretty close, maybe 2 hrs apart. We are in the middle of a drought, but you wouldn't know it at 6AM bc we get heavy dews every morning and HAVE been all summer. I normally have to fill 1/2 of my horse's 110 gallon water tank on very hot days, BUT for 2018 and This summer, it has only been down 1/4 of the tank at Most. This year and last year, I have been topping it off, adding about 3-6 inches.
The rain has been hit and miss. @Prairie Rose has been in the "rain zone", we haven't. I watched a storm last week thunder and lighting and missing US by 5 miles. DD's house, 12 miles north of us, got poured on twice in that many weeks, and, again, we stayed dry.
That's why I said it was still muggy yesterday morning. The dewpoint is very high.

 

[Prairie Rose]

Yeah, i got almost six inches of rain in two days last week...I have been very lucky this year to be in the path of most of the rain this summer and not struggling with drought. I have had just enough rain that I haven't had to water anything but the things that are in black plastic mulch. Even those I haven't watered in over a month, and they are still doing fine.

Am taking a break to cool off from working out in the yard today. Pulled everything out of the veg beds and dumped it in the burn pile because of bindweed. Pulled the black plastic off the bed and disturbed a few snakes, which is why I am hiding inside for a bit, lol. After being mulched with cardboard and old shavings I kept as fuel in my beekeeping days early this spring, I covered the whole thing with black plastic. When I pulled it off, everything was right as I had left it. I was suprised, was expecting more decomposition over the summer. Lots of ants and bugs though, so it has definitely started.

Tomorrow I am going to add fresh paper and straw to keep everything covered till spring.

My local lowes has fall perennials on clearance; I was able to buy twenty dollar plants for three to five dollars. There is a sheltered spot up by the veg beds that will give these plants a fighting chance to live through winter. They are going in the ground tomorrow too.

 

[Cosmo spring garden]

Got half an inch of rain today! . I transplanted some lettuce seedlings that were way too leggy and probably won't make it. I also scattered some radish seeds. Oh and I was dou g all this in the rain wearing a poncho. My neighbor already knows I'm weird lol