Notices by Richard Rollinson (richrollgardener@toot.wales)

We have a River Birch (Betula nigra) on the property and every year in the spring it showers down lots of seeds. Some end up sprouting in all my flower boxes so when I begin cleaning up in the autumn, I transplant as many as I can. Most go to my daughter, who is a Botany professor at a Pennsylvania university. There they are brought along in a greenhouse and planted out for a variety of projects. Have 32 potted up so far. More to come.
#gardening
#allotment
#NewEngland
#zone6b
@gardening

@morph @gardening We also enjoy our cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, blueberries, raspberries, carrots, cabbage, onions and apples! We also grow rhubarb and okra, but those are for other folks...

Next up: Harvesting the 1600ft²/150 meter² area of the garden that has the butternut squash. Waiting for the heat to diminish and/or the rain to stop long enough for it to dry out. This is a variety called "Butter Baby" that produces fruit that is smaller than the huge ones you see in the market. Just right for the two of us. Last year we harvested 225 squashes, but I don't think this year's harvest will approach that, but we'll see...
#gardening
#Allotment
#NewEngland
#zone6b
@gardening

Rain has stopped, for now. The folks just up the valley from us got hit pretty hard. I'm hearing this being called a "1000-year rain event". We're ok here, but very soggy.
https://valley.newhavenindependent.org/article/widespread_flooding_in_the_lower_naugatuck_valley
#gardening
#allotment
#NewEngland
#zone6b
#flooding
@gardening

I have deployed my "bug boards" under the squash plants. It makes it easy to pick them off using my "sticky-stuff" on a stick method. Been getting Cucumber beetles, squash bugs and squash beetles. I do not mulch under the squashes, so the bugs naturally migrate to under the boards. I also use sticky traps baited with pheromones specific to cucumber beetles and squash vine borers as detailed in earlier posts.
Squash harvest soon!
#gardening
#allotment
#NewEngland
#zone6b
@gardening

The second planting of corn went in to the ground this morning, exactly 2 weeks after the first planting went in. BeetBear helped dig the holes and set the pots into place so I could do the actual planting and watering. Variety of corn is "Flagler"
#BeetBear
#today
#gardening
#allotment
#NewEngland
#zone6b
@gardening

You know your gardening season is well underway when the problems start to crop up! The beets are under attack from leaf miners and the flea beetles have found the eggplant. Also the hot days lately (85⁰F/29⁰C) have caused the Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce to bolt. I usually just ignore the leaf miners and the flea beetles and the plants eventually recover and get on with growing. I've got more lettuce but it's not quite ready yet. 😀
#gardening
#allotment
#zone6b
#NewEngland
@gardening

As is my custom every Earth Day here is Walt Kelly's iconic Earth Day 1970 poster. After all these years the message is still the same!
#earthday
#ClimateChange
#gardening
#Allotment

Been very busy so I have a lot of posts to catch up on. First up is BeetBear finally got 2 dozen lettuce seedlings planted out. There are 12 Butter Crunch and 12 Black-Seeded Simpson seedlings finally in the ground. The day we planted them out was cold and our hands went numb. The next day the temp. soared to almost 80⁰ F (26⁰ C). It seems that the eclipse here flipped some kind of switch, 😀
Pictured is my favorite row marking line.
#BeetBear
#gardening
#allotment
#zone6b
#NewEngland

@Katma How about a picture of my ANGRY CAT, Dixie, giving the stink-eye to the sleet coming down. My only daffodil is not too sure it's spring yet!
#gardening
#NewEngland
#today

@pkboi @Mrfunkedude Sadly our local governments do not offer protections like that. When I was growing up here, this area was mostly given over to gardens tended by the workers from the mills along the river who lived in small apartments downtown. Now the mills are all condos and apartments and mine is the only garden left. All houses now.
#gardening
#today

A sad day here. The developers have taken over the adjacent property formerly owned by my Uncle who died 2 years ago. They've taken down all the trees and are planning to squeeze a new house onto a very small lot. I remember helping to plant these trees about 65 years ago. They provided lots of cover for birds and other wildlife. My birdfeeder counts will certainly take a hit after this. It's a mercy that it was done before the nesting season.
#birds
#ProjectFeederWatch
#nature #today