Gardening 2024

[snapping turtle]

First zucchini picked and eaten. I always have more of these than I can eat but this year will be a lot of zucchini eaten even with me not liking them much. Other summer squash are almost ready.

beets are ready to pickle up. Radishes are done till the weather cools along with the spinach. Those carrots are finally looks good and I thinned them up. All tomatoes looking good, the San Marzino tomatoes are shorter but stockly and healthy looking Amish paste are higher but they look a little more limp. These are for pasta sauces so we will see which ones work better when they fruit. The Fourth of July will be ready around the Fourth of July but most like be switching back to another type of early tomatoe next year. i think the pink ladies work better here. the cherries are four and five feet high and are green. The peppers are taking off with the heat now and they will need strapped to the stakes this week.

 

[ShimmeringTrees]

Not 1 bean sprout for me outa 13 seeds in the ground...For the last 2 weeks i have been having decent broccoli for dinner. Think i have 3 or so left to be cut off and it's done.. now i planted 15 cauliflower plants same time as broccoli. Cali plants look super nice, but no head at all growing on any plant. We have pretty much the perfect weather the last 2 months for cold weather crops. No idea why no cali head growing. Anyone else have the sane thing happening??

Not to keep saying the same thing, but I've literally got the same issue.

 

[bigretic]

Started picking this week.

Ok so after a great start on the Strawberries, now every one is full of holes before you can pick and eat them. wtf.

 

[gassprint1]

Ok so after a great start on the Strawberries, now every one is full of holes before you can pick and eat them. wtf.

I get that about 2 weeks before the end of them. Mine are Allstars. Really get the issue if i let some go too long to become red.

Not to keep saying the same thing, but I've literally got the same issue.

Shocker to me and no idea how, but my last post said no cali heads. Now all of a sudden i have many bigger than a baseball. Freak of nature, idk, but there was nothing before..some still nothing. Think those damn ear wig bugs are ruining them because i see what looks like eggs laying on top and several hiding in the leaves around the heads. I tried hosing them off while watering earlier but I'm sure they'll be back!

 

[bigretic]

@gassprint1 are you saying pick them before they are ripe?

 

[gassprint1]

@gassprint1 are you saying pick them before they are ripe?

No, i try to get them about when they look the redest, but not always possible, so about in the pinkish red stage for alot. Some with white tips too if they are big 1s. Last year i had lots an lots of big 1s, this year about half that i think because the flower type plants kinda took control so i had lots of very small berries i didn't even bother picking. I still have a few bags from last year in freezer, so not worried. I'm slowly getting the flowers and grass outa the beds while letting new runners into my pepper bed. Here's what i have going on.

 

[miguel]

La granja de Miguel had some casualties this AM. Two of the pumpkin seedlings did not make the first 24 hours in their new home. Two others appear to be in ICU.

Late going in with the cayenne peppers today, and they looked a little sad, but we'll see how they do. Worst case if I get a couple dozen peppers, that will be OK.

 

[snapping turtle]

I get that about 2 weeks before the end of them. Mine are Allstars. Really get the issue if i let some go too long to become red.

Shocker to me and no idea how, but my last post said no cali heads. Now all of a sudden i have many bigger than a baseball. Freak of nature, idk, but there was nothing before..some still nothing. Think those damn ear wig bugs are ruining them because i see what looks like eggs laying on top and several hiding in the leaves around the heads. I tried hosing them off while watering earlier but I'm sure they'll be back!

Neem oil is your friend if you don’t want to go non organic.

 

[Bugzilla]

Not quite gardening, but a week ago we picked enough cherries from our 1 cherry tree so my better half could make our annual home grown cherry pie. Froze some also. As we feed the birds so much, they in return allow us enough ripe cherries for a pie or two, if we can beat them to the cherries!

 

[gassprint1]

Neem oil is your friend if you don’t want to go non organic.

Isn't neem oil for the aphids or is that the stuff for tomato worms. Not sure what you were suggesting i use it for.

 

[snapping turtle]

Isn't neem oil for the aphids or is that the stuff for tomato worms. Not sure what you were suggesting i use it for.

