Ducks4you for 2022

[Dahlia]

Today's harvest (so far) is apples and beans. I think there are enough beans that I will try blanching and freezing these. Gotta start Somewhere...
I hope to harvest my pears today and take an accounting. I'm thinking there are at least 35 more--already harvested 7 of them, not soft yet.
DH gets to harvest the apples--I grew those 2 trees for Him, ya know!
Oldest Golden Delicious Apple Tree that keeps trying to die, has produced, as well, but I think I'll be harvesting the small fruit for apple juice.

I absolutely love the picture with the apples and purple beans!

 

[heirloomgal]

I thought I had posted a picture, but here is the greenhouse that I ordered today.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PW3JNNT/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I KNOW that many articles suggested that you buy bigger than you think you need, but it was a matter of buying one that fit where I want it to live. My tomato bed is maybe 5' wide, south side of the garage and This is where it will go after the first hard freeze. I calculated that I need 130 bricks to floor this, and, if I am shy a few bricks I Do have a collection of cement pavers to fill in and a few other odd cement pieces.
I plan to dig a depression, maybe 6 inches deep, level it out, just like I leveled out the 16' x 16' pavers around my firepit, and put premeasured and cut (2 will need cutting) wooden landscape timbers in the corners. I plan to use my auger to put them about 2 ft deep and buy gravel to pour in the holes. I may/may not use these to build some growing tables OR I intend to attach them to each other to help stabilize the greenhouse. Shipping weight is only 33 pounds.
I plan to pound in metal fence posts about 2 1/2 ft west of the west sliding door and put a 4' x 8' scrap plywood or scrap particleboard--I already have these--to block any harsh winds. I have seen what wood can do with my chicken coop and the horse's barn (inside of the shelter open to the east).
The kit comes with some kind of reinforcement but I don't think it will be deep enough. If I build this right next to the clematis trellis that will help, too.
I may also use some 2' x 4's around the perimeter.
LOTS of articles of how to stabilize, how to keep warmth using milk jugs and barrels.
I want to begin by using my old tiny greenhouse, 2' x 4' high x 16" deep (I think) in the middle of this, greenhouse inside of a greenhouse, to start cool weather vegetables early, then go from there.
If we have a mild winter, I can do more.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

You'll have lots of fun with this greenhouse! Very nice that it has a vent on the roof, that'll come in handy. It's amazing the heat they can maintain, even when it's quite cold out. Wonderful place to work in too! I have a small one DH built, 8 x12, and I've experimented with ways to retain warmth after the sun goes down, which is the tricky part. The barrel method, or any kind of water containment as a heat sink can work, but make sure you keep lids on them! I made the mistake of NOT putting lids on and the humidity was CRAZY bad!

 

[ducks4you]

@Ridgerunner ... you posted at like...Midnight my time.
Night owl!!

 

[ducks4you]

I was mowing and I stopped my push mower to pull some bindweed in a small (flower) bed by the street.
Got stung by a bee and it kept going after me. I am Glad that I had a large brimmed garden hat on,f which I kept swiping at it, or it would have stung me again. Ran inside. It Followed me inside, but stopped at the screen door. I carefully let it out.
Mower kept running the whole time.
Stung above my lip.
DD said what I was Thinking--looks like bad botox.
Funny, when I had to get rid of a bumblebee nest I had the same bee people out that removed the hive(s) from DD's house. They told me that a bee will sting you where you have been stung before.
I was stung by a bee above my lip where I was stung as a 6yo.

 

[flowerbug]

yes, they go after the scent. once you're marked they'll keep after you. certain bees are more aggressive than the others. if the bees stung the hat then it may get them to sting it again the next days - change your hat.

i've had a nest of bees that were in the wall of the shed trying to sting my shoe repeatedly until i finally got them out of there.

 

[ducks4you]

That fact about my hat is amazing!! Who knew?!?!?
My "bad botox" lip has gone down. I think I got a little bit naseous yesterday afternoon. I had a seller's package to witness in the morning, scanbacks, then drop, and a little bit of grocery store shopping.
When I was leaving Aldi, all I could think about was getting home to take a nap.
I think it was bc of the bee sting.
I'm not good with naps, but I got a good hour asleep, and I feel back to normal today.
Watered all of the beds this morning.
DH doesn't need to know that I found a fully ripe better boy, and decided that nobody should muzzle the ox, so I had a nice treat!
Yesterday, I had NO energy to make more slaw, so I decided to steam ALL of my saved beans. We enjoyed them and I have started to snack on bowlfuls...should be eaten up by Friday.
Bush beans have slowed Way down, but there are still flowers. Later planted pole beans have been climbing. Several beans have wound up to the top of the 4' tall chicken wire fencing. I am expecting some beans in the next few weeks.
I figured our how to use my steamer and now I don't how I got along without one.
Greenhouse is Now coming in tomorrow. The reviews aren't great on it, but I don't mind. I have been studying up on YouTubes and learned that it's a good idea to use insulation tape AS you assemble and to use glue to keep the plastic "windows" in place. I will probably use duct tape, too, as I assemble.
I was right about a wind break, and I have the spare metal fencposts and spare plywood/particleboard stored to make it about 4 ft west.

 

[ducks4you]

I stopped at this farm stand and found garlic. It was not manned, and you buy on the honor system.
The garlic weren't huge but looked very nice, and even though I could have paid a little bit less for some of the bulbs I decided to pay the box $1/each. I purchased 20 and filled 2 lunchbags with them. (Yes, change of plastic tablecloth and the Old one goes into the garden shed.)

 

[heirloomgal]

I think that honor system way of doing things is pretty neat.

 

[ducks4you]

I had stopped at a local nursery that I passed on my way to my signing to find garlic. but they told me that they had sold out a few weeks back. Good to know.
The old gardening geezer there told me I should plant my garlic NOW. He said that they harvest their garlic, give them one month out of the ground, and then replant cloves.
This nursery has been around for decades, and I figure that he knows his stuff.
I will TRY local advice.
I also talked flowers and he told me that African Daisies are invasive.
I was discouraged, until I realized that I should save the seeds for DD's weedy plot bc the Other "invasives", the mint, the lilly of the valley, and some other stuff I planted there isn't doing it's job. Time to plant African daisies And for vinca into that bed.
Family is leaving for Colorado for 2 weeks and I have the feed the "chonks" (2 cats) every day.
I plan to break the yardwork into little bites at their house.
First will be to brush poisin the weeds in their ~15 ft x 12" asparagus bed, between their garage and sidewalk.
I will document my successes here, and I have been Ordered to report ALL activities to them while they are gone.

 

[ducks4you]

I Did have a potato harvest, but it wasn't very big. Not to disparage the potatoes, bc they all look lovely.
I am thinking that potatoes and carrots need the very loosest soil in order to grow well.
NO Green potatoes, however, so I did have them buried. Below ground soil was too hard to get lots of spuds.
Also, I think the bed behind the garage doesn't get enough sun, even though it faces west. The door that juts out west of the house partially shades it.
i will find the right things to plant back there.