2022 Garden Thread

[EatenByLimestone]

Finally, nighttime temps are over 50º. We had 85 days above 70 in May last year. This year only 5! I moved most of the peppers and eggplants outdoors. Squashes are now also in the ground. I planted one of the cantaloupe plants outdoors, keeping a spare in the greenhouse. Picked our first cucumbers. This is a pic from Sunday. The greenhouse plant is now over 6’ tall. The outdoor sibling produced a cuke too but is growing much slower. This Poniente variety doesn't need a ton of light, but it likes heat.

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How did you have 85 days above 70 in May?

We had a rain out today. I put some bok choy outside and got a bed ready for okra.

 

[clancey]

You people are really working hard and taking advantage of the weather that you are having as well. I have three holes dug and will put in my three plants this Thursday---need to be really careful with my back here--lol lol, so I just plug along..My plants are "Big Boy", Tomato and some Gourmet Lettuce, and the mint I will keep alone in its own container and wanted to do a lot more gardening this year but it is out of the question for me but I am sure enjoying your postings on here--so interesting. Will take a few pictures when I get them in the ground out of the containers...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Looking forward to the pics, Mrs Clacey. Don't work your back too hard!

 

[Dan Freeman]

Today, between downpours, we got the compost factory completed. Like all new things a chicken faces, they were apprehensive, so we coaxed them into it with some bread and diced boiled chicken.



We're getting two more chickens tomorrow from a friend of ours.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

so. heres the garden after about 4.5 weeks. The tomatoes are pushing 3ft, just planted my last row of beans last weekend. The weather has been warm so the plants are starting to jump

 

[begreen]

How did you have 85 days above 70 in May?

We had a rain out today. I put some bok choy outside and got a bed ready for okra.

Yes, I caught that after posting and edited it. This should have said hours, not days. It would have been safer to just post this from the NWS.



Woodsplitter your garden looks great. That is what our tomatoes looked like last year at this time. This year they are half that size. That is those that weren't decapitated by the deer.

 

[clancey]

Some pictures of my three plants--tomato, lettuce and a mint plant in the container with a small (thinking it died) min. rose bush...But it remains out there for now. Made like a little sitting area and took all the dead leaves off of the tomato plant and the mint is growing and growing--lol clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Yes, I caught that after posting and edited it. This should have said hours, not days. It would have been safer to just post this from the NWS.

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Woodsplitter your garden looks great. That is what our tomatoes looked like last year at this time. This year they are half that size. That is those that weren't decapitated by the deer.

I can see why you’re doing what you can to add heat to the tomatoes and peppers! Meanwhile, yesterday morning I decided to pull out the rest of the shade cloth to cover the whole main garden instead of just some of the plants. I’ve been pulling blushing tomatoes off the plants because I think they might ripen better inside instead of out where it’s too hot. Apparently this is the hottest May ever recorded at the San Antonio Airport (the closest major airport to us). In my previous years we tended to be about five degrees cooler than San Antonio, but this year I think we’re much closer to their temperatures because we have been drier, too.

May 2022 was the hottest May in San Antonio on record

Records date back to 1885

www.ksat.com

I did try to set up something of an indoor garden the other day. I put za’atar seeds in the small planter, a lettuce and herb mix in the middle sized pot, and zucchini in the large pot. Before I planted the lettuce I melted a whole tray of ice cubes on the soil to bring the temperature down. I sprinkled the top of the soil with diatomaceous earth to cover the seeds, retain moisture, and hopefully reduce fungus gnats. I’ve been keeping a squeeze bottle of water
in the refrigerator to help lower the temperatures when it needs more water. I have no idea how any of this will do and whether I’ll have enough light from the windows (I’ve not tried summer growing there before). We usually keep the blinds closed all summer because of heat, but we’ve opened these two for the possible plants.



I was happy to find blooms on the balsam plant in the backyard. They were a beautiful deep red color. I’m looking forward to the blooms filling out. I’ve been really pleased with the salmon-colored ones I’m growing on the front porch.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Some pictures of my three plants--tomato, lettuce and a mint plant in the container with a small (thinking it died) min. rose bush...But it remains out there for now. Made like a little sitting area and took all the dead leaves off of the tomato plant and the mint is growing and growing--lol clancey

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I think it’s lovely to have seating near the garden, Mrs. Clancey, and your shelter for the newly transplanted lettuce is brilliant. Thanks for the photos.

 

[begreen]

Having lived in San Antonio long ago I can really appreciate the problems of dealing with the heat. It gets hot there. The May temps look like what I remember experiencing in July.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I Super Bloomed the peppers, eggplants, and Tiny Tim tomatoes in the greenhouse for the first time today.

We added 2 new chickens to our small flock today (2 in the foreground) for a total of 5. We have a friend who buys our products to sell at his local farm market along with his fresh eggs. He gave us our original 3 hens 2 years ago and brought the 2 new ones today. There have been a few scuffles, but nothing serious, as they work out the pecking order. I imagine it will take the 5 of them a couple of days to settle in as a flock.

Got our 28 tomato plants pruned today. I like to grow them with one main stem.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I Super Bloomed the peppers, eggplants, and Tiny Tim tomatoes in the greenhouse for the first time today.

We added 2 new chickens to our small flock today (2 in the foreground) for a total of 5. We have a friend who buys our products to sell at his local farm market along with his fresh eggs. He gave us our original 3 hens 2 years ago and brought the 2 new ones today. There have been a few scuffles, but nothing serious, as they work out the pecking order. I imagine it will take the 5 of them a couple of days to settle in as a flock.

