XXX Garden Porn Update for August....very graphic.

[bvar22]

(See this thread for the Spring Edition of Veggie Garden Porn)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2601


This is how things looked a couple of days ago.... Uncommonly GREEN and LUSH for August.... Weird.

(The rickety structure in the right foreground is a "work in progress". It will become a Grape Arbor of woven Hickory Branches. It is sturdier than it looks, and the Grapes are doing great. The "arch" is still being woven out of Hickory and Willow and will be added this week. That IS a Pumpkin on the far right.)

We have had a very bizarre Summer.
Our August weather came in May/June, over 100 degrees and NO rain from late April until July.
The early Summer outlook was grim. It was too hot for Tomatoes, and everything was baked, stunted, or wilted.
Last year, we carried Veggie Baskets full of Melons, Cantaloupes, Beans, Cucumbers, Peppers to neighbors on July 4th.
Not this year.
We barely harvested out 1st tomato by July 4th.

We were almost ready to Write Off this years garden......and then the HEAT broke, and it started raining. The garden responded, and we are harvesting lots of good veggies.
We are STILL having unusual weather with cool temps and rain well into August.
The Garden loves it, and so do we.


This is a "Better Boy". It produced many tomatoes, but they are disappointing...bland,
still, they are better than anything in the stores.
This bush is almost eaten up with Late Blight.
We are going to harvest the tomatoes and pull it up tomorrow.
This will NOT go into our compost. Anything showing any fungal problems or blight is going to be removed from the garden area.
We have plenty of compost and don't feel it is worth the risk.

We have done some things to limit blight and other fungal problems in our garden.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=246&topic_id=12114&mesg_id=12124
These types of problems are common in our area, but the damage can be limited organically.
Next year we are going to be more aggressive.



This is my favorite tomato, a "Creole", and has managed to evade Late Blight (See Above Link) and is still going strong.
Starkraven and Myself both agreed, "Best. Tomato. Ever."
"Creole Tomatoes" will be our main tomatoes next year.



This tomato is getting a lot of attention. We transplanted it yesterday.
We started the seed in Mid July. We are hoping for a Late Frost and some more Creole tomatoes into October. We may be a little late, and next year we will start seeds on July 1st. We also started another Creole, 2 Bloody Butchers, and 2 Brandywines.
We've never grown Bloody Butchers, but how can you resist that name?...and only 55 days to fruit.
We'll let you know how this works. Even if we don't get tomatoes, we've only risked a few seeds.



We were really happy with the Cantaloupes this year....very tasty.
These are Ambrosias, and we love them. Very tasty. We grew them on a stout trellis this year, and they pick themselves when perfectly ripe.
When they fall off, they are perfect for eating, just make sure they have something soft to fall on. :)



The biggest surprise this year was the "Lower Addition".
This was the section we added this Spring. We simply tilled up the section, screened out the rocks, and mounded up the dirt.
We added no compost or other soil enhancements, and expected very little. The soil didn't look very fertile.


We planted a bunch of seeds just for luck....and WOW.
It turned into a jungle.

Field Peas on the right. Okra, Watermelon, Green Beans, Gourds, and Pumpkins moving Left.
If you look immediately in front of the Pole Beans on the rear left, you will see a broader leafed, not quite so dark green plant.
This is Okra.
We've never grown Okra before, and the next photo is one I took this morning, and is the catalyst for this whole post.



This is an Okra Blossom.
Having never grown Okra, or seen it grown, I was completely taken by surprise.
It is breathtakingly beautiful, about the size of a Hibiscus, and my photo does not do it justice.
I would grow these purely for the flowers, but they don't last long.
You have to get up early to see them (and use a flash to photograph them).
I hope the Okra is good. I've never really liked Okra.





The Asparagus is doing well. It has been trouble free so far.
No insects seem to attack it. No fungal or disease problems so far.
We just water it from time to time, and it keeps growing.
If it does OK over the Winter, we will be able to eat some next year.






