The 2022 Gardening Thread

[NY cat man]

We finally got a decent rain overnight and this morning, and when I checked the tomatoes, I found that one of the ripest Super Sweet 100s had a small split in it, but the Cherry Babies were all OK, and some were ready to pick. Also, the second planting of beans all came up, and should be ready in another month or so.

 

[CatladyJan]

Does anyone have any monarch caterpillars yet? I haven't seen anything here in So. IL and been checking my leaves daily.

 

[NY cat man]

Does anyone have any monarch caterpillars yet? I haven't seen anything here in So. IL and been checking my leaves daily.

No caterpillars yet, and only 2 monarchs so far this year. In fact, despite all of the plants specifically for the butterflies, I have only seen 7 total this year. One of them was about the size of a monarch, but it was a solid dark color, and too far away to identify.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I have seen people posting caterpillar pictures on a local nature and wildlife page. I haven’t been looking for them in my own yard. I have had butterflies visiting so they are probably there.

This was taken in my driveway a few weeks ago.

 

[CatladyJan]

I have seen people posting caterpillar pictures on a local nature and wildlife page. I haven’t been looking for them in my own yard. I have had butterflies visiting so they are probably there.

This was taken in my driveway a few weeks ago.

View attachment 426982

I love those butterflies so pretty. I think those are the black swallowtail. I’ve seen one monarch

 

[NY cat man]

There was an item on the local news about how monarchs are threatened by loss of habitat, among other issues. The story also mentioned how there is a place- also local- that raises them for release to help the population. They further mentioned the work of the Butterfly Conservatory, across the river in Canada, in helping to preserve the species.

 

[CatladyJan]

There was an item on the local news about how monarchs are threatened by loss of habitat, among other issues. The story also mentioned how there is a place- also local- that raises them for release to help the population. They further mentioned the work of the Butterfly Conservatory, across the river in Canada, in helping to preserve the species.

Save Our Monarchs

I had adult caterpillars in August last year so hopefully soon

 

[rubysmama]

I've seen a few larger than normal butterflies, which I think were monarchs. Unfortunately my milkweed is still pretty tiny, so won't be of any use to the monarchs this year. Hopefully it will be mature size next summer.

Just saw this yesterday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/monarch-endangered-international-red-list-1.6527309

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I love those butterflies so pretty. I think those are the black swallowtail. I’ve seen one monarch

Red Spotted Purple Butterfly according to Google. It doesn’t have the tails of a swallowtail. That was my first guess because I’ve seen the yellow ones in my yard. The underside has the spots. Bugs of any kind have never been my thing so I’ve never intentionally learned my butterflies either.

 

[Winchester]

Round 2 of the onions. Still more in the garden. I got half of them in the freezer. The second picture has red beets on the front of the table. We took about 40 of them out of the garden the other day. Rick thinks there's another 40 or so still to be pulled. I don't want them real big. Considering we haven't had a lot of rain, they're pretty nice, I think. I gave onions and beets to my neighbor. Offered some to my sister, but she said, "NO WAY!"

 

[Norachan]

Round 2 of the onions.

Wow, that's great!

Onions are so expensive here at the moment. Usually all the onions we get in Japan are grown in Hokkaido, but something weird has happened with the weather this year and the onions all rotten in the ground

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I’m starting to get tomatoes and peppers! I was picking tomatoes a little before sunset tonight and something stung me right on the center of the pad of my thumb. That’s a first! The only bugs I’d noticed while watering were stinkbugs () and they don’t bite; so I don’t know what it was. I dropped that nice tomato quick and had to go back for it after I took care of my thumb.

 

[Winchester]

Rick brought down our first tomato. Still no color on the peppers. But a couple of the pepper plants turned out to be bell peppers and he brought down 3 bells. How they got into the mix, we have no clue.
I finished the last of the onions that I'm going to freeze; the rest will go into storage to be used as needed. Still need to finish up red beets. I didn't pull them yet and I may let them go for a while.
Our corn is tasseling, but there's really nothing to tassle with. He has no hopes at all for the corn. Too dry. He waters, but it's not like a good, soaking rain.
He cleared out the onion bed and cultivated it well. He's planting green beans now.
My BIL gave us some broccoli plants. Only they're not broccoli; they're Brussels sprouts. That's OK as we like Brussels sprouts.

He counted three of the five baby bunnies still in the garden. He's been trying to live-trap them, but no luck.

 

[denice]

I've seen a few larger than normal butterflies, which I think were monarchs. Unfortunately my milkweed is still pretty tiny, so won't be of any use to the monarchs this year. Hopefully it will be mature size next summer.

Just saw this yesterday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/monarch-endangered-international-red-list-1.6527309

I had been reading about the decline of the monarchs. They have such a long migratory route anything along the way could devastate them as a species. When I was a kid I remember them swarming the flower beds. They wouldn't be around for long but there was a lot of them.

 

[Boris Diamond]

My Brandywine tomato has outgrown the supports I have. The branches are wanting to lie down on my jalapeño plants. I had to trim some branches back. Next year I will build a frame about 8 feet tall. The plant is a hard-to-manage seven foot tall bush at this point.

I'm eating tomatoes and have some to give away. Also I'm getting jalapeños and I have taken some unripe green peppers. I'm going to let the rest of the Giant Marconi Hybrid peppers ripen and turn red. The Big Bertha peppers will be ready soon. The chocolate habaneros and the bod'e peppers are starting to get some size on them. I've grown many types of hot peppers and the ones I grow are my favorites.

 

[NY cat man]

So far, we have been eating green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots from the garden. It also looks like I won't be planting any of the Super Sweet 100s next year, as they have such a thin skin that they split if I let them fully ripen. As this year was an experiment, it's no big deal.
I have been seeing more butterflies lately, including a Painted Lady yesterday and two Monarchs today. There was a third butterfly that I couldn't identify, also.

Coral Craze coneflowers, with Goldsturm black-eyed Susan in the background

The gladiolus are starting to open up, too

 

[TabbyCatCoffeeCo]

I have a bunch of pepper plants, carrots, potatoes, peanuts, one tomato plant that is struggling to grow, and had corn growing, but the crows ate them all!

 

[Boris Diamond]

I have a bunch of pepper plants, carrots, potatoes, peanuts, one tomato plant that is struggling to grow, and had corn growing, but the crows ate them all!

I had to give up corn because of raccoons! They would knock down every corn stalk, take one bite of each ear of corn and move on to the next stalk. In one night, every stalk of corn was knocked down and every ear had bite/bites taken. It would have been nice if they had left a little for me.

 

[CatladyJan]

So far, we have been eating green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots from the garden. It also looks like I won't be planting any of the Super Sweet 100s next year, as they have such a thin skin that they split if I let them fully ripen. As this year was an experiment, it's no big deal.
I have been seeing more butterflies lately, including a Painted Lady yesterday and two Monarchs today. There was a third butterfly that I couldn't identify, also.View attachment 427775
Coral Craze coneflowers, with Goldsturm black-eyed Susan in the backgroundView attachment 427776
The gladiolus are starting to open up, tooView attachment 427777

I'm so glad you have Monarchs. I've seen 1 just one this year still no little caterpillars eating the leaves, but I do have a lot more seeds to plant.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I’m seeing monarch caterpillars on a local page now so we are at that stage here.

Some of my sunflowers are blooming but none are as tall as they were supposed to be. The “Mammoth Russian” are maybe 3’ tall with smaller heads. The ones that should have been about 4’ are half that too. My cosmos are actually taller.