shavefan
I’m not a fan
Nice vid Jason.
The Sprout 2019
- Thread starter DoctorShavegood
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #162
Nice video Jason. Look into "no till" for next year. It might help with the weeds.
Yeah I been looking in to that. I think just having 3 less gardens will help too.
shavefan
I’m not a fan
Yup, sheet mulching works really well.
Momentous day here, (Monday that was). First ripe tomato of the year, a Siderno cherry, we trialled these last year. and they were our favourite pot grown cherry, tiny vigorous plants, 120 tomatoes from one plant, last year they started July 3.
Planted all our tomato seed March 26, the two Sidernos starts into 12" pots outside June 3.
dave
Planted all our tomato seed March 26, the two Sidernos starts into 12" pots outside June 3.
dave
I can almost taste it from here.
- Thread starter
- #167
Dave, while your just getting started, im winding down. This year was a bumper crop of tomatoes and much more. My green bean vines are too heavy for my bamboo trellis. Its holding but a big wind could take it out. No matter, if it falls over they'll love life on the ground. Rain barrel is full and my herbs are doing well. Hot but not too hot....92 today. The cat nip is growing slowly and Bella the cat loves a leaf or two for crazy.
Aaron is there anything that will stand up to your summer heat, even just a 'green manure' crop that gets tilled in before getting your fall/winter plantings into the ground?
Are the beans for their green pods or for drying to use the seeds in long cooking winter soups, stews, er Canadian chilis...
Here spring seemed like it was never going to turn into summer, grey, cool & overly wet. For the moment anyways things are rolling along quite nicely, equal to last year that was blazing hot starting in May. Hottest day so far was last Friday where my thermometer (in the shade) registered just shy of 35C/95F.
dave
Are the beans for their green pods or for drying to use the seeds in long cooking winter soups, stews, er Canadian chilis...
Here spring seemed like it was never going to turn into summer, grey, cool & overly wet. For the moment anyways things are rolling along quite nicely, equal to last year that was blazing hot starting in May. Hottest day so far was last Friday where my thermometer (in the shade) registered just shy of 35C/95F.
dave
- Thread starter
- #169
Dave, we're in for a mild summer. Its all cyclical though. The lakes are completely full and the grasses are green. 3 to 5 years from now that may be all reversed. Life in Texas is tough...thats why we eat chili to soften the blow.
A bit of Maldon's salt... so good and the best are still far down the road.
Today... this one is one of our best plants and has taste to spare, two plants last year and over 400 tomatoes, 9 -10 foot vines on a trellis and the only thing that stops it producing is a killer frost, nothing else comes close. Indigo Blue Berry from Wild Boar Farms in the Napa Valley.
dave
shavefan
I’m not a fan
Wow dave, you're tomatoes are killing it. Sounds like Aaron's did as well so far. Nice.
- Thread starter
- #172
Yep, Sungolds and Supersweets were the star of the garden. We gave
a lot to the neighbors and coworkers.
Tomatoes went in June 4 & 9 maybe 12" tall and planted deep. Today some are past 4', most close to that.
Pots on the patio peppers and basil, various herbs in pots under the tomatoes...
Brad's Atomic Grape - this one's to end up wildly coloured.
dave
Pots on the patio peppers and basil, various herbs in pots under the tomatoes...
Brad's Atomic Grape - this one's to end up wildly coloured.
dave
shavefan
I’m not a fan
Beautiful garden Dave
Thanks BT, mother nature has been very cooperative so far.
dave
dave
- Thread starter
- #176
Looking good Dave. Any bugs or critters show up yet?
Thanks Aaron! Both have started showing up...
First up leaf miners attacking the Swiss chard. Last year started chard indoors 6-8 weeks ahead of planting in the garden and because the plants were well established with lots of leaves and growth, when the leaf miners showed up and i started removing and getting rid of the affected leaves the plants were well enough developed that losing a few leaves had no effect and the plants came through unscathed where plants i started as seeds in the garden, losing a few leaves was all they had to lose so they died. This year did the indoor early start and looks like we came through leaf miner stage again no problem.
A few small green tomatoes down and chewed a week or so ago, i'll blame the chipmunks, haven't figured out a way to thwart them yet.
The one i hope i can conquer with better housekeeping is some insect that lays eggs inside developing peppers, when you cut open a beautiful ripe red pepper and it's infested with brown maggots, not appetizing. Became a major problem planting in the ground so i stopped and went to pots. Two years ago they hit the pots so didn't grow peppers last year. All the info i've found, little, suggest housekeeping needs improvement i've never sprayed and never will.
Last Tuesday as i surveyed the patio out the kitchen door while drying dishes i brown head attached to the body of a rat. Lived in this house 29 years and never seen a live rat in the neighbourhood. Lived in the neighbourhood pretty much my whole life, easy walk to every residence i've lived in here and never seen a live rat, one dead one once. Saw a rat three more times that night going through the yard, haven't seen one since, fingers crossed, took down the bird feeder and no more bread/tortilla scraps for the welcome critters.
Another visually confirmed first time visitor Saturday night, skunk, often smell skunk, the spraying kind or smoking kind can never be sure, Saturday was a sprayer that didn't.
Home from the library with a book called 'The Suburban Micro Farm - Modern Solutions for Busy People' by Amy Stross (2017). A couple chapters in, organic growing, so far so good, you might want to check it out.
Take care!
dave
Seems odd, but I see pretty regularly, some doubles and mutations on my plants.
Here’s a mullein I noticed yesterday where the bloom has split into two.
I’ve some purple spikes that have done it about annually, too.
Had a mammoth sunflower that was head split, and zinnias have been another. This was a calendula that grew a flower out of a flower.
Here’s a mullein I noticed yesterday where the bloom has split into two.
I’ve some purple spikes that have done it about annually, too.
Had a mammoth sunflower that was head split, and zinnias have been another. This was a calendula that grew a flower out of a flower.
Critters part II...
Plant our vegetable garden in succession so every couple weeks go out and seed more greens, bush beans, carrots & radishes. Went out the other day to do the next batch and my last batch of mesclun had been well mowed. Pretty sure it was a baby rabbit that has been hanging around then disappearing into a dense perennial bed abutting the raised bed. The raised beds are covered with netting (invisible deer fencing) which upon close, touch examination revealed a couple ground level holes through were lots big enough for the rabbit to get through. Sewed up the holes and planted the latest round of seeds, the mowed down area is recovering fast and we can only wait and see how many holes i didn't find.
The baby rabbit was back this morning but i haven't checked to see about damage. No other out of the ordinary sightings but my back fence neighbour this morning said he thought there may be evidence of rat in their shed and had put out poison. The city got back to us today about rats and gave us further contacts, departments and numbers to pursue.
dave
- Thread starter
- #180
Worms are on the Kale and radishes, nothing on the green beans, red legged leaf bugs are all over whats left of the tomatoes...nasty creatures.
