Garden thread
Replies
-
Heat done did away with my lettuce and spinach, so I've been subbing in Swiss chard. Will plant lettuce and spinach seeds roughly two weeks from now and try for a fall crop. Mercifully the zukes are wrapping up just in time for the Attack of the Butternut Squash.
Cukes are near done. The peppers both sweet and hot have started coming in and the aubergine crop looks solid. Oh, and I'll soon have enough tomatoes to arm half of Buñol's La Tomatina.
🍅 🍅 🍅2 -
It was a nice “cool” day — only 90 degrees.
So I worked in the garden. I weeded the winter beets and pulled down old pea plants in preparation for planting more. I did some cutting. Cherry suckers grow up all over the yard. Now they’re gone. I cut back the shrubby growth under the filbert. I pruned the Princess tree a bit.
A branch broke off of my plum tree. Too heavy with fruit, but not quite ripe. Oh well. I harvested most of the rest of my Bartlett pears. They will be ripe soon. I did some fruit pruning on the Chojuro Asian pear and put about 15 gallons of pears in the compost. The remaining fruit will be higher quality, and maybe branches won't break.
Neighbors dropped off more eggs. I need to start eating more eggs. Other neighbor dropped off fresh sweet corn. All my neighbors are nice enough that they don’t leave zucchini.
I have lots of beets ready to harvest, but it’s too hot to cook them so I haven’t been harvesting. I did some work on the tomatoes, tying up vines and such. And I ate some. And I ate some raspberries. And I drank a LOT of water.
I noticed something smelled kind of off, and then I realized it was me. Quick shower solves that problem. Now a cold oat soda will start the evening. Mmmmmm.
How is YOUR garden?5 -
Do you get to a point where you're ready to pull it all out and be done with it for the season?
We're getting maybe a cucumber a day or so, which is weird because we were getting 4-5 a day last summer. Tomatoes are ripening little by little but won't have oodles of them to freeze this year. Zucchinis are mounting up like crazy.
I've always wanted a few zucchini for the summer but be careful what you wish for. Onions are doing ok, beans got pulled and dumped over the weekend. Green peppers are surviving but not growing. For some reason green peppers don't do well for us. And we haven't had enough consistently hot weather to grow the sweet potatoes (probably) but we'll see.
IDK, I don't think the weather was great for the garden this year. Well, that plus I tend to plant too much and mold/rot/lack of sun for certain vegetables results.
Yep, by the end of August I'm over the garden and ready for apple-picking. Apple Crisp holds much more attraction for me now then *more* zucchini. 1 -
Do you get to a point where you're ready to pull it all out and be done with it for the season? ... I've always wanted a few zucchini for the summer but be careful what you wish for.
I grate and freeze my zukes in 2-3 cup portions in flattened small freezer bags. They will go into baked goods and chili over the winter. Frozen in chunks (I like to sweeten with monkfruit first) they are wonderful in smoothies and Yonanas 'ice cream.'
2 -
girlwithcurls2 wrote: »I just picked beans yesterday. I have never grown them. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I find them to be a pain to pick? But wow. They are delicious! I had no idea that they would be ready so soon. I was watering and when I pushed the plants aside, beans revealed themselves! I'm pulling carrots, and the lettuce is pretty much done due to consistent heat. But lots of green tomatoes, so I'll have them to look forward to! Sadly, many berries were scorched in the intense heat a couple of weeks ago. Mostly marion and boysenberry, two favorites
I really like my purple pole beans for ease of picking - almost no bending over and the purple is ornamental as well as making them easier to pick. They turn greenish when cooking, but a less attractive green than regular bush beans. And the flavor is not quite as good. Nevertheless, I've been quite happy with them here, but next year when I am at Mom's where there is more room, I won't try to talk her out of her regular bush beans into pole beans.
