Garden Thread 2023!

[Dan Freeman]

We had another rocking thunderstorm this afternoon with downpours that outdid both storms this morning. I couldn't believe the amount of puddled/running water I saw down in the food forest.

Since this morning, we've had another 1.5 inches of rain. That makes 4.7 inches of rain since Monday, June 12th.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

@begreen, that harvest photo from the weekend looked beautiful. Did you have eggplant in that basket?

@clancey, it’s good to hear from you. I’m glad you’ve got your tomato going again this summer. What variety is it this year?

@Dan Freeman, did you ever get your rain tank set up? I’m glad all those plants down in your food forest are getting a good soaking.

My garden is wilting in the high heat. This week is supposed to be all triple digits. Even my sweet potatoes wilted down in the heat this afternoon despite having water. I had some folks at the house and wanted to send tomatoes with them before they left, so I picked in the heat of the day. The tomatoes were hot to the touch when I pulled them off the plants. Ugh.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Actually, no. Could have used it the past week, though.

 

[begreen]

The sun is shining and veggies are kicking into high gear. We have our first eggplant getting ready to pick, first tomatoes are starting to blush, gold rush zucchini is an over-achiever, peppers, cukes ,and peas are hitting their stride,



The new beds are doing well. All of the baby asparagus have popped up. We have our first baby cantaloupes showing and a sweet meat squash that is going to take over the garden.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Looks real good!

 

[clancey]

I think it is one of these. https://www.google.com/search?q=Tom...5i22i29i30.19792j1j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
I got this thing off of the Walmart lower shelf and paid "nothing" for it for it was looking really bad and drying out and I'll take a picture of it if it continues to grow and its still alive and there was no tag on it..I felt sorry for it...Boy DG your weather has been just terrible this year but your green pictures look really good. Hope it gets better real soon...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Let's see...I took a good number of pics today.

Some of the FF pond:



Perhaps you can see the tadpoles in these two pics.



Some more FF pics...

First zucchini


Some potatoes


Beets and Beans


San Marzano and Mountain Magic Tomatoes

 

[begreen]

Looks great Dan. Summer is here.

 

[clancey]

Yea I can see the tad poles--how neat...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

A very busy day today

I finished pruning and tying up the tomatoes again (2nd time in 10 days due to all the recent rain). We have a good number of San Marsanos, mountain magic, gardener's delight, and sweet 100's putting out good fruit.

We also made a protective netting area for our blueberries. The birds have discovered them, but we don't want to share to many of them with the birds.



Right side/front

 

[begreen]

What is the netting you are using for the blueberries Dan?

 

[DuaeGuttae]

@begreen and @Dan Freeman , thanks for the photo updates. Both your gardens are looking great.

My garden is looking wilted at the moment, but I’ve still got lots of small tomatoes to go out and harvest if it cools off this evening.

I’ve been doing some harvesting for seed recently.

The peppers are two types of Paprika pepper. The first is Beaver Dam. The other side is actually pretty badly sunburned [it used to be protected by a pumpkin vine that died just as our scorching days hit], but I’m letting it ripen more inside. The other two peppers are a completely sweet Txorixero pepper also used for paprika. I want to let these dry and save seeds from them before I grind them into powder.


These are some seed pods from my Woods Mountain Crazy [Bush Green] Beans. Then some drying pods from my red noodle beans. The latter aren’t all well filled out, but if I can get some seeds from each, that’s still a whole lot of seed.


Production has really slowed down in terms of plants putting on new flowers and fruit. Supposedly it’s cooling down this weekend into next week, but it will still mean temperatures in the high nineties. This is the lull in Texas gardening season.

I hope to go out this evening and harvest a pumpkin that just volunteered but which my seven year old considers his. It’s a jack-o-lantern type. I also have been letting a zucchini mature on the vine in order to harvest it for seed, but I think I’m planning to pick it tonight, too.

 

[Dan Freeman]

What is the netting you are using for the blueberries Dan?

The netting is actually Tierra Garden Haxnicks Fruit Tree Covers that I bought in 3 sizes a few years back. (I got a great deal as I used to sell them on one of my websites and could get them for the wholesale pricing.) I've had them for a few years now, but as I have decided to try and keep my trees as dwarfs, I don't think I will need the larger ones, so I am going to cut them as I need them for my berries...and use them from year to year.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Here’s the harvest I didn’t manage yesterday but did today: a volunteer pumpkin; an overripe zucchini harvested for seed, not eating; two Taiga tomatoes on the left [they don’t ripen red]; and a Hungarian Heart tomato. The Hungarian Hearts don’t seem to like our heat and aren’t setting much fruit, but I was pleased to get one. I plan to save seeds from these as well.

 

[Dan Freeman]

What is the netting you are using for the blueberries Dan?

For this one, we are using a 13 x 13 Haxnicks Fruit Tree Cover that we cut and hung over some poles.

 

[begreen]

The netting is actually Tierra Garden Haxnicks Fruit Tree Covers that I bought in 3 sizes a few years back. (I got a great deal as I used to sell them on one of my websites and could get them for the wholesale pricing.) I've had them for a few years now, but as I have decided to try and keep my trees as dwarfs, I don't think I will need the larger ones, so I am going to cut them as I need them for my berries...and use them from year to year.

Thanks Dan. It's pricey netting but it looks like it would stand up well. I need a rectangular patch so I would need to get two 12 x 12 ft nets to cover our blueberries. The 1/2 netting works, but it snags easily and somehow a few birds sneak in every year.

