Posted on 09/20/2013 12:16:53 PM PDT by greeneyes
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I overworked myself again on the land today. I can barely feel my arms. But, I got about 10 pounds of sugar beets dug up and brought home! I’d been planning to leave them until the first frost, but something has been chomping at the leaves so I decided it was better to bring them in now. I just finished putting up the leaves and stalks in the freezer. I normally don’t like greens, but beet greens are tolerable, and these are almost tasty, so I wanted to make use of them.
I thought my squash would be ready, but it was telling me it wants a little more time. Same with the chickpeas.
Hopefully they won’t get eaten away from me. It seems one neighbor’s horses have gotten loose so often lately that the rumor is going around that he’s turning them loose every night on purpose!
all the rain this past week was nice, and now that it's gone, the sound of lawn mowers was more prevalent than birds around here this weekend.
Last night I saw a possum sticking his head out from my eaves. Guess that means the raccoon has left..unless possums and raccoons are now shacking up together.
Marcella, hope your neck is better.
Here is a link to the Mo. Botanical Garden Plant Finder:
I input zone 4, clay soil, wet soil and got 3 pages of stuff to look at. Don’t know if any will be suitable.
At 8 a.m., it's 70 degrees with less humidity than I've seen since summer started, in Montgomery County, which is the county that meets Harris County (Houston) to the south.
Yes, my neck is better, I'm not using anything to help hold it still. Mr. Stevia plant looks fine, plenty of green leaves.
You are welcome for the recipe. Very simple! I looked into macrobiotics a number of years ago, and I learned about them then. Macrobiotic cookbooks have some wonderful recipes using them. Miso soups, daikon with various whole grains and legumes.....yum!
Thanks for the bug ID tips. I can see I have a whole new universe of learning curve to approach now. Went to a book store yesterday and thumbed through a couple of bug books, but wasn’t satisfied with their systems. They didn’t seem easy to use at all. I’ll keep looking. I like your idea of asking my county agent if I have a sample or a picture.
I saw a tiny little black and white beetle yesterday...actually lots of them. They were on my bean plant. They were probably about 1/2 centimeter and were a roundish shape. The only google images that came close were called “carpet beetles” but the coloration was wrong. *sigh* I could not tell if they were doing damage or not.
But I learned my lesson. I may not have any bean plants when I go outside today, but I did not squish yet! I have to remind myself that I’m EXPERIMENTING and that even if I lose plants, I’m doing this to LEARN. [And boy, AM I!]
“OH horrors of horrors, you murderer you.”
LOL!
I KNOW!!! Isn’t it just AWFUL??!!!
I found that neem oil does seem to help with the driving away the squash bugs....but I’ve not done very well with my squash growing, so I am not really one to talk. I just know that when I have sprayed it on them they run for the hills!
I think my squash problems are not the larger bugs, but perhaps something smaller. I get blooms but no fruit.
Oh how brave and cool you are! You grew them just to see what you would get!
I’m glad for the report on how they have grown for you. I am becoming more motivated to try them.
You are welcome for the recipes. I learned about them during my studies of macrobiotics a number of years ago. For more really wonderful recipes for them, take a look at some macrobiotic cookbooks.
I am going to try to convince hubby to try to make some rose hip wine. That sounds like it would be really good for several ailments.LOLAll this rose hip talk has brought me back to my "hedge" that I planted some 20 years ago. I had contacted the Chicago Botanic Gardens information center, and they suggestion Rosa Carolina (native to Illinois!) for a wild rose. It grew very, very well, and by suckering, was doing battle with the lemon balm to completely take over our front-yard garden, and except for a portion cordoned off by concrete! (where I had planted low-grow sumac; nice pretty foilage, that eventually in the season took on some ailment though--never did look into it), the lemon balm and rosa did just that.
Marcella: “So part of the problem is, which plants will grow best in this space”
Johnny: “I don’t know either. Or when the ones that do well need to be started. You will figure it out. Then you will be a PhD candidate for your particular microclimate. It’s a lot like that.
