AI6YR BenLive posting the State Of The Garden. Fellow citizens, it is lemon/lime season. For some reason, there are more lemons in Southern California backyards than anyone eats. The only solution is to make lemonade! 1/x
The pineapple, as usual, is extremely confused by why it is growing in such a cold climate, and insists it be returned to Hawaii. Only one other pineapple top is currently also surviving this atrocity. #gardening
In the aquaculture buckets, the goldfish are happy to have lots of duckweed, finally, as temperatures are again warm enough for duckweed to expand. #StateOfTheGarden
For once, the barbarians at our gates -- the mint--no longer has smothered all other plants in the aquaponics beds. #StateOfTheGarden
The blood oranges I am growing for the squirrels look great! Too bad my chance of harvesting any is slim (grrrrr)
After a pause for dinner... oxalis. Lots of it. More than is advisable to eat! Out of control this year. #StateOfTheGarden
Lemongrass. Lots of it. It's good in Thai food. We mostly have it here because bees like it. Be warned, swarms may appear in your garden if you grow it! #StateOfTheGarden
My favorite plant this year. Volunteer stinging nettle! This one I have been pinching off the tops, and it has been branching out very nicely. Not sure how long it will last, but will try to keep it watered. #StateOfTheGarden
Snow Peas, in a pot, armored by metal mesh, but no top. Will sew if that is enough to discourage the squirrel. All these years I thought peas did not do well here because of the soil... but it was the squirrels. It was always the squirrels!!! #StateOfTheGarden
jess@ai6yr the birds and squirrels always battle for peas and beans for me! so frustrating, I don't mind sharing but they always take the whole thing!
Led By Gilded Fools@ai6yr What kind of entry puzzle for this squirrel-feeder will it have?
Hippy SteveI spent a part of the afternoon packing used cat litter tightly into all the ground squirrel holes under our solar shed. While I expected to find the task repulsive - and to some degree it was - it was also oddly satisfying. We'll see how long that keeps them away. lol.
Cavyherd
Cat West@ai6yr It makes an amazing tea… #medicinal
Mike
Timo J@ai6yr I did a farmstay in Australia on a lemongrass plantation. It is what heaven smells like.
Ash-Miw-Re
Paul_IPv6
Eat This Podcast@ai6yr It flowers? I suppose it must although it has never done so for me.
jj the Santa Barbarian@ai6yr mmm. Sour grass!
@cookiesinheaven I guess you can only eat a little bit, too much gives you kidney stones! (?)
Tamami
IcooIey
FreddyB Aviation Photography@ai6yr Its funny we have blood oranges and those furry rats seem to by and large ignore them. Everything else including freshly planted cucumbers? Gone
Bruce Heerssen 
Rich Stein (he/him)@ai6yr
Late autumn, I take my pepper plants in — because peppers are perennials where they come from. The pots are a mishmash of very hot varieties, too many years from the original plants to have not cross pollinated. No idea how hot these pequins — this morning's harvest will be. Dry them, grind them, then watch out.
Not bad for the coldest February we've had in years. Instant heat.
@RunRichRun Fabulous!
JL Johnson 
@ai6yr have you tried netting them? I had some success keeping the tree rats out of our maters with them
@jacquiharper_________________
| FREE MINT |
| pick your own |
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., | | ,.
ZahmbieND@ai6yr Mint can be super aggressive! My dad once planted some in a flowerbed, and a few years later it was choking out even the grass outside of the flowerbed. He ended up transplanting a few mint plants into a pot, and sprayed the whole area with herbicide to get rid of the mint so he could plant some flowers in its place. Now his mint plants stay in the pots so they're easy to contain.
@ZahmbieND They will take over your yard, if you let them!!!
nshrubs@ai6yr @ZahmbieND Yep. 3 years in a row digging it out of my mom's yard in Salt Lake. Hoping I dealt it a death blow this past December when I was weeding in 60° weather rather than shoveling snow.
Sara@Nshrubs @ai6yr @ZahmbieND but it's great if you need to get rid of something almost as invasive that you can't eat 😆
Zimmie@ZahmbieND @ai6yr It’s actually illegal in some areas of the US to plant mint and certain other herbs (oregano is a big one) in the ground because they’re so invasive.
JWarner@Jeanniewarner @bob_zim @ai6yr Hmm. I didn't know it was considered invasive anywhere, but I guess both of those make sense (my dad has had a similar battle with blackberries, which almost tore his fence down and tried to take over his vegetable garden).
Luckily I'm in West Texas, where it's dry enough that almost nothing grows without you deliberately watering it, so most invasive plant species stay contained to your property. The main invasive plants we worry about are bindweed and tumbleweeds, both of which will grow on roadsides (from the rain runoff) and in irrigated fields, so they can actually spread along highways without being planted intentionally.
Luckily I'm in West Texas, where it's dry enough that almost nothing grows without you deliberately watering it, so most invasive plant species stay contained to your property. The main invasive plants we worry about are bindweed and tumbleweeds, both of which will grow on roadsides (from the rain runoff) and in irrigated fields, so they can actually spread along highways without being planted intentionally.
Emily Velasco@ai6yr do you use the duckweed for food as well?
@MLE_online No, but definitely possible!
Cliff'sEsportCorner@ai6yr Two tidbits I got from disparate resources. Low powered lights, orig source used dome lights solar/LED prob way to go now, over the water at night brings free fish food aka bugs. Can also rig a mesh scrap cage at the surface for blowflies to donate feed, though thats better for ponds away from house.
@CliffsEsport Ooh, nice! Great idea!