What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

Oh & @Sally PB - big football fan here too, so excited for this year (lifetime Buccaneers fan).

 

[Sally PB]

DH is from Pittsburgh, so he's a Steelers fan. He grew up there in the 70s when they won 4 Superbowls. I got an iron filter for our water, and it's called an "Iron Curtain." I said, well, ours is a Steel Curtain, because Hubby is a Steelers fan. The salesman got the reference.

Back to garden stuff... I really need to clean out the asparagus patch. It has a lot of self-seeded borage in it, and the bees love it, so it stayed. But I don't want to get stung, so I haven't cleaned out the asparagus, and it is overrun with all kinds of weeds, as well as borage. I may go in with some loppers and just cut it down so it dies and I can get in there safely. More stuff for the compost and/or the chicken run.

 

[Birdsonghill]

Been raining about half the days for a couple of weeks, at my house. High winds and heavy rain common. Last night was not so bad, just another half inch, between sunset and sunrise. The days without rain have been in the mid 90's and steamy! The squash bugs are as bad as I have ever seen them, this year. A 60 mph wind, hail and 2 inches of rain in about 11/2 hours a couple of days ago, damaged my corn that was only partially harvested, not to mention down tree limbs and minor roof damage. Lucky for me I just contracted a new roof and the materials are here waiting for the roofers in a week or two. One of my gourd vines on the chicken coop has loved the hot, humid weather and even though planted late, is completely covering the chicken run and is loaded with birdhouse gourds(some large). I could sink to over my ankles in mud, in the gardens, now!

I took Freya on a tie out with me to the garden this morning. She fussed for a little bit, being on the other side of the fence, then mostly settled down. She's such a good puppy!

I pulled up the bean plants. The deer ate them down to stems, so there was no point to them being there anymore. Sigh. I also pulled some weeds and encroaching grass. (Encroachment! 5 yard penalty! It's more like 20 yards to the compost pile. Can you tell it's football season? I'm a football fan by marriage.)

I picked all the Early Girl tomatoes that are turning/approaching ripe. The plants are dying back, so before the woodchuck takes bites out of any more, I'll get them inside and safe. I'll have to buy at least a bushel and a half of 'maters, probably, to get enough canned. We need about 30 more quarts, plus some for salsa.

You reminded me of when I came home from work almost, 20 years ago, planning to pick my purple hull peas and watermelons, that I had been checking everyday, for the right time to start picking. I changed clothes and hurried down to the garden patch. I froze in my tracts when I discovered about 12 watermelons split in halves and eaten to paper thin, green striped, skin bowls and the peas looked like a lawn mower had cut them all at the same level about two inches tall! I could not believe anything could have been so precise and for a moment thought my grandson must of mowed them! Of course, no trimmings or mess that a mowing would of made, but I could not believe, the deer ate the entire 40 foot row, plants and all, in one night! Apparently every deer in the vicinity had been waiting, along with me, for the melons to ripen and the peas to fill out the pods! I still occasionally hunted back then, and had some really nice deer tenderloins that fall, from some fat healthy deer! (I also fed them lots of my corn that year!) A minimum of a seven plus, foot tall, electric enhanced fence, is all that will stop them, completely, from getting my corn, peas and melons! Though frequent rides in my Ranger with my dogs, at odd times, including at night, seems to keep them somewhat at bay! Good luck and happy gardening!

 

[Sueby]

Morning all. Nothing happening in the garden today, Ida's visiting. Putting out fires at work too, I always despise the first week of classes.

 

[WthrLady]

AC is fixed. AHhhhhh so of course it's only 65 out, albeit a FOGGY 65.

Yes, the AC is on. I've missed the air scrubbers, more over, my LUNGS have missed the air scrubbers.

The garden is looking amazing from afar. Close up, she's a jungle. The beans are dying back, as I cut them off at the ground. I'll let the pods dry for seed. The tomatoes are slowing down at an incredible rate. The sunflowers are coming down by the weekend, but I'll toss them in the right-of-way ditch for the birds. I'd like to rip out the weedy flower bed, but the humming birds say no.
The apple trees that managed to fruit are heavy with fruit.
The large black eye susans are done, so those too will get cut and sent to the ROW ditch.
September....really!?

 

[Elyrian1]

Yep, September. Seems weird. Certainly doesn't feel or look like fall or anything remotely similar outside here. Still summer, hot, and dry.

Scared to go look at my garden, lol. Couldn't get to it yesterday because I used up what energy I had doing laundry instead. Feeling a little better, little stronger each day that goes by. Hope to be up, out, and doing stuff very soon, but did get told off last week to get my butt back in bed. Oops.

DH brought home more cardboard and a ton of pallets, and he's got a pallet buster ordered online. I think he got a bug up his nose to build a "pretty" chicken coop. I can't complain, lol. Been trying to have a pretty chicken coop for years, but this is the first time he's actually into it.

 

[WthrLady]

Sounds like a good bug to have up your nose.

 

[oldhen2345]

Busy morning.
Work started at 5am with roaring thunder and blinding lightning.
We slept on the deck until midnight due to the AC being out. When the mosquitoes found us, and the lightning two hours away woke us up, we went in, but left the French doors wide open.
So here I sit waiting on the repairman who can come anytime between 7am and 7pm even with my special emergency plan that gets them here in 24 hours.
The dishwasher and laundry are done. I have 7 trays in the dehydrator and the stove is clean and vacuuming accomplished.
I'd go cut things down in the garden sunflowers etc, but sometimes the phone doesn't ring out there. So I think I'll just update the blog today.

Get down and dirty today.

Whew, you have had a day! Tomorrow, you just need to sit under the AC and let the cool air blow over you.

 

[oldhen2345]

Yep, September. Seems weird. Certainly doesn't feel or look like fall or anything remotely similar outside here. Still summer, hot, and dry.

Scared to go look at my garden, lol. Couldn't get to it yesterday because I used up what energy I had doing laundry instead. Feeling a little better, little stronger each day that goes by. Hope to be up, out, and doing stuff very soon, but did get told off last week to get my butt back in bed. Oops.

DH brought home more cardboard and a ton of pallets, and he's got a pallet buster ordered online. I think he got a bug up his nose to build a "pretty" chicken coop. I can't complain, lol. Been trying to have a pretty chicken coop for years, but this is the first time he's actually into it.

Please do not over do - that is not good for you. Can't wait to see the pics of your pretty chicken coop. Give the DH a big hug for that.

 

[WthrLady]

Whew, you have had a day! Tomorrow, you just need to sit under the AC and let the cool air blow over you.

working on that now, although I am working. The drier, filtered air sure is NICE.