Weekly Garden Thread - July 23-29, 2022

July 23, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Pollard; Here is something regarding the "Missouri" method for pruning tomatos that tips the suckers and allows them to grow out and provide additional shade. (Something to use before you deploy shade clothe.)

Pruning Tomato Plants.

"One way to prune suckers, other than simple pruning, is to pinch them off at the tips rather than the base of the shoot. By leaving a few leaves, you allow the plant to produce more energy for ripening tomatoes, plus you give shade to ripening fruit. This technique is called “Missouri pruning.”

Missouri pruning reduces shock to the plant. It’s especially helpful for those in hot, sunny climates or when suckers have gotten large. The downside of Missouri pruning is that remaining suckers will grow new suckers. Carefully monitor plants when you prune sucker tips only."

(More info at link!)

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I have Picus, a determinate Roma type that not that that tasty, but has worked well in the heat, and Early Doll, which is still ripening in the heat. (So far ripened Celebrity have the best taste.) Row covers in early spring helped to get them going early and maturing before it got too hot.

(Spouse is not eating these fast enough so yes, better start canning! :)

[Bon of Babble]

It does look like that grape - but the clusters are much smaller.

I think it is a wine grape - small but very nicely sweet and has a few small seeds in it.

If I get enough, I’m going to make wine in my bathtub!

(not kidding).

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

"Something to use before you deploy shade clothe." Should be In addition to the Shade Clothe.

[Bon of Babble]

My figs are coming in fast and strong:

My gardener, unfortunately, topped off the tree otherwise I think I would have gotten a lot more.

My daughter is visiting toward the end of the week - she wants to make a fig tart and sent a recipe. I told her the figs are ripening quickly and don't last very long, even if refrigerated.

I think they're best fresh and warm right off the tree.

I'm also fighting a horrible, nasty beetle that I've never seen before that is attacking the fruit. I'm going to have to find out how to fight it.

[daniel1212]

Thanks for the ping. As said before, after 7 years or planting the same crops, I gave the garden a sabbatical this year, and I spread part of a roll of tar paper (someone threw out) out over the main garden area to kill some of the pathogens in the soil that infect me plants beginning in mid July (described here and seen here.

However, some volunteer plants are growing on the edges, while a landlord of a neighbor let me plant a garden in the small area behind a 3-decker, which the tenants can pick first from. The 25 tomato plants (started from seed in early April, planted mid May) are growing pretty good, though some show some sort of wilt, Plus some potatoes ar growing (never grew before, but growing well) and some squash but the Butternut Squash (which got a late start) is not doing so good.

And with the certified drought (by comparison, last July only saw 6 days when it did not rain, this year it is more like only 6 days of any rain, with only one storm of maybe 1/2'' or less. Thus it is good that I gave my main garden a sabbatical, while it is unlikely I would be growing much in the other spot if i had not filled most every water jug (2,5 to 5 gal) and bucket up (about 25) with rainwater collected from my tarp to barrel system last year, thank God! In this heat and pant size it takes about 8 gals at least twice a week to supply the approx. 40 plants. But I am almost out on water. If no substantial rain this week comes then water on the landlords water bill would have to be used, which I want to avoid. In this "low-income" densely populated city rent for a 3 decker with no parking is usually over 2k a month, and the LL water bill for such is about $400 or more a month. So I must pray for much rain, and to catch as much as i can. I also save water from air conditioners.

No new pics since I presently have no camera. But here is an older one of the tarp and barrels water collector. I place netting on top, plus spray a little Pam which works well against mosquitoes breeding.

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[Bon of Babble]

That is a fantastic looking quilt!!

I have my grandmother’s quilts that she made by hand.

I do a lot of sewing but haven’t gotten into quilting.

Hope you entered that in the county fair...1st prize for sure!!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

"If I get enough, I’m going to make wine in my bathtub!"

Bon; I can see you now!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Bon; Nice! Do you know the variety?

Use Organza bags to protect your figs.

Black Madeira KK from last year

[MomwithHope]

How bad was the storm? Looks pretty bad on the radar, about a couple hours away from us now.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Pollard; How is your son doing with the heat? Is he handling it well?

