What did you do in your garden today?

[YumYum]

It's a fact of life for the mower. Belt change every couple of Summers.

That sounds about right. An actual plain rubber belt seems to last better. The ones that are Kevlar coated are junk because once that outer weave starts to unravel, it will get caught in something and just peel the Kevlar off like a thread being pulled off a sock.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Built a new bonfire of twigs layered with clay, but haven't lit it. They say the weather is going to cool down soon, but at the moment everyone has open windows day and night, don't want to be the hate of the village facebook

 

[Emilie65]

I thought I'd start a new thread that can be continuously updated by everyone any day of the year. We have people on the forum from all around the world, so there is always somebody doing something with their garden. I think it would be nice to check in and see what our members have done. So whether you've been busy today or busy three months from today, here's the question... What did you do in your garden today?


I spent today preparing my vegetable garden. I had tons of weeds to pull. There's some kind of invasive grass that pops up in there, along with creeping charlie, so I pulled as much as I could find. I can start planting in about four weeks, so it's nice to have it all ready for the season! If I remember right, peas seeds can be planted before the average last frost date, so I might plant them soon. As some of you may know, growing fruits and vegetables is only a small hobby for me. I'm not into it as much as other forum members. I grow peas for my pond fish, as well as couple of tomato plants, pumpkins for decoration, strawberries, a blueberry bush, and a peach tree. I'm also trying lettuce this year. Tomorrow, I may add a few native plants to the outside edges of my vegetable garden so it looks a little more showy throughout the season.

My garden is invaded by insects that I don't know about. I had to do a little cleaning all day

 

[Oliver Buckle]

My garden is invaded by insects that I don't know about. I had to do a little cleaning all day

Do you have a local face book group? Ours is quite often informative about things like that, or if you could get a picture someone here might identify them. You are lucky, still a good diversity and quantity of insects, large scale agriculture has decimated them in England with wide scale commercial spraying. Used to be on a long drive we would have to stop and clean the windscreen, I was wondering if it was more aerodynamic shapes to cars, but my friend told me it still happens when he drives in France.

 

[Ernst]

Hello, friends. I've been busy with company for the last four weeks, so I'm WAY behind in my posts. I am not sure where I left off. My grass got extremely long and so I had to cut it twice at various settings on my tractor to get it back under control again. I've also trimmed my hedges, started to edge the driveway but that's going to take several hours (days?) to finish. I tried to do a bit of weeding in the garden but what's left there has pretty much served it's purpose, and so we'll be pulling out the old stuff and prepare for some fall crops.

I planted some onions and my wife planted some kale. I seem to recall mentioning that, but I am not sure. The kale is already starting to sprout, but my onions haven't started showing yet. Those will be in the ground until next spring anyway, so I'm not concerned.

Our friends are bringing over a whole bunch of raspberry plants for me to add to my collection. We have about 15 plants already. I may have to get creative to find room for them.

That's about it for now.

Oh my... Kale!
That is an idea for Fall!
I just started here so Hi!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Oh my... Kale!
That is an idea for Fall!
I just started here so Hi!

Nice winter greens, and once it gets cold there are no caterpillars.

 

[Ernst]

My garden is invaded by insects that I don't know about. I had to do a little cleaning all day

I saw a beautiful companion plant grow out yesterday.
I am not sure exactly what it is designed for, besides looking beautiful, but it did have marigolds. Butterfly Mix
I am working a soil bed so I can have a garden so not up to date on pests.
he other wisdom I know of it bird and bat houses near the garden area.
If the birds ( and bats ) can live close in safety they may eat more pests.
For indoor I have been a big fan of Yellow and Blue sticky traps. Example link Sticky Traps I assume outdoor will work too. Just be sure they can sway without sticking to plant leaves.
I suppose also offering up some sacrifice plants can help too. Meaning plant them on the outside of the gearden so the pests go for the easy outer stuff and leave the inner plants better off.
Other things I read are that people use organic things. I have not used such things but one thing I remember and I don't know exactly what the reason or application on was but, neam oil has been mentioned in my readings a time or two.
I hop I was helpful. We all face these things.