What is the difference between the fruit tree nets and the micromesh blankets? They mention a sealable opening on the fruit tree cover. How does that work?

 

[begreen]

Here’s the harvest I didn’t manage yesterday but did today: a volunteer pumpkin; an overripe zucchini harvested for seed, not eating; two Taiga tomatoes on the left [they don’t ripen red]; and a Hungarian Heart tomato. The Hungarian Hearts don’t seem to like our heat and aren’t setting much fruit, but I was pleased to get one. I plan to save seeds from these as well.

I hope you get a break from the heat soon. It sounds miserable. Are you using any row covers or shade cloth to protect crops?

 

[Dan Freeman]

We fly our flag 24/7 on the large pole to the right. We put out the bunting on the porch for Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day.

We had a circa 1940's huge 48-star flag made from wool that was probably 10 x 15 (or larger) and was at some time the property of a flag decorating company, but we donated it to a group thar preserved old flags. It was considerably old, but we felt comfortable with their preservation standards and methods.



Happy Independence Day everyone. I hope for most of you reading this, you want to keep the hopes and dreams alive of our predecessors and forefathers. I know that is how I feel. May God have mercy on us.

 

[clancey]

Jefferson and Adams died on the same day July 4th 1826---what a coincidence--both great men...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Jefferson and Adams died on the same day July 4th 1826---what a coincidence--both great men...clancey

Clancey, you can't help but to think there is a divine power behind it all. A 247-year republic run on capitalism has done more to advance this world and the standard of living for billions of people than any other system ever devised by man (or woman). Is it perfect. NO! Nothing is. But it's damn near close IMHO, and I will defend to the end. (Sorry, mods. This is probably too political for your tastes. If you need to delete, I understand.) No balls left in the world.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I hope you get a break from the heat soon. It sounds miserable. Are you using any row covers or shade cloth to protect crops?

I would have put up shade cloth by now with the heat wave that we had at the end of June except for the fact that we were in the process of selling our house. I was keeping the gardens going for the new owners, but I gave some of the shade cloth away and packed up the rest to come with us to our new home. I had to say goodbye to my gardens this week. I took some farewell photos.



Right now we are back in Virginia with my mother. I’ll try to go out and get some pictures of some of her plants. She has the garden fenced against deer, but I think that rabbits and coons have been getting in, so she’s having some of her plants eaten off. The tomatoes are loaded, however, and it looks like we’ll be processing and canning in the next couple of weeks.

 

[clancey]

I agree with everything you say. People need to study more history for it is filled with interesting and heroic stories. I listen to the American stories on the radio and they are all so interesting and heart felt --I enjoy them especially about tidbits on our history and the people who lived back in the day and so strong those "old timers" were and their skill levels were just wonderful...A new world now so get ready for it for it is coming quicker than you think. Years ago people had respect for "the old ones" now they are just disregarded for at least that's how I feel. Thanks... My tomato plant did not do too well and it died and I fooled with it to but just too far gone I guess...Maybe when I get my truck back I will get some plants and put them in the ground but right now just too much to do and budget for but feeling fine...DG--now I see where you get your training and big green thumb for you take after you Mom...Good for you..You have been working hard and VA is a beautiful state. Happy gardening everybody and it is fun to read all your interesting postings.. clancey

 

[begreen]

I would have put up shade cloth by now with the heat wave that we had at the end of June except for the fact that we were in the process of selling our house. I was keeping the gardens going for the new owners, but I gave some of the shade cloth away and packed up the rest to come with us to our new home. I had to say goodbye to my gardens this week. I took some farewell photos.

View attachment 313652View attachment 313653View attachment 313654View attachment 313655

Right now we are back in Virginia with my mother. I’ll try to go out and get some pictures of some of her plants. She has the garden fenced against deer, but I think that rabbits and coons have been getting in, so she’s having some of her plants eaten off. The tomatoes are loaded, however, and it looks like we’ll be processing and canning in the next couple of weeks.

Wow, that's a big change. The buyers will be getting some nice gardens and your family will be getting some nice heat relief I hope! Is this a permanent move back to VA?

 

[Dan Freeman]

I would have put up shade cloth by now with the heat wave that we had at the end of June except for the fact that we were in the process of selling our house. I was keeping the gardens going for the new owners, but I gave some of the shade cloth away and packed up the rest to come with us to our new home. I had to say goodbye to my gardens this week. I took some farewell photos.

View attachment 313652View attachment 313653View attachment 313654View attachment 313655

Right now we are back in Virginia with my mother. I’ll try to go out and get some pictures of some of her plants. She has the garden fenced against deer, but I think that rabbits and coons have been getting in, so she’s having some of her plants eaten off. The tomatoes are loaded, however, and it looks like we’ll be processing and canning in the next couple of weeks.

It's tough to say goodbye to something you have built. Where in VA are you now? Is it for good?

 

[Dan Freeman]

No red tomatoes here, yet. One of my late years for a red tomato.

Today, I picked a bowl of blueberries, took the bell peppers out of the greenhouse and sprayed them with a strong spray to wash off aphids (before you suggest, I have already tried insecticidal soap and marigolds with no luck...just more aphids), tied up all the shishito and bell peppers before they fall over, and watered the entire greenhouse. Many of the Tiny Tim Tomatoes already have yellow blooms. The basil is growing like crazy. Not so much the parsley and chives.