I do recommend them highly for people who need to utilize vertical space.
https://www.burpee.com/bean-pole-purple-king-prod000595.html1 -
5 -
kshama2001 wrote: »girlwithcurls2 wrote: »I just picked beans yesterday. I have never grown them. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I find them to be a pain to pick? But wow. They are delicious! I had no idea that they would be ready so soon. I was watering and when I pushed the plants aside, beans revealed themselves! I'm pulling carrots, and the lettuce is pretty much done due to consistent heat. But lots of green tomatoes, so I'll have them to look forward to! Sadly, many berries were scorched in the intense heat a couple of weeks ago. Mostly marion and boysenberry, two favorites
I really like my purple pole beans for ease of picking - almost no bending over and the purple is ornamental as well as making them easier to pick. They turn greenish when cooking, but a less attractive green than regular bush beans. And the flavor is not quite as good. Nevertheless, I've been quite happy with them here, but next year when I am at Mom's where there is more room, I won't try to talk her out of her regular bush beans into pole beans.
I do recommend them highly for people who need to utilize vertical space.
https://www.burpee.com/bean-pole-purple-king-prod000595.html
Have you tried the Asian (<=sometimes called) long beans? They grow in vining/pole fashion, are arguably less attractive raw or cooked than a standard green bean, but IMO have a *better* flavor, a little richer or more hearty IMO, but still in the green bean flavor zone. The beans are like a foot long or longer, narrow, small seeds until seriously over-mature. They were easy to grow, here (Michigan), prolific. The only downside I saw was that bees and wasps *loved* them. Might find them at an Asian market (fresh) to try; I can get them from a vendor at my farmers' market who grows other Asian specialty veg.2 -
Came back from vacation to so many tomatoes. It's weird last year was my first year growing them and they got blossom end rot, this year I have literally barely watered them because we have had so much rain and I've been away a lot, and they are growing beautiful. At least a hundred more out there not ripe yet.2 -
Good morning gardeners! I’m finally able to post some of my goodies over here. Things are starting to grow, ripen and look good! My raspberries did really well up until it got really hot over here again and I was gone for four days so I couldn’t water them. It seems to me like they got shocked from the heat and it seems like they stopped producing? I don’t know if that’s even a thing? They usually give me raspberries up until September. But I’m hoping I can get them back on track with some TLC. My corn is looking good, tall and healthy but I haven’t seen any corn out there yet. I haven’t had time to go out there and check, but I will do it today and see what else is growing!😀
5 -
Any tips on starting a garden. I have a backyard with some flat area, I was thinking of planting in tubs. My cousin showed me pictures but said you need to drill a lot of holes. Another cousin directed me to Pinterest. I have no clue where to begin, I live in Southern CA. Was thinking spinach, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini.0
-
Any tips on starting a garden. I have a backyard with some flat area, I was thinking of planting in tubs. My cousin showed me pictures but said you need to drill a lot of holes. Another cousin directed me to Pinterest. I have no clue where to begin, I live in Southern CA. Was thinking spinach, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini.
Holes are good, yes. Depending on the type of tubs, holes for good drainage can be easy; with deep tubs, another option is to put something in the bottom to let excess water pool there. (Not for this reason, but for weight, in half-barrel planters I've used packing peanuts (not the water soluble kind!), topped with a layer of water-permeable landscape fabric, with a good-depth layer of soil on top of that.) If no holes, more need to avoid over-watering to the point of keeping roots more wet than they like at the bottom of their normal growing depth.
Standard spinach and most lettuces are not very heat-tolerant, so bolt to flower/seed quite quickly rather than producing nice leaves for longer. (I don't know much about S. CA, so someone else might be able to be more specific about when to plant those.) There are alternate greens that are more heat-tolerant, including some that are good for raw eating (malabar 'spinach' (it's a vine, needs trellis), red amaranth, Romaine is among the more heat-tolerant of normal lettuces, etc.). Lots of cooking greens are more heat tolerant than regular spinach.
