Give it some time. I've seen corn blown over that'll stand back up
GARDEN 2023
- Thread starter Pearl
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its in real bad shape and so late in growing season and all most being mature i have my doubts. i will get corn from one patch i think..but not the second. i seen corn like this and it just doesnt recover...some of it was over 7ft and beautiful. a section done same last year and it didnt recover...i just got ears that were ready and that was it. winds were going in all directions and up and down...it was crazy i tell ya...60mph was recorded here.
Thats too bad. hate to hear it
My garden has been utter crap this year. I’ve been picking bowl full of cherry tomatoes and what doesn’t get eaten right away is going in a bag in the freezer when that’s full I’m gonna start playing around with some catch-up recipes. If the sun comes out a little bit more and the rain stops. I might have a pretty good pepper crop. I’d like them to turn right on the plant not really that fond of green pepper. Plan on roasting them and making roasted pepper, tomato soup, and counting that up for the winter. My Roma tomatoes are just starting to blush, so there’s a nice fresh sauce for the table in my future
It’s really been a challenging gardening year! Glad to hear your tomatoes are coming in. I was really starting to panic about mine since our first frost date is just a month away.
Talking about taters.
If you have a few tire planters, harvest is easy and you don't stab half of them. Put a rope loop handle in one side, when its harvest time, lift up the edge of the tater-tire and drop it a couple of times, then flip it. there's all your taters, even the little ones for beans and fatback.
If you have a few tire planters, harvest is easy and you don't stab half of them. Put a rope loop handle in one side, when its harvest time, lift up the edge of the tater-tire and drop it a couple of times, then flip it. there's all your taters, even the little ones for beans and fatback.
Gardening was NOT a challenge here this year, it was non-existent!! Severe drought and 110°+ weather pretty much put a hold on my garden!!
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I got lucky this week, I planted spinach last week and it has rained a little everyday for the last three days. I checked today and I have a nice bed of spinach up. I'd rather be lucky than good 
I have completed the flow and leak testing on the ebb-flow growing trays, it only takes about 2 minutes of pump on to fill all the trays. I am going to be using shallow 6" pots to grow a variety of lettuces in there.
The Mr. Stacky arrangement is near harvest on a number of stations, now that the plants are larger it needs about 2 gallons of water everyday. It might be worth will to spend the $75 and get the 16 gallon base....
I have completed the flow and leak testing on the ebb-flow growing trays, it only takes about 2 minutes of pump on to fill all the trays. I am going to be using shallow 6" pots to grow a variety of lettuces in there.
The Mr. Stacky arrangement is near harvest on a number of stations, now that the plants are larger it needs about 2 gallons of water everyday. It might be worth will to spend the $75 and get the 16 gallon base....
This evening’s harvest. That basket is about 2’ across. I piled them by what kind. The huge round ones in the last photo are my mystery tomatoes. They are amazing.
I was thinking it was @dademoss who was asking about dwarf tomato plants but after seeing @jishinsjourney ’s post above, maybe it was her 
. Anyways, I tried “High Five” cherry tomatoes and the plants are only about 18-20” tall. I have one in the ground and one in a big pot to see - both about the same size. The one in the pot is now getting a second growth adding about 9” of new growth to the top (height). They did well but didn’t produce the quantity like regular cherry tomatoes usually do.
Just thought I’d add that here in case it helps someone.
. Anyways, I tried “High Five” cherry tomatoes and the plants are only about 18-20” tall. I have one in the ground and one in a big pot to see - both about the same size. The one in the pot is now getting a second growth adding about 9” of new growth to the top (height). They did well but didn’t produce the quantity like regular cherry tomatoes usually do. Just thought I’d add that here in case it helps someone.
@LadyLocust I don’t think that was me, but I am perpetually interested in tomato plants — and not just because my family’s Italian, though I’m sure that doesn’t hurt!
The dwarf tomato plants I’ve been growing have ranged from about 24-30” and seriously overloaded (Saucy Mary green paste style) to I think close to 4’ (for a couple of the Eagle Smiley yellow cherries). I really should measure. I’ve been wanting to build some bed covers to keep the deer off, but have forestalled myself repeatedly because “my tomatoes are too big”. Hence the experiment with the dwarf tomatoes this year.
