2023 Gardens

[Bobberineyes]

Yeah the boxelders are otta control here also.  The stringless green beans are flying off the vine,  close to an ice cream pail so far, planted them from seed with a split trellis of snap peas which are popping also. Sautéed in butter them beans are dynamite, I really like the stringless variety.  Also grabbed a good size yellow zookini fer grilling with enough cukes for a quart of pickles,  problem is we gots no garlic so that'll wait til tomorrow.  I did see a little bottom rot on 1 mater plant, the rest look good so thinking I'll try some gypsum  and see what happens.

[Steve-o]

Not sure how the boy asian beetles can tell the difference between the ladybugs when they are all lines up and going at it like they are...  Needless to say, none of these bugs or their offspring will be chomping leaves in mine or anyone else's yard.

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[LPS]

Horny little things. 

[KEN W]

First head of nice Broccoli

Picked a bucket of Juneberries......Making Juneberry Pie.

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[LPS]

Just got our first cukes.  Not big but along with some store bought maters and some Vidalia onion also store bought it will qualify as a salad kind of from the garden.  LOL  Along with the Tuna salad I made I'm betting the wife will call it supper and that sounds great to me. 

[Smokey Hills Bandit]

Ran into some wild black raspberries on a walk. Enjoyed over some cream cheese with crackers.

[LPS]

Interesting combo! 

[glenn57]

picked some more green beans, got 3 campori maters almost ready to pick. the big question is.......will they make it into the house!!!!

[glenn57]

Need an opinion, mom has 2 5 gallon pails filled about 1/3 full of flour and sugar. Based on how old her coffee was im going to guss this stuff is old also

Could I scatter that stuff around the garden without any ill effects???

[mike89]

Commercial sugars (granular, syrup, and honey) have an indefinite shelf life due to their resistance to microbial growth. However, sugars have a best-if-used by date of approximately 2 years for quality concerns.

How Long Does Flour Last? Any white flour, like all-purpose or self-rising flours, stored at room temperature should be discarded after three months; if stored at a cooler house temp, it can last six months. In a fridge, the flour has one year, and in the freezer, it has two.

this will help ya

[glenn57]

  I know I'm getting rid of it, just curious if it will affect the garden soil??? Besides it's in 2 pretty good 5 gallon pails, not that I need more.

[mike89]

It is best to lightly sprinkle flour in the soil around the plants, rather than dumping the flour on the soil as it will clog the pores of leaves, causing plants to die. Flour is also great to add to compost piles, however it will take a long time for it to compost fully.

Is sugar good for garden plants?
Is Sugar Water Good for Plants?
Although it is not considered a fertilizer, you can use sugar if your plants aren't doing so well. Sugar water in plants can help the microorganisms in the soil break down all the nutrients. It is vastly not recommended, though, to use just the sugar as plant food to save them.

so in other words use them sparingly is my thoughts..

[roony]

Just eat it!

[LPS]

I would think sugar would attract bugs like ants to the area.  Just throw it in the trash.  OR send it to Dotchy.   

[Dotch]

  Don't be giving him any ideas! 

Got through the garden yesterday even though parts of it were a little damp yet. The purslane has had a banner year. Up until the recent rains it was just marking time, providing cover & food for insects like this white-lined sphinx moth larva. Some get their panties in a twist about the larvae because they can chew up tomato plants. They feed on a wide variety of plants however including purslane. More of a novelty than anything else, it's fun to watch the moths in the fall move from flower to flower. They're particularly fond of four o'clocks & petunias.

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/white-lined-sphinx-moth-hyles-lineata/

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[LPS]

Sort of on topic cuz it is by the garden.  I have bees in my wood pile.  When I add to it they fly around me.  I got stung last week.  Now I step back when I see them for a few seconds.  They have red in the middle of their bodies. 

[Dotch]

Are they bees or wasps Barry? Pictures are always helpful but in this case, could wind up getting stung especially if there's a nest in the woodpile & they feel threatened. Here's a possibility along with a whole slug of photos:

http://www.minnesotaseasons.com/Insects/northern_paper_wasp.html


https://thepetenthusiast.com/types-of-wasps/

[mike89]

crazy how many that are out there!!

[LPS]

They sure look like bees Dotch.  I was hoping you would see this.  Look just like a bee but the middle of them is bright red.  Usually about 3 of them come hovering out by me.  I stand still and then they go back in the pile so I continue stacking.  The wood is piled up along side the garage. 

[mike89]

if they get nasty buy some hornet and wasp spray...  works great when you need it...  ortho brand I use

[Dotch]

Are they bumblebee-ish in appearance? I don't recall ever seeing them around here but there are some in MN that might fit what you described.

https://apps.extension.umn.edu/environment/citizen-science/bee-atlas/bumble-bees/docs/bumblebee_species_slides.pdf

[Steve-o]

I've never seen one of these before, but this?   



Types of Bumble Bees with Pictures

The top picture of a red-tailed bumblebee (bombus huntii).

[LPS]

That is exactly it.  I just got in and didn't have my phone to take a pic but was going to try it.  lol  Light rain just moved in.  Like I said it used to be only one that would come out when I stacked wood but today three came out.  They just buzz around me as I stand still and I think they go back in between the wood pile and the garage/shop.  The red got me thinking and I hoped they weren't some dangerous strain.  The red is really bright too.  Maybe they can make it that way as a warning. 

[roony]

Dotch's garden is damp but just a hop skip and jump away, I watered this morning before work.

[Dotch]

We were lucky to get this last rain. Garden has really shaped up. Got through weeding the 2nd planting sweet corn last night. Took this photo yesterday afternoon & sent it to the Boy Entomologist. One of the leafcutter bee species on the ornamental purslane. Had huge pollen sacs for size of the bee.

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[glenn57]

Love this time of year. Last week cherries, now maters and blueberries.

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[glenn57]

And to top it off, straight from the garden carrots and kalahrabi.

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[LPS]

We peeled an eaten some cukes.  Our lettuce is doing good but isn't as good as ice berg in the stores.  Thinking of using it for smoothies.  Use yogurt and other stuff. ???  Our radishes are good this year. That looks great Glenn.

[glenn57]

i'm getting cukws to but not happy with them at the moment!!!!!!

[deadeye]

Last Thursday's hail really beat the snot out of my gardens and fruit trees. The cukes, tomatoes, peppers, apples and plums go holes and dents in them. I assume new tomatoes and cucumbers will replace the damaged ones but not much you can do about the plums and apples. Also, cannas got lots of holes in the leaves.