Cukes and zukes will be happy in heat, as long as they have adequate water and decent soil. If you're planning container gardening, maybe look for bush-type varieties, rather than long-vined ones. It's possible to trellis the vines, but the fruit may need support as it gets heavier to avoid dropping off the vine, and that's a pain. Personally, I like cousa/kousa squash better than normal zukes (similar, but IMO a nicer flavor/texture for raw use, and comparable to zukes for cooking). The seed is pretty easy to find online but they're less common to see in grocery store produce departments because they're a little more tender/bruise-y so don't ship as well.
2 -
Any tips on starting a garden. I have a backyard with some flat area, I was thinking of planting in tubs. My cousin showed me pictures but said you need to drill a lot of holes. Another cousin directed me to Pinterest. I have no clue where to begin, I live in Southern CA. Was thinking spinach, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini.
Holes are good, yes. Depending on the type of tubs, holes for good drainage can be easy; with deep tubs, another option is to put something in the bottom to let excess water pool there. (Not for this reason, but for weight, in half-barrel planters I've used packing peanuts (not the water soluble kind!), topped with a layer of water-permeable landscape fabric, with a good-depth layer of soil on top of that.) If no holes, more need to avoid over-watering to the point of keeping roots more wet than they like at the bottom of their normal growing depth.
Standard spinach and most lettuces are not very heat-tolerant, so bolt to flower/seed quite quickly rather than producing nice leaves for longer. (I don't know much about S. CA, so someone else might be able to be more specific about when to plant those.) There are alternate greens that are more heat-tolerant, including some that are good for raw eating (malabar 'spinach' (it's a vine, needs trellis), red amaranth, Romaine is among the more heat-tolerant of normal lettuces, etc.). Lots of cooking greens are more heat tolerant than regular spinach.
Cukes and zukes will be happy in heat, as long as they have adequate water and decent soil. If you're planning container gardening, maybe look for bush-type varieties, rather than long-vined ones. It's possible to trellis the vines, but the fruit may need support as it gets heavier to avoid dropping off the vine, and that's a pain. Personally, I like cousa/kousa squash better than normal zukes (similar, but IMO a nicer flavor/texture for raw use, and comparable to zukes for cooking). The seed is pretty easy to find online but they're less common to see in grocery store produce departments because they're a little more tender/bruise-y so don't ship as well.
Thank you! Would rocks work at the bottom?0 -
Any tips on starting a garden. I have a backyard with some flat area, I was thinking of planting in tubs. My cousin showed me pictures but said you need to drill a lot of holes. Another cousin directed me to Pinterest. I have no clue where to begin, I live in Southern CA. Was thinking spinach, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini.
Holes are good, yes. Depending on the type of tubs, holes for good drainage can be easy; with deep tubs, another option is to put something in the bottom to let excess water pool there. (Not for this reason, but for weight, in half-barrel planters I've used packing peanuts (not the water soluble kind!), topped with a layer of water-permeable landscape fabric, with a good-depth layer of soil on top of that.) If no holes, more need to avoid over-watering to the point of keeping roots more wet than they like at the bottom of their normal growing depth.
Standard spinach and most lettuces are not very heat-tolerant, so bolt to flower/seed quite quickly rather than producing nice leaves for longer. (I don't know much about S. CA, so someone else might be able to be more specific about when to plant those.) There are alternate greens that are more heat-tolerant, including some that are good for raw eating (malabar 'spinach' (it's a vine, needs trellis), red amaranth, Romaine is among the more heat-tolerant of normal lettuces, etc.). Lots of cooking greens are more heat tolerant than regular spinach.
Cukes and zukes will be happy in heat, as long as they have adequate water and decent soil. If you're planning container gardening, maybe look for bush-type varieties, rather than long-vined ones. It's possible to trellis the vines, but the fruit may need support as it gets heavier to avoid dropping off the vine, and that's a pain. Personally, I like cousa/kousa squash better than normal zukes (similar, but IMO a nicer flavor/texture for raw use, and comparable to zukes for cooking). The seed is pretty easy to find online but they're less common to see in grocery store produce departments because they're a little more tender/bruise-y so don't ship as well.
Thank you! Would rocks work at the bottom?
