Back to Eden Gardening

[Beekissed]

Painted the gate on my son's little BTE, then worked out on the little starts of crab grass growing there. I seem to have beaten back the Bermuda there a good bit and I'll keep on it..this Rogue hoe is a wonder for cutting that stuff up.

Tied up his volunteer tomato, which now has a tiny tomato on it....this tomato looks to be a determinate variety and is strong and healthy thus far.

Spread epsom salts all over his garden and then watered it in. His melons, squash, cukes, beans, maters, onions, flowers and lettuce all look amazing so far. I'll bring some Neem over to his place and try to prevent squash borers getting to his squash....last year he had an amazing squash plant that was killed in its prime by squash borers.

 

[henless]

My garden is moving right along. My tomato jungle is growing. Usually my tomatoes don't do so hot, but this year they are. I guess next year I need to give them a bit more room. On the right is Early Girl (back), Better Boy & Cherokee Purple in front. Left is Early Girl (back), Beefsteak & 2 Black Beauty eggplants. Oh, and one volunteer watermelon that decided to join the party.



Here is my eggplant. I've never been able to grow one before. It's leaves are getting eaten pretty bad, but it's growing faster than the bugs can eat it. I've got several "eggs" growing on both plants.



My peppers are doing good. I'm not a pepper grower either, but I've already froze a gallon size bag of chopped up peppers. I have 2 Giant Marconi, 2 Poblano, 2 Sweet Banana and I forgot what the other 2 are.



My okra is almost ready to top. About another foot and I can cut them to start their branching. When I grew it last year, I didn't know you could cut it. I just let it grow. It got about 7-8 ft tall. I believe this pic is before I thinned them out a bit.



My squash was doing really well. Yellow crook neck & zucchini. Squash vine borer as attacked so the are slowly dieing. They seem to attack my zucchini more than the crook neck. That is just one plant on the end. I had 3 of each in that bed.



Seems I've hit the limit of pics for this post. I will continue ...

 

[henless]

I've let my butter crunch lettuce go to seed for next year. Please ignore the Bermuda grass in some of my pics. It's a war I've given up on. I've decided to fight the evil a different way next year.



I planted dill this year. I'm not doing pickles, I just wanted to plant some and see how it did. I love the way it smells and the flowers are pretty!



Last but not least are my marigolds. I planted orange & yellow, but the orange are doing better this year. I did plant the yellows a couple weeks later. They were hard to find this year. I like to buy the small 6 packs since they grow so big.



This is what happens to your garden when plans change. I'm working 5-6 days a week now, so no time to really tend it. The bermuda is having a hay day. I have raked up all the leaves/pine straw I was using for a cover. I just mow now between the beds.

I have Landreth bush beans growing in the front bed. I only had 10 come up, so I'm letting them go to seed and saving them for next season.

 

[baymule]

@henless if you can part the weeds, reach in and pick something to eat, then you are the WINNER!!!

My tomatoes are huge this year. This is the third year they have been planted in the same place and they are telling me they like it. I have Cherokee Purple (pictured) Rosso Sicilian paste, German Johnson, Mortgage Lifter and Tommy Toes.

I love the marigolds in your garden. I always grew them at our old house, but haven't planted any at the new place. Thanks, I needed the inspiration.Your garden is looking awesome. Don't worry about the Bermuda, if you squint your eyes and cock your head sideways, it disappears!

 

[ninnymary]

Bay, are your tomatoes bigger in your new property compared to the old?

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

You guys are WAY ahead of us here in WV and your plants look GREAT!!!! Henless I don't care if the Bermuda is attacking or what, that's one GREAT looking garden all the same. We are having a good garden year here and apparently so isn't everyone else but both you and Bay's gardens are really healthy looking.

Right now I'm suffering a huge wave of Jap Beetles and will buy some traps tomorrow. I've already applied the Neem but it's a slow killer, not immediate, so they are busing mating and chewing their way through my apple saplings, my cukes, my beans, my roses and everything else they land on.

 

[baymule]

Bay, are your tomatoes bigger in your new property compared to the old?

Mary

Yes, although the first 2 years here haven't been that great. This year they are just HUGE!

Bee, it's too bad you can't let your chickens in the garden to eat the beetles, but they would eat everything....they are chickens.

 

[Beekissed]

Yep...they'd have everything all scratched up for sure. I'm going to get a few traps and THEN feed the bugs to the birds. That works too.

 

[pjn]

Got my Rogue hoe yesterday. It is everything that has been said about it. Makes weeding a lot easier. Worth the money.

 

[ninnymary]

I've never had Black Krims this big before. So maybe those chips are working. Picked it a little green because something ate part of an early girl.