Posted on 06/01/2018 10:21:50 PM PDT by greeneyes
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds.
From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
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sounds like everyone is having success, other than some dill issues
we are having nonstop rain for a month now. Seedlings have emerged but mildew will wipe out the majority if they don’t get to dry out.
haven’t been able to take the dog and cat for our nightly walk around the property to enjoy the fireflies either!
Not knowing the variety I would say by the end of July. Pull one and look at the size of the bulb...BTW I live in Eureka....
“We had three hens taken by a fox last week, so I brushed around the pen and extended the electric fence
to encompass the pen and bog filter as well as the garden and bees.
That night, I heard a suspicious “yelp” in the back of the pen.”
I had a similar problem one cold Fall, and lost 4 hens myself, but to an opposum.
Since we had power to the barn where the hens wintered, we had already left a brooder lamp near the roosts for heat,
but after 9:00PM usually, we manually turned the lights off.
Due to the hen loss, we left the light on overnight, and put a ‘baby monitor’(sound) in the barn.
About midnight, I was awakened by the sound of fluttering wings, and all the hens were squawking furiously.
I went to the house back door along with my 12 gauge, and saw the possum atop the steel milk can next to the hen pen.
I steadied my stance, the possum was about 60-70 yards away, and fired, and ended up hitting the steel milk can (5 inches low), and the possum ran away thru a small hole in the barn door.
I returned to bed, and then was reawakened at 2:00A.M. by the same fluttering wings, and furious cackling by the hens.
I went out the back door with the shotgun and saw the possum had returned.
I braced my stance to the back of the house, took aim, and fired - solidly hitting the possum; but since possum are known to play ‘possum’,
I waited and checked the following morning to retrieve the celestiallized possum, and dispose of it.
About 4 days later, the hens began to lay eggs again.
Prior to this incident, I had no knowledge that possum ate chickens; at no point did the rooster attempt to defend the flock.
Learning lesson : any critter who covets your flock will try to find another avenue to get in, especially a fox (dig, jump, etc.).
Lights left on, even a nite light, helps the hens to see.
The ‘baby monitor’ alerted me to a potential catastrophe.
A 12 gauge allows you to reach out, when you care enough to ‘send the very best’(Hallmark cards motto).
P.S.: Also, skunks and porcupines will try to get into your hives; frequently defeated by a roll of hardwire fence in front of the landing board.
Good luck with “the birds and the bees” ! Lol !!
Life is all a ‘learning experience’, and a journey to be enjoyed each and every day.
T I K
Exactly true !
Excellent advice !
Try to provide plants some mid-day shade (shade cloth, cedar shingles, row covers, anything to prevent sun from 11AM-2:30 PM etc.),
or even closer to the house (use the house to shade the plants),
or consider relocating future plantings to where they will get some high-afternoon shading from trees.
Regardless, have a water supply handy for anywhere in Texas for this summer (per: Joe Bastardi @weatherbell.com).
Kindly add me to your list. Thank you.
It went from one of the coldest Aprils on record to one of the hottest Mays. Temps have been mid to upper 90’s for 2 weeks. Today in North Texas it is expected to reach 100 degrees. Already pulled my potatoes and green beans. Lettuce got pulled 2 weeks ago. I have to use row covers to make tents to provide shade for my cucumbers and tomatoes. Peppers seem to be able to tolerate the heat better. Harvesting my corn this week. Going to visit my daughter in Colorado and leaving the garden watering job in the hands of my 2 teenage grandsons for a week. Unfortunately I see dead plants in my future.
Thanks for the tale. Our chickens are moving to a new home this weekend. My wife has developed an egg allergy, so it is pointless to keep chickens. The duck however, are delightful and we will keep them.
I live in north central Texas. For spring I plant zucchini and yellow crookneck. I usually put out a dozen of each and of course have more than I can give away. I do can and freeze all excess.
This year is an exceptional weather year for you to have started your first gardening adventure due to the odd weather. We dont usually have all those freezes in April nor near 100 deg temps so much in May. Don’t give up!
Squash does make a better fall crop lots of years. If you can plant seed in early September our first freezes are often late enough to be worth the planting.
I rotate crops but in spring always plant my squash where it will get protected from late afternoon sun. This year it is in a bed east of the garage, shaded and still doing well despite the temp spike. Yesterday and today I set a couple of cheap misters out around 2pm.
If I’ve rotated to another area I find putting okra west of the squash also helps keep them shaded late in the day. I bought 3 of those misters at Ace Hardware for about $10/each 8-9 years ago. They’re lightweight and I just move them around where needed. Depending on your set-up, those might be practical.
Kids today - They know how to work their Thumbs(on the phone) LOL. I’ll be interested to know if that kid even touches a weed.
Thanks for the pics. Very pretty. I have a volunteer tomato that I put a cage around today. Also 2 volunteer squash with really big flowers. They came up right next to the composter, and are taking over the walkway between it and one of the raised beds.
Something is eating on the leaves. If it ever quits raining, I’ll use some pepper spray. I managed to get some of the oak debri swept up and added to the compost pile. Also got one of the patio tables cleaned off with a good dose of bleach cleaner.
Hubby planted some rhubarb, this year - I have never made anything with it. My granny used to make pies, but I never liked them.
Thanks for the pics. Those are some good looking garlics. I’ve got some scapes going on. Hope to pull my garlic soon.
Thanks for the pics. I have printed the ones showing the various cages you both use to show Hubby.
Thanks for the prayers - we can all use those. These are really great days for sure. Plants are doing pretty good and rain is keeping the gardens fine - saves my back - no water hauling needed.
I have only seen one fox ever - came through early one morning right about sun rise. We’ve had trouble with opossums mostly. A few ground hogs, suspected coons, and loads of squirrels.
Hubby planted fig trees today, and started another garden patch. Right where I thought we wanted to build a basement with a storage shed on top. He said that it was the only place with enough sun - too many trees - ( I guess he didn’t want to take time to clear them away).
At least you got some dill. We have yet to ever have any germinate and grow. Transplants do ok. So I usually just pick up some from Walmart.
You are way ahead of us. LOL
You have a gift for growing the most beautiful garlic! Thanks for the pictures.
Excellent diced up in scrambled eggs.
Just started picking a few radishes, everything else is growing. It’s early here and we planted early but with the heat it seems like the middle of summer. I keep telling myself we have lots of time.
Good for you - got it all lined out now. I eat a red or green bell peppers with almost every meal when I have them fresh from the garden. They are a good source of Vitamin C, and don’t take up nearly as much space as my lemon tree.
Good job. I was able to sneak out and get the garlic scapes during a pause in today’s rain. Now we have thunder and lightening and more rain - Dish TV has lost the signal again.
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