Pinging the list. I think that someone asked to be added to the thread, but lost my note. Please send a private FRmail if you wish to be added or deleted from the list. Thanks.
This was/is clean-up week after typhoon Mangkhut.
All seven of the papaya plants blew over. The bananas are gone and it killed a bed of flowers.
At least it was a really mild typhoon.
Odd growing season in Konnecticut - peppers did GREAT, tomatoes were OK - but down from normal production. Another good year for eggplant, though.
Zuccinni, squash, cucumbers - all a very bad year.
Won't dig up potatoes for a while yet.
Our new chickens (Speckled Sussex) are just about ready to lay, so that's exciting. And old "Go, Go Goldie" is still cranking them out - she is a machine.
Thank you, greeneyes, for keeping the gardening thread going - will be praying for your health, also.
Hi greeneyes!
Checking in with a report on the HAY BALE EXPERIMENT.
As I reported earlier, I would consider the experiment to be a marginal success. In other words, it really mostly failed, but I learned from it! LOL!
I don’t think the bales I had were weathered enough. Also, Darlin pointed out, we are not 100% sure that they were pesticide/herbicide free.
I had tried fertilizing, but by the time I got to them with the groceries, the okra I was working with were way too stunted. In fact, one of them was diseased or had some kind of genetic deformity. That was the one I had belatedly transferred to a pot because it was bigger than the other two and I thought perhaps it might produce. No pods produced from it, except for one deformed one. When I repotted it, the abnormality was somewhat, but not readily apparent.
The two plants remaining in the bale continue to be alive, but also continue to be too stunted to produce pods.
The control okra plant which was originally placed in a pot with potting soil thrived. It produced quite a few pods. Since, while I love okra, my low carb regimen is making them expensive to eat right now, I let the plant go to seed, so it has placed its energy into the three remaining pods.
I still love the bale concept, as it does do a good job of raising the plant off the ground. It also is a great way to inhibit weeds which would choke out the plant you are cultivating. It holds water for the plant during the dry summer.
I would try this again.... but changes would be:
1. make 100% sure the hay/straw has not been contaminated with weed or pesticides
2. let the bales rot more than just over winter - that would provide more nutrients for the roots as they grow into the bale
3. I would excavate a deeper and wider depression into the bale for the plant (the book I read did not seem to indicate that as a necessity, but I could have missed it) Whether the book says it or not, that is still what I would do. For what I would do, it would require knippers to make a proper depression, not just separating the bale “wafers” slightly.
4. when planting the seeds/sprouts into the bale, I would make sure that a goodly amount of potting soil is introduced to the depression, and allow it to work into the bale - again the book did not seem to indicate this, but it is what I would do.
5. I would start fertilizing right away, per package instructions or other reliable directive - like advice from one of you guys!
I wish I could say that I have done more than just the basic cxare of my yard down here in Louisiana but I can’t . I have been working flat out (gratefully so thank God!) even doing 3/4 days on Saturday’s . My yard look’s good though! Oh I have trimmed and revived a Rose bush and am looking forward to seeing some bud’s.