Yes, as long as you don't want to move the tubs! (And as long as the tubs will tolerate it. I wasn't sure if you were talking plastic tubs, which really aren't designed to happily hold tends of pounds of rocks - small ones would work better.)
You want a good layer of drainage at the bottom - multiple inches. How many inches would depend on size of tub, plus typical root depth of the thing being grown (web search or seed source should give hints on that).
There are specific varieties of seeds/plants that are developed for pot culture, which could be good in your case.2 -
@lorib642
Don't put rocks in the bottom. The myth that it helps drainage isn't true. Oddly, in order for water to flow between two different layers, even if the lower layer is coarser, the upper layer has to be at saturation point. For pots I usually put a small rock over the drain hole to hold the soil in. If you grow in pots, you want as much soil as possible. Skip the rocks.
And with that said, consider growing in the native soil instead of pots. Lots more water holding capacity, and lots more room for root growth. Now is a great time to do some prep. Get some clear plastic sheeting and stake it down on the area you want to plant. Greenhouse effect will kill the grass/weeds that are there now, and it can also make the weed SEEDS die. This is called solarizing. An alternative is black plastic or what I do is large sheets of cardboard. Those starve the plants of light, but don't get the temperature up to kill things. Then when you get ready to plant (next spring) you will have a good start. You can for sure do this under pots for a fall garden THIS year.
Salad greens might be tough in So Cal. It's often hard to find fresh spinach these days other than "baby" spinach. A lot is grown in the Central Valley; they have to harvest it very young or it will bolt and get bitter. You can do the same with spinach. Lettuces will be tough. Look up Orach. It's kind of like spinach but doesn't mind the heat.
What is the weather like in fall or spring? You can take advantage of more mild weather for more delicate things. You can for SURE grow things like melons or even okra if you have the heat. They don't do so good around here.
Good luck!3 -
@lorib642
Don't put rocks in the bottom. The myth that it helps drainage isn't true. Oddly, in order for water to flow between two different layers, even if the lower layer is coarser, the upper layer has to be at saturation point. For pots I usually put a small rock over the drain hole to hold the soil in. If you grow in pots, you want as much soil as possible. Skip the rocks.
And with that said, consider growing in the native soil instead of pots. Lots more water holding capacity, and lots more room for root growth. Now is a great time to do some prep. Get some clear plastic sheeting and stake it down on the area you want to plant. Greenhouse effect will kill the grass/weeds that are there now, and it can also make the weed SEEDS die. This is called solarizing. An alternative is black plastic or what I do is large sheets of cardboard. Those starve the plants of light, but don't get the temperature up to kill things. Then when you get ready to plant (next spring) you will have a good start. You can for sure do this under pots for a fall garden THIS year.
Salad greens might be tough in So Cal. It's often hard to find fresh spinach these days other than "baby" spinach. A lot is grown in the Central Valley; they have to harvest it very young or it will bolt and get bitter. You can do the same with spinach. Lettuces will be tough. Look up Orach. It's kind of like spinach but doesn't mind the heat.
What is the weather like in fall or spring? You can take advantage of more mild weather for more delicate things. You can for SURE grow things like melons or even okra if you have the heat. They don't do so good around here.
Good luck!
Thank you
We get critters: rats, birds, opposums. Is a raised bed better? Or just plant in the ground
ETA weather
It gets hot in the summer 80_90 up to 100. Winter it rains hard fall is mild 70s. Spring starts getting pretty warm 80s.0 -
@lorib642
Don't put rocks in the bottom. The myth that it helps drainage isn't true. Oddly, in order for water to flow between two different layers, even if the lower layer is coarser, the upper layer has to be at saturation point. For pots I usually put a small rock over the drain hole to hold the soil in. If you grow in pots, you want as much soil as possible. Skip the rocks.
And with that said, consider growing in the native soil instead of pots. Lots more water holding capacity, and lots more room for root growth. Now is a great time to do some prep. Get some clear plastic sheeting and stake it down on the area you want to plant. Greenhouse effect will kill the grass/weeds that are there now, and it can also make the weed SEEDS die. This is called solarizing. An alternative is black plastic or what I do is large sheets of cardboard. Those starve the plants of light, but don't get the temperature up to kill things. Then when you get ready to plant (next spring) you will have a good start. You can for sure do this under pots for a fall garden THIS year.
