What did you do in the garden today?

[OnlySympathy]

Not a spider guy, don’t mind them being around however. But we’d like to have more bats and snakes, they are so beneficial. We do have a steady supply of black snakes, both racers and rat. And it’s easy enough to tell which is which when approaching one.

I’m a snake and spider guy, maybe a bit too much of one

Random wild tarantulas I found in Costa Rica

 

[Sally PB]

Starting to see the JB’s on the plants. Fortunately the blackberries are done and any damage done in usually on the spent canes. Our Crepe Myrtles and River Birch take a big hit also but we don’t attempt any type of treatment on them. Also, noticed that the blueberries, which are right next to the blackberries, don’t seem to be bothered.

JB love grape vines. They are often on my asparagus. Last year they PILED onto marigolds. They like the weed velvet leaf. They killed my hazelnut trees, so for me, this war against them is personal.

JBs on velvet leaf:

 

[Minanora]

Widows have more of a classic web shape and the coloring wasn’t right for a widow. I can’t say I would be complaining if it was one, I have a weird love for black widows

Your widows must be different than ours. There's nothing classic about their webs aside from that texture when you run into it and you know deep in your soul that you just ran into a widow web. The worst!

We have so many widows here, brown and black. I go out at night and smash them with my flip flop. Lost my favorite water dragon to a widow that made a home in her terrarium and she tried to eat it.

Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful. But I murder them. We have too many. I've smashed over 40 in a night, just walking around the back yard.



Anyway, I finished packaging the apricots from the freeze dryer. Best. Thing. Ever. The freeze dryer is full of another batch of food. Freeze drying what is left of my butternut squash that I froze in January, plus all of the apricots I had left from 2024 harvest. Next will be the rest of the apricots from this year, which I'm pre-freezing now. And then onto tomatoes from last year, and peaches, and plums. The freeze dryer will not get turned off for the next few weeks. That is a fact. I'm reclaiming my freezer space! I may even be able to unplug one!!!! I am glad I have a large freeze dryer. The medium wouldn't have been big enough. I would have wound up like my BIL with two of em.

 

[Minanora]

I’m a snake and spider guy, maybe a bit too much of one

Random wild tarantulas I found in Costa Rica View attachment 4174743View attachment 4174742

I don't mind any other kind of spider. Except fiddle backs. But we don't have those here anyway.

I save spiders from my son often. Spiders catch bugs. That's all good.

That tarantula is rad. We have a migration of tarantulas here when they're breeding. I pull over and move them off of the road when I see them. We do have the tarantula wasps though... those things are HUGE and scare the daylight out me when they go by.

 

[MROO]

I want to add that I spent about $350-400 on plants specifically for honey bees, not just for pollinators. I planted bee balm, and the honey bees ignored it. The bumble bees and yellow jackets loved it. Sorry, bumble bees, but I'm not feeding the yellow jackets!

I asked someone at a bee meeting and he said that the throat of bee balm is too long for honey bees' tongues to reach the nectar, so it's useless for them.

In case you're wondering...

Seven Sons (4 @ $40 each)
Maakia ($50)
New England Aster (10 @$6 each)
Purple Cone Flower (10 @ $6 each)
3 trees @ $20 each
Plus some seed packets.

All but the Seven Sons and seeds were bought either at a sale by/connected with the bee club, or from someone in the bee club. The maakia tree was grown by a member who is a beekeeper and arborist, and he donated it to the club to auction off. I wasn't shy about bidding $50 right off the bat. Honeybees like the flowers; same with Seven Sons.

Try white clover in your yard, too. Not only does it draw the honeybees, but it crowds out the crabgrass and doesn't need constant mowing, like grass. Plus, the chickens LOVE it!

 

[Minanora]

Try white clover in your yard, too. Not only does it draw the honeybees, but it crowds out the crabgrass and doesn't need constant mowing, like grass. Plus, the chickens LOVE it!

I can attest to this. It may not be a native plant but it's too good to not grow. I haven't mowed my orchard in over a month. White clover gets about 8" at the tallest.
Photos below. The chickens saw me, came running

 

[Smokerbill]

I got the raised beds watered this evening since it's going to be in the low 90s with low humidity tomorrow. I'll do a little more watering tomorrow morning.

 

[chickengr]

Maybe a disease? There are a bunch of cucumber and squash illnesses around us.

pumpkin vines are green and look healthy. but in full sun. I gave seeds to a friend of mine and her pumpkins are in a partial shade. I must make some shade but it is not easy in an open field.

 

[Paz]

Have any recommendations for wire grass?

Sure, the exact same method

 

[Iluveggers]

You know, sometimes I wish I lived in a warmer climate than northern NY, zone 5. After hearing about the spiders, I think I am fine where I am! It’s a long enough season to grow what we need, and although we get heaps of snow, no tarantulas, no black widows, lol. I like spiders, I do, but none around us are a problem. Ticks are the biggest bug I am afraid of. But letting the chickens peruse the yard nightly has helped tremendously with them.