Ducks4you 2021 Ragtag Thread

[digitS']

Good Luck !!

Remember that the Native Americans had a few thousand years to grow food plants. In SE Asia it was the same slash & burn agriculture (where the climate was decent enough, in Western Europe, too ). Climbing beans are often planted against the rocks bordering the garden. Also, slash & burn doesn't always mean everywhere is ash down to the soil surface. Piles of unburnt branches, dead bushes and logs are available for vegetables.

I have been successful giving pole bears - poles, in the 3 Sisters garden. They may traipse over to a cornstalk but the pole can be a primary support.

Of course, what I liked was how few weeds could invade the 3 Sisters. (What I didn't like was how I couldn't invade, either. So ... fresh is out and just plan on dry beans, corn and winter squash). Howsomeever, you can't just walk away and leave it for 4 or 5 months. I mean, whatabout the 4-legged pests! My idea is that the gardens were prime hunting sites. The shelter out there wasn't just for midday shade when the gardeners are out there. The old man may as well be sleeping there if the only other choice is coming home empty-handed .

Steve

 

[baymule]

I planted pole beans on corn stalks ONE time! It was a disaster.

 

[ducks4you]

Love THIS guy! He was telling me what I already suspected...corn stalks don't hold up much except themselves.

Yesterday I gave up hand pulling weeds between the tomatoes, and in between the tomatoes and the peppers and hauled out the tiller.
Also, mowed the Inner Sanctum with my (God) riding mower, you know, the one I bought for nearly Nothing$.
DH and I are pulling out the bush hogger to mow on Saturday.
Neighbor, who mowed this grassy strip (that belongs to US), located adjacent to and just south of the south fence of our south pasture, stopped mowing it 2 months ago. It was thick THEN, and impossible to use a regular mower on.
I had a lot of trouble putting the bush hogger on last year, so, since my friend is helping me bring a heavy piece of furniture into the DR tomorrow evening, I have asked him to help attach it.

 

[heirloomgal]

Checking on my beds after yet A N O T H E R!!!! downpour this morning.
I had buried 1/2 of last year's tomatoes that rotted there, and some of them volunteered.
I may have MANY more tomatoes this year than I thought I would have.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE volunteers!!!!
They are always tougher than the plants you nurse along.
I even have a volunteer potato growing with my okra, bc I moved dirt there from my potato bed.
Guess I missed it. WHY bother pulling it out?!?!?
Funny, all of this rain hasn't rotted my potatoes. They are ALL sending up stems and leaves, and soon, flowers.
2nd try at asparagus. DD's said that theirs is doing ok. Don't know how often they look, and I haven't had Time to look. Mine are healthy, just need some more weeding and paper treatment. Maybe, in 2 years, I will have a small harvest. We'll see it they decide to spread.
Checked on my sweet corn. Most of it (2020 seeds) have sprouted and are LOVING all of the rain.
Probably bc the south side of my garage drains well, and they are growing in 6 years of rotting and dumped used stall bedding. They are, after all HEAVY feeders.
I have good drainage on all of my beds, except north of the garage, but I planted wax begonias and impatiens there and I think they Like the extra watering.
Found some cheapo boxed packages of sweet corn yesterday at Menard's, so they will get planted in the front of the others in the next few days.
Bought 4 packages, don't know how many, but we'll see.
Also bought 4 packages of pole beans.
REMEMBER, do NOT plant pole beans next to your sweet/indian corn.
The stalks are NOT strong enough to hold up to any vining.
When they are talking, "3 sisters planting", it means bush beans and any kind of squash, not necessary pumpkins.

Uh oh @ducks4you I put three of my extra pole beans in with my dwarf corn cause I couldn't bear to throw them out! Oops! I guess I could pull them out still. I've never planted a bean with corn stalks before, always seemed a bit tangle prone that idea.

Read an interesting thing the other day, that squash is 'allelopathic' meaning apparently it does not like any neighbours and emits mild toxins from roots and all plant parts, same as sunflowers. The older the variety the worse it seems the toxins are, some women went bald after eating homemade squash soup because the toxin level in the fruit was so high, I think they suspect it cross pollinated with a wild type.

