popular What have you done today in the Garden?

Good to hear Logan

 

It finally cooled down to 87°f and with cloud cover and no rumbling in the air, I hopped on the riding mower. 20 minutes into it...Rain !! Needless to say I was pretty miffed !!

If it keeps up like this, and with that hurricane on it's way in the Atlantic, sooner or later I'm going to have to buy me a machetti just to get out my back door !!

 

The summer squash plant that I bought at the big box store, is responding to TLC (organic vegetable fertilizer and watering) and grown big enough to bloom, including a female blossom. I pollinated it.



The squash trellis seems to be working nicely. I made hammocks for the heavier-looking squashes.




Also there is a Canada Crookneck forming next to a Red Kuri.



I had sort of given up on that.

Some Ozark Beauty everbearing strawberries. I continue watering them.



The Galeux d'Esynes squash is really putting on some size! Not sure of the spelling, so please pardon my French!



The Pristine apples, a very early variety, are ripe now.



I picked a couple bowls of peaches.



Now is mostly about keeping things going, and harvesting. I do have bush beans started now. Those plants will need thinning very soon.

 

Thank you Zigs, it was ok they put 2 different types of drops in, one to open the eye up and the other as a pain killer.

 

@Logan…Take it easy… you know the rules no sneezing…
Sending healing blessings your way.

 

We have had a lot of company this last three weeks, and a lot of weather. The leaves are turning yellow and already falling and the harvest is wrapping up. First frost was three days ago.

This morning I harvested a pail of blueberries. There are many more green ones, so I hope they get a chance to ripen. I bent the onion tops, picked three zucchini ( they are having a rough summer - along with all of the squash). I harvested some broccoli, the last of the raspberries ( enough for yogurt this morning). The last of the peas were also harvested.

Yesterday I harvested swiss chard and processed it. Along with some green and wax beans and peas. Pizza sauce was canned from crock pot reduced tomatoes, and bread and butter pickles were made. I harvested half of the remaining beets today will be pickling them this morning.

 

Thank you @Pacnorwest
Just got this broken wrist to heal, should have the plaster off this Wednesday.

Just watering and sorting out the old tulips that i dug up in June.

 

Nothing today , tomorrow or Monday.. our eldest and his girlfriend surprised us yesterday by coming down for the weekend, they will be returning to London Monday afternoon. . What a great weekend we'll have.

 

After tidying up last years leaves into 4 dumpy bags yesterday, one blackbird had thrown a whole trug of them out onto the ground by this morning



I've covered them all over with shade netting now

 

Mel— excellent work. I thought we had a short season, but that you have already had frost….well, it sends shivers up my spine.

Daniel— mouth-watering posting today. You always do so well.
That is a great-looking rack with hammocks. Brill.

 

Today's harvest

 

My mom used to make elderberry jelly. It was very good. I don't know where she got the elderberries, though. We didn't have any by us.

My second crop of raspberries is getting close to starting. My butternut squash are getting big. I ended up with 3.

Yes Logan, I agree with Pac, please be careful.

I didn't do much. It was too hot this morning and early afternoon. I asked my neighbor if she wanted to go to Costco with me. So we went to Costco with my membership then to Sam's club with hers. I had never been to Sam's club. Costco is the big one in Washington State (or it was).

It finally cooled down around 4. Rain is coming in. So I went out and trimmed my grapes so the tomatoes can get more sun. Then it started raining so I went in.

I almost forgot to ask; how do you tell when to pick butternut squash? I don't remember ever growing them before. When my kids were young and we lived in Washington, I grew acorn. But I don't remember when to harvest them either. My youngest is 40 so it's probably been 30-35 years since I've grown winter squash.

 

I usually look for fully colored squash that looks like the ones in the grocery store, and stem looks woody and brown. After cutting them, I let them cure for a week outside, dry but not in full sun. Sometimes if frost threatens, I cut the stem if still green.

Here is more info.

https://www.evergreenseeds.com/how-to-know-when-butternut-squash-is-ripe/

This was my harvest several years ago. But no butternut, which never do well for me. I think that was October. Some still had green stems but kept well anyway.

 

Started early mowing the entire pastures as it had rained over night just enough to mow without ending up in a dust bowl. The ground was so dry from the week long heat wave we were caught in last week and the rain helped keep the soil where it belongs and not blow away when mowing.

Then moved on to setting traps for the ground squirrels. And watered down new tunnels in areas the ground squirrels lifted in the garden . That alone is getting to be a hour long ordeal. Added bleach to the mix here and there. Found another area the ground squirrels have been digging under the foundation again. I watered it down and added a dose of bleach . They don’t like that smell.

Chip and Dale are at it again. Sooo I managed to set another trap for the chipmunks… peanut butter and peanuts which usually gets their attention. They get up on the roof and like to over winter there. Little trouble makers. They have shorted out electrical wires in the past. I hope they get zapped …

Haven’t seen hide nor hair of any deer in quite awhile. No more hide and seek around the trees. When I’m out mowing. I did spot some scat , so will be diligent not to allow entry to any food source. Got the motion sprinklers set on the plants they like. So they are in for a big surprise the next time they want to snack on my roses & hydrangeas.

Limbed up more trees, and tried to use my pole saw to cut out dead branches. But it was too heavy for my bum shoulder. So my friends next door will come by next week to get those areas for me. I guess I’ll owe them a steak dinner.

I rolled out a couple of hoses from the garden , wrapped them up and put them in a tote till next year.

Moved some border rocks the size of watermelons about 25’ out of the way to trim some evergreen shrubs that seem to be taking over . Trimmed the evergreen shrubs over a tarp. Tomorrow I will drag the tarp full of clippings and dump them on the pasture then run my rider mower with mulcher blades to turn the clippings into tiny mulch.

 

Did an early all-round watering and left the lawn sprinklers on for fifteen minutes.
I could hear a couple of neighbours out there mowing their lawns, but I won't be cutting mine today. I've already set my Flymo a notch higher and I'm cutting it less frequently in this heat.