Got our 28 tomato plants pruned today. I like to grow them with one main stem.

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“Super Bloomed” was a new verb for me, but the capital letters helped out in that it gave me a clue that it was probably a fertilizer. Yep, I looked it up. N-P-K of 12-55-6. That’s some potent stuff. How often do you use it?

Your hens look like they’re enjoying your compost factory floor. I hope they settle in quickly for you.

I had a pleasant surprise in my garden earlier today. I found some okra flowers and even a developing pod from a flower that must have bloomed yesterday that I didn’t see. It’s a couple weeks earlier than I had expected to see any fruit. I’m hoping it’s just some precocious plants rather than a stress response to too much heat. I just put up shade cloth over the okra yesterday in preparation for another heat wave coming this weekend.

 

[Dan Freeman]

LOL, DG. I copied that post from another forum I am a member of where we are all using Super Bloom, so I guess we do use it as a verb, too. Guess I never mentioned SB on this forum. I begin using it once blooms begin to form, and then apply it every 10-14 days thereafter. It really makes a big difference, especially on my peppers.

Between here and my other forum (National Gardening Association's forum), I see a lot of folks growing okra. I have never grown it. In fact, I don't think I have ever even eaten it. May just have to try it next year.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Try the okra in a restaurant first 9r buy a bag in the grocery to make sure you like it. Its not for everybody, and its horrible to take up space with something thats not going to be eaten.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Water those plants in well Mrs. Clancy! The heat is rough on them right after transplant!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

In totally unrelated news we funded a new business today! I started my training last night and hope to get things moving in late July. Just in time for harvest, lol.

 

[clancey]

Thanks Lime --training for what? Just curious..Thanks for the water suggestion and will do that "right away"..Okra is a "slimy food" but when it is breaded and fried well--it is wonderful and putting dips with it makes it better-lol...Very good for you too so try it but for the first time make it crispy. I love the color of that Balsam plant--beautiful -- and have fun with your chickens and that's what you need freeman--more work--lol---stamina you sure have--lol...Weather is strange and Texas seems to be taking on some bad weather--lots of rain or none---strange patterns on the weather channel. What does "super bloomed" mean in the way of gardening..Everything looks wonderful...thanks for the nice pictures and information....Yea begreen I am waiting for it to warm up too--maybe this week we will get nicer weather...clancey

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Overhead doors! Most houses seem to have a garage.

Many homeowners and even contractors don’t want to mess with them, but they aren’t located on roofs and don’t have teeth! Seems easy!

 

[Dan Freeman]

What does "super bloomed" mean in the way of gardening.

 

[begreen]

Overhead doors! Most houses seem to have a garage.

Many homeowners and even contractors don’t want to mess with them, but they aren’t located on roofs and don’t have teeth! Seems easy!

They often have coiled springs under high tension. Train your people well on that. A mistake can cause serious injury.

 

[begreen]

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The whole forest garden thing is permaculture-based, so this chemical farming technique caught me by surprise. It seems like a contradiction because it is not feeding the soil. Is it really necessary?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

They often have coiled springs under high tension. Train your people well on that. A mistake can cause serious injury.

100%! I’ll be the first technician like I was in our current business. I’ll figure it all out and then train carefully.

I’m not overly worried. They are more predictable than caged animals.

One rule that the guys always seemed to appreciate was not making them do anything I wasn’t prepared to do. I’ve called jobs and refunded money when I couldn’t access a roof due to design (hip) and couldn’t secure to the bottom (snow slides). Couldn’t bring in a lift due to it being too close to other houses and a hull in front too. No way to secure from the top or bottom, not getting on it.

 

[Dan Freeman]

The last two days were not real gardening days for me, except for watering everything.

Yesterday, I hauled 25 logs averaging 2.5 feet in length by 1-1.5 feet in diameter out of the woods to my firewood area. I will let them dry some more and then cut and split them.

I also got some of my smaller rounds split...the ones with lighter ends.

Today, I removed the top pieces from our raised pond, sanded them down, and put two coats of protective stain on them.

I still have to do the sides of the raised pond.

My peppers and eggplants have already taken off after applying Super Bloom just two days ago. Like I said before, SB is like applying steroids to blooming vegetables.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Nice! I got some firewood duty too. I finished stacking my wood, and stacked about a cord of pine for the community/renter fire pit at the campsite. Oddly enough, I must have done too many squats picking the pine up as muscle pain woke me up this morning! Makes me laugh. I never thought pine would give me a workout. I tried to burn a bit of it at the fire pit. Was way too wet! I’m glad I got it stacked, lol. It’d not be good if people paid for a vacation and couldn’t even light a camp fire!

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Our early June heatwave has begun. We hit 98 yesterday and 100 today, and the week could hold a number of triple-digit days. This is definitely not my favorite weather.

I spent extra time watering yesterday, though I took so long on the main garden areas that I didn’t get to my backyard until after lunch. By that time my smallest luffa plant which had never been a strong plant anyway had gotten so much sun that it was beyond recovery. The other two luffas wilt down in the afternoon when in strong sun but perk back up in the evening as long as I’ve given them water. One has reached the top of the trellis. The other one is halfway up and delighted me this morning with its first blooms.



I think these are actually the female flowers. I think the male flowers will emerge in clusters further down the stalk. These flowers were quite big and very pretty. Each petal was about the size of a cucumber blossom. I’m hoping this will make for a nice show out the window as the vines fill out the trellis.