Salad greens might be tough in So Cal. It's often hard to find fresh spinach these days other than "baby" spinach. A lot is grown in the Central Valley; they have to harvest it very young or it will bolt and get bitter. You can do the same with spinach. Lettuces will be tough. Look up Orach. It's kind of like spinach but doesn't mind the heat.
What is the weather like in fall or spring? You can take advantage of more mild weather for more delicate things. You can for SURE grow things like melons or even okra if you have the heat. They don't do so good around here.
Good luck!
Thank you
We get critters: rats, birds, opposums. Is a raised bed better? Or just plant in the ground
Good-sized raised bed (open bottom) or ground, either one, if viable, with cage or fence, IMO. Pots or tubs are a compromise thing, work better in some scenarios for specific practical reasons. I think good-sized raised beds are easier to take care of, if decent sized but narrow enough to tend from outside the bed. Some people prefer to rototill up a big space, mulch or till between rows for weed control, though.
You'll probably find that your particular critters go for particular plants, not others - I did. The ones the critters liked best got better or more layers of fortress. 😉1 -
@lorib642
Don't put rocks in the bottom. The myth that it helps drainage isn't true. Oddly, in order for water to flow between two different layers, even if the lower layer is coarser, the upper layer has to be at saturation point. For pots I usually put a small rock over the drain hole to hold the soil in. If you grow in pots, you want as much soil as possible. Skip the rocks.
And with that said, consider growing in the native soil instead of pots. Lots more water holding capacity, and lots more room for root growth. Now is a great time to do some prep. Get some clear plastic sheeting and stake it down on the area you want to plant. Greenhouse effect will kill the grass/weeds that are there now, and it can also make the weed SEEDS die. This is called solarizing. An alternative is black plastic or what I do is large sheets of cardboard. Those starve the plants of light, but don't get the temperature up to kill things. Then when you get ready to plant (next spring) you will have a good start. You can for sure do this under pots for a fall garden THIS year.
Salad greens might be tough in So Cal. It's often hard to find fresh spinach these days other than "baby" spinach. A lot is grown in the Central Valley; they have to harvest it very young or it will bolt and get bitter. You can do the same with spinach. Lettuces will be tough. Look up Orach. It's kind of like spinach but doesn't mind the heat.
What is the weather like in fall or spring? You can take advantage of more mild weather for more delicate things. You can for SURE grow things like melons or even okra if you have the heat. They don't do so good around here.
Good luck!
Thank you
We get critters: rats, birds, opposums. Is a raised bed better? Or just plant in the ground
ETA weather
It gets hot in the summer 80_90 up to 100. Winter it rains hard fall is mild 70s. Spring starts getting pretty warm 80s.
I am blessed with good soil, so it's a no-brainer to plant in it. I do amend it some, but it's good stuff. I did plant one tomato in a pot this year as an experiment. It's not doing as well as those in the soil. You can make poor soil better, and you can make good soil great. A pot is a limited amount of medium for the roots, so you can get smaller and weaker plants, and you need more nutrient management. They also can dry out quickly, and they can stay waterlogged. I'm a big fan of planting in soil.
Raised beds are cool. I've thought about them. I would fill them with compost and possibly fertile mix. My garden proper is fairly small, and I could maximize planting with them. Another benefit is you don't have to stoop as low to weed, and you don't mistakenly put amendments in the areas that will become paths.
The limitation is you have the exact same planting spots year after year. That makes it harder to rotate things. Peas are supposed to go in different places each year. Tomatoes, too. I've got so many perennials, I really have to struggle to grow annuals. The size of my beds can change when I move the garlic from spot A to spot B.
If I made raised beds, I would not cover the bottom with landscape fabric. I would first till the soil and mix the medium in with it so the plants could access the soil, and the worms could come up, too.
