What have you done today in the Garden?

I'm sorry to hear that, Daniel. I hope it's a mild case and everything is back to normal soon!
All my potatoes are grown in potato bags. My rose is in a pot, as are many of my herbs....the mint for obvious reasons. Great doggie door!

 

Picked more tomatoes and peppers. I boiled some peppers and tomatoes and then ran them through my tomato press for a pepper sauce. I added some garlic salt and seasoned rice vinegar to the pepper sauce and set some off to ferment but kept a small fresh container for the fridge because its quite good that way too. It is a way I like to mellow the heat and bring out the pepper flavor. If I need to I add some sugar but that depends on what I am starting with pepper wise.

I was a huy fong chili paste fan but then this follow story happens so I am back to a grow your own model because I can.


Sriracha pepper source for sauce.

 

I froze some diced tomatoes for soups this winter and also tried making chocolate raspberry jam. I think I may make some raspberry syrup.
Tomorrow is the first day back with students. It's supposed to be hot, so the powers that be decided it will be a half day. I'll see how hot it is, when we get home. I may pick some more tomatoes and check the zucchini. When it cools down tomorrow night I'll try to pick more raspberries.

 

I've been doing a lit of this and that. By the way, so far I don't have any COVID symptoms and the test is negative.

I picked more sauce tomatoes. This year's crop has been quite rewarding.



I used them to make another batch of salsa. I go through a jar every couple of weeks, so this isn't a full year supply. It is an ongoing treat for me.



Harvest last Saturday. I made the last blackberry pie of the season.



The rows of seedlings, planted after pulling onions two weeks ago, Turnips, radishes, lettuce, spinach.



The chickens and ducks get the produce that doesn't look great, and the canning left overs. They don't pay attention to Rufus, and he mostly ignores them.



The drain pipe under the sink gave out. I blame the plumber who installed the dishwasher and disposal. I would complain that he didn't know what he was doing (I'd be right) except, the "plumber" was me. After a trip to the home improvement store, and and hour or two of bad language, it's all repaired. Unfortunately, this time of year they sell bulbs at that store, and I have too little self control LOL.

Those will be planted in containers, so they are out of the way when not blooming,



Here's the attempt at a container garden this year. It wasn't planned, just sort of happened.

 

Looks nice, Daniel. I'm glad you don't have symptoms and you're negative. When my granddaughter ended up with Covid, in 2022 (if I remember correctly), I made her stay upstairs and if she came down we both wore masks. I would make dinner (mostly chicken soup is what she wanted) and put it on the stairs halfway up. She'd come and get it then leave the dirty dishes on the same step so I could get them and wash them. She just had mild symptoms, and she tested positive on her birthday! I never did test positive.
I love your chickens. We had several in Texas. One time one disappeared and a few weeks later one of those black and white speckled ones showed up. I asked the neighbors and no one had any like that so I guess we traded ours for that one. Then another time one disappeared (we were in a different house). There was a six foot fence around our yard, so I just figured maybe a bird swooped down and got her. Again a few weeks later my granddaughter's dad came in from work and said he thought he saw a chicken down the road. I went out to see and sure enough there she was. I picked her up and brought her home.

 

So many pots! So little time! It looks like a showcase!

 

Oké then Daniel— first things first: my Bride wants to know how you made your salsa. What can you tell about this. Any and all comments will be appreciated.

Those are very nice harvest shots up above. Interesting chair backs as well.

And the seedlings— what are they? I am jealous that you are planting things now. I couldn’t help but notice the little bent-wire pinnike’s you are using to hold your drip lines in place. We made some of these to keep our nets snuggly against the soil. Did you buy those or make them yourself. It’s the little details that one sees that makes postings (and gardening) so interesting.

Then there is the wildlife scene with Rufus and the choocs. I guess it qualifies him as a “Watchdog”—. Because he stands around and watches the chickens. Good booooy!

The bulb packets look colourful. I see some daffs that I grow myself in that packet.

The last foto really is nice-looking. It is a very colourful border with lots of containers. Chapeau. That is a good result, planned or not.

It is good to hear that you are testing negative, mate.

 

I harvested the last of the corn today. We are "corned out" so I will freeze the kernels. It was a great corn year. I listened to your corn advice on flavour @Daniel W and planted the early Northern Sweet Corn, as well as the Trinity Bi Colour. The sweet corn was the favourite The earwigs are having a lovely time in the corn, so time for everyone to come inside for dinner ( not the gross earwigs).

Some swiss chard was picked for dinner and some cherry tomatoes for snacking. The last of the green beans ( a handful) came inside, and half a pail of carrots. The voles are going at the carrots, but if I leave the chewed on ones in the rows, they continue to eat them instead of new carrots.

Something has been eating almost all of my strawberries which are on their second flush. I was surprised to see that it was chipmunks! We are all having a terrible rodent year. The tree cones were plentiful last year so the munks and squirmels flourished. This year there isn't enough to go around and there are more rodents to count.

I filled up my old squirrel proof feeder today. I've had it for over 15 years and never had an issue other than squirrels hanging from thier hind feet and taking one seed at a time with their little hands. Today...I found this little fella. He got in and couldn't get out, so he chose to sit and eat eat eat eat. He wasn't concerned with me moving the feeder ( his human proof restaurant) and waddled out once I took the lid off and tipped it.

 

Neat pics! I am glad you are still taking in produce. It is always jarring for me (pun?) to realize how far south I am and how much the heat and humidity absolutely crushes late season production here. Of course we plant early and harvest early, and even have two seasons for the really organized folks, but I miss picking really badly and get a little sad when my garden goes on by in its own time. But hey! There is a mess out there that needs renewal and I think I will set up some hoops and raised beds for the next go round!

 

Picked the last of the blackberries and some blueberries, did some watering, it was too hot to do anything else.

 

That is really interesting DM. I would have thought that your southern location just meant you could grow and grow and grow some more. Do your tomatoes and melons...ish kind of produce also finish up? And root veggies? I would miss picking too if I had your long growing season.
Can you grow trees and berries that need dormancy? ( apples, raspberries etc)

 

Its just based on the local influences. I feel bad for newbies that start out thinking the whole world is the same and every internet advice should therefore be followed. The frustration!

One should post their latitude and longitude. I cannot grow australian eucalyptus because even though we are in the same grow zone the climates are separate.

 

Picked more raspberries and took off the shade cloth. Picked a couple tomatoes, they weren't quite ripe yet, the branch was starting to split. So I picked two and left two. Looks like I'll be making something this weekend. The beans are slowing down. But I did get new seeds. I'm trying corn next year out where the zucchini is this year. And if the wild ones get it, oh well.

 

This isn't a cute little chipmunk, Melody, but it does make you realize just how smart some animals can be. This guy is a NASA engineer. He's made 2 or 3 of these.

 

I have a Tasmanian Eucalyptus that's grown nicely in a few years. I don't know how their climate compares to here. I had a Blue Gum Eucalyptus that did nicely but a hard freeze killed it. It's too bad it wont grow there - the scent of eucalyptus leaves is very nice.