Whatcha Up To???

[ErnieCopp]

Picked some blackberries last night to take to my daughter and others today, that work in the office, along with a big box of Sweet Onions, but we forgot to take the blackerries so ate some of them for dinner. If I had to forget something, BBs were the best to forget.
105 degrees at 2:30 PM, with humidity of 7 between here and Long Beach. Just like being in Phoenix without making the drive.

Doing lots of watering and so far have not seen much wilt from the heat. I hope this heat helps some of the tomato blossoms set fruit.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Today was 'Spray Day' as there was hardly any wind... I started in the garden, then the flowerbeds & all the trees. Them caterpillars were dropping like rain, LOL!!! Also hit all the fire ant mounds that appeared after the heavy rains.

Then I sprayed Weed-B-Gone (2,4-D) in the front & both side yards to knock back the weeds.

Lastly, I watered the hanging baskets on the front porch (humidity is at 20%) & the sun was beating down on them. I hung them back up so they are once again shaded.

 

[majorcatfish]

noaa was only half right today we received rain but not the 2-3" they were calling for, had one downpour this morning, the rest of the day has been a gentle farmers rain....no need to water today.
checked on the garlic some of the scapes have almost a complete curl in them, will trim those off before leaving sunday... will be looking forward to a grilled ribeye with sauteed scrapes.

 

[Mike]

Scattered showers for the last several days but did manage to get out there and pull a few small weeds that was starting to pop up.

 

[majorcatfish]

after finishing mowing the wife informed me that her friend would like some bok choy,green onions, lettuce, spinach and some oregano, needless to say this is how we in the south harvest oregano...


in the 1st photo you can see half of it's gone the wife dried it, this is whats it yields.
oh the smell of freshly dried oregano and you pay how much for a bottle.......

well i am done for the day loaded the last two items to the truck, my helper and i are leaving at 10 am sunday for columbia,sc in the companys brand new box truck for a week.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Have a safe trip Catfish, we'll look forward to your return. Glad those days are behind me...

 

[Rahab222]

Today I found the dead rat on the back patio behind my box of fertilizer, scooped him up on a shovel and threw him over the back fence and onto the bayou. I covered my 10/13 onions with more soil that I planted this spring, as the heads were bulging up out of the dirt. I did some weeding. Planted two more tomato plants in the horse trough that previously had lettuce in it, but bolted. Tied up the tomato plants again. Looked for garden issues and took some pictures, that I've posted on this site with questions. I'll post a couple of pictures of my main beds here that are turning into jungles due to our rain that has caused explosive growth and LOTS of tomatoes. YAY

 

[majorcatfish]

Have a safe trip Catfish, we'll look forward to your return. Glad those days are behind me...

oh yes counting the days,,have my phone so will be able to post, if i have time.......

 

[majorcatfish]

Well we made it had to wait till the gm showed so walked around and found this wild blackberry being next to the road decided to pass...

Oh what a nightmare this project is going to be...

 

[ErnieCopp]

Major, I love hearing your comments about your work. And i am sure the wild blackberries will taste good as you take breaks from laying the pipe.

There are many miles of wild blackberries along the Freeway going through Oregon, or used to be, and we stopped and picked about a gallon in a few minutes. Then we met up with friends farther north that had taken the Coast route through Coos Bay, and caught some Salmon. Wild fresh Salmon and wild fresh Blackberry pie. Hell, even i can still remember something that good.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

found this wild blackberry being next to the road decided to pass...

Those are dewberries, we have them here too. Lots of folks go up & down country roads picking them... They make awesome pies & wine!!!

 

[45 ACP]

MMmmmm dewberries. I used to get sick from eating too many of them as a kid around my fishing hole.

Didnt do much to the garden this weekend. Just watered, and trimmed a few leaves that were touching the ground. My 3 Jalapeno plants are getting loaded. Will pick some this week. Time to start cooking some, and pickling the rest.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Cut the grass yesterday.

Today, I watered the all the hanging baskets, the trees, the flower beds & the garden. The recent storms trashed the nasturtiums that I had in the pots on the back porch so I emptied the dirt into some low spots & started cleaning them in preparation for sealing/painting. Then cleaned & refilled the wasp traps. Lastly, I painted 2 old plant stands for reuse on the small service porch where Mrs. Ranch's bistro set resides.

Now it's time for a few margaritas before I fire up the grill for our evening meal (steaks)!!!

 

[ErnieCopp]

Weather has cooled down nicely, so first day in several that i have enjoyed being out in the Sun. Picked a box of Blackberries. We are going to have more than we need this year, but i will damned if I am going to pick them from between the fishhooks just to give them away, so i hope the birds come back to eat them. Sprayed two big tanks of Foliar Ferts, Poisoned a Gopher, I hope, and moved a Ninebark tree that I am growing out in a container under some automatic drips so i do not have to hand water. Packed some onions to give away, and called it a good morning's work.