Upstream weather from you. Possible Cold front Sunday/Monday, chance of storms. (Cold means something like 85....) Three different models. One shows storms down toward you. (The American model does not.)

KSHB Weather Cold front one day away

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — WEATHER HEADLINES

By: Jeff Penner

The heat intensifies Saturday as highs reach 100°-105°.
A cold front likely arrives Sunday-Monday, dropping highs near KC to the 80s Monday
Thunderstorms are possible Sunday night into Monday

KANSAS CITY'S FORECAST

Saturday: Dangerous heat expected with plenty of sunshine. Wind: S-SW 10-25 mph. High: 103° Heat Index: 105-110°

Sunday: A cold front approaches and slides into the area. There is a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in northern Missouri. Wind: SW to NE 5-15 mph. Low: 83° High: 95°; 100°-105° south of KC to 80s north.

Monday: Some heat relief! More clouds and a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Wind: E-NE 5-15 mph. Low: 72° High: 88°"

[Pollard]

He’s staying indoors for the most part as am I. Yes, mid 80s will be nice. Rain too.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Bon; This?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figeater_beetle

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

The heat is brutal. I watered and came in at about 12:30. I hope the rain reaches you.

[Bon of Babble]

Yes!! That is the pest. Absolutely horrible - they fly around with a loud buzz and zoom through my yard.

I need to find out how to get rid of them. And, I’ll look into the bags to protect my figs - I’ve seen them around my neighborhood.

Of course I’d stomp those grapes with my feet! How else would there be to do it??

[Ellendra]

I also use PVC and plastic mesh a lot, but I use it for trellising, which means taking it apart and putting it back together every year. I’m slowly trying to replace the zip-ties with those velcro tomato ties you can usually find in the spring. It needs a long enough piece to wrap around at least 3 times, but it’s reusable and doesn’t break down in the sun.

Not sure if that would help in your garden, but thought I’d toss it out there.

[Qiviut]

The velcro tomato ties ... I’m going to have to keep an eye out for those. I wonder if I bought a roll of velcro & cut my own zip tie replacements, if that would work. The zip tie replacement is tedious - I hate it; however, the fencing works SO well, it’s worth it in the long run. Making the upkeep job easier would be a welcome change! Thanks for yet another great suggestion!

BTW, I have two Dragon Egg cuke plants ... I bought seeds & they germinated. The two seedlings were different - one was rather hale & hearty, the other was slow to grow & sort of puny. I only grew two (had another cuke variety I was trying too & didn’t want to be overrun with cukes) so I was worried about the puny one. When they went in the garden, I protected them (mesh/row cover cylinder for each plant) & slowly, Mr. Puny started looking better - got a few new leaves that were green, a bloom, started to grow. I am happy to say that while the overall plant is smaller than the ‘hale & hearty’ one, Mr. Puny is now growing like gangbusters, climbing the trellis, & blooming away! :-) I am anxious to get some actual fruit from these plants - looks like some little green, round bumps where the plants were flowering, so there should be some “eggs” on the vines before too long!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Are your tomatoes in a pot, or in the ground?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

A lot of Gardeners are having tough growing seasons this year - just what we DON’T need with inflation and the boneheads in DC throwing wrenches into the works at every opportunity!

My garden is catching up nicely from a COLD, WET spring - that went STRAIGHT to HOT.

It’s always something. Adapt. Improvise. Overcome! ;)

My only real advice I have is to learn from this, and stock up on shade cloth and other items needed for future HOT growing seasons in the off-season when you see them at a good price. Or, consider yourself in the next higher growing Zone and plant in a different time frame than on a ‘normal’ year for you.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Lawn chairs blown around, a few tree branches (not limbs!) down. It rained from about 2am-6am. We got a much-needed inch of rain. Rougher stuff north of me, but no lightening strikes or hail damage.

[MomwithHope]

About the same here. I bet we got more than an inch. We take in our flag when these hit. One time we came home to find it on the other side of the house stuck in the dirt top first like a javelin.