I’ve definitely not had huge yields, but I’m comparing them to the indeterminates that usually engulf my beds, and it was not a great year for tomatoes for us anyway — too cold, then too hot, and now finally in the sweet spot but we’re about to get more rain and more cold so —
That said, I’ve got a counter full of the Vince’s Haze beefsteaks that I should figure out something to do with, since we can only eat them so fast. Wonder how they’d turn out if I sliced and dried some.
The dwarf tomato plants I’ve been growing have ranged from about 24-30” and seriously overloaded (Saucy Mary green paste style) to I think close to 4’ (for a couple of the Eagle Smiley yellow cherries). I really should measure. I’ve been wanting to build some bed covers to keep the deer off, but have forestalled myself repeatedly because “my tomatoes are too big”. Hence the experiment with the dwarf tomatoes this year.
I’ve definitely not had huge yields, but I’m comparing them to the indeterminates that usually engulf my beds, and it was not a great year for tomatoes for us anyway — too cold, then too hot, and now finally in the sweet spot but we’re about to get more rain and more cold so —
That said, I’ve got a counter full of the Vince’s Haze beefsteaks that I should figure out something to do with, since we can only eat them so fast. Wonder how they’d turn out if I sliced and dried some.
Nice harvest LadyL
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We pulled up what was left of the green beans and weeded where the onions and potatoes were , and put out winter rye in those areas. It's already coming up in some spots. Only the tomatoes are left and need to be picked yet again. I have processed a ton ( canned and frozen) , sold a ton, and gave a bunch away also, and yet there are still buckets of them.
Other garden has stuff left in it. I planted kale, kohlrabie and cabbage, plus we have lettuce and green peppers and some sad looking melons ( not really enough sun here I am pretty sure) and pumpkins , oh and butternut squash
Other garden has stuff left in it. I planted kale, kohlrabie and cabbage, plus we have lettuce and green peppers and some sad looking melons ( not really enough sun here I am pretty sure) and pumpkins , oh and butternut squash
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Yesterday my short 6" pots arrived. I had placed my seeds out in the "potting area" on Monday thinking that the pots would arrive sooner. This morning I took the pots out to plant and something got onto the table and took my seeds, almost every packet. I found where they opened them and had a midnight snack. Not happy. Thankfully, I only took out 1 packet of each thing I planned to plant.... Tomorrow I will have a nice snack for the little bugger...
I am going to add a drip tray under each growing tray in my ebb-flow system, I keep finding small drips that I want to control. I may be able to do some work on the garden tonight, but it is looking like a packed schedule.
I am going to add a drip tray under each growing tray in my ebb-flow system, I keep finding small drips that I want to control. I may be able to do some work on the garden tonight, but it is looking like a packed schedule.
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Tonight I checked the Mr Stacky growing tower, I had a lot of lettuce that needed to be harvested (about 2 produce bags full). It was the Simpon black seed variety, very delicate and we are looking forward to eating some of it tonight. I have some romaine that is ready also.
On the ebb-flow front, I made the mistake of using caulking compound around the fittings, it softens and leaks. I will replace with black Automotive RTV gasket maker... Should have known better...
I did order some more lettuces, spinach, and cherry tomato seeds for growing indoors this year...
I am looking forward to having a good winter indoor garden this year.
On the ebb-flow front, I made the mistake of using caulking compound around the fittings, it softens and leaks. I will replace with black Automotive RTV gasket maker... Should have known better...
I did order some more lettuces, spinach, and cherry tomato seeds for growing indoors this year...
I am looking forward to having a good winter indoor garden this year.
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I went through all of the sealants at Lowe's. Read all of the fine print. Only found one product rated for 100% exposure to water. Sadly it was a product of GE. Sorry I can't provide any details.
Alternatively pay the premium for niche markets and get sealants for hydroponics or aquarium sealant.
Ben
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Ditto that!
Last year was my first year with a greenhouse. I learned a good bit.
Ben
harvested two Red-n-Sweet Watermelons today first one was way over ripe and second was over ripe but way better shape and it tasted pretty sweet. these seed cost $10 for 12-14 and are sold put till next years harvest. the seed producer got them in the hands of 1000 different farmers,growers and gardeners. if i had not gotten seed i wouldnt be able to grow them next year so i let them go farther to ensure mature seed crop. only had a few melons so it was worrisome for a bit.
