OFFICIAL 2011 Garden thread

[DarkRose]

the blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency and fairly simple to correct. the ones with it already aren't going to be good just pick them off and go on about it your day. spray the plant with a mixture of epson salt about 1 tablespoon per gallon. and if you mix in your normal fertilizer your good to go. some people say there is better out there but i have never had any problems w/ the above route.


and dark there is a sevin dust, same as the liquid but if it rains you need to reapply it

Shoulda done it already then, we haven't had real rain here in almost 2 weeks...

 

[88GT]

I read somewhere that you can wrap the bottom of the plants and ground around them with foil and it confuses the moths trying to lay eggs, or set out traps in June, which are just YELLOW containers of water, they're attracted to yellow, get in and drown. Also a way to tell that they're there.

Dad uses Sevin on his roses with a pump sprayer, but i wonder if you can get it as a powder and use one of those hand crank powder sprayers?

Yeah, I've read about wrapping them too. And it's practically impossible due to the density of the stems.

I hadn't heard about the yellow attracting them. I'll try that next season. Thanks.

 

[grunt soldier]

Shoulda done it already then, we haven't had real rain here in almost 2 weeks...

yeah but its not to late, just make sure if you dust that you get the underside of the leaves also. and put it around the base of the plant and you should be good to go. you may be able to save your plants and allow new growth. i just used the liquid the other day as the cabbage worms are out of freaking control.

 

[DarkRose]

yeah but its not to late, just make sure if you dust that you get the underside of the leaves also. and put it around the base of the plant and you should be good to go. you may be able to save your plants and allow new growth. i just used the liquid the other day as the cabbage worms are out of freaking control.

Well, now that I've got a job again, I can afford frivolities like pest poisons for my kiddy fun garden, lol.

@88GT - Here's the article that mentioned the traps, it's under the "Management" heading

Squash Vine Borer Management in Home Gardens

 

[femurphy77]

All of our stuff is producing like gangbusters. The green beans have given up two FULL pickings so far, we've been eating the banana peppers for a couple of weeks. The bell peppers are huge, more brocolli than we know what to do with. The peas and beets are looking good too. Nothing like fresh zuchini bread, eggplant is making a good showing as well as the watermelon, onions and garlic.

Man she did a GREAT job this year. We bought several soaker hoses and one of those mechanical timers for the water faucet and move the soakers around every day to make sure nothing becomes a victim of this heat and so far it seems to be paying off. We've never had as many tomatos as we have this year and the cherry tomatos have gone wild! MMMM fresh veggies!!!

 

[cumminspwrd02]

Haven't been around for a few weeks and to let you know my garden is doing very well.

Tomatos are doing almost too well. I have a few plants that are easily 7 feet tall now and are producing. Most of my tomatos are about 5 foot tall. I've pick countless cherry tomatos, I'm just starting to harvest my better boys and early girls. My Beefsteak type tomatoes are big and are starting to ripen.

I've never had my tomato plants grow this tall this fast. They are in two new raised beds that I filled with compost made from yard waste. I haven't even had to fertilize them this year. I think I might have a problem on my hands, they are getting very tall, taller than their stakes. I'm either gonna have to get taller stakes or do something with them. I do prune off all the suckers on them.

My peppers are doing well, my cayannes have fruit on them and my jalapenos are just starting to fruit.

My Kohlrabi and cauliflower did good this year. Same with the peas. I just started my seeds for a fall crop of cauliflower.

 

[duff]

Cotton picking squirrels are eating all my ripe tomatoes...time to thin the herd I believe. My dog chased one up the tree with a mater the size of a large orange. Couldn't believe it...Something new every year.

Other than that everything has done great. Getting ready to pick first batch of limas this weekend and another round of sweet corn.

 

[grunt soldier]

i have been lucky the only thing eating my garden is my chickens lol. well minus something was digging up my potato's but it has stopped. definitely get a good pellet gun and put in some work on the population. i use the 22 but don't live in city limits so thats acceptable

does anyone know can i pull my cabbage even if they aren't finished balling up? the last leaves just won't wrap it up and they have to be at least 15 plus pound heads already?

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Cotton picking squirrels are eating all my ripe tomatoes...time to thin the herd I believe. My dog chased one up the tree with a mater the size of a large orange. Couldn't believe it...Something new every year.

