Hope you feel better soon. Sorry about the sunflowers going down.
Glad the green beans are producing nicely. My little garden has like 7 green bean plants and only 4 pods total were harvested.
Blooms fell off and/or some bug or worm is having a feast.
My arugula has long since bolted and some of the seed pods are crumbling to maturity so I’m saving the seeds. The arugula did quite well this season. Getting hot again in North Texas—would like to see a little rain now—otherwise its garden hose moisture distribution until then.
Between yesterday and today (this is Thursday), something, SQUIRREL, ate the leaves, medium sized leaves, off one sweet potato plant – only a short stalk is left. So depressing. I had netting over it but the net was close to that plant, so the varmint ate it through the net. There was no part of the leaves left. That ten gallon grow bag was in the dirt garden. I picked up the bag and carried it onto the deck and fairly close, within 8/9 ft. or so of the sliding door into the house. I don’t know if the stalk left will grow leaves again – anyone know? The other three plants are fine. I covered the grow bag with row cover so surely they are safe now being up close to back door. (It’s now Friday and the plants were safe overnight.)
This experience has sealed it that, for now, I have to grow in containers on the deck. I think I can clear a space in the dirt garden to have grow bags bunched together and I have some fairly tall stakes that stand up by themselves to put in the center and on the edges and then drape net over the tall stakes so squirrels can’t get to the bags. I’ll do that when I get more plants in bags.
I have a question about baby seedlings (that is redundant wording, Johnny). I now have sprouted Sunspot Sunflowers in small paper cups and they are from 4 to 6 inches tall and the stems are substantial as are three leaves. They are in cups on a table just outside my door. When do you think they are grown enough that the squirrels/birds won’t eat them as they are going in the back garden area. After the eating of the potato leaves, I’m afraid to plant them at this time. I would ask the squirrels when the plants are safe, but they hate me (and I hate them). :o(
I have Mortgage Lifter little tomato seedlings sprouted from seeds and they are in cups. They are so delicate it’s scary – maybe 3-4 inches tall and so thin I wouldn’t touch them. They will eventually be in a large planter designed for tomatoes and be on the deck. How big do they need to get before transplanting them to the big planter and they be strong enough to live through the transplant? (The tomatoes I got earlier were from bought tomato plants so I didn’t have to decide this problem.) When I put these new plants in the tomato planters they will be properly covered with net so the squirrels can’t get them plus they will be on the deck.
See, this is my problem area – I have no experience. I have to be able to sprout seeds and get them in the containers and they have to live once I do that. I am using organic seed starter for the seeds and that seems to really work for sprouting.
I was in Walmart and bought 2 Neem oil in the sprayer bottles already mixed so I can direct spray and not have to mix with water. Remember, I don’t have the back 40 acres, will just have bunches of containers on a deck. If I had a large area, then I would go with the mix it yourself kind.
I hate to admit it, but I didn’t even have a bucket. I bought two plastic 10 qt. plastic buckets at Walmart so I could move potting soil mix or whatever I needed to move.
Again, the questions are:
1. Will my Sweet Potato chewed off remaining stem grow more leaves?
2. How big should the Sunflowers get before they are safe from squirrels in the garden when planted?
3. How big should tomatoes get before I transplant them into big tomato containers? They will be safe from Squirrels – they just need to be able to live and they are so tiny now in those cups.
Sorry about your green beans. Green beans are a necessity, because it is one of the few veggies that our grand daughter likes.