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[thistlebloom]

Bee, I think it's as you mentioned, that pest bugs are not established in areas where they haven't had their favorite meals for a long time, or ever.

I don't remember, but didn't you say you gave your flock access to your garden last fall?

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...every fall, all through winter and in the early spring.

 

[seedcorn]

I hate to type this, you need better moles to eat the grubs before they become a problem..... Now I gave to go wash after typing that.

 

[Beekissed]

 

[Beekissed]

The SS peas I planted the other day are up about 5 in. (planted those 5 days ago) and the Fortex beans are blooming like crazy, despite being chewed to death all along the top by the JBs. I think we'll have plenty of beans from those plants, if the first picking is any indication. Wish I had a taller trellis for them but I just can't....maybe next year I'll be able to do an arching CP trellis for them or tall TP structures like they used to do for pole beans.

I'm thinking a row of these BOSS sunflowers would be perfect! This single volunteer is HUGE! Only problem is that it had to be staked early on or it would have uprooted by now. Taproot plants don't root deeply in this clay bottomed garden.

Got two cukes from the lonely survivor and more coming on.

The tomatoes are looking great, spotted a small mater on one of the beefsteak varieties. I'm going to try and be steadfast in trimming them when they get to the top of the trellises this year so they can set more fruit below. Last year I had pruned off all the blighted branches up so far that I had no choice but let them grow up further than the trellises.

The lettuce seedlings under the small temp tunnel are doing great and I really need to get some frames for the larger tunnels done so I can set them out there.

The yellow squash are making a comeback from squash bug predation. Brought home some of the same from Joel's BTE...his plant is healthy and producing fine. His cherry tomato is loaded and his Fortex beans are setting on too.

Strawberries are producing, though I never seem to stay on top of them well enough to harvest them as they come on. Raspberry canes are getting TALL...need to trellis those this next week.

Though the bug counts are high, this third year in the BTE gives me hope for this method...things are growing well and seem to have a good balance of nutrients. Some things are growing VERY well.

 

[henless]

In my bte garden, I've noticed I've had the most bugs in the beds that have wood chips. Most of my beds are covered in leaves or pine straw. Not much bug action going on there. In my squash bed, I had it covered in wood chips. Squash bugs were every where!

I pulled all my squash out and raked out all the chips, or most of them. They are hard to get out completely. I threw them in the chicken run and let the young pullets eat the bugs. I replanted with summer squash, and they are doing good. I still had a few squash bugs, but I got some garden dust like Bee was talking about. I sprinkled it around my squash and most of the bugs have gone. What few I find, I squash. They sure do stink.

My tomatoes are still producing. My Early Girl is my best producer. She tastes ok, but I love the taste of my Brandywines. I planted those in pots on the porch, so they aren't producing as much as the garden tomatoes. I want to get more of those next year and plant them out in the garden.



My peppers are doing real good. I need to get some new pics up. They are as tall as my tomato cages & producing a lot of peppers. Mine are all sweet peppers.

I had a funny looking tomato develop. This side looks like a heart or Mickey Mouse perhaps.




Flip it over & my granddaughter says it looks like a butt! LOL

 

[Beekissed]

Those all look so pretty!!!! I agree...you really can't beat the flavor of the Brandywines, be they the red or yellow varieties. They are just so sweet and tangy, a true tomato flavor.

 

[Beekissed]

These Fortex beans I planted this year are very productive....only...no one likes their flavor. It's a shame, as they are a very strong germinating seed, strong growth and even resistant to extreme insect damage and just keep on producing.

Now, I don't eat beans so they all taste like dirt to me, but everyone who has sampled these beans here say they lack good flavor, one even described them as having a chemical flavor or very little flavor at all. All agreed that they can't hold a candle to half runner beans.

Anyone else tasted these Fortex beans and have a comparison?

 

[Beekissed]

Added a new layer of chips on the garden, especially around the plants where they were so thin. These chips were half composted, having been piled for a year, but they still seem to be leaching nitrogen from the plants all the same.

This is where I get confused about this method...if one is always adding chips as the other chips compost down, isn't one always experiencing nitrogen leaching from the newer chips? So always having to worry about nutrient balance, how much to add without it being too much, etc.

So, now I have to go and steal some compost from the coop, when I have very little left to steal, and make it into compost tea so it will go further and side dress all these plants. After three years of this method, you'd think that all this side dressing would be over and one could just count on the nutrition from the composting wood chips, wouldn't you? When does it all balance out and for how long?

 

[ninnymary]

Added a new layer of chips on the garden, especially around the plants where they were so thin. These chips were half composted, having been piled for a year, but they still seem to be leaching nitrogen from the plants all the same.

This is where I get confused about this method...if one is always adding chips as the other chips compost down, isn't one always experiencing nitrogen leaching from the newer chips? So always having to worry about nutrient balance, how much to add without it being too much, etc.

So, now I have to go and steal some compost from the coop, when I have very little left to steal, and make it into compost tea so it will go further and side dress all these plants. After three years of this method, you'd think that all this side dressing would be over and one could just count on the nutrition from the composting wood chips, wouldn't you? When does it all balance out and for how long?

Do you think Paul may have these questions answered somewhere? Blog, videos, etc. I'm sure others have encountered these same problems. I have but fortunately very little.

Mary