What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

Holy smokes, it's hot out there... I planted more seed potatoes, treated for fire ants in several beds, planted some romaine, and weeded the garlic beds. Now I'm pooped and drenched in sweat.

Picked up some 30% horticulture vinegar to kill that pesky vine. I saw some organic weed killer but they wanted $30-$40, depending on brand, for not very much... The vinegar was half the cost for a full gallon.

Went to the feed store today. Saw chicks were already sold out. The breeds I want are/were supposed to come in on 4/2 but apparently the hatchery has already said there will be no Black Copper Marans which is mostly what I wanted so I'm not even going to bother fighting the crowd. I'll just hatch my own eggs.

I think I'm going to hatch chicks for sale too... Both the feed store and TSC said they had a LINE of people waiting to buy chicks before they even opened. Then the first 2 people bought ALL of them. The lady at the feed store said it almost caused a fist fight with other people who wanted to buy some too.... Like crazy. They are also charging $7-$9 PER CHICK (minimum purchase of 6). I'll charge $4/chick for straight run. That's insane...

Private sales for 10$ per chick here too. It's INSANE!
Also hatching my own this year.

 

[WthrLady]

Is this the type of rake you've been using? LOL

View attachment 4071870

Love me a good hay rake! I have several.
IT IS HOT out.
It's only 80 up here but it's crazy dry and it's like being under a magnifying glass. Even sunscreened up, I'm sunburned from working in the fields all day.
30 horseradish planted
winter barn and corral cleaned and all the old hay and straw spread in the sad places in the pasture to act as mulch
figured out where the corn and potatoes are going in the garden and how many bags of mulch I need to replenish the path
I also cleaned the terminals on the electric utility vehicle, waiting on some grease from town I'll goob them up and then I cannot wait to get a shower.

 

[juhesihcaa]

Took care of getting rid of years worth of brush and sticks that we had just tossed in a corner of the yard and just cleaned up a bunch of junk that was around.

 

[dirkandlorie]

Assembled the new gazebo to replace the one that collapsed under the weight of the honeysuckle this winter(age factored in there too, it was 20 years old). Moved the furniture and steam cleaned the living room carpet, will do den and entry way tomorrow. Turned the wintered over shredded leaves into the soil in one garden bed. Harvested enough greens and carrots to feed the chickens for another week and nice salads for me too. Realized I'm an old woman and I should be using that as an excuse to slow down instead of busting butt all the time, lol.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Just washed out some pots to reuse today. The basil seeds are taunting me but I don’t have the energy to do anything with them today.

 

[TJAnonymous]

Paper Daisies, Holy Basil, huckleberries, and goji berries have sprouted... Still waiting on the rest. It's been a week now.

 

[igorsMistress]

Guess I'm showing my age and lack of knowledge in that area. I'm thinking a pack of garden seeds costs less than $2.00. If I had to pay $15.00 per cannabis seed, I guess I would be putting a lot of time and effort into each seed.

Thanks for the knowledge boost. I had no idea...

BTW, when I referenced "pot heads" in a previous post, it was not to denigrate them as much as to separate them out from "gardeners" who grow food. I should probably use a more friendly term. I looked it up and it was suggested I use "cannabis enthusiasts" as a more respectful term for people who grow and use cannabis. I will try to be better. No offense meant, but words have weight, so I went back and edited my previous statement.

I doubt the potheads would be offended. Some of those folks really know their stuff and can definitely provide useful information though.

 

[igorsMistress]

It was pouring here for a bit. I took food out to the chickens and there are puddles in the yard, and of course the ducks are having a field day right now. Happy quacks all around. The chickens though, not so much. We still have steady rain and it’s pretty breezy too. Loving the dark and dreary, it’s a nice change.

 

[cj2024]

After all my failed experiments, this is where I am with air layering my mango tree.

I am using 50/50 peat and perlite, a large size potting mix holder, ant glue, Hormex rooting powder no. 8 and I found two new tools to make the job easier.

The 50/50 peat and perlite will give the cut part better aeration and space for the roots to grow. The larger potting mix holder can wrap around larger branches and holds more potting mix. I forgot what the ant glue is called, I bought it from amazon. It will keep the ant from making a nest in the pods.

At first, I didn't think I needed something to make a cut around the bark, but I am glad I bought this jig. It opens when I squeeze it and closes around the bark when I let go. I spin it around the bark, and it makes a clean cut. It is sharp, precise, safe and easy to use.

The game changer and the most difficult part of air layering is scraping the cambium off in my opinion. I found that my miniature Craftsman channel lock can twist off the cambium layer with ease. I saw a video of an Australian nursery doing it this way, so I did it with my channel lock. It's safer and way easier to do it this way.

Hormex rooting powder no. 8 is specifically made for woody and hard to root trees. I got it from amazon if anyone needs it.

The last picture is of a successful air layering transplant. The roots have settled in and has started growing new shoots, so it can be done.

 

[hammyanne]

A small but strangely satisfying task today: I had to refresh the duck kiddie pool and used the spent water in my garden! I’ve really enjoyed the circular economy of raising chickens/ducks and gardening.