What Did You Do In The Garden?

flowerbug

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Glad you and your mom enjoyed the melons Flowerbug! Can you usually grow melons there?

Mary

i have tried in the past and not had very good results that is why i wanted a shorter season one to try. thank you again, they're going to get shared around for sure. there's no way we're going to be able to eat all of these when they get ripe.

i was remarking to Mom that i thought the flavor of the melon had hints of cotton candy in it and she agreed. the one i picked today was probably not fully ripe, but very close. a few more days, but it was squished between rocks and it smelled so good i had to give it a try. :) well worth it. i now know at least what color it should look like to have it minimally acceptable to eat. beyond that for a few days and it should only get better. not sure how far along it will be until they are over ripe but i suppose we will likely find out.

if anything i can put a little pyramid out by the road with a "FREE" sign on it and people will take them. we're currently on the detour for the main road so the traffic has been rather busy. even on less than busy days we often get anything put out along the road taken pretty quickly...
 

Trish Stretton

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Not exactly in the garden, but i dug out some of my seeds that I have been meaning to sow, but never did. i wanted to see if they were still viable so I popped them in seed sprouter trays, normally used to grow sprouts.
So far the Fenugreek, Chickpeas and Lentils have come up, so they have carefully been transplanted into punnets and trays.
I used to start all my seeds around this time, but the seasons have changed and it is still a bit too cold, so these puppies are tucked up safe inside.

I had so any Chickpeas sprout though, I had to plant some out side, hoping they will not get hit by any lat frosts.
 

flowerbug

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watered all the vegetable gardens, scraped an edge of the north garden and then buried scraps from putting up tomatoes.

scraping that edge to knock back the purslane sprouts didn't take that long but i also did some reshaping while i was at it. eventually it will get some daffodils moved along there and then the creeping thyme can be used to fill in and create another filter strip. the creeping thyme copes with the clay.

burying the tomato scraps also counts as weeding as i'm gradually reclaiming an area i used to garden, but for the past few years other projects have had a higher priority so now i'm finally making a dent in it. also gradually expanding it from the other edge to make it bigger. the less i have to mow the better. :) :) :)
 

ducks4you

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Took me 2 days to mow the trim, Friday and Saturday.
WHAT a workout, 1 1/4 acres worth of mowing.
Riding mower needs repair, threw 2 bolts on the deck, friend is looking for replacements.
DH Then suggested that I use the tractor to mow, instead of replacing it. Riding mower has to rest after 1 hr of hard mowing, or it overheats.
AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!!!:rant
The last suggestion was that I use the riding mower and make 2 (42 inch deck) passes with the riding mower beFORE he mowed with the tractor.
Fine. I have been wanting to drive my tractor, anyway.
Replaced yellow hose with super leaky coupling (and a partial hose, to reach the horse's water tank) with 2 cheap green hoses that I already had. Couldn't get them apart, so I laid them out, cut in 2, and curled each 1/2 up in a grain bag, tossed them in the trash. I liked the yellow hose bc I could See it in the grass. Guess I will be replacing it when everybody clearances their hoses.
2 Cherry trees have lost a LOT of leaves. Yesterday, I put the plug side of one of my Rubbermaid 100 gal. water tanks, fill it to the brim on the drip line of one of my cherry trees, unscrewed most of the way and checked to see that it was a slow drip, and watered my tree. TOO risky to turn the hose on and let it drip. I might have left it on all night.
The water tank dripped to empty, so I refilled it this morning. Tomorrow, I plan to move it to the Other cherry tree to water it.
I should point out that Both trees are trying to grow back their leaves. Still, I don't want to lose them.
Broke down yesterday and Spent $1 on a lavendar mum. I planted it in then front bed. water both front flower beds heavily, and covered with what I swept up from the barn floor for mulch. If you can find stuff to mulch with that is free, you gardening dollar gets stretched.
Before my vacation I stuck a bunch of tiny Romas had started from seed, in the Roma tomato bed. About 5 made it, so I transplanted to spread them out, and added the one last one that had been growing in a big yogurt container, which I had watered heavily and put it out in full sun to adjust, so it was ready to be transplanted. Thank goodness for tomato volunteers!
When I water I have a sprayer on. What I do is lock it open, so when I water my transplants I shove it into the ground, about 3-4 inches away from the tranplant, and about 1 inch deep and puddle them, so that the roots are surrounded by water, then damp soil as the sun attacks them in the afternoon. I have saved many a transplant this way, instead of spraying overhead, or a soaker hose.
Taking a mid day break, with my iced tea and Fritos (need the salt). Out this afternoon for more.
Don't know where I'm getting the energy. Could be the new mattress?
 

Trish Stretton

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@Trish Stretton do you usually start seed indoors?

Would now be the time for onions, violets, etc., and soon for just about everything that can go out early and to give the slower growing, warm-season plants a head start on the season?

Curious.

Steve
With Violets, which I just love, I usually take root 'cuttings' and move them on to the next spot.
you are probably right about the onions. I do have seed for the ones that need to be sown in early Spring- Pukekohe long keepers, so thank you, i'll dig those out and get going with them in seed trays.
its not actually spring here yet, more late winter....
 

Zeedman

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Woke up to more persistent rainfall than I had expected, with storm after storm for almost 10 hours. So between storms, DW & I dodged the raindrops to harvest all of the near-dry limas, yardlongs, and soybeans. We placed all of the wet pods under the ceiling fan to dry. Several ripe bitter melon pods had burst too & spilled their seeds on the ground, so collected all of those slimy red seed capsules to process for seed.

The harvest is beginning to pick up in the rural garden, we've started picking tomatoes, cucumbers, bitter melon, eggplant, and Bush Sitao long beans in increasing numbers. For the sweet corn that was tasseling, I sprayed BT on the silks, and will repeated that process when the garden dries out. The gherkins & Tromboncino have bounced back after we freed them from their weed prisons, and begun setting. But all of the peppers there, while now becoming healthy, are far behind where they should be... it is questionable whether any of them will mature before frost.
 
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Dirtmechanic

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I have spent a couple of days now trimming and feeding and medicating the tomatoes since our heat is passing and its time for that last growing run into fall. Nobody here got a good start this year because it was cold for so long and then sprang into the 90s. The deer got into the 20 I have outside the fence. When I spray them I guess they stink and get let alone but I let them slide in the heat and the tree goats got to them. Dramaberries! I put a new clutch on the mower so its purring along. We have had steady rains so everyones grass is pretty this year. A lot of yards have a grass called bahia that it the next thing to the toughest weed you know. In our dry summers even burmuda shrivels which is saying something. Bahia is one that not only survives but prospers.
 
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