What did you do in the garden today?

[gtaus]

It's RAINING!

We have had weeks of possible rain & yet not a drop at my house. So finally, very much needed. Probably not a lot, but it helps.

Raining here, too. We are in the middle of a 3-day rain system. Been a nice, steady, slow rain. Great for the gardens and the lawns. Really needed the rain so no complaining here.

My pallet wood raised garden beds are doing just fantastic this year. Hope it's not all plant and no produce. Have seen a few small green tomatoes and tiny peppers on the plants, so it looks like things are on track.

 

[gtaus]

I use cattle panels for cucumbers & squash trellises. Oh, for green beans too.

I made a trellis out of salvaged pallet wood 2X4's and some old 2X4 inch wire fencing that I had behind the garage. Dear Wife planted bitter melon in that raised bed. This picture was from a week and a half ago. Now the bitter melon vines are climbing up the wire trellis almost 2 feet high. Really happy with the trellis. Zero money invested in the materials because I used free pallet wood and leftover fencing for the project.

 

[Sueby]

What do you feed your garden with?

When I worked the soil to prep it for planting it confirmed my suspicion that I put way too much organic matter into my beds.

I feed with either Alaska Fish Emulsion or Dr. Earth organic depending on what's growing where. My berries get Berry-Tone organic. Sometimes a little epsom salts or bone or blood meal get added here or there. You should send a sample in to your local co-operative extension for a sample/analysis. I try to send one in every year, it's good to know what you're working with. You send in a couple cups of soil in a ziplock bag & they send you back a report on what your nutrients look like & give suggestions on how to fertilize (or not).

 

[CluckNDoodle]

As long as I have been gardening, I don't recall seeing these. Thanks...

I just read that they like a cool Spring. Makes sense, we just had that.

Last year was the first year that I really had to contend with them and they're back again this year. I am NOT a fan. Wasps with kill and eat them but they are extremely outnumbered.

 

[fuzzi]

Last year was the first year that I really had to contend with them and they're back again this year. I am NOT a fan. Wasps with kill and eat them but they are extremely outnumbered.

My mom was an organic gardener from the 1960s, and so I was recruited as a bug-picker by the time I was 7 years old. I'll do that, for now. And my flock loves what I pick!

 

[CluckNDoodle]

My mom was an organic gardener from the 1960s, and so I was recruited as a bug-picker by the time I was 7 years old. I'll do that, for now. And my flock loves what I pick!

I found some footage from last year while I was watching nature handle things for me and made a quick clip for you. lol, I don't love wasps but this is why I don't get upset with them.

 

[Sueby]

Neat! & Nothing better than a tomato horn worm covered in wasp eggs!

 

[WthrLady]

Watered garden, staked up some tomatoes, moved some extra cuke plants. Everything looks so good this year compared to last. We had record heat last year. This year lots of rain and some plants actually came back to life.

We've got drought, drought, and more drought on top of the heat. It's ridiculous.
Heading out to switch on the in ground watering system on the trees, then in an hour I'll switch it to the garden for 20 minutes or so. I have a million strawberry runners to peg down into some soil, so I'll need to tackle that soon too.

Winds howling to 45mph today, so no dirt moving today.

 

[WthrLady]

I made a trellis out of salvaged pallet wood 2X4's and some old 2X4 inch wire fencing that I had behind the garage. Dear Wife planted bitter melon in that raised bed. This picture was from a week and a half ago. Now the bitter melon vines are climbing up the wire trellis almost 2 feet high. Really happy with the trellis. Zero money invested in the materials because I used free pallet wood and leftover fencing for the project.

View attachment 3554869

Those are great looking!

 

[TJAnonymous]

Neat! & Nothing better than a tomato horn worm covered in wasp eggs!

Other than the 5 hornworms I picked off the potatoes a month ago, I haven't seen any more... I even bought a new blacklight flashlight to check at night and still nothing. Fingers crossed that it stays that way!