The Red-N-Sweet watermelon was released in 1987 by the Louisiana State University Agricultural Experiment Station in Calhoun Louisiana (Breeding officially credited to Dr. John Chester Taylor and Dr. C.E. Johnson at The Station). Opened in 1888, The Station would breed and develop five Calhoun watermelons, the Calhoun Sweet, the Summit, the Calhoun Gray, the Louisiana Queen and finally the Red-N-Sweet. With the closing of The Station in 2011, the rise in seedless watermelon popularity and the Red-N-Sweet's thin rind making for poor shipping, it was nearly lost.
However, a serendipitous moment happened in February 2020 when horticulturalist Kerry Heafner gave a presentation about heirloom apples at the Marion Garden Club in Union Parish, Louisiana. At the end of the presentation, a woman named Lula Shurtleff told him that she was given some watermelon seeds she thought might have been from the Calhoun Experiment Station. Luck would have it that those seeds turned out to be the Red-N-Sweet watermelon, as Heafner that year would grow out the seeds and trial them.
In 2021, Heafner enlisted local farms, Indian Village Harvest Farm, Belle Haven Kids Farm and Compton Farms of LA to assist in the Red-N-Sweet effort. Also in 2021, Southern Grit Magazine's Heirloom Hunters, founder Joshua Fitzwater and Managing Editor Debra Freeman, drove from Richmond, Virginia to Calhoun, Louisiana to taste the Red-N-Sweet and meet with Heafner. Blown away by the taste, Fitzwater was gifted a Red-N-Sweet watermelon and saved the seeds. In 2022, with the help of his father Anthony Fitzwater, the father and son team did a large grow of the Red-N-Sweet watermelons in Halifax, Virginia to secure seeds for other heirloom growers and farmers.
The Red-N-Sweet is as advertised, very sweet, with brix counts (sugar measurement) routinely between 11-14%. Often featuring a deep vermilion / scarlet red flesh, the fruits average 18-22 pounds, and are round to oblong with light to medium green skin and accompanying dark green stripes. Along with the vermilion red flesh, another unique characteristic is a slightly indented blossom end when the melon is mature.
From seed in soil to harvest, around 90 days.
However, a serendipitous moment happened in February 2020 when horticulturalist Kerry Heafner gave a presentation about heirloom apples at the Marion Garden Club in Union Parish, Louisiana. At the end of the presentation, a woman named Lula Shurtleff told him that she was given some watermelon seeds she thought might have been from the Calhoun Experiment Station. Luck would have it that those seeds turned out to be the Red-N-Sweet watermelon, as Heafner that year would grow out the seeds and trial them.
In 2021, Heafner enlisted local farms, Indian Village Harvest Farm, Belle Haven Kids Farm and Compton Farms of LA to assist in the Red-N-Sweet effort. Also in 2021, Southern Grit Magazine's Heirloom Hunters, founder Joshua Fitzwater and Managing Editor Debra Freeman, drove from Richmond, Virginia to Calhoun, Louisiana to taste the Red-N-Sweet and meet with Heafner. Blown away by the taste, Fitzwater was gifted a Red-N-Sweet watermelon and saved the seeds. In 2022, with the help of his father Anthony Fitzwater, the father and son team did a large grow of the Red-N-Sweet watermelons in Halifax, Virginia to secure seeds for other heirloom growers and farmers.
The Red-N-Sweet is as advertised, very sweet, with brix counts (sugar measurement) routinely between 11-14%. Often featuring a deep vermilion / scarlet red flesh, the fruits average 18-22 pounds, and are round to oblong with light to medium green skin and accompanying dark green stripes. Along with the vermilion red flesh, another unique characteristic is a slightly indented blossom end when the melon is mature.
From seed in soil to harvest, around 90 days.
Ordered my onion and garlic sets last night. Barely getting over this season and excited for the next
I planted these toms from a plain white pack with no picture. that I got for free. Forgot they were 'Sungold', I just wrote tomatoes on the marker, and was waiting weeks trying to figure out why they hadn't ripened
Anyway from a few plants they were well worth it. Made tomato jam to use them up, and gave a load to my Dad, who lost all his from blight. Been digging potatoes daily also.
I planted these toms from a plain white pack with no picture. that I got for free. Forgot they were 'Sungold', I just wrote tomatoes on the marker, and was waiting weeks trying to figure out why they hadn't ripened
Anyway from a few plants they were well worth it. Made tomato jam to use them up, and gave a load to my Dad, who lost all his from blight. Been digging potatoes daily also.
