How Does Your Garden Grow??????

xtsho

Well-Known Member
It's been extremely hot for the last couple weeks. 90 degrees fahrenheit or hotter for a couple weeks. It's been quite a chore to make sure everything has been watered adequately. My drip system wasn't close to keeping up so I found myself out in the garden in the evening fighting bugs while standing there with the hose. Fortunately everything came through just fine. I was even fertilizing weekly. Plants sure liked it. I'm not looking forward to my July water bill.

I'm using the ladder to pick the beans.



Cucumbers are still going crazy. I've been giving them away.




Everyone thinks the gourds are cool



The kale is still growing good. I have another area with about ten plants.



I thought my peppers were done early on in the season but they made a comeback.

Green



Serrano's



Anaheim



The volunteer Sunflower is over ten feet tall



The tomato's have gone nuts. There is no possible way my girl and I will be able to eat them all.




 

too larry

Well-Known Member
Everyone is looking good. I pulled the pickle bush cukes today, and got some soil mix down. Didn't get any transplants done.

It was light rain showers this morning, so I worked on a soil mix under the pole barn, then got a little work done in the garden between showers. I'm getting a couple three ears of corn a day. First of the corn in the skips of the saved seed okra. It's mostly the two color variety.
 

socaljoe

Well-Known Member
How often do you replant cukes during the season, Larry?

I'm starting to think that my way of planting once and keeping those plants around the whole season might not be the way to go. Going forward, I'll be working on rotating out old plants with new to try and get better, more consistent yields. Is that something you think is a good idea?
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
How often do you replant cukes during the season, Larry?

I'm starting to think that my way of planting once and keeping those plants around the whole season might not be the way to go. Going forward, I'll be working on rotating out old plants with new to try and get better, more consistent yields. Is that something you think is a good idea?
I've been planting about once a month. I try to stagger the planting so the new patch comes in before the old one cashes. The rain is doing a number on mine. I get a couple three good weeks out of a patch, then they start to slide. This is what was left of my pickle bush cukes.

DSCF9923.JPG DSCF9924.JPG
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
I had halfway planned on putting the cukes in the patch with my Indian broad beans, but I was afraid I would forget to check on them.
 

socaljoe

Well-Known Member
Yeah, that sounds like the way to go. Between March and November, I could probably get a good 5 rotations in.

I need to start thinking in terms of production. If a plant isn't producing, it gets cut down and replaced. I'm not growing flowers here. :mrgreen:
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Just went out and picked this from the garden. I've not been keeping up and some of the cucumbers and beans got larger than I would like. I'll pickle the big beans and use for Bloody Mary garnish. For the cucumbers I'll peel and scrape the seeds out. Then slice into 1/4 - 1/2 inch pieces and make cucumber kim chi.

 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Yeah, that sounds like the way to go. Between March and November, I could probably get a good 5 rotations in.

I need to start thinking in terms of production. If a plant isn't producing, it gets cut down and replaced. I'm not growing flowers here. :mrgreen:
My cucumbers have usually stopped producing around this time of year but they keep going. This year I've been giving small weekly feedings of Jobe's Organic All Purpose 4-4-4. I just scatter it around and water it in. It seems to have kept them producing really well. They are heavy feeders.
 

socaljoe

Well-Known Member
My cucumbers have usually stopped producing around this time of year but they keep going. This year I've been giving small weekly feedings of Jobe's Organic All Purpose 4-4-4. I just scatter it around and water it in. It seems to have kept them producing really well. They are heavy feeders.
I think a big part of my problem was the heat. July was exceptionally hot this year, for a week straight we hit over 105°. They were putting out a decent amount of female flowers, and I've had a lot of bees around the get pollination going, but the fruit just wasn't taking.

We can all find out pretty soon if I'm on the right track with my new plan, or if I crash and burn. :mrgreen:
 

xtsho

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of growing peas next year, but I won't be looking forward to all that shucking.
Yeah the shucking is a hassle but the reward is worth it. Speaking of peas. I just realized I had a container in the fridge I forgot about. They've started sprouting. I think I'm going to sow them somewhere and hope for a fall harvest. I'm not very optimistic that they'll do anything but what the heck.

 

too larry

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of growing peas next year, but I won't be looking forward to all that shucking.
My pea patch went toes up this week. Just too much rain. And they were almost weed free. As soon as I get the corn and all the other spent stuff mowed, I'll put in another pea patch. The wife does most of the shelling. I do help out if I'm around when she's doing it.
 

too larry

Well-Known Member
The broad beans are like greenbeans, you just have to pick them really young, or they are too tough. With them away from the garden {so the seeds would be true} I don't always think of them in time, so there are always a few that are too big already, and go into the compost pile.
 

socaljoe

Well-Known Member
Mine are needing to be transplanted. Today and tomorrow are good days, but I worked until 0230 this morning, and other than picking what had to be picked, didn't do shit in the garden today. Tomorrow is a hell of a long day at work too, and the wife want to go see her cousin's new house on Sunday, so. . . . . .
I figure I have about a week before these need transplanting. Then it's game on.
 
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