What Did You Do In The Garden?

[Zeedman]

The tiller parts came in the mail today. Putting them in was a challenge, the parts diagram did not show orientation - but with the neighbor's help, we figured it out. Once primed, it started on the second pull! So guess what I did most of the day...

DW finished weeding the first (biggest) corn patch, and I ran the tiller between the rows on the second patch. I try to get as close as possible to the plants, without damaging their roots; so cleaning the remaining weeds should take far less time than the week it took for the first patch. Tilled around most of the cowpeas, some of the soybeans, and some of the tomatoes. I also tilled one side of the watermelon row, though I doubt it will produce anything. In total, tilled about 1/6 of the area - so there's hope now that much in that garden can still be salvaged.

At home, it was JB day - the beetles were swarming, the worst hatch I've seen yet. I dumped the trap bags, then dumped them again 3 hours later... it must have been over 1000. For the first time, there were some beetles on almost everything. I made 3 rounds with the spray bottle, picking off stragglers before they could gather a posse. They've started to attack the okra now. Their go-to escape method when threatened is to roll & drop... but on the okra, that means they just roll to the center of the leaf, where there is no escape from the spray.

The caged peppers at home are doing well - almost too well. After yesterday's brief but heavy rain storm, 4/6 plants of Greygo tipped over under load. For several years, I've been searching for a support method that could be inserted around the caged plants, without damaging either the plants, or the row cover. Went browsing at the garden dept. of the local Big Box hardware... and found sets of short, inter-locking wire flower borders. Two of the panels, bent at the center to 90 degrees & joined at one point, formed a hinged open square. So I was able to open the assembly to a "W", slide them behind the plants (while holding them up), close the open side, and push the wire legs into the soil. It worked well, all of the plants are now fully supported.

 

[flowerbug]

i forget what spray you might be using there @Zeedman for the JBs, but if it was a soapy water solution that may discourage them but it won't likely kill them. here if i'm picking JBs i drop them in the slightly soapy water solution for overnight because if they aren't drowned long enough they can recover and crawl away. i've learned that if i want to catch all the JBs in a spot to put the container under the leaves so they fall into that instead of me trying to pick them off with my fingers. i still miss a few here or there, but they'll get removed eventuall as i make the rounds each morning. the earlier the better before they get warmed up and more active.

i should be out there now... yesterday was a long day and i slept in a bit. early is a good time to check for tomato worms too.

picking beans today to steam and eat.

 

[Zeedman]

i forget what spray you might be using there @Zeedman for the JBs, but if it was a soapy water solution that may discourage them but it won't likely kill them.

The solution I use is about 1/3 alcohol, 1/4 cup insecticidal soap, 1 tbsp cooking oil, and water to reach one quart. Adding the alcohol first reduces foaming. After adding the cooking oil, I add about 1/2 of the water, close & shake vigorously to emulsify the oil, then finish filling the bottle with water & shake again. The alcohol momentarily paralyzes (I can spray wasps out of mid-air), and the soap & water asphyxiates. The cooking oil clogs their spiracles, preventing the beetles (or almost any insect) from recovering once they dry out. Sometimes I add maple syrup, which serves the same purpose. Provided the beetles are completely covered by the spray, it kills them. If I spray gently, they usually don't attempt to escape until too late. I find it easier to spray them than to attempt catching them in dense growth - when they often fly away.

 

[ducks4you]

The last 3 days I feel like I have been training for a marathon. I mowed all of the yard with a push mower and my dying John Deere riding mower (which I hope to replace this Fall with SOMETHING brand new.) I have my newest push mower on loan to DD's while friend is repairing theirs, still have my old and newer push mowers working. I mowed next to the south fence of the North Pasture, specifically to mow down emergent 1st year burdock. Missed my window to poison, rain today, but picked up the new mower, which I had lent to a friend in April, delivered to DD's house, hand mowed their yard areas where their 7 tomato plants are caged, the weedfest north of it, the grass/weedfest where their Magnolia Betty (fenced in) and planters with a cherry tomato and grape tomato w/basil friends were overshadowed, loaded up more brush from the tree that came down, hand mowed with the brush was in the front yard. I completed cleared all grass and weeds from the south yard and I am finally ready to put up the fencing. Lost my window to poison today bc of rain, but I get it back on Sunday
Who needs crunches?!?!?
Next few days:
Friday, Friend is cleaning my gutters after we assemble my 6 ft scaffolding
Saturday,
7:30AM--Apiary removes bees nest
8:00--horse trainer arrive for the day
9:00--hay man delivers 350 bales hay, 50 bales straw
(2 guys that put it up will be there, too)
Sunday, Friend is helping to finish clearing out the Other 1/2 of the horse shelter

Today I have an AM loan signing, then to shop.
I am buying 6 packs of Gatorade.

 

[Prairie Rose]

Raining today, but I went out in the drizzle and picked a few zucchini, a couple of cucumbers, and admired the watermelons and baby pumpkins. I threatened the tomatoes with dismemberment if they didn't start ripening.

 

[flowerbug]

Raining today, but I went out in the drizzle and picked a few zucchini, a couple of cucumbers, and admired the watermelons and baby pumpkins. I threatened the tomatoes with dismemberment if they didn't start ripening.

it's a bit early for the larger tomatoes here to be ripening.

the smaller cherry tomatoes we've already been picking for a few weeks.

 

[ducks4you]

I threatened the tomatoes with dismemberment if they didn't start ripening.

 

[Trish Stretton]

I finally got around to mowing the lawn. I cant remember the last time I did it. It hasnt been that a cold a winter this year but the lawn still didnt grow that much, but was starting to look a little shaggy.

The rock walls got attacked with the weed eater and I have just a few spots to hand weed.

It looks like my shallots are suffering from mildew. I tried to keep the neighbours cat from using the bed as a toilet spot but couldnt find the bird mesh to put over so I used the frost cloth instead. I think they didnt get enough air flow.
I just tried a chives tea spray on them, that I got out of my organic garden doctor book.
I havent had this problem before, so dont really know if it will work.

My seed catalogue finally arrived so I have put an order in for probably too much, but I just couldnt help myself.

 

[Rammy]

Pulled up the greenbeans since they are a bust now. Tomatoes are doing great.

 

[Prairie Rose]

Pulled some bindweed, and the last of my garlic and shallots. Going to plant fall peas in that bed tomorrow. The purple russian tomatoes are a complete bust....the rain we had earlier in the week made all of them split vertically in multiple places. I may just prune them out and be done with them.