Your earwig issue. They will not like the taste on just about anything. Just have to reapply after rains

 

[bwframe]

Think I got them all?

 

[bwframe]

I heard one of the garden-tubers, (I think Rustic Garden guy?) talking about starting to treat with fungicide to prevent early blight just prior to it "getting here." Said his Maryland early blight normally arrives mid-July? Does this coincide with the routine timing of early tomato blight here?

Do you all treat with a fungicide? Daconil? Monterey? Other treatments for blight and mildews like baking soda or milk or...

 

[snapping turtle]

I heard one of the garden-tubers, (I think Rustic Garden guy?) talking about starting to treat with fungicide to prevent early blight just prior to it "getting here." Said his Maryland early blight normally arrives mid-July? Does this coincide with the routine timing of early tomato blight here?

Do you all treat with a fungicide? Daconil? Monterey? Other treatments for blight and mildews like baking soda or milk or...

I keep the leaves off the dirt on the tomatoes with pruning . This helps. I also leave room between plants for air flow. This helps. I also crush aspirin tablets in June and add them to my water routine. The aspirin seems to kick the plants naturally occurring defenses into gear before blight hits. This helps. I water the plant at the base and well before the setting of the sun so those leaves that do get wet dry before the evening cooling hits. This helps.

The second thing I have been doing is saving the pop up tomatoes from the compost pile edges. I plant them for a second growing and the blight seems to skip past them when the older plants start to get the brown crud and yellowing leaves.

With our high humidity in July and august the blight comes. Lower humidity less blight. Higher humidity higher blight. We attempt to do as natural in the garden as possible so not insect poison no man made fertilizer no fungicides (do not tell the wife I do use a couple non organic fertilizers)

Blight comes. I can be overcome but it is in the soils naturally Do not compost the effected plants. As a rules of thumb many of my nightshade plants get burned in the fire pit the rotten tomatoes get thrown at the edge of the fence row towards the neighbors where the compost pile is.

 

[Blazer90]

No, i try to get them about when they look the redest, but not always possible, so about in the pinkish red stage for alot. Some with white tips too if they are big 1s. Last year i had lots an lots of big 1s, this year about half that i think because the flower type plants kinda took control so i had lots of very small berries i didn't even bother picking. I still have a few bags from last year in freezer, so not worried. I'm slowly getting the flowers and grass outa the beds while letting new runners into my pepper bed. Here's what i have going on.View attachment 360203View attachment 360204View attachment 360205

Our strawberries went nuts this year ! We had the best harvest ever. Had many of a strawberry shortcakes. Also wife made jam that is great. Must have been the perfect conditions this year. Your garden is amazing

 

[bigretic]

Our strawberries were nuts too but the bugs ate most of them.

 

[bigretic]

Got a couple of pumpkins the size of softballs

 

[gassprint1]

Our strawberries went nuts this year ! We had the best harvest ever. Had many of a strawberry shortcakes. Also wife made jam that is great. Must have been the perfect conditions this year. Your garden is amazing

I had tons last year. Many were used like your shortcake, freeze lots and a few times i took some to McDonald's where the gf is a manager. I get her to make me a couple REAL strawberry shakes. Can't stand the taste of the chemical tasting shakes.
Once the main flowers in the front beds go full bloom, then it will look great.

 

[gassprint1]

Got a couple of pumpkins the size of softballs

I gave up on them. Always small and hardly got a few. Seems the plants died off too fast. Didn't do watermelon either but do have muskmellon that are doing so so.

 

[Expat]

I had all the strawberries I wanted and the kids both came and picked. They have been done for a week or two. I froze up snow peas and sugar snaps as I couldn’t eat them fast enough. I am just about ready to eat something else. I should have a cabbage head ready to pick here shortly as it feels pretty hard. Actually 2 already are.
‘I have 2 zukes that should be ready soon. First one rotted. The early corn is looking great. The pole beans have started vining up my trellis nets. the white half runners haven’t started to bloom. I had my first meal of new potatoes tonight with snap peas. Still have lettuce doing good, the head kinds.