I inspected my vegetables for bugs and planted more beans. I also checked on the tomatoes, harvested the last bok choy and contemplated transplanted the basil seedling (I'll wait a few days).

Here is a link that might be useful: What's Growing On?

Pinched the suckers off my toms, did some weeding, and mulched my peppers.

Watered. Another dry front.

Picked 7 squash & 1 zuc. Tried to catch a cucumber beetle. Went to church. Watered garden. Tried to catch the same dang cucumber beetle. Sprayed BT. Mowed grass. Tried yet again to catch the stupid cucumber beetle.

wrong zone -- don't know if 6a is harvesting squash yet!

Cut down last of kale in one raised bed to make room for more summer vegs. Pruned bushes & trees. Eyed garlic; will pull one tomorrow to check, it may be ready for harvest. Clipped lettuce & picked peas for salad. Moved (with DH) a dilapidated swing to the curb for pickup so I can use the area it was inhabiting for more potted plants.

Today in the garden I sowed Bon Jour corn, Top Notch wax beans, and a variety of summer squashs. I also jumped on the MF35 with the bush hog and gave about 7 acres a hair cut.

Got a hose end replacement so I can now hand water without soaking myself with the back spray from the attachment (yay), noticed some bugs and egg looking things on my tomato plants so sprayed some insecticidal soap, tried to dig out some horrible weed bush in my front yard but the roots are a nightmare (ugh).

Nothing, it has been raining all day.

Its interesting how the differing gardening zones are doing such dramatically different tasks right now. It was cloudy cool and light rain on and off all day yesterday. I spent the morning getting some more cucumber, & cilantro seeds started inside. Potted up about 40 wave petunia cuttings that I had rooted a few weeks ago. Then in the afternoon, dug in about 6 wheelbarrow loads of composted manure to the two new 4x8 beds that I had de-sodded on Sat.

Today my tomatoes finally get in the ground - that always signals the true beginning of summer to me.

Yesterday, when this post first went up, I:

1. Finished mulching my walkways with wood chips and finally covered all of the cardboard so my neighbors can stop giving me the evil eye.
2. Emptied a rain barrel watering the garden.
3. Made cages to protect the new apple and pear trees from another deer attack.
4. Tried to get the grass growing into the garden under control.

Today after work I will weed eat to neaten up edges and get my bean trellis up and running!

1. Put some peat moss around the eggplant since I just learned they like slightly acidic soil.
2. Gave eggplant and peppers a shot of water. Zucchini was ok for water.
3. Spread thin layer of lawn clippings as mulch in roses and vege garden.
4. Added peat moss to shade garden. Planted begonias and heuchera. Prepared a section for the lily bulbs coming in the mail this week (planting late, hope it's ok).
5. Transplanted rootbound yesterday-today-tomorrow from pot to ground. How happy it must be.
6. Other general weeding, pruning, cleanup. It's difficult to find a stopping place.

Yesterday,

I replanted okra for the 3rd. time, late frost got the first and a really bad storm last Wednesday buried the second planting with 4 inches of sand.

Planted BJBB's, dill, and some more southern peas.

Transplanted my potatoes that I grew from "true seed".

Picked a 5 gallon bucket full of Zucchini, I was very popular at work this morning.

Picked what will probably be the last of my English peas.

Spread 8 bales of straw mulch, only 6 more to go.

Finished stacking the 1/2 acre of hay for mulch that I've been putting up by hand. At least it was mowed by tractor! Weeded a path and put down cardboard to be covered with mulch. Examined garden, pulled Hon Tsai Tai plants, harvest some turnips and lettuce. All good fun.

First thing I made breakfast for my daughter who had to run out to her summer job. Then had some time to take inventory of the garden happenings.

Sparrows have been in the garden a lot so I checked to be sure everything was fine, but it just looks like they are getting bugs from the dirt (yay!)and leaving the plants alone. I hate house sparrows but if they can do one thing it's eat bugs in my garden.

Pulled some romaine and butterhead lettuce for dinner, and a few radishes. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are doing fine. I noticed that our squash and zucchini are getting a slow start, and that our beans are not doing very well, too much rain after planting and now probably bunnies eating the new leaves off the stems. I may replant the beans after this week's rainy days are over, get a fresh start.

I then cleaned the downstairs of our house and planned dinner (but I would rather be back in the garden). It is going to rain so I won't have to water.

I love reading about what people are doing. I wish everyone sunny days to spend gardening! : )

"Finished stacking the 1/2 acre of hay for mulch that I've been putting up by hand."

Like with a pitchfork and loading a truck or trailer? Dang that is hard!

I need to do it, but I'm too lazy. I bush hog my old 4 acre pasture to keep it clean and leave it.

I mowed my Crimson clover cover crop Sat. and used my pull behind leaf vac/mulcher to gather it. It will go on the garden in a few weeks. But the fescue grass in the pasture is too thick for my mower.

I plan to plow that under when I get home and replant it in a few days with buckwheat.

Yesterday I mowed the yard and finished planting the peas and carrots. Hubby planted potatoes with the kids. We transplanted the giant pumpkin starts as well and made each a little green house with supports and plastic since it's still cold at night (we had a frost warning in the forecast last night).

Today we got a late start; slept in as it's the Victoria Day long weekend. :) Just letting the sunscreen soak in before I head out to shape the beds for the broccoli and Brussels sprouts starts. The flea beetles found my bok choi starts in the cold frames already, so I'm not sure whether to plant them out or just toss them; if I can prevent further damage, they might be just fine since these are only the first few leaves. St. Hubby will be planting the corn with the kids. He has far more patience than I when it comes to little ones in the garden! The pole bean starts have been out yesterday and today; they're in 2" soil blocks so I have to remember to mist them regularly with the breeze out there. If I get the brassicas done in good time, we'll try and get the pole bean supports ready, too.

Washed the kitchen floor. Repotted basil in the porch. Cooked rhubarb crumble picked on Wednesday and stayed out of the rain. Today: went to work.

Yesterday:
1. did some push mowing
2. watered for several hours in the morning
3. planted and mulched a long row of zucchini, 6 rows of cucumbers (one row that I had wintersown), and three rows of green beans
4. Then it rained 2 inches and I couldn't do anything. But now I have to stake up my six foot hollyhocks and tons of other things because the wind blew them over.

Yesterday I was able to plant some Chimayo chile's and alyssum, transplated some Romanesco broccoli and a Ping Tung eggplant. I also planted a Jacob's Ladder and lemon mint bee balm in the seating area of the veggie garden. I found a place for one of my "extra tomatoes" too. I got all of that done by church and then was not able to get more done before it was time to work.

Today, the work platform is down so I was able to get more plants in the ground before working on my oldest son's birthday dinner of ribs, roasted potatoes and thai coleslaw. Still need to make the cake. I cannot believe he is 14 already. I hope he gets his man muscle soon though so I can make him do more work outside.

I love these kinds of posts, they always make such great discussions.

On saturday I watered my garden(s), and Sunday I watched it rain a lovely .2" inch. Today, I took the afternoon off and prepared the seed bed for extensions of my 5 rows of sweet corn, another 30 feet or so. I tilled extensions for my 3 rows of beans too, I am going to plant soybeans (the type for edamame) and a bunch more Lima beans.

After that rain my green beans perked right through the soil and had 2 huge green leaves per plant standing tall and proud. Nature really is amazing!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pictures of my Garden

I used to cut about a half-acre by hand for mulch hay as well. It's tough going cutting grass by scythe unless the field is nice and clean without a lot of over-hanging trees and if one really keeps after it and doesn't let the thatch build up. I'm not sorry some flower girls have taken over that field so now I don't have to think about getting over there at 6am to cut while the grass is dewy!.

Yesterday I continued working on pole-bean trellises that I have been building for a while, two of them side by side, 8 feet high by about 50 feet long. Also cut some furrows with the two-wheel tractor in anticipation of planting the corn next week. Today I weeded and hilled several hundred feet of potatoes; one of my plots this year has a horrendous mustard infestation, and since it's a goodly ways from home I don't get there often and it was way out of hand. Not much fun. Fortunately the soil there is completely stone-free or I may have said the heck with it. Hilled more potatoes at a different plot and continued on the trellis.

Tomorrow it's back to doing the kind of work that pays cash...

Got my first attempt at a lasagna bed completed.

Planted purple hull peas, and got some cucumbers planted.

Dug more bahia out of the yard.

Took care of my 3 month old.

Had a super busy day at work, came home and harvested some peas and broccoli side shoots, briefly looked around to make sure everything seemed ok with the garden, went to the gym with the boy, came home and made dinner.

Watered. Inspected squash for bugs. Found massive damage to one eggplant leaf. Caught 2 different bugs to take to Clemson Extension tomorrow for identification. Just got back inside from doing the "slug stomp".

HAH! Last time a voracious ground squirrel ate all the seedlings, so am feeling pretty triumphant. Too bad they are so radish-y, lol (my kiddo insisted we plant some...).
{{gwi:59544}}

Also did a bit of weeding (the never-ending chore) and harvested some loquats from my neighbor's tree that is hanging over the fence. yum!

The forecast is for rain the next few days, so we worked like mad to get the veggie seeds planted today. In went: cucumbers, zucchini, beans, peas, carrots and beets. Tomatoes and peppers will wait for another week or two.

Got nothing done on Mon because of the rain. On Tues, I decided that the rain has truly finished doing in the daffs for the year, making it pretty much impossible to tell where the bulbs were from the tops, so no moving until next year.

But today I dug 5 wagons full of soil from my future compost pile and chipped a big bag of mulch (about 4 cuft.) Also bought some wood for my raised raspberry beds.

It's raining and cold again today. Yesterday all I could do was pick asparagus and rhubarb and make use of them in the kitchen.

We're going to have to rig up something outside to protect everything I still have in the cold frame (low hoops) on the lawn because the forecast is for SNOW tonight and the temps for the rest of the week aren't that ducky either. :(

SNOW? Good grief. I'd be booking a one-way ticket to south Florida at that point....

Garden-wise, I got the last of the chicken wire out from around the old veggie garden and mowed the area. Then I went to the front yard and finished saving a bed that had been completely overtaken by winter jasmine, and I finished giving that to my neighbor, who has a place for it to do battle with weeds in front of a 7' azalea and a multiflora rose. I also moved some unhappy irises and planted a clearance peony.

Didn't chip because my mother was visiting and I can't chat and chip at the same time!

The snow didn't materialize last night, nor this morning... woohoo! We threw a small space heater in the cold frame for the tomatoes and peppers and everything else in there (they're still in pots); they spent the night at a toasty 17 degrees C. All the broccoli, Brussels, cauliflower, leek and onion transplants that weathered the overnight 3 degrees out with no protection look just fine and dandy, too. :)

Picked peas, lettuce, strawberries. Watered some more.

Chipped another 4 cu ft of debris. I think I will be finished some time in August at this rate...

Planted another 6 glads. Put a bunch of my super-discount Mich Bulb stuff in pots. Got a tree flagged for removal by the power company--it's shading what would be one of my only full sun areas, and it's in a place it really shouldn't be, so it's going.

Stared happily at the space where the winter jasmine used to be, dreaming of full sun perennials.

Last weekend I was busy thinning trees to help get more sun to my garden space, then built and filled a few raised beds. This weekend I have to get one more bed built and filled, so during the week I vowed to spend 30 minutes per night on the garden. Tonight wasn't very exciting, as I ended up weeding and watering the perennial flower beds, but that is one less thing keeping me from working on the veggie garden this weekend. Tomorrow I need to plant the dozen or so perennials I've plucked off the clearance rack over the past couple of weeks, then Saturday I'll be able to focus on the VEGGIES!

On Fri, the boys worked on a water feature. Will finish it Mon.

On Sat, I woke up with a really, really messed up wrist. Mowed (riding mower) very carefully, then did some chipping with DH--another 4 Cu Ft. Couldn't help spread. But the inside of the pile was smoking hot, even in this nearly 90-degree weather!

Picked lettuce, picked spinach, picked peas, cut broccoli, picked strawberries, picked cherries.

Watered more.

I got two new raised beds built, put in place and filled today. I also finally purchased a 150' roll of remesh and have made two tomato cages so far. Limbed up the trees along the back property line some more to let AM light in, and weeded the area where I'll be adding more raised beds this fall or next spring. Tomorrow I'm finally getting the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes in the ground, and hope to get the rest of the 'mater cages built, and the beds mulched with straw. I might try direct sowing some lettuces and root veggies as well, even though it's at least a month late for that.

I picked snap peas, some strawberries, watered some, and planted the fall tomatoes.