Posted on 06/04/2022 6:23:06 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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June 1 tomatoes appeared. I started these from seed indoors.I’ll see how many days it takes to mature. Zone 6.
Good Morning! :-)
I just got my tomatoes in the ground this week. Zone 4/5. We have had wild Spring weather, to say the least!
Still have space in The Big Garden to plant, but I’m mostly done. Yay!
Rain today and tomorrow, so I’ll just stay in and catch up on housework...
NOT! LOL! :)
My wife has a chance of ripe tomatoes by July 4th. Two plants have come on very strong for some reason
Presently her garden is providing kilt lettuce and snow peas
Did a little watering yesterday and need to do more this evening. Weeding is ongoing. What little mulch I have has helped with that and doesn’t seem to be having any detrimental effects so I’m going to mulch heavily from now on, preferably with compost and then shredded leaves or leaf mold on top of that.
We’ve had 3 pickings of spinach. We dehydrate spinach and use in omelets, pizzas, etc . . Beets are going slow. Peppers are slow. Tomato plants looking strong. I rotate fertilizers every 2 weeks. Mild but frequent on the fertilizer.
Somehow, her spinach failed. It just hasn’t grown like it usually does
Ours is done. Going to seed. they can’t take hot weather.
We have just gotten some badly needed rain.
The garden is kind of in limbo right now. Not much to harvest at the moment.
The asparagus all came in finally, but not a great crop and I discovered asparagus beetles attacking them. Those are now history.
The Colorado potato beetles are starting to show up and I’ve been catching, those too, so no great major infestation. Some of the potato plants are about to flower and some are just getting going.
The garlic is going gangbusters and the onions are coming along nicely.
I put in some beans and my butternut squash.
I also had my Assassin bugs hatch and dispersed them and two of the three praying mantis egg cases hatch and those are out there ready to do their thing.
Put out a lot of seedlings yesterday. Along with slug pellets and cutworm collars.
Inside the fence, and still used deer repellent.
The only thing I have been able to harvest in the last few years is pole beans which do very well, and peaches. Not even tomatoes!
This year I planted Tromboncino and Tetsukobuto squash, which are supposed to resist vine borers. Last year the cutworms got them first.
One little hope, the cat has discovered the catnip near the raspberry bushes. So maybe she will scare the birds away. Or maybe they will look at her rolling and rubbing in the catnip and say, ah, it’s just a stoner cat. Have some berries.
I will now go count my seedlings. The slugs have got two of thirty beans already, and I thought they were good strapping plants. Stomp stomp sob.
Regarding garden weeds, that is very true - saw a cute garden sign: The Garden of Weedin
My little Garden of Weedin is a few weeds short, at least in the 8 raised beds in the veggie garden. With temps in to 90’s this past week, I managed to be in the garden a couple of mornings by 6:30 am to weed 4 of the beds for the first time this year, so you can imagine the state they were in. The garden is in the shade until 8:45-9:00, depending on where the beds are located. All of the beds are now clean & heavily mulched with pine needles I raked & bagged last year, for mulch purposes this growing season.
Four beds are occupied - 2 with tomatoes (growing & blooming like crazy!), one with herbs, & one with zinnias (from seed - still pretty small). From seed in peat pots, I have 4 cukes, 2 bush beans, 4 jalapenos & 2 bell peppers - they are about 2 weeks old & too small yet for the garden. I have replanted seeds for bell peppers, beans & Tithonia since other than cukes & jalapenos, germination wasn’t great. I also bought 2 6-8” bell pepper plants yesterday so I will have peppers before October!
There are 3 flower beds yet to clean up in the Hummingbird Garden. I have sunflower & zinnias to plant, a package of TX wildflowers to throw in the mix, and if I can ever get germination, some Tithonia (Mexican Sunflowers).
My Chinese neighbor brought over a bag of veggies last night. His parents live with him (don’t speak much English) & garden extensively. I now have enough garlic chives for 20 people & another plant called “celtuce” aka stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce. It has a thick stalk that looks like a broccoli stalk that you peel & then it looks like celery. It has leaves on top that look like a sturdy lettuce. I did not know this plant existed & we haven’t eaten any of it yet. Here’s a link:
https://ryhom.com/gardening/plants/vegetable/celtuce/
The hummers are draining the feeders every 3 days or less. Watching the youngsters trying to figure the feeders out is amusing.
I am battling squirrels and birds...ready to set up a small hay bale garden, but needs protection from the varmints
The "Thank God Ledge" on Half Dome in Yosemite, 600 meters to the rocks below
Another celtuce link with more pictures:
HOW TO GROW & EAT CELTUCE: AN ANCIENT TRENDY VEGETABLE
https://www.tyrantfarms.com/introducing-celtuce-the-coolest-veggie-youve-never-heard-of/
Saw a topic about Epsom salt mixture for gardens, supposed to stop some bugs and also,increase yields- others say it doesn’t t work, and caution not to,use too much (usually around 2 tbs per 5 gallon pail mix or so?) Supposed to possibly help with end rot too? Anyone have any experience with it?
Also,saw video that baking soda mix supposed to stop afids and some other things like cut worms? Agsin, any experience?
We have been raising some of our tomatoes upside down in hanging baskets. Has worked out really well, especially for cherry tomatoes of different varieties. Also peppers. You can buy pots called “Topsy turvey” to do,so, but you can make them yourself too. We hang them from the eves outside- we don’t do too many, maybe 5 or so pots, and pick and eat tomatoes as we head out the door to the car. Makes nice snacks for the drive. Last year the upside down plants were absolutely loaded with low acid sweet cherry tomatoes and peppers too.
52 yesterday morning. High of 90 a couple of days before that. Been like that for a few months.
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