This was unexpected too.
This Passion Flower has gone crazy and produced a ton of fruit.
We are open for good ideas on how to eat this fruit.
The Internet Tubes say it is very good for us with medicinal properties, but we've never eaten it.
Good recipes will be appreciated


Squash also did unexpectedly well. We have never been able to harvest any Squash.
The Squash Bugs always got to it first. I don't know if the weird weather was a factor, or the steps we have take to minimize the Squash Bugs were effective.
We will know next year.

The Zucchini is already harvested and eaten, but the Butternut Squash is still going strong.
It is still flowering and making new fruit.


The Honey Bees have had a good Summer in spite of the early drought.

Both hives have high populations, and appear healthy. They hang out on the porch when it gets hot, and fan the hive with their wings. The white blob in the right photo is a piece of HoneyComb that we put back on the step for the Bees.



This is Clover Honey that we harvested in July.
We left plenty for the Bees. We love the Bees and are beyond fascinated by them.




This last photo is some Swiss Chard that bolted in the July heat.
The colors are spectacular. It was too pretty to clip, so we left it alone, and will harvest seeds for next year

WE are canning lots of delicious Green Beans which are going strong, and shifting gears for the Fall.
We will add compost to some of our beds, cover with newspapers and mulch, and let rest until next Summer.
Others will get Fall and Winter crops.
We are planning for a Fall planting of Broccoli, Cauliflower, Spinach, Mustard, Radish, Onion, Chives and Garlic.
Maybe some Cold Frames for pushing in to Winter.
It is sad to think that the Summer growing season is almost over. :(


This has been our 3rd growing season, and we are still experimenting and learning.
The most common phrase heard in our garden now is "Next year, we will....."

[Arkansas Granny]

1. Great pictures and a beautiful, bountiful garden.

That makes me want to go out and get some dirt under my fingernails.

[bvar22]

4. Hi, Arkansas Granny.

We're practically neighbors.
We get to Ft Smith from time to time for supplies.
Maybe we can meet for lunch.
:hi:

[Arkansas Granny]

6. That would be great. pm me the next time you are going to be here

and maybe we can make some arrangements.

[hippywife]

2. OMG! Very graphic is right!

You guys are just amazing! I always look forward to seeing these but then I feel horribly lazy because ours pales in comparison!

I'm still tryin' to catch my breath!

Hugs to you both from one ol'hippie to another! :hug: :hug:

[bvar22]

5. Hi.

Things really perked up in July with the rain and cooler temps.
Usually by now everything is dry and brown.
We're really enjoying having real green grass and clover underfoot, and stuff still blooming in the garden.

Hugs back to you, Friend & Kindred Spirit.
:hippie:

[beac]

3. Glorious!

Who knew okra had such pretty blooms? My best friend's mom used to make delicious fried okra with a really light cornmeal crust.

I didn't know Swiss Chard could bolt and I surprised mine hasn't as it's been HOT, HOT, HOT here in VA. Swiss Chard has been fun to grow, but I think I've decided I like the baby leaves in salad better that the mature leaves cooked.

This is my first year growing anything beyond basil and cherry tomatoes, and it's been quite an education.

I'd love to hear more about "the steps (you) have take to minimize the Squash Bugs." I ended up resorting to hand-picking and squishing (disgusting) and tearing off and disposing of any leaves w/eggs on them. It seemed to work, but then Vine Borers got to both my zucchini AND yellow squash, so I got to eat a lot of tasty blossoms and about four fruits. :( The cucuzza squash (really a gourd) I grew from seed is finally making fruits and growing it in a container seems to have prevented its garden-takeover tendencies.

I just planted a second round of peas, though my first plants AMAZINGLY were still producing pods right up until last week! Not a lot, but enough to toss a few fresh peas into our salad every night.

No melons here. Tried growing Sugar Baby watermelons, but the *#$%!@% groundhogs kept eating all the leaves off the little plants and they never got going. We live in the country and they groundhogs have plenty of other things to eat, but they just LOVE to strip the bottom leaves off every single thing I've got, be they flowers or veggies. Grrrrrr.

