Claud The Backyard Farmer (self proclaimed)

[kingofnobbys]

I just don't feel like im doing anything if I don't water! Lol.

I did a whole bunch of yard work today instead to stay busy. Dethatched a my lawn (near 3000 sq ft.), mowed, trimmed, fertilized, and turned on the sprinklers.

I AM that guy who tries to have the best grass in the neighborhood lol. I've never dethatched before. I bought a dethatching rake at home depot last week. I lasted about half an hour. That is hard work. For 60 bucks more I could buy an electric dethatcher on amazon, so I did. Pulled sooooo much dead grass out of the lawn. This will make the fertilizer I put down much more effective... I hope.

It is pretty warm today too (well.. by coastal standards LOL) and the soil in the beds is still dark just under the top layer, so I assume it's still got plenty of water.

-Brandon

I know, been there. Lol! 😆 I spent at least an hour a day, everyday, for about 5 months working in my yard last year. Had a great tan and good disposition but few veggies etc. 😆 Just going out the door to clean up a little outside. I need some sun, makes me feel happy! 😊
-Dee

I never fertilize or water my lawn , EVER , this summer when we had the extreme drought. My lawn was nice and healthy where all the fastidious obsessives around me had dead or dying lawns ( not allowed to water their lawns in level 2 water restriction ) .

Think if you fertilise the lawn and obsessively water it to turn into essentially a lawn bowling green sure it looks and feels great , but the roots are shallow and the grass is weak , and it dies when deprived of water.

We'll I guess I lie , as when my edges are done and the lawn is mowed, the lawnmowing guy leaves the finely mulched grass and weeds where it falls ==> natural mulch and fertilizer ( and saves him tip fees and time too ).

[DragonPete]

The guys finally mowed here at the park yesterday, it was looking bad. Guess I need to finish my clean up outside. Supposed to be terrific weather this week. High 60's to low 70's. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if it stayed that way. 😉 I hear y'all got some record breaking highs. 😳
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

The guys finally mowed here at the park yesterday, it was looking bad. Guess I need to finish my clean up outside. Supposed to be terrific weather this week. High 60's to low 70's. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if it stayed that way. 😉 I hear y'all got some record breaking highs. 😳
-Dee

Did you not see the picture of my garden soil temperature Dee? LOL

It was 88.9 degrees in my house by the time the sun started to go down. Luckily with windows open, I was able to get the house down to 76 before we went to bed. Still warmer than I like, but better than near 90 inside!

All the seedlings should have liked it though. However, the zucchini i transplanted I don't think will make it. I have a few more inside that I will probably start trying to harden off over the next week or two and see how they do. Still learning lots. Didn't know about hardening off and I think that's why the zucchini I planted outside has made 0 progress at all.

-Brandon

[DragonPete]

The guys finally mowed here at the park yesterday, it was looking bad. Guess I need to finish my clean up outside. Supposed to be terrific weather this week. High 60's to low 70's. Wouldn't hurt my feelings if it stayed that way. 😉 I hear y'all got some record breaking highs. 😳
-Dee

Did you not see the picture of my garden soil temperature Dee? LOL

It was 88.9 degrees in my house by the time the sun started to go down. Luckily with windows open, I was able to get the house down to 76 before we went to bed. Still warmer than I like, but better than near 90 inside!

All the seedlings should have liked it though. However, the zucchini i transplanted I don't think will make it. I have a few more inside that I will probably start trying to harden off over the next week or two and see how they do. Still learning lots. Didn't know about hardening off and I think that's why the zucchini I planted outside has made 0 progress at all.

-Brandon

Maybe transplant shock? Gives those at least a week before you decide they won't make it. They usually perk up in week to 10 days.👍
Got up to 80 in here yesterday. It was only 75 outside but bright sun. Had all the windows open, love to air out the house. At 80 the AC gets turned on. If I'm not working out in the yard, I hate to sweat! At 80, I'm sweating!! Even under a fan. 😵
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

Well the zucchini seeds I just started a bit over a week ago, are already about the same size as the plant I transplanted outside. And the outside plants leaves are very yellowed, it just doesn't look good.

I'm going to probably transplant 2 or 3 of the zucchinis into larger pots and keep them indoors for a bit longer, and then harden them off. I don't see this one outside lasting.

In other good news though, this heat has caused lots of the seeds I planted outside to sprout. The greens bed had sprouted everything besides the lettuce mix, but finally the heat has caused the lettuce mix seeds to start. Everything else in the greens bed is doing really well.

-Brandon

[DragonPete]

There's only 1 outside? Thought there were several that weren't doing well. Let the new ones get a little bigger and harden off if you prefer. That's not something I do, never found it necessary. Squash usually produce well, doubt you'll need more than a few and that's feeding the crew too.👍
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

I only planted 1 because I figured I only need 1 zucchini plant. Like you said, they get huge and produce a lot. Same with the cucumber. Only 1 cucumber planted. It was a plant bought from the store though, not doing super good but that's probably from me overwatering. Now that I stopped, it seems to be doing ok.

But I also have cucumber seedlings started too, so if it dies, I have backups lol.

-Brandon

[DragonPete]

I only planted 1 because I figured I only need 1 zucchini plant. Like you said, they get huge and produce a lot. Same with the cucumber. Only 1 cucumber planted. It was a plant bought from the store though, not doing super good but that's probably from me overwatering. Now that I stopped, it seems to be doing ok.

But I also have cucumber seedlings started too, so if it dies, I have backups lol.

-Brandon

Always good to have backup. Petey would be in heaven if I planted squash. Lol! That's his fave veggie. 👍 The blossoms are edible too but they also turn into squash which lasts longer and feeds more. 👍 I need to get outside later. Neck giving me a fit, I slept 'funny'. 😆 Might have had something to do with the cat on my head. 🤔
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

Got our first bellpepper forming. It has been a flower for the past couple days but this morning you could see it shed it's "flowery? parts, and has a little pepper forming in there.
[Click image to enlarge]

[Click image to enlarge]


-Brandon

[DragonPete]

Isn't that neat?! Love watching the changes. ❤
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

Yeah it is. We go out at least 3 or 4 times a day to see if anything has changed in the garden lol!

-Brandon

[Claudiusx]

The Zucchini we transplanted outside really isn't looking good. Some seeds we started 2 weeks later are already the same size as the one outdoors.
Outdoors:
[Click image to enlarge]


Seedling tray:
[Click image to enlarge]


So I took 2 of them from the seedling tray and transplanted them in some larger pots to continue to grow in pot. They are going outside every morning and coming in at night time, so hopefully they get hardened off better, and eventually we will most likely end up pulling the current one and putting one of these in it's place.

Strawberries starting to come in
[Click image to enlarge]


Kale forest is starting
[Click image to enlarge]


And some gardening humor, cracked me up LOL
[Click image to enlarge]


-Brandon

[DragonPete]

As much as I hate to admit it, I have no clue how asparagus grows! 😳 Never tried to grow any and never seen it growing. I wouldn't know if that's normal or not. You wasted a joke on me! Lmao! 😆 Of course it loses something when you have to explain. 😶
-Dee

[Claudiusx]

Haha, everyone I showed it too had to look it up also. That made it even funnier to me LOL

That is actually how asparagus grow. It's hilarious because it honestly does look like that's not really how it grows, and someone is trying to prank you.

Awnry little veggies huh!

-Brandon

[DragonPete]

If I had just seen the pic without explanation, I wouldn't have thought it actually grew that way, but the text had me wondering and I realized I had no clue. 😳 That's quite cool to see. 👍
-Dee