Weekly Garden Thread - June 24-30, 2023 [Talkin' Tomatoes Edition]

June 24, 2023 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

:)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Thanks! Having a lot of fun this year! It was warm early and I got a good start on the tomatoes.

Earlier I mentioned a trap for squash borer moths that I purchased at Arbico; It works! Here is a sort of disgusting picture the sticky section of it loaded with Clear Wing Moths. The grey plug on the yellow paper is the attractant. Hoping I get Red Kuri and Butternut Squash this year, and that the zucchini last longer than a month!

Since I mentioned it, here is a picture of 2 Cocozelle zucchini I am trying to train vertically in a tomato cage. (Much easier to catch squash nymphs and keep it trimmed.) Someone in an earlier thread was looking into this! Whoever you were thanks for the idea!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

"Life Is Good!"

It is and its great to hear about your orchards and garden! Thanks for the update! (I really miss living out in the country!)

Cherry pie is the best!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Good for you! Paint the tail yellow and drop him off in a D neighborhood 20 miles away! (Yellow so you can tell if he ever comes back!)

[spankalib]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-QzLIjL1u4

It is to laugh...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It’s a little runny, but it’s GOOD. We HAD to sample a piece last night. Just. Had. To. ;)

[Augie]

It was another hot-n-dry week here in Central Missouri. Not much going on in the garden aside from watering, pruning, pulling weeds, and trying to stay in front of the bugs.

Everything is doing well except for my cabbages. The loopers wrecked them so I've been pulling one or two a week and giving it to the chickens. The garlic is ready to come out any time I'm ready to dig it up. Sweet corn has started to tassle. My gourds are going absolutely nuts except for the one the cutbug got to. It was perfectly fine when I shut the garden gate Saturday evening. Sunday morning it was dead as a hammer.

I won't have ripe tomatoes by July 4th, but it won't be too long before I start getting a few. I've been piddling at pruning them but they're growing so fast right now that it's hard to keep up.

[Augie]

Augie, our problem is always groundhogs and raccoons. Dispatched our last groundhog at least for this season. Still have one raccoon coming around. Want to take care of this before raspberries start to ripen.

I've trapped and dispatched two full grown raccoons since Friday. They've destroyed half a dozen of Mrs. Augie's bird feeders this spring so we're back on the warpath with them.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Thanks Liz! Will have to try it!

[Liz]

So glad you liked it.

[MomwithHope]

They are just vermin Augie! Hubby was on the atv in the back of the woods and one went limping across the trail. A miss. We are too old to bother with setting traps. They can’t get into our bird feeder but bother the grape jelly on another steel crook. I have to take the jelly in every night. I bought a cone collar, the widest one I could find and that has helped a lot. There just has to be a certain height to foil them. This is the collar we got. I also spray it down with white lithium grease occasionally, fun to see the frantic paw prints in the morning.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V51KDQN?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

We also don’t feed any seed after April as we have lots of insect eaters we like to watch. They keep the bugs out of the garden, and love the jelly and the birdbath.

[MomwithHope]

Hi Liz! That sounds good for hubby I will print out for him. Me, no olives.

[MomwithHope]

I like these wire baskets but it wasn’t me. I use 1x2 galvanized fencing 3 feet tall and make a tube out of 40 inches. Can get 4 tubes out of a 25 foot roll, about 26 bucks at tractor supply. Tall enough to keep any deer from reaching down and any other critters. I have some metal tent stakes that I use on some of them.

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

Your prep of the tomatoes is totally new to me, I'll have to try it someday with my tomato blossoms just now getting started. Tonight's treat was half a roma tomato mixed with cottage cheese, and some cayenne pepper. Good stuff!

I know I'm coming late to the dance here, (garage sale weekend with neighbors and family kept me from the thread) but does anyone have experience growing romaine lettuce? This is my first time ever. Can I just wack off a few lettuce leaves for lunch or would that mess with growing a romaine lettuce heart?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Well, if its a bit runny as long as you mix it in a bowl with some Culver’s fresh vanilla custard! (But you knew already knew that!)

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

That’s some pickle sized cucumbers and celebrity tomatoes and some celery in the background. Getting pretty crazy this year but so far it looks like we’ll get something out of it.

[Liz]

Kalamatas are really good.......kind of an earthy flavor......you might like them.

[Liz]

You are an expert romaine grower............they look fabulous.

[MomwithHope]

Those and black olives are hubby’s favorite. Me I tried to eat an olive once. Also tried a few sips of beer. No thanks. If he wants that relish I will make it for him and try a bite I promise. 🙂

[Paul R.]

We had rain all around us but not a drop at our place, Sunday. Lots of severe storms not too far away too - I guess I’ll take having to water the garden over big hail!

The silos across the road from us have been processing barley, and some got dumped on the ground. I went over with a couple large(~ 50 oz?) cans and collected a bit. Our chickens seem to prefer it over layer pellets (but not over pressure cooked little bluegill!)

I wonder if the farmer would actually sell me some barley? Given the “red snow” they dump on us each fall, they should give us barrels of barley for free... :-(