I've had good luck adapting Mother Earth News' method for growing lettuces in clamshells. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Grow-It/Growing-Lettuce-Indoors-Small-Space-Gardening.aspx Instead of growing indoors, I placed them on a shelf on the screened porch. With the only direct sun being in the very late afternoon/evening, the leaves didn't bolt or get bitter at all.

For fall, I am going to try some spinach, turnips and Florence fennel (though I hear it's hard to grow and may be a source of frustration rather than food!)

[bvar22]

7. We love our Mother ! (Mother Earth News).

One of our Bibles.
Mother published some of my photos last year.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=280&topic_id=43395

Countryside & Small Stock Journal is another.
http://www.countrysidemag.com/

But, MAN, some of the LTTEs are from really strange folks....so far out on the Libertarian Right they are scary. We don't consider ourselves "Survivalists", and don't pray for a Big Crunch so we can shoot hungry people. We have met some of those who have moved into these hills fantasizing about the Big Crunch while they fondle their guns....They scare us, and we keep away from them.

Squash Bugs...Hate them.
Zucchini will be green and beautiful on one day...and the next, it is laying on the ground.

Hand picking is still one of the few ways to deal with them, though we don't squish them.
We keep a small jar 1/2 filled with water, and just drop them in. They can't swim.


There is also this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=246&topic_id=8830
This works very well, especially if eggs have hatched and there are a hundred little gray Squash Bugs running around.


Squash Bugs live and survive over the Winter in the sod, debris layer, and mulch at ground level.
One way to deal with them is to remove all the plant debris and mulch in the Fall where you have had an infestation. In the Fall, we let our chickens work over areas where we have Squash Bugs. They are pretty thorough.

We avoid planting Squash in the same place as last year.
This year, we isolated the Squash so that it is easier to monitor for bugs.
Since Squash Bugs don't fly, we used some ground barriers this year.

Over on the far right under the tripods is where we planted the Squash this year, Zucchini in front, Butternut in the rear. We laid Landscaping Cloth all around the tripods, and then covered with a very clean Hardwood Mulch (White Oak we got from a Pallet Mill). There is very little raw earth, sod, or decomposing organic matter for the Squash Bugs to hide in around the Squash.

The hexagonal raised beds are made from landscaping logs. They are easy to work around, and provide easy access when looking for Squash Bugs. They also hold water like little swimming pools.
We'll put the garden hose on one side, flood the bed, and watch for Squash Bugs running out the other side. They can't swim and will run from flooding water making it easier to spot them.

In general, since Squash Bugs survive over the Winter, we feel that if we can reduce their population this season, we will have less of a problem next year....and this seems to be working.
We had a terrible infestation our first year. Last year was better, but we still lost our Squash.
This year, we had a few Squash Bugs, but managed to get a decent crop.


Of Course, we may just have been lucky this year.
We had a very dry Spring (No Rain at all), so maybe THAT is what kept the Squash Bugs down this year.
We don't know for sure, but next year should tell us something.

One of our friends at the Farmers Market who we KNOW doesn't use pesticides (he keeps bees) recommends planting Squash LATE, like in June/July. He says that it will miss the Spring infestation and still have time to produce good Squash. We haven't tried this, but sounds like it may work.

Good Luck with your Fall garden.

[beac]

8. I'll have to try the vacuum trick! I will certainly look a little less crazy than I did sprawled

on my back so I could gaze under every leaf! :) And I had no idea they couldn't swim, but I did notice they ran like heck anytime I watered. Hoping my diligence this year will pay off next, though I did just see a bunch of nymphs over on my butternut (which I thought they weren't supposed to like?) My neighbor keeps chickens, so maybe I'll arrange a "playdate" for them to come have at the ground once growing time is over.

Now that I also know about vine borers, I can add wiping down the stems every morning to my routine. By the time I figured out what was up this year, it was too late.

Lovely photos in Mother Earth! I am hoping to FINALLY get some Morning Glorys blooming. They have been a favorite of the %#*&!^# groundhog and every time they start trailing up something, he comes along and slices them off at the knees. :mad: Ended up plating some in a pot and putting it up above the reach of grasping furry paws!