 

[Black_Thumb]

I just started here so Hi!

Hello and welcome!! We are a friendly group and there are some very knowledgeable people here as well! I'm sure you'll enjoy the group! It must be getting cooler up there in Illinois too. I'm in northeastern Tennessee. It's still getting into the mid-80s and low 90s here during the day, but definitely cooling off at night now.

 

[Ernst]

That sounds about right. An actual plain rubber belt seems to last better. The ones that are Kevlar coated are junk because once that outer weave starts to unravel, it will get caught in something and just peel the Kevlar off like a thread being pulled off a sock.

Well, it's an auto tension on the mower so that is what I bought. Now I have a peeve if I ever need a new mower or I win the Lotto and go money mad!
I had a look at the Tiller and it's a flat belt drive but it too is damaged. Now the thing has a reverse lever and that belt. That belt jumped it's pulley so it was causing side damage to the flat drive belt. Not that flat drive belt hasn't been rode hard and put away wet because it has been worked hard with a lot more plowing to go but still all these small expenses add up on a fixed income.

Well it is what it is and then there is Coffee...

 

[Ernst]

Hello and welcome!! We are a friendly group and there are some very knowledgeable people here as well! I'm sure you'll enjoy the group! It must be getting cooler up there in Illinois too. I'm in northeastern Tennessee. It's still getting into the mid-80s and low 90s here during the day, but definitely cooling off at night now.

Thank you for the kind words with my Coffee this morning. Got some Guatemalan Coffee last night so it's a nice change from Foldgers Classic Roast. Not that Classic Roast is bad it's just like Love.. Something different once in a while keeps the Coffee titillations' fresh.
About this Summer. It's my third Summer in humidity and perhaps it's that that now I am now used to humidity but, this is the best Summer I have had in many years. Just beautiful and the tempratures have been in the excellent range. We have been speared some of the horrible heat-dome heat. Poor Texas and Arizona for sure.
What I wish we would get a little here and a little there more of is rain. For the first time since I moved here I really want the grass to grow and the compost piles to get some free water.

 

[Sean Regan]

I needed a new seal for the bathroom basin plug, so I called into the local plumbers merchants.
At the same time I asked if they'd a short length of key terrain pipe. The guy said he thought he had an off-cut somewhere.
He came back to the counter with a bit about a metre long. "Will this do?"
I said "That's fine. I want it to make some more secure short length entrances to a hedgehog house and a feeding station, how much?"
He replied "Well, if it's for hedgehogs, then you can have it for nothing."
This was the same reply I got at the local wood yard when I wanted a short length of decking timber, to make the doorway in the side fence for the hedgehog.
"Everyone loves hedgehogs!"

 

[Oliver Buckle]

other wisdom I know of it bird and bat houses near the garden area.

Because of the way they live bats have developed super strong immune systems. That means if something can infect a bat it can infect almost anything. People who investigate bat caves regularly contract things that are difficult to treat. Bats are becoming more and more into contact with humans posing what some think is a considerable risk. Worth keeping them away from your close area, such as allowing colonies to develop in your roof, and to be super careful about infection control if you come into contact with them or their habitat.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Tidied up my flower pots, quite a job. I used to give gardeners plants I had propagated and in return they would give me the pots when they planted things out. I used to have a lot more, but I have given a lot of plants away since I retired, and no more coming in, still plenty there though.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Hoed a bit, watered a bit took my amaryllis lilies out of their trough, I now have four large bulbs and seven off shoots to plant up. I let them overwinter in the cold greenhouse before flowering them, our fridge is always full. The weather changed and I lit my bonfire tonight.

 

[Ernst]

More rototilling. It does feel like I am getting it done.
It has turned to the cool side here in a Fall like way.
I wonder if the El Nino pattern is the reason?