Ernie

 

[Rahab222]

45 ACP - What kind of Jalapeno plants are those? What do you fertilize them with? I haven't been able to get my Jalapeno plants to produce many peppers yet. Thanks!

 

[45 ACP]

45 ACP - What kind of Jalapeno plants are those? What do you fertilize them with? I haven't been able to get my Jalapeno plants to produce many peppers yet. Thanks!

They are called "Mucho Nacho". I haven't really been fertilizing. I applied one feeding of Miracle Grow roughly a month ago. Then, last week just prior to getting heavy rains I put down "Osmocote" pellets, but that has not had any effect yet. It is a time release food thats supposed to last a few months.

 

[45 ACP]

What are these bugs? I came home yesterday and there was about 20 of them camped out on the zucchini plant. They are bigger than an ant and have a red body, with black legs and black antennas. I sprayed the plant with a 3 in 1 treatment. Should I spray my whole garden, or just the plants they were on? Any other recommendations as to what to treat with?

 

[w_r_ranch]

Those are the nymphs of the infamous Leaf-footed Bug (aka 'Stink Bug') & they can/will decimate your garden if left unchecked.

The adult bugs are highly resistant to pesticides... however, they are vulnerable in their bright orange nymph stage (spray them with insecticide NOW!!!). I would recommend spraying the entire garden, paying particular attention to the undersides of the leaves.

Insecticides such as permethrin (such as Spectracide’s Bug Stop Multi-purpose Insect Killer or Bonide’s Total Pest Control Concentrate Outdoor Formula) or cyfluthrin (such as Bayer’s Advanced Garden Lawn & Garden Multi-Insect Killer) or esfenvalerate (such as Ortho’s Bug-B-Gon Multi-purpose Insect Killer Concentrate or Bonide’s Bug Beater Concentrate) are effective in controlling leaf footed bugs.

Leaffooted bug - Leptoglossus phyllopus (Linnaeus)

 

[45 ACP]

Thanks. Good info. I will get after 'em this evening.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Reading your earlier discussions of the Stinkbug and its habits in other States, I assumed it was different from the ones we had in Idaho, but the picture is identical. I never saw them on my trees or garden during the summertime, but in the late Autumn they would show up, especially in the Wool Shed, looking for a warm place to spend the winter. But they would either die or leave by Springtime and I never knew for sure where the spent the summer.

Ernie

 

[ErnieCopp]

Beautiul weather today, cool breeze and we even had a very unusual sprinkle. I mowed the lawn, gave the asparagus a heavy irrigation with the hose, plus its regular daily dose by the automatic drips. I then planted another Picker Box of carrots as the first box is getting close to harvest. Thanks Major, as i did not know about pelleted veggies seed until you mentioned it. Much easier for me to handle them for sure.

Never too old to make new mistakes .A while back, I was spreading Turf Builder on my lawn, and had just a little bit left, last of the bag, so not enough to bother keeping. There were a couple of places not growing as well as the rest, so i decided to give those spots a double shot. Big mistake and I would fire that tractor driver if he did not work so cheap.

Ernie

 

[Rahab222]

Yes, the nymphs showed up in my garden last week. YUK! They are my biggest gardening problem - scarring all my tomatoes and peppers. Guess I'll have to treat mine, too, before they get into the adult stage. I tried to grab a handful from a tomato last week, but I only got one. All the others scooted to the underside of the tomato and then ran off to other branches on the plant. Thanks for the info., Sam.

 

[45 ACP]

Did battle with the nymphs yesterday. There were about 15 of em on one leaf, so I quickly cut the leaf and threw it on the ground and hit em with wasp spray. I caught about 5 more on the plant by hand and killed them. Looked all over and didnt see any more, so then I treated the whole garden for them. I'll keep checking for them daily but hopefully that does it.

 

[45 ACP]

As for the rest of the garden, everything is doing good and putting on nice growth. I've already picked some jalapeno and bell peppers, and squash. No zucchini or eggplant yet, but there are blooms. Had to cut back the zucchini a bit as it was getting out of hand and taking over that area. There are 6 cucumber hanging, one thats over a foot already. Its close to ready. The grape tomato plants have breached the 5' cages. I'll start topping them if they continue to grow and start to lay over. Got numerous Celebrities a little smaller than tennis balls, and the grape tomato plants are loaded.

 

[ErnieCopp]

These cool days and chilly nights are wonderful for sleeping but are sure not good for growing tomatoes. I have some of each variety that set fruit during the hot spell a while back, but just not very many starting now.

Ernie