Thanks for the tip on Countryside. I've added it to my bookmarks! :hi:

[bvar22]

10. "Squash Bugs can't swim" may be a slight overstatment.

They do paddle around a bit when you drop them in the jar, but they can't climb out so they eventually die.
We joke with delight about the little bastards not being able to swim when we drop them in the jar. ("Drown you bastard!")
Told ya we hated them.


The other bug we hate is the tomato horn worm.
Those we throw to the chickens who are delightfully merciless with horn worms.

[beac]

11. Glad to know I'm not the only one whose inner sadist is activated by Squash Bugs.

I trick them into climbing onto a large leaf from my nearby strawberries or nasturtiums and then stomp it into pulp. Did you know squash Bugs smell like bananas when squished? Very weird.

And your ME pic brought me good luck-- my FIRST Morning Glory bloomed this a.m.! :applause:

[MuseRider]

12. Colorado Potato Beetle Larva

I HATE to kill things, avoid it even if I am scared of what I am trying to save...WASPS. Those little larvae suckers have invaded my garden and almost decimated my potatoes this year. Every morning and evening my husband and I have what we call our search and destroy time. We count them, often almost 100 at a time and squash them into little orange messes. I HATE them. I have 90 feet of potatoes and they have almost denuded them overnight when we miss one session. As a matter of fact, that is where I am going when I finish posting this, out to kill more of those nasty orange suckers.

Anyone know much about Spinosad (sp?). We had and overnight invasion of Armyworms and Hornworms that took entire branches off our tomatoes. We had been picking off the occasional one but one night under a light we found hundreds of them. We have 22 tomato plants and because of the odd weather this year had yet to have one even turn red now in mid August. We gave in and sprayed, we heard it is considered organic (yes we know how that often goes), and now we have no worms. There was no way we could pick them all off, I have never seen anything like it other than the Colorado Potatoe Beetle Larva invasion. We have lost many tomatoes and finally yesterday picked our first ripe Krim....mmmmmmmmm. Brandywines are huge but green, Romas are tiny and some are turning, German Queens (our early variety) have just started to get big but not even close to turning. We could not stand to lose them all. It took way too much concern and effort to get them past this spring and early summer. What an awful year for gardens.

No serious squash bug problem here so far anyway. I suppose that is next, maybe next year but I will be on the lookout for them. I like the vacuum idea.

[beac]

13. Yuck! Wormy things are the worst. Ugh.

Glad you are finally getting a tomato or two.

It's been weird weather all over. We had a frost here in VA at the end of May. I was glad to be gardening in containers, but my dog was baffled to see the hallway and living room filled with plants.

[Blue Gardener]

9. Gorgeous!

You have a beautiful garden, and the honey looks delicious.

[nc4bo]

14. Beautiful bvar! About that okra.....

Your photo inspired me to take one of my plants and you are right, the blossums are gorgeous but shortlived ;(

If it's the sliminess of okra that you don't like (icky for me too) here's how I cook mine - NO SLIME!:

Take a couple handfuls of okra (15 or so) and slice them up, chop about a 1/2 cup of onions then saute the onions and okra in either a couple tablespoons of bacon fat (use the bacon too) or same amount of olive oil. Saute til onions are clear and okra color turns dull green (I guess that'd be until tender).

Peel and skin around 10-12 Roma tomatoes or 3-4 regular ones and chop then add to the okra and onion. Put a lid on your pan and lightly simmer tomato/okra mix for about 20 minutes.

Spice up the way you like, I've used a just a touch of homemade spaghetti sauce seasoning (oregano, basil and garlic) along with celery seed (or chop up some fresh celery and saute with the onions and okra), fresh jalapeno peppers, garlic, salt, pepper and hot sauce.

You can also use fresh corn you cut off the cob(depends on your preference) - 2 ears of corn works for us. Toss your corn in after the 20 minutes your tomato/okra combo has cooked. Simmer the corn/tomato/okra for 10 minutes or so.

Trust me, this is good stuff you can serve with rice, as a side veggie dish or eat all by its lonesome and best of all, no okra slime.

[femmocrat]

15. Thank you for the wonderful photos!

Gorgeous!