I've blasted a couple coons and an opossum screwing around with my maters this year, but alas the squirrel problem is a new one on me...maybe they're just messing with the dog?

does anyone know can i pull my cabbage even if they aren't finished balling up? the last leaves just won't wrap it up and they have to be at least 15 plus pound heads already?

Yes, you can pull it......and bring it over to me!

 

[bwframe]

Cotton picking squirrels are eating all my ripe tomatoes...time to thin the herd I believe. My dog chased one up the tree with a mater the size of a large orange. Couldn't believe it...Something new every year.

I've blasted a couple coons and an opossum screwing around with my maters this year, but alas the squirrel problem is a new one on me...maybe they're just messing with the dog?

They don't care for tomatoes normally. They are looking for the liquid. The deer will be next. One of the driest July's on record.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

They don't care for tomatoes normally. They are looking for the liquid. The deer will be next. One of the driest July's on record.

Naw, the deer are happy with the pears that hang low enough for them to reach. Last year they even ripped a small lower branch off the tree to get at the fruit higher up on it! They even eat the leaves, but won't touch the apple or peach trees???WTF?

 

[duff]

They don't care for tomatoes normally. They are looking for the liquid. The deer will be next. One of the driest July's on record.

Not here in Lawrance Co. I have been getting decent rain but I know it has been scattered. Last year was EXTRA dry and no tree rats eating my 'maters then.

The 10/22 aka "ground squirrel getter" has been pulled from retirement and at the ready. Along with a cage trap I'll get em, all of em. Got two kids, friends of ours, that want to do some tree rat hunting come August. I told them I have 10 acres they can shoot all they can get come Aug 15.

My wife told me they were taking the maters up the tree, that is over the road, and dropping them on the cars as they go by. So it is either messing with ol Buster, me, or the people driving the roads. Either way, say hello to my little friend

Don't mess with da 'maters.

 

[duff]

Cage trap got one of them. Had a malfunction in the morning but tweaked the cage and as soon as the heat started to die down I got him. Reset and ready for the next one or 15 of them. There's plenty of woods and other food for them, they just need to steer clear of my tomatoes

 

[djl02]

Yep,we need a soaking rain,the way things look in my garden, the tomatos will be gone by next week. We planted 30 plants and will be lucky to get 60 qts of juice.I
have canned 40 quarts already,but we did more than that with 15 plants last year.
Hope your all having better luck than I am this year. Bush beans did fine this year though. Corn didnt produce much either.
I noticed the corn field down the road didnt have any ears on any stocks yet either.
Wheres the rain.

 

[grunt soldier]

well finally some rain here. and fortunately i had already put out some fertilizer. hopefully everything will plump up nicely in the next few days. i have noticed something is now eating my tomato's also. i think its my dumb ass chickens and if so it won't last for long lol. ps all my watermelons and cantaloupes are getting huge. i will take pics tomorrow morning.

 

[RichardR]

well finally some rain here. and fortunately i had already put out some fertilizer. hopefully everything will plump up nicely in the next few days. i have noticed something is now eating my tomato's also. i think its my dumb ass chickens and if so it won't last for long lol. ps all my watermelons and cantaloupes are getting huge. i will take pics tomorrow morning.

My chickens like tomatoes too, well heck my chickens like to eat just about any & everything that is growing in my garden LOL.

I don't allow them to run amok in there though, but I feed them all of the stuff that isn't fit for human consumption (stuff eaten on by bugs or has gotten overly ripe, etc).

 

[ThrottleJockey]

My pops put all his chickens in the freezer about 2 weeks ago. I thought it seemed early but he said they were HUGE...He started with 104 and added one a few weeks in (they all looked the same so he bought a red for some color, how's that for diversity?). He ended up with 98 to eat so not too bad.

 

[duff]

Where they mostly CornishXRocks? I raised 10 this year and they turned out good. Couldn't imagine 100 of them suckers! 8 weeks is all it took for mine to get to butcher stage.

 

[grunt soldier]

yeah i try to keep mine out but they are all free range and i took the fence down from the garden cause i expanded it a lot this year. next year i guess i'll have to put a real fence up and just leave it that way. they have been getting in there a little to often these days.

 

[grunt soldier]

well on to new pics.

some fresh eggs and potato's anyone?

the watermelon and cantaloupe fighting over garden space

pretty good sized watermelons already

the peppers are going well still also

cabbage is finishing up now. they are monstrous