Posted on 07/21/2018 2:00:13 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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I got back from Branson just a few days before the tragedy involving the Ducks on the Lake. Praying for solace for all those who lost loved ones, and speedy recovery of the others.
While I was gone, hubby got one of the patio storage sheds put together and started setting forms for the one for the upper backyard patio. He also painted the lower patio to match the red pavers. He also moved his wood chipper into the completed shed on the lower patio-not a long term home as far as I am concerned. LOL
The week before I left, we got a big windy rainstorm that dumped 3 inches that afternoon. It also blew over the corn. The next morning, every single ear of corn was eaten - racoons most likely.
Squirrels also got most of the tomatoes, but we did have some that weren't quite ripe that survived, so we picked them, washed, and dried and then wrapped in paper to let them mature. The critters have fared well this year, but not the humans - except for squash.
I have been working on clearing off Hubby's project mess off my raised beds. He has a tendency to toss anything that is in his way or that he is using into the beds in case he needs it until the project is finished. But I am going to use one of the beds to plant some blue berry bushes, so I really need to get the soil acidified and directions say to give it a month before transplanting.
Hope everyone is doing well. Have a great weekend. Prayers up for all. God Bless.
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Pears almost ripe, they look great. No Pear Leaf Slugs this year, first time ever. They don't hurt much but they are ugly and pass that trait onto the tree. Good riddance!
Peaches soon!
I’m planning to build some more raised-bed gardens (to augment the ones that came with the house) this fall or next spring.
My question for the assembled multitude is “Is there any sort of mesh or netting I can put at the bottom before I fill them with dirt to deter the moles from burrowing in from the bottom?”.
I’ve been thinking of using 1/2”-square hardware cloth (galvanized), but don’t know how long it would last before it rusted away.
Something already got the peaches here, before they matured. I might be able to get some from my daughter’s tree-she never does anything, and they produce when the frost doesn’t get them. Her subdivision doesn’t have all the nut trees that ours does.
Mustang Grapes were harvested this a.m. 2 buckets full. Rinsing/soaking them to make some pectin-free jam in a bit.
http://herald-zeitung.com/article_8ad4a2d0-e905-11e2-a751-001a4bcf887a.html
Will be installing fall tomato plants tomorrow.
Almost rates catastrophic. Peaches are second only behind melons in my house.
We use chicken wire (1/2 inch galvanized) below flower/veggie beds here for mole-proofing. We have really sandy soil and the wire seems to hold up fine. I suppose it depends on soil type, but I am sure the galv. wire would last a couple of seasons at least.
Hi Everybody!
(((HUGS)))
My Mud Room/Covered Porch/Pitched Roff is FINISHED! Hurray!
Now I’m just decorating.
Raising Heirloom tomatoes: Krim, Cherokee, Seaman and Black Cherry. They're water sensitive and tend to crack.
Picked a couple Krim that were starting to turn and put them in a box with newspaper. Trying to ripen without cracking. Taste is still suppose to be excellent.
We'll see.
Roff should be roof.
Most articles that I have read have used the wire mesh.
They do make a water proof fiber glass mesh, but I don’t know if that would have any hazard to it or not. I know that fiberglass curtains, washed in a washing machine with other clothes could result in glass particles in those fabrics.
I love melons, but the vines die here before they can mature.
Peas are done in, and in the freezer. Still eating carrot thinnings. Garlic is harvested, as is the first shallot—top was browning; onions soon to follow. First cocozelle has been harvested, with plenty more to come; also the winter squashes are setting fruit. Butterbeans are looking like it’ll be a great crop.
Tiller is giving carburetor problems; and guests from Britain are also eating up time, so weeding & hilling is far behind schedule.
Apricot sauce is made and most of the cherries are done, with the last of them on the stove as I type.
Apple trees are loaded, and so are the wild plums, though both are far from ripe. the elderberries are covered in blossoms, so might get some this year, and getting a (very) few raspberries this year; both were planted at the same time, so next year is when they should both really begin producing.
Fusarium, perhaps?
Congrats! My project this week is the bathroom storage closet, which has been doubling as garden supply storage too.
Time to take out the garden stuff to the patio shed and reorganize that space. Most of this stuff is in 3 gallon containers with lids (former laundry detergent buckets).
Planning to use Clear plastic containers with lids for remaining stuff, since the shelves are under the water pipes, and there is occasional leaks that are quickly repaired, but every thing under them is a soggy mess when that happens.
My garden shed’s leaky roof is the next project! :-)
We got an inch of rain today - the garden needed it.
Harvested my first tomatoes yesterday. I picked the ripe ones and also anything with a blush of color. Last year, I found out that they ripen beautifully on the counter top with no extra work. By picking them early, I don’t have to worry about over ripening, cracks from too much water, pests, etc. They taste just like the ones that ripen on the vine.
Bit the bullet and bought myself a decent food processor. I’ve struggled through the last 2 years with a cheapie one that didn’t do the job very well and then the plastic holding the blade was showing cracks. It’s time to start canning (Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, Hot Pepper Butter, Jalapeno Cowboy Candy, etc.) and I needed something that worked well. I tried it out Friday, pureeing avocados to freeze (caught a good deal - 39 cents each so I got 22). The puree texture was downright ‘silky’, so the processor works well. Today was to be a basil harvest/make pesto day, but it was raining so hard, I didn’t go to the garden .... maybe tomorrow for pesto. Lots of eggplants, so baba ghanoush is also on the ‘to do’ list.
Ordered a butane burner to try with my water bath canner since I have a glass top stove - it arrived today so I’ll be trying it out this coming week.
The Squirrelinator continues to impress ... count is 14 so far with zero tomatoes stolen and they won’t be getting into the fig bush this year, either.
Squash & cukes are ‘done’ so they are cleaned out of the garden. I’m contemplating more raised beds so I can start a fall garden while the summer garden is still producing.
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