If you notice these seed available again, please let me know. I'd love to buy and grow a pack of those. I could get enough seed from those to share with local growers I know to establish them around here
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Today I got a rude surprise, the wheeled base of the tower started listing... Not good. I think that as the plants have gotten bigger the weight has moved to the top of the tower... I can fix it but not without taking it out of service. It might be a good time for upgrades.
Thanks Elky
pulled #3 today. its vine was still green and attached and its in great shape. its in icebox now getting cold for later tonight snacking.
That looks good
Ooooh, I’m coming over to get a piece of that watermelon!
Get ready for company Elkie!!
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The ebb-flow system is working better than expected, I have plants up in 8 pots now, just lettuce, spinach, and green onions but they are up. I am finding that I only need to run the pump for about a minute and a half each day to keep everything happy. I have enough supplies (save the pump) to make another system out in the greenhouse, so that will be the next thing in the plan.
The Mr. Stacky growing tower is doing well and we are finding that the spinach seems to like to grow there, we are getting some harvests off it each week now. I did learn that the radishes and turnips were a mistake to try there, they grow fine but seem to attract aphids....
Speaking of aphids, I have decided to use tall humidity domes on all the growing trays going forward, not for climate control but to ensure that any pests cannot move between growing containers. I am also pre-treating the inside of the humidity domes with a mild lingering insecticide, so any flying insects that are in the growing soil meet a quick end. (Don't freak out, it's nothing strong but something approved for kitchen counters and such).
When watering yesterday I discovered that I have volunteer Siam Tomatoes coming up in one of my raised beds, I am going to transplant them back into the greenhouse for winter gardening.
FYI the greenhouse is a mess right now so I need to clean off all the selves and prepare for the winter growing season. I plan to make a curtain (clear shower curtain) all the way around the growing station rack (6" off set on the sides, 12" off set in the front) using water pipe directly connected to the shelving unit as the supports. This way I can place a small heater inside the curtain at the front.
I think adding ebb-flow to the system will greatly reduce the maintenance necessary to keep plants going all winter and having the reservoirs at the base of the shelves will provide some thermal mass at night.
Outdoors, I have a nice bed of spinach (18"X 36") up, just putting on their first true leaves. I am harvesting okra, beets, onions, lettuce, and spinach each week.
I need to prep a couple of beds for growing onions and garlic for a spring harvest. I think I will to that next weekend.
I am in the process of finishing my last solar array built over my rain water storage barrels. I am also building racks for growing trays under the array. The logic is that for many shallow root plants like spinach and lettuce that bolt as summer comes on I can grow them in 1010 growing trays the shade of the solar array and avoid the bolting issue to some extent.
The Mr. Stacky growing tower is doing well and we are finding that the spinach seems to like to grow there, we are getting some harvests off it each week now. I did learn that the radishes and turnips were a mistake to try there, they grow fine but seem to attract aphids....
Speaking of aphids, I have decided to use tall humidity domes on all the growing trays going forward, not for climate control but to ensure that any pests cannot move between growing containers. I am also pre-treating the inside of the humidity domes with a mild lingering insecticide, so any flying insects that are in the growing soil meet a quick end. (Don't freak out, it's nothing strong but something approved for kitchen counters and such).
When watering yesterday I discovered that I have volunteer Siam Tomatoes coming up in one of my raised beds, I am going to transplant them back into the greenhouse for winter gardening.
FYI the greenhouse is a mess right now so I need to clean off all the selves and prepare for the winter growing season. I plan to make a curtain (clear shower curtain) all the way around the growing station rack (6" off set on the sides, 12" off set in the front) using water pipe directly connected to the shelving unit as the supports. This way I can place a small heater inside the curtain at the front.
I think adding ebb-flow to the system will greatly reduce the maintenance necessary to keep plants going all winter and having the reservoirs at the base of the shelves will provide some thermal mass at night.
Outdoors, I have a nice bed of spinach (18"X 36") up, just putting on their first true leaves. I am harvesting okra, beets, onions, lettuce, and spinach each week.
I need to prep a couple of beds for growing onions and garlic for a spring harvest. I think I will to that next weekend.
I am in the process of finishing my last solar array built over my rain water storage barrels. I am also building racks for growing trays under the array. The logic is that for many shallow root plants like spinach and lettuce that bolt as summer comes on I can grow them in 1010 growing trays the shade of the solar array and avoid the bolting issue to some extent.
OMG! That looks so refreshing. I sure wish I had the room to grow melons.
