What Did You Do In The Garden?

[Cosmo spring garden]

Harvested tomatoes and pulled some weed. Had DH spray the corn with BT since we get worm damage on the ears. I heard that we need to spray as soon as the silk forms. Let's hope it will work!
I have been on a canning marathon the last two weeks. Mostly beans but some beets and carrots too. I can't wait to be done with beans lol.

 

[ducks4you]

How do you can your carrots, hot pack?...raw pack?

 

[Phaedra]

Finished a multi-functioned raised bed

 

[digitS']

Weeded: The onions for a second time, the broccoli for a second time, and the crabgrass out of the row of corn transplanted out of the other rows. Shoulda re-tilled that ground before that row went in. Carried all weeds out of the garden.

Do ... Re-do, and back tomorrow to do some tilling.

Ran sprinklers for 3 hours with one change at half way. Watched the Goldfinches and Swallowtail Butterflies. Ate lunch.

 

[Phaedra]

Harvested potted potatoes and recycled the old soil

 

[meadow]

A crew from SSE came today, to do an interview for this year's virtual-only "campout". They were very friendly & not in a hurry; we talked for over an hour, about SSE, and a wide range of garden topics. The interview will be edited & posted some time next month.

Excellent interview, very thought provoking. @Zeedman.

 

[ducks4you]

Yesterday I tranplanted 13 of my tomato reserves into the ground. Either That or kill 'em. Still have 14 More reserve tomatoes, but they are small.
Moved my hard hit grape on to the porch for TLC.

Ducks4you for 2022

THIS is why I need the roses, but roses aren't available right now. Guess If I find a few I will plant them with the grapes, OR wait until next year. I will need to move them until the Japanese beetles go away. :somad :somad :somad GLAD I haven't planted them yet!!

www.theeasygarden.com

Post#370
Still making leaves but the Japanese Beetles have been Brutal! I Thought by moving it next to the bed with hosta that would help. Didn't. There are Also eating on my basil.
Need to move the other two in pots back next to the house.

 

[digitS']

Tilled every path - after waiting for a thunderstorm with pea-size hail to pass .

Tilled up that late planting of peas since the plants have nearly burned up in our 90 degree plus weather. It just wasn't late enuf. We need to be sliding on the downhill slope for temperature and, still, are often left just eating pea tendrils as frost comes knocking. That's okay. RIGHT NOW we have snow, snap, and just today - a few shell peas. They are late but most everything is.

Tilling in peas kinda hurt my feelings but - since the existing pea vines can't come out soon enuf, the vines can't be pulled and the trellis taken down so more green beans can be planted - at this late enuf date. So, seed for them went in that ground. It looks like, peas can go and peas can come. That works and I've done that before - there may be a little lag time as we wait to see what the early August forecast is.

Interesting how some of the vining crops are doing. The cucumbers and melons didn't like the cool June. Melons are blooming but they are small plants - it might be best to prune off the blossoms. The winter squash is growing Wonderfully! I don't really know why but appreciate it.

Sprayed the cabbage and broccoli and what kale is out there for beetles and cabbage worms. Hopefully, the Spinosad works okay for cabbage worms. Most years, I can rely on the Yellow Jackets to carry them off. Where are those hornets?? My bottle of BT spray is over 10 years old! I don't know how long that stuff is good. I mean, you are spreading an insect disease out there with the BT. So, something has to be alive in that bottle, right? Spinosad is much the same "biological" but, as I understand it, you are spreading the toxin. Anyway, I've relied so much on Spinosad for so many seasons to combat the potato bugs, flea beetles and, sometimes, squash/cucumber/stink bugs that the bottle is much newer.

Might have sprayed some insecticidal soap or neem to kill some aphids but the sun was out, temperature rising, and those dehydrating insecticides might have hurt some plants. Where are those hornets??

Steve

 

[Zeedman]

Where are those hornets??

I think they're here... do you want some? Can't remember if I sent you seed for the bush yardlong, but those attract a lot of wasps when in bloom, and bloom in 30-40 days (pods in about 50 days). They attract ladybugs too. Yardlongs & cowpeas can be very effective as part of an OPM strategy, the insects they attract control aphids & caterpillars in my gardens.

 

[digitS']

There are bumble bees & honey bees.

@Zeedman , I grew yardlong beans one time and the flavor was not to my liking. Black Eyed Peas are tasty!

I grew fennel a couple of times. When it flowered, first to show up were the honey bees. Then, yellow jackets swarmed the flowers. Obviously, they were after the nectar and not bugs. However, flowering didn't occur until late in the season.

Last year, the very common lacewings were almost completely absent. It was the first time for that happening that I can remember and our extreme drought must have been the reason. I think that I've seen one lacewing this year. Lady bugs are around as usual but so are the aphids! The trees seem to be swarming with them. Yesterday, I had a blue ash aphid fly in my eye as I was tilling. He wanted out immediately and was able to make his escape.

Funny, I just moved what I think was a juvenile praying mantis out of the house. How it arrived in the bathroom, I have no idea!

Steve