What did you do in the garden today?

[Scottin8a]

You can also freeze garlic whole in the freezer. We did that last year (with store bought garlic). It's a bit soft when thawed but otherwise no problems.

My wife prefers her garlic diced before I freeze it! For at least the last three years I have preserved garlic and onions this way. The garlic in 1/2 pint jars the onions in freezer bags.

 

[WthrLady]

Thanks, I also collect rose hips (Rosa rugosa, with quite big hips) in the fall, do you also try them for tea?

highly filtered, yes.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Has anyone had pumpkins split from to much rain? I have one that’s almost ready to pick but we may get a good bit of rain this weekend on our already saturated soil so I’m worried it might split. I know watermelons will. Would it be wise to pick it a few days early?

 

[TJAnonymous]

Lots of work watering the garden and spraying the grapes, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, and squash with a Bordeaux mix. The only thing I had to harvest was a lone kohlrabi bulb. Everything else I got last night. The leaves were covered with caterpillars (grrrrr} so I felt quite some satisfaction feeding them to the hens.

Sad note.... One of my adopted hens passed away this morning. I noticed all the chickens crowding around a hen laying on the ground. I quickly realized she wasn't moving. I had literally just fed and everyone seemed fine so I went to check her out. She was clearly gone but still warm and supple so I think she had JUST passed. I looked her over really well. Feathers were all in good shape, no wounds. Comb and wattles were normal. I looked under her wings, belly, and vent for mites.... Nada. I checked inside her mouth. Everything was normal. Her crop was empty but she maintained a good weight... I'm pretty sure she was old though so I'm guessing she died from natural causes. Still sad....

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Lots of work watering the garden and spraying the grapes, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, and squash with a Bordeaux mix. The only thing I had to harvest was a lone kohlrabi bulb. Everything else I got last night. The leaves were covered with caterpillars (grrrrr} so I felt quite some satisfaction feeding them to the hens.

Sad note.... One of my adopted hens passed away this morning. I noticed all the chickens crowding around a hen laying on the ground. I quickly realized she wasn't moving. I had literally just fed and everyone seemed fine so I went to check her out. She was clearly gone but still warm and supple so I think she had JUST passed. I looked her over really well. Feathers were all in good shape, no wounds. Comb and wattles were normal. I looked under her wings, belly, and vent for mites.... Nada. I checked inside her mouth. Everything was normal. Her crop was empty but she maintained a good weight... I'm pretty sure she was old though so I'm guessing she died from natural causes. Still sad....

Sorry for your loss

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners.. I lost a old hen of my buds, She had life changes so I have all her birds. Some where close to 8
Now I am down to 2 of the real old old ones they are in my small coop.
Sorry for the loss @TJAnonymous

 

[oldhen2345]

I went on a stroll through the garden. It's growing very well for the most part.

Pumpkins and butternut squash developingView attachment 2752052View attachment 2752053View attachment 2752054

Check out these sunflowers. The talkers must be over 8ft and still no flower head.View attachment 2752055

The glass gem corn in the 3 sisters is doing great and growing very very tall.
View attachment 2752056

Cucumbers on straight wire trellisView attachment 2752057

Cucumber tunnel
View attachment 2752058View attachment 2752059

Onions I picked
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Brussel sprouts growing actual sprouts finally
View attachment 2752061

Jerusalem artichokes are getting tall, but no flowers there yet
View attachment 2752062

This is a parsnip I dug around a bit to check rot development. It's certainly growing. It's about 1/2-3/4 inch wide. View attachment 2752063

A nice zucchini we might pick soon
View attachment 2752065

A nice yellow squash too
View attachment 2752066

QUESTION: These are celery. Should I put tubes around them yet to bleach them? Will they grow taller if I do?
View attachment 2752067View attachment 2752068View attachment 2752069

Bandage
Babana peppers are doing well
View attachment 2752070

A purple bell pepper growingView attachment 2752071

A rabbit clearly got in and munched on this marigold. I'm shocked because it's supposed to deter them. View attachment 2752072

And lastly, I trimmed this tree the other day that was hanging over the fence and blocking light on my raised beds. View attachment 2752073View attachment 2752074

Absolutely beautiful garden. I am pea green with envy

 

[oldhen2345]

Well, after that, @BReeder!, I sure feel like a slacker! Wow, love the pictures of your garden.

I have several small green cherry tomatoes. Those are the ones I wish would hurry up. The big tomatoes can do their thing when there are enough to can. Or one can ripen so I can slice it. But the little cherries are what I snack on as I go through the garden. Snack, hydration, vegetable (or fruit, actually) all in one bite. What's not to love? Well, unless you don't like cherry tomatoes, I suppose.

I pulled the big weeds out of the potato patch. We got some rain last night, so I wanted to get the grassy stuff out while the ground was damp.

I love cherry tomatoes. easy to grow, massive fruiting. Good snacks for me and the chickens, easy to blanch, peel and freeze. Big tomatoes are sometimes too much to just munch on in the garden or cut in half and put on a salad. I now just grow cherry tomatoes.

 

[oldhen2345]

Another thing (besides the bindweed and multiple persistent broody hens) that we have in common.... I fell after stepping back into one the other day. Glad no one saw me and I wasn't seriously hurt. They are hard to see when the grass grows. Think tiger traps from Swiss Family Robinson.

LOL, this hit me right to the heart. My Penny likes to dig after moles (I assume). I can not tell you how many bags of dirt I have put in the back yard. I have to be careful and have started walking the yard before mowing and marking the big, deep holes covered with grass with left over tall stakes from the garden. My poor ride mower just can not take going into the trenches. the other day, I was showing off my yard and garden- it went like : Here is the fig tree, watch the hole. This is my drift rose collection- watch the hole. In this garden, I have my -watch the hole- cherry tomatoes. I had squash, but squash bugs- watch the hole- killed them.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Have a dumb question you all call it bindweed is it morning glory? I battle that here it is very invasive