* drumroll please *

idk how we’ll get all this eaten! garden just so productive this year!

With it starting to look like we might really get some decent rain, be advised that considering how dry we’ve been, a good soaking rain may split tomatoes that are nearing ripe stage. This is caused by the sudden uptake of lots of free water. Nothing you can do about it but to soften the heartache of seeing them do this, it might be a good idea to harvest a few nearly ripe ones now.

Is this our native (albeit weedy) solanum triflorum? I was JUST talking to someone in this group about nightshades, totally unaware some birds have apparently already planted it in my yard. 😂

I tend to leave even weedy volunteer plants if they're native, but it has established itself close to where the kids play - I should probably just pull it, right? They're not little, they can identify plants, but if it's poisonous it still seems risky.

I'm so bummed that it was NOT the purple prairie clover I actually planted lol. They are really cool looking though.

Hey,

Any tips on getting flowers to turn into cherry tomtoes? A lot of the buds are just dying.

Thanks

I found literally hundreds of these hyperactive little worms in one of my garden boxes this morning. Are they the dreaded jumping worms I’ve been hearing about? If so, what do I do??

I have two big pots on my front porch, I’m thinking something that stays ornamental will look nice year round. Like a grass or small bush. Anyone have luck with something staying in their pot year round? Even if it dies but keeps shape in winter but then gets green again?

My pumpkins keep “self aborting” their fruit. A little baby pumpkin will form and the flower isn’t even big enough to manually pollinate before it just rots and turns brown. I just added some fertilizer to the soil and have been watering them more in this heat, but curious what other gardeners think.

The other day, I literally found myself holding a handful of 10 of them and screaming, running across the yard, “the horrors! the HORRORS!” at least it was good for a laugh.

Today I had to immediately hang up a phone call and commence scooping into soapy water because I saw piles of them bigger than I’ve seen all year. Some of them were even on plants that they don’t normally like because they have currently run out of rose flowers to eat.

Who else is losing their minds? I’m out there twice a day picking them off along with having a trap. I would love to hear your stories.

How are everyone’s tomato plants doing so far? Plants are bushing. Some fruit but I’m getting a lot of BER. Any tips would be appreciated🍅

Drowning in genovese and Thai basil right now

I have a decent idea of what these are, but I figured I could get confirmation from this sub. These things are all over my tomatoes very suddenly, I had zero just two weeks ago. What are they?

I am not the one to name and shame but CPD citing me for my lawn not looking like my neighbor's is a bit tone deaf.

While I have no explanation, and last year, my broccoli bolted quickly, produced loose heads, and was hella bitter. This year, they are much tighter and dont seem to be suffering as much. Also, there are no aphids yet.

I can't seem to get a good answer on whether this whole El Niño thing means we will have another warm winter. I have a bunch of native seeds that need stratification, and I intended to direct sow in the fall/late winter- but I'm getting worried that they will fail if winter just leaves the chat again this year.

I'm absolutely terrible at artificial cold stratification and indoor sowing in pots, but should I try that instead? Any tips on that? I did it successfully using the paper towel method with a single apple seed my littlest child brought home clenched in his fist for me to plant for him (how could I refuse 🥹), but no success with anything else. Also, there are so MANY seeds. 😅

I had one glorious year that I winter seeded and everything came up beautifully, but this year was a depressing bust and I don't want to waste all these seeds.

What would you do?

Just ripped out a bunch of overgrown arugula and dead spring vegetables in 8x8 raised bed. Any suggestions on what can be planted now? Wait a few weeks until maybe there’s cooler temps? It’s on the south side of the house and gets pretty dried out during the day.

Anyone else having trouble with their beans? Admittedly this is my first year growing Scarlet Runner Beans but haven't had trouble with other bean varieties in the past - I have really good vines and there were plenty of flowers and bees in the flowers but they all seem to just fall off and I'm not getting any pods forming - any ideas? I'm assuming it's heat but wanted to see if others were having trouble. The spot that they're in gets mostly morning sun and a little dappled evening sun so it's shaded from the harshest part of the day....

watering twice a week, I planted that in early spring to cover dead spots. Considering going zero grass next year, but wow this stuff holds up great with barely any water.

Weird question for y'all that might sound crazy. I'm weighing options for large outdoor planters, and I was wondering if ceramic is a good option here?the only reason I ask is because I grew up in Wyoming and it gets cold enough that the water in soil will freeze, expand, and crack or complete break the ceramic planter. Is that an issue in Denver, or is it just that much colder one state up 🫠.

I thought at least some of the kids could tough out the heat, but it just keeps getting hotter and I just keep getting more desperate to keep them alive!

Any tips to beat the heat (or just commiseration) are welcome!

This might be silly but these two points separated from my drip system yesterday. I was able to push them back together but I’m wondering if there’s something I can use to hold them better? I’m thinking that silver piece needs to be tighter?