Gardening 2024

[Magyars]

For you guys that raise chickens in town, do you have rat problems? Growing up ag we grain fed a number of animals, and always had trouble with rats.

We're Rural here...no rats but plenty of mice!

I gathered eggs a bit ago and this unusual specimen was in there. Never had anything quite like this before.

 

[bwframe]

Hoping these new Butternecks (MIgardener) make it to ripe. Heavy into fighting the bugs here...

 

[miguel]

Starting to get male flowers on the pumpkins...and it seems the bees are interested.

Got some peppers coming in, along with tomatoes.

Despite watering daily, seems like the torrential rains gave everyone a boost!

 

[d.kaufman]

Strawberries been done for awhile now. Been eating cherry tomatoes for a few weeks now. Have harvested green beans. Have few cukes ready, with plenty more to come. Peppers are growing and some of the other mater plants are loaded and huge but all still green at this point. Raspberries will be coming in the no to distant future

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Good. Ground hogs just suck. I think I have 5 this year, way down from last year.

We had groundhogs last year for the first time, a mother and two babies. They did a job on sweet potato vines, and they got every one of the beets, but they ended up moving to my neighbor's place before I had a chance to trap them. We got a dog last fall, and I put up a fence around my perimeter. I was hoping he'd be good at varmint control, and he seems to be. No groundhogs, but he's gotten one rabbit, two shrews, and two garter snakes. Actually, he didn't kill the snakes. In both cases I found him playing with what looked like a dead snake, only to find that they came back to life about an hour after I took them away from him.

 

[Expat]

We had groundhogs last year for the first time, a mother and two babies. They did a job on sweet potato vines, and they got every one of the beets, but they ended up moving to my neighbor's place before I had a chance to trap them. We got a dog last fall, and I put up a fence around my perimeter. I was hoping he'd be good at varmint control, and he seems to be. No groundhogs, but he's gotten one rabbit, two shrews, and two garter snakes. Actually, he didn't kill the snakes. In both cases I found him playing with what looked like a dead snake, only to find that they came back to life about an hour after I took them away from him.

Every year is a constant battle. Last year was a record kill with 12 or 13. I have one that I spotted yesterday, so I reset the Conibear.

 

[miguel]

Headed out about 8:30 am today to water and checked on the garden. The bees were literally battling over who would access the pumpkin flowers! Then they decided *I* was a threat and came after me!

That being the case, me and my hose made a tactical retreat and decided to water around 1 pm instead...also put down some phosphorous just now. (not white phosphorous, just the garden helping kind...)

Let's hope the bees are as adamant when the lady flowers appear!

 

[gassprint1]

Picked some penos yesterday so i could have some on my 3 burgers with fresh tomatoes. They seemed to have a lil more heat and really great flavor . Burgers were so good!
Anyone else in nwi picking?

 

[bwframe]

What do we think these are? They were planted as saved seed from acorn squash???

 

[Expat]

If I hadn’t read what you said, I would have guessed zucchini.
i wonder if your acorn was a hybrid variety, in which case, who knows.

 

[bwframe]

If I hadn’t read what you said, I would have guessed zucchini.
i wonder if your acorn was a hybrid variety, in which case, who knows.

They seem awful rounded vs long? Not sure they are getting any longer either? I need to watch them for at least a day or two more, otherwise I'd slice into one now.

Thanks!

 

[snapping turtle]

Some quick picks as things are coming in waves.

 

[bwframe]

Had to trim and start some more Holy basil. What didn't get used for half a dozen new starts, got turned into Holy basil tea and Holy basil salt...

 

[Expat]

‘today’s report, I caught ground hog # 7 this year. 2 in 3 days. Both of these were young ones.

i put 9 quart bags of corn in the freezer. I made 4 quart jars of sauerkraut from 2 heads of cabbage

 

[Percolater]

Been a surprisingly down year at the Percolater household. Peach trees look sick, vines aren’t producing what we normally get, and worst of all the pumpkin patch looks abysmal. As long as I get 2-3 ratatouille’s, and some blackberry pies I’ll call it a success!

 

[miguel]

Saw female flowers on the pumpkins for the first time this afternoon. Hoping the bees do their thing. I'd hand pollinate, but feel the bee traffic has been strong, so I'm going to trust them.

 

[Mij]

Heads up folks. Out mowing roadsides and noticed an old car parked near where my neighbor hides his sweet corn, out in a corn field. About 8 rows in. So I just mowed on up there. They heard me coming and came out of the corn. I asked them if they had car problems, they said they had to relieve themselves. 3 20 something’s. I know that sweet corn would be gone in a couple days. I put a note on his truck, I’ll follow up tonight with a phone call.

 

[gassprint1]

Picked my first cantaloupe. Pretty dang big this year. Takes up about half the dish strainer...I have 2 others about this size still growing..never had any this big in previous years. Hibiscus are opening alot. The new starts are red instead of pink this year. Pretty neat looking.

 

[bwframe]

 

[DragonGunner]

Started a garden this year, haven’t been in a garden since a kid in the 70’s. I usually have a few tomatoe plants along house but that’s been it. 130 corns stalks, watermelon, radishes, 28 tomatoe plants, planted 4 packages of green beans but only one packet came up. Radishes did great, and we just started eating seeetcorn yesterday. Hoping in 70 qts of tomatoe juice this year. We did get 6 qts greenbeans.

The wind and rain literally layed corn down several times! I shoveled mud and lifted each stalked and stomped with foot to keep them upright several times over several days. Too much work but it paid off.