What Did You Do In The Garden?

[flowerbug]

it has been hot, dry and windy enough here that i have to water the newly planted garden veggies every day just to make sure there is some moisture percolating down through the clay as i don't want the plants to get too stressed. now that it has cooled off some i can worry a lot less but i will still water today and tomorrow. once i see signs that the plants are established and growing i can reduce the watering and hope for more rain as that would be much better anyways. rains are in the forecast for this coming week so perhaps they'll come through.

yesterday i finished up getting the North Garden back under control for weeds (first time i weeded those edges since last fall) so today i can finally get some beans planted (again) in other gardens as i've only got one small row of beans planted that i put in a few weeks ago and two pots where i've had to poke some other seeds into since a few of the seedlings didn't make it.

i forgot to plant the melon seeds yesterday so those have to go on my list for today.

 

[seedcorn]

Finally found a 4 pack of eggplant. They are now in the dirt. They had some sprouted onion sets. Bought a pound and set them out. Figured for $1.25, if Enough lived to give me a couple pounds, I’d be good. Planted 4 rows about 30+’ Long plus another row 20’ Long. Happy to finally see the bag empty. Nice shower would bring everything. Not suppose to get a shower till next week.

 

[Phaedra]

I started working in this small area and used hanging baskets on the upper parts. On the lower parts, I might use the 100cm long pots and directly sow seeds for cosmos and zinnias; or herbs or lettuces, not yet fully decided.

 

[Dirtmechanic]

Teach a man to fish and he can eat for a lifetime?

 

[Dahlia]

Yes, garlic planting time is approaching. I have to make a point of moving & starting the raised bed for the garlic this week, while the soil is fairly dry. No telling if it will get too wet later.

We started harvesting the peppers at home. They did very well, which almost makes up for the poor pepper yield in the rural garden.
View attachment 44057 View attachment 44058
Elephant's Ear, six plants. A sweet pepper with thick walls; as heavy as bells, but more reliable. DW & I will eat many of them, freeze some for winter, and give some to family & friends.

View attachment 44060
Trinidad Perfume... looks hot, but its not. Not really sweet either, the closest thing I could compare their flavor to would be orange peel. Crunchy & pleasant. They were planted in partial shade this year (North side of a pole bean trellis) and seem to like those conditions, this is by far the best yield I've had from them.

The soybean harvest continues... only 3 varieties remain. For the most part, after a few days of drying the bushes indoors, DW & I are keeping up with shelling them. Beans are done, but cowpeas still continue to flower & set pods. The second set for MN 13 has begun drying down, which should add significantly to its overall yield.

I opened & scooped out about 1/2 of the seed cucumbers for WI 5207 today. The seed/juice will be fermented for a few days to allow the gel sacs to separate from the seed. The process is very similar to the fermentation & float-off used to process tomato seed.

The Liso Calcutta gherkins left for seed are taking longer to ripen than the cukes. I have been selecting for fewer spines, and these are nearly smooth. That is both promising & frustrating, since those gherkins are the only thing preventing me from mowing & tilling about 1/4 of the rural garden.

Zeedman, I love your colorful pictures! Especially the first of the red pepper!!

 

[digitS']

Despite the garden being nicely wet from a few recent rainstorms and more forecast, the sprinkler pipe is now set in place. Long and large but, luckily, not very heavy.

I killed weeds with the shading fork in the path of the pipe. It's no good to cover them only to have them show up later from under the pipe. An inconvenient location for weeding.

Harvested ... wait for it ... harvested some lambs quarters . Eating them right now! Also pulled some cilantro but that's been going on for about 2 weeks.

Steve

 

[Dahlia]

Despite the garden being nicely wet from a few recent rainstorms and more forecast, the sprinkler pipe is now set in place. Long and large but, luckily, not very heavy.

I killed weeds with the shading fork in the path of the pipe. It's no good to cover them only to have them show up later from under the pipe. An inconvenient location for weeding.

Harvested ... wait for it ... harvested some lambs quarters . Eating them right now! Also pulled some cilantro but that's been going on for about 2 weeks.

Steve

Yum on the lambs quarters! Can you post a pic of that!?

 

[flowerbug]

...
Harvested ... wait for it ... harvested some lambs quarters . Eating them right now! Also pulled some cilantro but that's been going on for about 2 weeks.

yum for fresh cilantro! i've not let any lambs quarters go to seed in the gardens here for many years yet i still get volunteers in the gardens - very persistent seeds. i always like using the plants as mulch because of those nice wide leaves. anything to try to keep some worms happy.

 

[digitS']

@Dahlia , I'd like to say that it is mostly up to the neighbor if I can take a picture of weeds after we wait out another several days of rainy weather before another venture out to the distant garden.

It's no exaggeration. The tractor guy spreads weed seeds over both gardens. Some, like purslane, I cannot stay ahead of. I was thinking yesterday that I am not yet geared up to my complete inability to walk past a bindweed seedling without stopping and pulling it but I HAVE to put myself in that gear very soon or the bindweed will be developing that rhizome that will take it beyond that simplest weed to pull to being the monster to which it is capable.

To defend the tractor guy, I very much appreciate that he begins tilling on our side and so does not spread weed seed from distant and fallow areas that the neighbor has him till. That hasn't always been the case, however, and as @flowerbug notes, weed seed persists, they may also blow around, and the birds, ah yes ...

I used to make use of the red-root pigweed but since deliberately growing amaranth in our gardens harvesting pigweed has fallen off the table, so to speak.

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

How do u eat pigweed? Tastes like?