Critters. Yeah. Raccoons always get some of my grapes. Deer eat whatever leaves they want. Birds eat cherries, blueberries, and figs. Insects attack some plants. My artichoke seem to be spared.
I have to finish picking Bartlet pears today. And plant peas.2 -
@lorib642
Don't put rocks in the bottom. The myth that it helps drainage isn't true. Oddly, in order for water to flow between two different layers, even if the lower layer is coarser, the upper layer has to be at saturation point. For pots I usually put a small rock over the drain hole to hold the soil in. If you grow in pots, you want as much soil as possible. Skip the rocks.
And with that said, consider growing in the native soil instead of pots. Lots more water holding capacity, and lots more room for root growth. Now is a great time to do some prep. Get some clear plastic sheeting and stake it down on the area you want to plant. Greenhouse effect will kill the grass/weeds that are there now, and it can also make the weed SEEDS die. This is called solarizing. An alternative is black plastic or what I do is large sheets of cardboard. Those starve the plants of light, but don't get the temperature up to kill things. Then when you get ready to plant (next spring) you will have a good start. You can for sure do this under pots for a fall garden THIS year.
Salad greens might be tough in So Cal. It's often hard to find fresh spinach these days other than "baby" spinach. A lot is grown in the Central Valley; they have to harvest it very young or it will bolt and get bitter. You can do the same with spinach. Lettuces will be tough. Look up Orach. It's kind of like spinach but doesn't mind the heat.
What is the weather like in fall or spring? You can take advantage of more mild weather for more delicate things. You can for SURE grow things like melons or even okra if you have the heat. They don't do so good around here.
Good luck!
Thank you
We get critters: rats, birds, opposums. Is a raised bed better? Or just plant in the ground
ETA weather
It gets hot in the summer 80_90 up to 100. Winter it rains hard fall is mild 70s. Spring starts getting pretty warm 80s.
A few years ago I tried to grow strawberries, but between the birds and the bunnies I got nothing. Not one berry. This year I put in a raised bed with a 'cage" over it and I've had great success. I'm unable to add a picture in this frame, so see picture below...2 -
3 -
8 -
@cmsienk, that's very functional *and* attractive!
I had raised beds for quite a number of years - 3 beds, consistent size - and IMO one of the advantages is that one can build "furniture" like cages or trellises, etc., that is sized for the beds, can be used flexibly with them.
Endorsed. When we've had raised beds, we would double-dig** the space where they'd go, then put the box on top and add good soil within the raised box walls, mix deeply and sufficiently enough not to have a sudden transition between the soils.(snip)
I am blessed with good soil, so it's a no-brainer to plant in it. I do amend it some, but it's good stuff. I did plant one tomato in a pot this year as an experiment. It's not doing as well as those in the soil. You can make poor soil better, and you can make good soil great. A pot is a limited amount of medium for the roots, so you can get smaller and weaker plants, and you need more nutrient management. They also can dry out quickly, and they can stay waterlogged. I'm a big fan of planting in soil.
Raised beds are cool. I've thought about them. I would fill them with compost and possibly fertile mix. My garden proper is fairly small, and I could maximize planting with them. Another benefit is you don't have to stoop as low to weed, and you don't mistakenly put amendments in the areas that will become paths.
** Double dig: You dig a trench shovel-depth or so deep, usually across the narrow dimension of the bed, put that soil where the far end of the bed will be. Then you use a sturdy garden fork or shovel to loosen/mix the soil that's another shovel-depth or so below the soil that was removed, amending as necessary (with sand, peat, compost, minerals, as needed based on soil conditions). Move to the next section, remove the top layer, put it on the strip you first dug, mix. Dig the lower layer in strip 2 to loosen/mix in that strip. Repeat until you get to the end of the bed area, do the final strip's fill & mix with the soil from the first strip.
A plus of raised beds IMO is that you don't need to walk in the beds (to plant, weed, etc.) and compact the soil. Usually, some deeper loosening/mixing every 2-3 years with a digging fork is enough cultivation (vs. rototilling yearly) depending on the soil composition, and it's a good time to add some soil amendments (compost, anything else your soil needs) at that same time.