 

[ducks4you]

Just give your beans some stakes,

 

[ducks4you]

Got one more tomato fence up.
Sorry I didn't take a picture of the lone tomato plant in the cell pack. It was 15 inches long with a substantial stem and was rootbound in all of the 6 cells.
I pulled out the questionable tomato and potted it. See if it makes it.
I need 16 more to go into the bed, still need to create the last fence, but I have enough.
I also planted the 2 Pam pumpkins that sprouted bc I left seeds in a plastic container and they got wet.

 

[ducks4you]

Not yet out today---home all day.
Yesterday I finished the next tomato fencing, 4 now in all. Should take me about 20 minutes to transplant next to it.
I am out of short wire fencing to put in front. I will probably use lumber from previous loose raised beds.
Gotta keep Eva away from the plants!
Reminds me of how I protect the horses from the pastures (in the Spring,) and I protect the pastures from the horses (overgrazing them.)
Just so you KNOW, when I start posting pictures. I don't necessarily recommend using chicken wire for tomato support.
I am using what I have, which is 4 ft high rolls of chicken wire, and used and rusty metal fenceposts.
Already spent about $500 this gardening season, so I will take whatEVER freebies that I already own.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree, it is not ideal to use smaller mesh wire for tomatoes, cucumbers, or such. The best fruit seems to want to grow inside a mesh and cut itself in two. But I don't always have "ideal" conditions, I have conditions "I deal" with. Saving money by using what you have available qualifies for that. You'll get no criticism from me.

 

[ducks4you]

Thx! However, THIS year I am pruning my tomatoes and keeping an eye on them.
I planted 8 more beefsteak tomatoes, total: 32
ALL look well, and at least 12 tomatoes. One looks like it might be ripe in a few weeks.
I am trying to give them air flow to avoid rot.
I also planted seeds saved from the mini boo pumpkin that somebody gave me last Fall.
2 mounds in the gap of the first batch of sweet corn, where none grew, one mound, east bed of garage and one mound west bed of garage (both on the north side, but where they will get plenty of light.)
I moved about 1/4 of the bricks I got for free last year, with the intention of building a cold frame for next winter.
I had them on cardboard last year, next to my horse's training area.
I am moving them to create a border on the bed south of the garage.
This will be a BIG job, and I wanted to break it down into smaller jobs, thus moving all of the bricks over in about a week, so they will be feet from the project, instead of yards.
Started to remove saplings growing on the east (streetside) fencing. I made it 2 1/2 panels (pole to pole) and we used to tractor to dump them.
Cleaning house, etc. for 4th of July company interfered, but I am NOT detered!!
Our water table is SO HIGH, that I need to water my beds from the cistern to bring it down.
Fancy that!

 

[ducks4you]

First row of tomatoes have 15 fruits. I expect to start harvesting in the next 2 weeks. I still need to transplant the last 8 beefsteaks, but I am not worried about having enough. I have been weeding, tying up and pruning all plants as necessary and giving them good airflow, in what has become a very wet summer. Don't see any rot, yet.
I finished planting corn. Couldn't find ANY, and my 2021 sweet corn order never arrived. Finally I bought several plastic packages of dwarf corn, and stored it. Then, last week, Menard's had "who knows How old" cardboard boxes of Silver & Gold. I finally finished weeding the corn bed south of the garage, interplanted old bush beans--many are up--made 3 mounds for mini boo pumpkins in the southern row where no (2020 seeds) corn plants bothered to emerge, then made a pumpkin mound on the west and east sides of the bed.
I made a single row of silver & gold, and 2 rows of the dwarf.
I HAVE to bring my cistern down, so i have watered this bed heavily and nature has given it water, too.
I will get my camera out bc many turnip seeds dropped before I removed the plants, and part of my big garden is a sea of young turnips. Since I Love turnips, no loss there and many fewer weeds.
All of the peppers look good, except for one.
Since I am learning to grow sweet peppers from seed, the small ones will be up potted this week. Any that make it to the garden may produce some seeds for saving, so it's win.
I bought a Persian Lilac on clearance at WM. Planted it yesterday in between my hollys.
It is supposed to smell very fragrant and good for zones as cold as 4. Better yet, it is supposed to grow up to 8 ft high and screen my neighbors junkyard.