Posted on 07/03/2021 6:08:03 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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Morning all, beautiful morning here in west Michigan. Garden is growing great, hubby got that woodchuck and an offspring, the only one we think. Enjoying the maintainance and looking forward to more produce. Happy Independence Day to all!
Greetings from wet, cooler, southern New Hampshire!
I am getting a brief respite from outdoor, grunt work, thanks to the Creator! Household Six had her repeat cataract surgery and we are hoping for success, this time.
I am working on the area in the basement where the indoor gardening happens. I am running in rough plumbing and electrical upgrades to support a new counter top and sink with a lift pump to feed the sewer line to the septic tank. Once that is done and the counter and sink are plumbed in and working, I will turn my attention to the rest of the area.
Household Six is researching grow lights to replace the cobbled-together 4’ fixtures. What she doesn’t use elsewhere, will go to my shop expansion into the garage. We want her planting area in the basement to be more efficient, modular and convenient as we attempt to increase our garden towards self-sufficiency.
Speaking of the garden, with this rain, the garden is putting out some serious GREEN! Tomatoes are working their way up the cattle panel trellis. Beans are up and launching. Haven’t been out there in a couple of days, but so far, we have a garden.
With the water, the new raised beds are bulging, a bit. I might put a 2 by 4 along each long side at the bottom, with stakes into the ground to reinforce the walls. We will see.
What’s the best way to use coffee grounds in the garden?
I hit a mother lode of coffee grounds at the camp we’re at for the week.
YEA!!!
One less woodchuck in the world!
I visited the garden yesterday to see how everything was going.
Headed for the Lake cabin at noon - the big houses across the lake usually put on a pretty fantastic fireworks show - they must hire professionals to do it. Some family members will be meeting us at the cabin so it should be a nice break from the routine. Temps low 80's, low humidity & a breeze - gorgeous weather!
Happy 4th of July - FREEDOM from tyranny (past & present)!
This appears to be a ‘tomato year’ in progress...
I see lots of roasted tomato salad in our future with the cherries. I may also get out the dehydrator & see if I can successfully dry some of them - tried in a previous year with large tomato slices and it didn’t go well. I can also can some of the large ones, which I’ve done before - great for soups/stews & ‘stewed tomatoes’. Last resort - a giveaway to the fire station guys at the end of the road!
My SIL had some friends over to play tennis last week & she asked them if they wanted some cukes .... “no thank you, we’re waiting for tomatoes!” LOL
Tubender...Nice Nasteriums!
T/E / Gardening Gal )I think that nasteriums are good trap plants for?? cucumbers??
This past week has been one toad strangler after another here in Central Missouri. 17.5” of rain over 11 days.
The sun came out yesterday, and the next few days are supposed to be dry, but it may be too late for my tomato plants. The majority of them went limp noodle on Thursday. Hopefully they’ll snap out of it, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Garlic is ready for harvest, but it’s too muddy for that. Turnip and rutabaga are near drowned. Peppers aren’t happy, but they’re hanging in there. Squash is thriving. Pole beans are a little on the yellow side but I think they’ll be ok. Cucumbers are looking good. Beets are loving it.
All of the grandkids will be here this weekend. Neighbor guy is throwing a big fish fry this evening. I donated a nice sack of catfish nuggets for that deal.
I got the grass mowed yesterday, so I think I’ll just relax and enjoy the festivities. Chores can wait.
I went to buy some 2/6 x 10’ and they were $17 apiece!
(Something had turned them into Biden Boards!)
Augie; maybe see if you can cut off some large suckers and and root them in a fairly dry medium for later replant? (Coconut coir / Sphagnum) You might not be able to get 50 or 60 for a canning garden but you might get enough for a soup/salad garden.
Roses and Geraniums love coffee grounds, so sprinkle some around them.
You can make a facial scrub with them, though I’ve never tried:
https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/coffee-scrub/
I have a friend who makes soap and she adds them to her super-scrubbing bars.
You could use some when you make compost tea, and they’re a great addition to your compost pile, but, of course, layer them with greens and other browns and give your compost pile some water if you hit a dry spell.
If you keep a worm bin, worms love coffee grounds.
That basement seed starting area is going to be such a luxury! Jealous! :)
Love it!
Garden and care of yourself and your family, a patriotic duty!
(Scroll down! Resource start at post 114 of the Jan 9-15 Thread!)
Garden update from the PNW Zone 8B (finally throwing that iny post)
Tomatoes and peppers in the ground doing great. Tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in pots doing fantastic.
Swiss chard and black kale in raised beds survived the 100+ degree temps (3 straight days) due to me planting them in the bed that is shaded by cedar and fir trees half the day and liberal watering both morning and night.
My pickling cucumbers which died 3x after transplanting in spring....for some reason revived themselves in the extreme heat and are doing quite well. I had to add more trellises.
My blueberry bushes are full of not yet ripe blueberries.
My roses in the backyard and my huge rose bush in the front yard hated the 90-110 defree temps. But the huge bush exploded with blooms 3 days after the temps dropped back into the 70s.
I had a couple of yams and sweet potatoes with eyes on them so I dropped them into a garden bed for “blanks” n giggles.
1 week from today I am starting my fall Brussel sprout seeds in the greenhouse. I have never grown brussel sprouts so I am accepting “forewarnings” and any advice from bruaswl sprout veterans and old dogs.
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