Posted on 06/26/2021 6:58:40 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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(buckets are to catch water off the roof which splashes down onto plants) 
Tomatoes look healthy thank God, though I have used some copper based insecticide as a preventative since lasts year's blight (late July), but the butternut squash has shown what i surmise is powdery mildew since it began to grown. So a couple days ago I sprayed a mixture of milk plus the copper on them.
Now for detectives, does anyone know what kind of (city planted) tree this is?
I collect rainwater to save the LL money on the water bill and so I cover them with some slightly porous pore Tyvek-type material they wrap mattresses in, and cover them when it is not sppsd to rain, but if any mosquitoes get in, a once second shot of Pam will prevent them from getting out so that they drown.
But look what can happen when you plant bird seed:
Sorry if I jumped the gun but I gotta go.
Your tree is a ‘Japanese Lilac Tree’ and many towns have them planted on their Main Drag. They are just lovely, are on the smaller side, don’t make a mess to clean up, and are usually blooming on the 4th of July, when towns are having parades and such. It isn’t a true lilac; it is related to the Olive tree. Likes full sun, and isn’t fussy about watering.
I’ve probably sold 1,000 of them in my career. Every late June/Early July people want them for their yards. ;)
https://www.thespruce.com/japanese-lilac-tree-care-and-growing-guide-4589076
Update from the Big Valley (zone 9b)
Sun drying a batch of tomatoes, basil and some plums.
Peaches look ready. Will test today.
Looks like I planted too many tomatoes, the San Marzanos hang in large clusters.
Pickling the early pickings of bush beans and (pickling) cucumber. Also pickled a big batch of jalapenos.
I’ll probably rip it all out on 1 Sep and start my winter garden, but production is on the cusp of being overwhelming.
The East Boston Urban Frou-Frou Tree?
Seriously though, ornamental trees that are not native can cause serious problems later on. In Florida, the Black Olive and Melaleuca were planted as ornamental trees along sidewalks, and developed into real pests. The Black Olive drops nasty berries on your car and ruins the paint job. The Melaleuca and Brazilian Pepper are so invasive that they have to strip the land down to the bedrock to get rid of it.
Whatever it is there on your sidewalk, it will not be a sapling forever, and could become very big, dropping greasy staining flowers on your car, ripping up the sidewalk with its roots, and probably sending its seeds into your yard.
This is what happens when politicians think they are horticulturists.
Great veggie garden, by the way! I remember the pics you posted last year.
Thanks, Pete!
Reminds me of one of my favorite books - but about an apple orchard, instead of cherries:
‘The Orchard: A Memoir’ by Adele Crockett Robertson
“The Orchard is an exquisitely beautiful and poignant memoir of a young woman’s single-handed struggle to save her New England farm in the depths of the Great Depression. Recently discovered by the author’s daughter, it tells the story of Adele “Kitty” Robertson, young and energetic, but unprepared by her Radcliffe education for the rigors of apple farming in those bitter times. Alone at the end of a country road, with only a Great Dane for company, plagued by debts, broken machinery, and killing frosts, Kitty revives the old orchard after years of neglect. Every day is a struggle, but every day she is also rewarded by the beauty of the world and the unexpected kindness of neighbors and hired workers.”
Just Gorgeous! Reminds me of ‘Through the Bamboo Forest’ fight scene in ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.’
‘Kung-Fu’ movies are my, ‘secret thing.’ ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQw5s2oiqk0
Fantastic results!
I had such a bad growing season last year (wet, cold, grew some new varieties of tomatoes that were just terrible producers with no disease resistance) that I’ve had to BUY Salsa these past few weeks! Unheard of in MY kitchen!
I like doing a fall/winter crops. I like Spring and Fall the best, as it is. :)
I’m in a small apartment with a tiny terrace outside. I like growing tomatoes. I enjoyed smelling the fragance of the plants and watching them grow more bushy, but I learned last year, just how needy and demanding those tomato plants can be. If one does not have a watering system, the result can be the gardener has to go back and forth each day, toting one container of water after the other.
Think of that Disney movie, with Mickey Mouse using a bucket to bail water out of a cellar, only to become overwhelmed at the flow. Still, all things considered, it was fun trying to grow them properly for a few months.
I ended up with a massive cluster of plants, which I gave away free to a neighbor with a ground based garden.
How nice of you!
Yes, that scene is from ‘Fantasia’ where Mickey is The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Things really get out of control, LOL!
Thought of this, when I saw your post....
I have been keeping up with the weeding, and everything looks good. My winter squash and pumpkins are taking off like crazy-mad. Must be the Ithaca Grow we gave them, LOL! I have a few small pumpkins on already, and they've only been in a matter of weeks. At least we have the heat; that helps.
So far, no bug issues on the grapes or potatoes. I got the sweet corn patch weeded yesterday morning. I'll post some pictures later after I get things uploaded from my camera.
Beau took Coola and Quigley to a Water Race, today. It teaches the dogs to swim after racoon if they jump in the water and is good exercise for them, coming up to Bear Camp which starts in July. They'll probably get rained on today, but everyone (dogs and owners) are pretty much soaked either way at an event like this. ;)
Thanks. Next Gardening Experiment, maybe I’ll get something like this.
How does it handle heat? Does it require much water? I’m in Zone 8b — hot summers, a few freezing nights in winter, and a gentle monsoon season — and always on the lookout for interesting trees and shrubs that aren’t mesquites or brittle brush.
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