What Did You Do In The Garden?

[ducks4you]

Yesterday, I Finally got some real gardening work done. I pulled, really dug Out, all of the tall weeds growing around the cement cistern, which will be my slicing tomato bed--ending up buying most of the them, but a few started from seed will go out there later.
I put the dozen or so weeds out in my firepit to be attended to today. I tilled it all up. I had dumped from the stalls back in January, so plenty of compost there. I also tilled next to it, in an area that had become all weeds. Before I plant grass there this fall I will be planting a package of low border wildflowers, enough to cover 60 sq ft, just east of the cistern and tomato bed.
I was so proud of myself! I go out to start the tiller and the cord breaks!
Instead of giving up, I removed the starter cord box in the front. I used one of these, part of a set of 7 that I had bought at Harbor Freight primarily to tighten up the legs of my kitchen table.

Metric Nut Driver Set, 7 Piece

Amazing deals on this 7Pc Metric Nut Driver Set at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

I never expected to get much use of them, but, by trying a couple of them I was able to identify the correct size and then use one of my two socket sets, we have small and large, and thus remove, rethread and retie to the handle, just with a few knots, and I got my tiller going again!!!

I am NO mechanic, so 30 minutes worth of fixing helped me A lot, even though the original cord is now about 10 inches shorter.
Then, ***and keep this quiet from @Prairie Rose*** we drove to the Beef House in Indiana for a really truly sit down restaurant dinner. They were full and very busy. We saw several IL plates in the parking lot.
OUR very own "Trust Fund Baby IL Governor" won't LET IL restaurants open for this weekend for sit down.
Why should HE care? Never worked a day in his life until he became head of the state, and sits as a puppet there, with NO financial worries.
Btw, I do need to replace this cord, which looks like cotton. Does anybody have a suggestion of what I should buy? It will be GREATLY appreciated!
My tiller is probably 15yo+, and I was hoping to use something synthetic. Thanks, ahead of time.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

There might be a shortage of fresh garlic coming up this fall. China imports alot of it into our country, and they've been disrupted. Be sure to plant some of your own this fall, if you can find some American heads of garlic.

I am glad I planted last fall. Mine are looking good. I planted the purple hard neck.

 

[digitS']

do you have issues with all the rocks breaking the tiller tines?

I have broken them a tine or 2 . Replaced. The ones on the thing are very similar to the ones that came on my little 25 cc Honda tiller. I replaced them immediately and still, the Honda has little use beyond mixing some fertilizer in a planting bed.

Anyway, I considered a more robust tine replacement for the bigger tiller but I'm not sure that it would be a good idea with so many rocks.

how long does it take to go from 8 inch cauliflower and brocolli to production?

I have not grown cauliflower since coming up with nothing to harvest because of sunscald one year. It looked like it would be difficult for me to pay enough attention to tie leaves and avoid that problem.

We usually have broccoli by mid-July if'n Benjamin Bunny leaves them alone. I will take the center and then watching for lateral shoots right up to hard frosts - pruning off any missed to stop flowering.

Last year, the aphids were bad in July and they are really tuff to kill once those bugs move into the buds. I just pruned them all off and we waited for later. The plants grow just fine through the remainder of the growing season.

I shouldn't be too impatient with Benjamin for pruning all the leaves in May, if he happens by and takes a notion. A little fertilizer and hilling around the stem, they can still produce large plants with abundant buds before the season is out. Of course, if Wile E. Coyote or Hedwig Owl takes Benjamin out after he has done his pruning there are thoughts and prayers that can be offered. Speaking of which, I haven't seen any rabbits out there this year ... nor Marmots!

Steve

 

[ducks4you]

So beat this week, BUT I got my stakes and slicing tomatoes in...could use some more, so off to the store tomorrow. We were supposed to get light rain last night. Nope. 30 minutes of deluge. Must be several inches worth. I wish my shower head had that much power!

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I got 15 tomatoes planted today before the rain started.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

I got 15 tomatoes planted today before the rain started.

I planted something like that but for the wrong reasons. Literally on the other side of the yard, which is something like 25000 sf, I sprayed 4speedxt on yard violets. NEVER would have seen that drift coming but it happened. It took me a second to figure out what happened. That was a month or more ago now. Too much time at home I guess. Better to let it all grow.

 

[ducks4you]

Bought more slicing tomatoes (and some sweet banana type peppers.) EVERYBODY seems to be almost out. No worries. I have about 13-14 seedlings that I will baby along and plant.
Tilled up the pepper bed and the Roma tomato bed. Have to Start Romas from seed. NOBODY had any.
Stupid panic over food, and people buying vegetables that have never grown them.
It's like about a decade ago. There was a rice shortage. People were buying rice that admitted that they don't Eat rice.

 

[Zeedman]

The storms today somehow missed us, so we were able to finish planting the remaining peppers & tomatoes on the home plots, and closed up the fencing around those areas. Gave some pepper plants to the neighbors too. Also planted four plants of the Zuccetta Rampicante, which will be trained to the fence... those plants are dedicated for seed replenishment.

Both varieties of bitter melon (planted in peat strips) germinated, close to 100%. The first few seedlings of Cyclanthera explodens (the exploding gourd) finally showed today, I was getting worried that the 2012 seed was dead.

If the weather cooperates tomorrow, we will begin seeding in the beans for the home plots, and planting an apple tree purchased last weekend. The limas & runner beans will be started in pots, to avoid a repeat of the squirrel damage we had two years ago. The resident hawks are no-shows this year, and squirrels are growing bolder.

 

[digitS']

Planted the tomatoes, squash and pumpkins. It wasn't supposed to be so windy but was, late in the day. If tomorrow is okay, as it's supposed to be, the melons, peppers, and eggplant can go in. Many of those plants were hunkered down for days in the greenhouse last week. I hope that it doesn't become blazing hot this week and fry them.

I made a mistake with the corn plants. I don't remember having done this before . Instead of planting in blocks of at least 10' by 10' for proper pollination, I put in a single bed 4' by 45'. Just because I didn't have 2 such beds side by side at that moment, must be the reason I didn't think beyond getting the job done on the available ground. Halving two would have given me 10' by 20+'. No, zip, zap, zam - I was done with the transplants .

Is this gonna work okay? Or, will the ears have gaping gaps between kernels? What is this hand-pollination technique where one rubs the tassels and silk ... at the same time? Does that work?

Steve

 

[baymule]

Yesterday I pulled weeds and cleaned up a patch to plant cucumbers in.