What did you do in the garden today?

[AusHen]

So much to do in my garden now it's spring here. going to transplant some summer/winter squash, cucumber, jalapeño and tomato I started. Sowing some more seeds and finally planting some of my fruit tree's into the ground

 

[Sally PB]

So the damage on my grape matches Japanese Beetle damage. Guess I need to find the time to check it out more closely and see what's up.

Japanese Beetles here LOVE-LOVE-LOVE grape vines. When I was hunting them, I found the most on wild grapevines growing in the field/on fences.

I figure I fed the chickens 1000 JBs this year. A female can lay 40-60 eggs, so...
Half were male = 500
Times 40 eggs each = 20,000
Half of those don't reach adulthood = 10,000 fewer JBs in 3 years.

(I read they spend 3 years in their larval form underground. They're very destructive then, too.)

I still see one or two, but I'm not out hunting them now. I got about 2 months of some good protein, free, for the chickens.

Except for the one hen who didn't like them.

 

[NewBoots]

Our apple trees are sad. I've seen so many trees around that are LOADED with apples, and ours have only produced and dropped a few handfuls of rotten/bug-damaged apples.

Yeah, like @WthrLady said, if you want worm-free apples you pretty much have to spray them. We don't care since we have one normal apple tree and several crabapples, one of which has 2" fruit and I use the fruit for cooking so I have no problem cutting around worms. In fact, I'm happy when I hit an apple with no worm-holes.

I figured out why Penny has snuggled into my heart so fast, (aside from the fact she is such a good and loving girl and is smart as a whip) we lost our last cinderblockonfourlegs Darcy, far too soon and I have had a hole in my heart just her size and shape. Penny, like Darcy is is big, loving, smart, and has a great sense of humor.

Got lucky on Wednesday's shopping trip and got more pint jars and they were on sale plus I got my employee discount! And I'll be baking our potatoes for lunch today. And has anyone else seen the "corn ribs" recipes? I'm making some to go with the potatoes and a delicata squash. After I can the apple butter today it's time to start making tomato sauce. The marathon is about to begin!

 

[Elyrian1]

A video for corn ribs popped up in my feed on YT. It made me remember that's how my Nana used to can her corn.

 

[oldhen2345]

Well, got some dry rot on the house fixed- just need to paint. While I am at it, gonna paint the chicken coop and fix the roosts- gonna remove one- with only 4 chickens, don’t need that second one. Gonna caulk the nesting boxes real good - maybe it will help waterproof that sucker.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Gardeners waiting on things to either turn red or give me brussle sprouts or a put a cabbage big enough to eat

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Apples need constant spraying and fertilization schedule. It.Is ...ENDLESS

I agree on this. I fertilize at least once a year, put down gypsum and try to spray with neem oil. Spraying didn't get done this year as my honey bees are in the orchard and they were struggling and I didn't want to set them back.
Also I planted white clover all over under the trees, not only does it attract pollinators but each time you mow it it gives a boost of nitrogen into the soil.
@Swiss

 

[vall]

Picked enough bell peppers to fill the crockpot with stuffed peppers. No bugs in any of them! I'm happy to see spiders on the peppers because they really take care of the earwigs and such. Picked the honeydew I forgot about.. just starting to crack but it was off the ground hanging on the fence so no big deal. Last round of corn is small but just about ready, I ate an ear yesterday.

 

[NewBoots]

Picked enough bell peppers to fill the crockpot with stuffed peppers. No bugs in any of them! I'm happy to see spiders on the peppers because they really take care of the earwigs and such.

I've always blamed slugs and snails, is it earwigs? Glad to hear I'm not the only one who gets bugs in my peppers.

 

[TJAnonymous]

get well soon.

instead of burning stuff let your chickens to clean your garden. they are such a help with bugs. I put 2-3 chickens in the afternoon so they don't have time to damage anything and bugs are soon gone.

I would love to do that but my garden is purposely far away from the normal range of the chickens. I would have to catch a chicken or two and physically carry them down to the hoop house. I've tried getting them to eat squash bugs before but they never seemed interested....