True. However, if one can handle multiple manageable-sized raised beds, it's pretty easy to plan transitions over a reasonable time period for most things. It doesn't necessarily mean building all the beds in year one. One can start with one bed, build another in year 2 (and plant things there that were in bed 1 the previous year), and repeat over a period of years.The limitation is you have the exact same planting spots year after year. That makes it harder to rotate things. Peas are supposed to go in different places each year. Tomatoes, too. I've got so many perennials, I really have to struggle to grow annuals. The size of my beds can change when I move the garlic from spot A to spot B.If I made raised beds, I would not cover the bottom with landscape fabric. I would first till the soil and mix the medium in with it so the plants could access the soil, and the worms could come up, too.
(snip)
Yes, plus any root crops will enjoy having a nice deep loose zone to grow in.
3 -
Had a pleasant morning in the cool, cloudy weather. First I removed the fence my peas had climbed on in spring, turned the soil, replaced the fence, and planted fall peas. I also turned a little spot I had been saving for fall spinach. I feel safe enough now from hot weather that I decided to plant some. I also tossed a few radishes in among the other rows - some in the beets and some in the artichoke. They'll be harvested before the beets get big. I really should press the artichoke bed more into double-duty for the fall. Maybe I'll plant something else. We'll see. Anyway, I watered in well when done.
I borrowed my neighbor's orchard ladder and did the third and final harvest of Bartlet pears. I gave some away. I'm going to give some more away that I already picked; soon I'll begin drying. The Asian pears (Chojuro variety) are still a few weeks away. My neighbor with the ladder has access to lots of Bartlet pears in the orchard she works in, but doesn't have Asian pears. She'll get some of them. Other neighbor will bring me eggs soon.
Prune plums are getting close to ripe. I cleaned up some that fell early and some that fell off a branch that came down a couple weeks ago.
Raspberries are producing again, so I'm keeping them well watered. The primacanes are long done; the 113 degree weather shut them down. The floracanes are now producing. Some time in late winter I'll cut down the old primacanes and string up some of this year's floracanes to be next year's primacanes.... cycle continues.
Bummed that, once again, my Belladonna lilies didn't bloom. They had become too thick, so I thinned them and transplanted. Last year ONE of them bloomed. I also put some in a flower bed at the office. They bloomed some last year; this year they are great. This year at home, not ONE of the six or eight places I have them planted blossomed. I guess I should water them through the summer. I can hardly remember where they are once the leaves go away though.
After lunch I'll string tie of the tomato plants up better than they are for the rest of the season. I need to start thinking about planting garlic in about six or eight weeks.
Fig tree number one is done with the breba crop. I wonder if I'll get any from the second crop. The other two trees still have not produced any ripe figs. They will.
I am sorry I didn't plant any cucumbers this year. Next year!3 -
Sweet potato question-can you wait until after the frosts start coming to dig them up or better while it's still hot? I've never planted potatoes before, especially sweet potatoes. Is there any way to tell how they might be growing under ground? The vining seems to be doing well? But I know nothing......obviously. 1
-
-
Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
I think you're right - only the smaller bees and flies are able to get through the nettting squares. I hate those cabbage butterflies. 😠0 -
Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
I think you're right - only the smaller bees and flies are able to get through the nettting squares. I hate those cabbage butterflies. 😠
Me too! The only butterflies I don’t like and I feel bad chasing after, but I don’t want their left over holey kale! 😇🙏🏽🥬1 -
Ironwoman1111 wrote: »Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
I think you're right - only the smaller bees and flies are able to get through the nettting squares. I hate those cabbage butterflies. 😠
Me too! The only butterflies I don’t like and I feel bad chasing after, but I don’t want their left over holey kale! 😇🙏🏽🥬
Or the caterpillars (eggs) they leave behind! 🐛😠0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.2K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.1K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 420 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.9K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.5K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions