My garden and yard have been very neglected these last few weeks. I've been trying to get out and pull weeds and water but with the heat and the way we kept going places it's been a chore. The tomatoes have died or the grasshoppers ate them so I need to get those plants pulled. I keep the rose bushes and little trees and herbs planted. I bought some seeds the other day for planting in fall. I want to get some more but the girl said it was still too early for them. I covered my small fig tree with netting as the grasshoppers were eating the leaves faster than the tree could produce more of them. Do you think it's okay to give the goats the old tomato plants? I generally just throw the weeds over the fence and they just eat the ones they want but I don't want to throw a lot of tomato plants over if they will make them sick. We are going to have an inside/outside cookout while my son and his family are here so I need to get the yard straightened up. We'll cook outside and move inside as we get too hot. We do have a little shade and a gazebo/awning to put up outside. Kids tend to stay out longer than us older people. Things will get done as they get done and I'm sure no one will notice or say anything about what isn't done. dooley
Hiyah Dooley-- Well, it sounds like you have a lot to do before your son and family arrive. I honestly do not know if eating a tom plant is poisonous for goats. If the tom plants were not sick with blight, then why not throw them on the compost pile. Those grasshoppers sound like real pests! Using that net sounds a good solution. That cook-out sounds like it is going to be fun, in spite of the heat. The "inside-outside" idea sounds like a good solution. You ought to send a pic of that gazebo once it is put up. Anything for shade, right? I hope that you can get all your ducks in a row before the guests arrive...don't over-do it in all the heat, though.
Dooley I think I read somewhere that tomato plants can be toxic to goats. Maybe, to be on the safe side, you should dispose of them on the compost heap. I hope your fig tree can now get on with producing new leaves and that the grasshopppers will leave it alone. Take care not to do too much in the garden when it's so hot. I'm sure your son and his family will understand if there are a few weeds around when they arrive. Maybe the children will help you get rid of them during their visit.
Hi Dooley, sounds like a bit of everything needs done, and that is what happens when we can't get to it as its needed. don't over do it, work at your own reasonable pace and do what you can and don't worry about the rest. "If you are coming to see me, come anytime, if you are coming to see my house make an appointment" I have some herb seeds left over from spring, are you looking for anything in particular? send me a PM as I may forget to check back here and let me know particulars. Have a great visit with your family.
Hi dooley, That heat sounds tough. Positively draining, huh? How hot is it? How hot is it first thing in the AM?
Don`t feed anything in the nightshade family to livestock ! That includes tomatoes and eggplant. Hey Dooley,, its raining here !! You guys getting any of the wet stuff ? Almost didn`t remember what rain looked like, been so long since we had any.
It rained here a little on Thursday but by afternoon you couldn't tell it rained. I think the forecast said maybe at the end of the week. I'll have to go check the weather. The goats are not my goats. They belong to my neighbor but I feed them vegetable peels and weeds that I pull. They are the same weeds in their pasture so I figure they are safe. I won't throw the tomatoes over though. I'll chop them into smaller pieces and compost them. It was 106 here about 2:30 this afternoon. Our cookout was cook out, eat inside. We had people sitting everywhere but no one seemed to mind and we had a great time. dooley