People that think a sealed can of ‘open pollinated’ seeds, and no experience, will save them if the SHTF are going to die disappointed.”
Words to live by.
Right now I know I can grow okra and cucumbers and sunflowers through the wazoo. If I can figure out what’s eating on my snow peas and care for them properly, I can grow those. Tomatoes are marginal. I have a lot to learn there. Black turtles are probably good for our yard as well because they have survived and are actually producing pretty well. Again, gotta figure out what’s eating on those. I think this year it was grasshoppers. The asparagus patch is still surviving, so that looks promising.
So we have a few winners from our tryouts this year. I’ve captured the info on the TSquash from Marcella and plan to try that one next spring. My scallop, yellow, and acorn squashes have been so far pretty disappointing.
So we have the makings for a good gumbo with side dish of beans. Sunflowers for oil.
/johnny
Thanks for the info about the Support Americal protests by the motorcyclers and the upcoming one of the truckers.
Your point about knowing that the truckers will be otherwise occupied from doing their regular supply runs is well taken.
/johnny
I ordered the 6 ml. plastic for my Gonna be a TexasPrepper's Greenhouse from Amazon.Such fun. I would love to have more knowledge (tools!) regarding building.
I've got 8 walking onions up. I worry about them since the planter they are in is close to the back fence and the squirrels live just behind that back fence. I cover the onions every night with row cover.
I also cover the very tall, 5 ft. 5 inch, “T” squash. Ever since a squirrel got in the barrel with that squash, I freak out every evening until I cover it.
It appears I know how to keep squirrels away - put out a trap with plenty of peanut butter in it and they won't come where it is. I've got a bag of anti-squirrel pellets and when son comes in Oct., I'll get him to put some of those on top of the back fence and on top of the brick walls. The squirrels first jump onto the top of the walls before they jump into the garden. I'll also put those pellets around the outside of the garden so if they do jump in, they land on those pellets and maybe they will leave then.
I've figured out how to replenish the potting soil mix for next spring but I haven't bought the stuff yet.
I will definitely get the Deck Corn from Burpee when it is available. I'm on their list to notify when they have it.
What kind of onions do you grow? I’ll try regular onions (as opposed to walking onions) next spring and have at least one envelope of onion seed, maybe two, but don’t have any info. as to whether they will be good for Texas.
“I’ve captured the info on the TSquash from Marcella and plan to try that one next spring.”
If and when I see a bloom on the very tall T squash, I will have a celebration.
I've opened up a little more than 300 sq ft in mostly shade for the tobacco next year. The soil is sandy and lacks much in the way of biomass.
I decided to put winter wheat in there for ground cover and till it in next spring for green manure. This is one of the very few times that I'm using commercial fertilizer on my property.
I did broadcast the wheat pretty heavy. Over a quart for 300 sq ft. ;)
/johnny
that’s really cool
We did too. When I watered the big bugs came up, but there were a lot of little black things down close to the ground.
I sprayed with organic, and it didn’t do any good. So if I grow them again, and I will, I’ll use Neem oil next time.
Just pulled my mini carrots, some were really mini, but I’ll use those in our salad. The larger ones will go in the stew
of leftovers, we’ll have tonight.
I have a used “self watering” pot and I’m going to do some turnips in it.
My wolf tomato bit the dust, so out it will come, when I
finish the other stuff. My green pepper has buds and a couple of little peppers. My chinese mixed “showoff” peppers have a couple of tiny purple peppers, and a bunch of buds. I’ll plant them again, they’re so cute.
I wonder if we can mix neem oil in the ground around the squash plants? Anyone ever done that?
Just got out my envelopes of onion seed. All these are heirloom:
Yellow Sweet Spanish Utah - 110-130 days. Are these the Utah’s you mentioned?
Evergreen Bunching Onions - 60-120 days.
Borettana Cipollini Onions - 110-120 days.
Are you saying you’re planning onions now and they will be ready in the spring? Or will they be ready sometime in the winter? I’m confused.
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