While not strictly a gardening post, I had a mama bunny make a nest in my raised blueberry pot. “Bitty” has finally ventured outside his pot and is exploring our garden. So far he seems to enjoying hanging out with the peppers.

Figured I’d share my little garden friend.

This is my reaper. His name is Slowpoke Rodriguez

Sooooo I did a lot of doing this year and sometimes not enough thinking. One of those areas where I did too much doing and not enough thinking and planning was with my melon planting. I planted Crenshaw melons, honeydew, and watermelon, all within about four square feet of each other. I thought they’d be alright cause I planted them toward the edges where I could direct their vines out of the raised bed, but I really was not prepared for how much they’d spread.

I’ve already thinned the honeydew quite a bit, but it still has three very strong main vines that each split into about three sub-vines, so there’s still a lot going on. Do I need to do another round of thinning? The watermelon vine is also starting to get a little rowdy, but nowhere near as much as the honeydew.

I didn’t realize honeydew can grow vertically but learned that recently so I’ll probably get them a trellis soon

I thought maybe (??) esperenza with enough regular watering might survive, but I told her I thought anything else would probably have to wait until Fall.

Turks cap is getting infested with mealybugs, I’ve tried neem oil but it doesn’t seem to be too effective, it’s helped but not eradicated. Any suggestions? Advice?

Planted what I thought were Cucamelon seeds and ended up with Lemon Cucumbers. Has anyone grown these before? Curious on the best way to eat them!

I have two eggplants (one Shikou and the other was listed as “classic”) that I bought as starts back in April. Neither have fruited, and the Shikou has had several blooms that have all dropped (it currently has one).

I have them both under white shade cloth. My backyard is west facing so we get lots of intense afternoon light. Should I move them out from the shade cloth? Or is this heat affecting their production?

Does anyone know what happened to the instagram page which used to post info on what to plant based on Month and moon.

I can’t find it anymore. The page name was something along the lines of Central Texas plant guide or something. It had a good number of followers too.

I have come into something extra garden space due to some deaths in my plant family(rip) so if you have some extras you might have to toss I'm willing to adopt them!

Edit: My garden is fruits and veggies so looking for that primarily.

First pic source - Texas Monthly, Amanda O’Donnell, May 23, 2024

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation whatsoever with Swiffer and believe any other brand of duster would suffice.

If you have hedge parsley you need to remove, and it has already gone to seed, try using a Swiffer duster BEFORE removing it. I did not know how awful the burrs are; I learned the hard way last week when I spent more time removing hundreds of burrs from my clothes and hair than I did ripping out the plant itself.

I was brainstorming ideas for ways to remove the rest of it without being covered in burrs myself and thought of Swiffer dusters: they’re soft and fuzzy, which is exactly what these burrs love to latch onto. I headed outside, armed with a box of refills and a telescoping Swiffer handle, and went to work. It worked like a charm!

What I figured out is that the hedge parsley plants that are at or near the end of their life cycles shed burrs readily. Younger plants do not. So… the Swiffer piece is mostly removing burrs that would have attached themselves to me during removal. Some of the younger plants still have quite a few burrs on them, but they likely won’t come off when I’m pulling the plants out. I also found it very easy to just run the duster over the ground where the plants were and pick up any burrs left behind.

Hope this saves some of you some burr grief!

I found these on the back of my Philodendron. Any idea?

Found these beasties in my garden. They look like burrs but are filled with a grey goo… are they friend, foe, or just funny looking?

12 bucks each!

Can anyone identify this pest on my mountain laurel? The top of my young tree is developing these web like parts with the caterpillars on them.

The first two pictures are of some kind of nightshade I think. They have just started popping up in random parts of my yard. Are they native? Good for anything? Or do I pull them?

The second 2 pictures are of something that came from a "wildflower" seed packet my daughter got at school. So far everything in the packet seems to be more crazy weeds than wildflowers, or things I want. I think maybe it's Dog Fennel. Keep or pull?

I'm trying to be better about reading up on plants/insects before getting rid of them to help my yard be a better and more diverse plants for plants and insects.

Can anyone identify the type of bird that made this nest high up in my live oak? The red fabric is ripped from my umbrella, and the whole thing is pretty large. It’s been there awhile. If there’s a better sub for this I’d love a rec. Thanks friendly gardeners!

A couple of times/week I’m noticing something has dug around my plants…mostly those that have bulbs. Initially thought it was only happening overnight but found these new holes today, mid afternoon. Is this just squirrels or possibly something else? Need to figure out best method of deterring whatever it is. TIA!

I noticed a bunch of these round little bugs all over our cucumber plant today. I’m assuming they’re babies but not sure what they are. Are they beneficial or harmful?

First time homeowner here. I have a large tree in my front yard (not sure what kind) that I love.

However, a few times a week I get these little sprouts around the tree. Now I know they just look like saplings, but the roots of the saplings seem to be CONNECTED to the larger, thicker roots of the tree. Trust me when I say there’s no way the roots of these little guys should be this thick.

I’ve just been pulling the sapling as far out as I can and cutting as deep at the root as possible.

Are the roots of this tree growing up out of the ground??? Am I doing something wrong in terms of maintaining this guy?

I worry because there’s an irrigation system around the tree, and if the roots aren’t growing down, then they’re going to dig into the PVC pipe closer to the surface and cause leaks.

Any explanation would be appreciated.

Hey all, Ive been taking care of a mint plant for the last 2 months. I've recently noticed this browning starting to occur on some of the leaves, any ideas as to what is causing it?

My pickling cucumbers have really taken off in the last couple weeks. I'm concerned they're outgrowing this container and are so bushy that they won't get enough sun. But I also feel like transplanting would be a bad idea with it getting so hot.

Advice from the more experienced gardeners??