How is your garden doing so far?

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

My garden look gorgeous. But something is amiss. I have five feet tall corn stalks no ears? My zukes and cukes are blooming beautiful but no fruit. I just don't get it. It makes me think there could be a pollination problem. But then the maters a fruiting and doing great.

This is so confusing cause I can see that only one cuke of the 100's of blosoms is growing. And the only zuke that grew was the one I hand pollinated. I just don't get it.

From your description, I think maybe it IS a pollination problem. Here's why I think so: Zukes, cukes and corn all have male and female flowers that are seperate, but on the same plant. They need pollinators (or, I think for corn, wind) to pollinate. Tomatoes on the other hand have male and female parts in the SAME flower, so a simple tap pollinates them.

Check out your zuke and you will see that there are flowers with mini-fruit on them (female) and flowers that are on plain stalks (male). Same goes for the cukes. I just learned about this recently, and I hope this info is correct.

If someone is reading this and I got it wrong, please feel free to correct me!

 

[Purple Strawberry]

WOW, that was great info GrowingVeggiesinSC.

Thanks :rainbow-sun

 

[jlmann]

Hattie - Have your brandywines done anything yet?

The "brandywines" that I have ( not really sure if they are or not) are a " german leafed" variety ( some say "potato leaf") and they just don't seem to start well indoors. I always have to start mine outside in direct sunlight to have any success at all. Down side: lots of watering because the sun dries out the soil quickly. Up side: I don't have to harden them off and once they are a couple of inches tall they can go into the ground. Maybe this variety was developed somewhere where it was warm enough to sow tomatoes "in situ" and not have to fight with hardening off???? Who knows? Anyway , maybe try some outside in a planter when your weather there in the UK is warm enough and prick them out once they have germinated. Hope you can get them started- Brandywines are a really GOOD slicing tomato.

Hope everyone else is having good luck in their gardens. Mine is really "diggin' " this wet weather/ sunny days. Harvested my first head of romaine and some red sail lettuce for a salad this past weekend and it was wonderful with some fresh fish and a slice of sourdough bread. We've had a couple of rainy days followed by a couple of sunny days for several weeks now, so I'm hoping for a bumper crop this year
As long as it doesn't get too hot and dry in June!! I'll try to post an update with pics towards the end of the week. Happy gardening guys!

 

[Purple Strawberry]

jlmann eating a salad from my own crop is something I am dreaming about doing. I can't wait until my lettuce is ready to eat.

I am very happy with the way things are going besides finding termites in my new untreated raised beds and small sugar ants, that is all my problems.

:tools I am soooo happy.:tools

Gardening is sooo fun! I used to worry about what my friends thought and how I was so different from my friends and we were loosing touch because of their lack of interest in my earthly ways. But now I have come to realize friends aren't always what they are made up to be and not always needed on a weekly basis. Now I have my TheEasyGarden friends.

 

[jlmann]

agirly4chicks- You don't have lettuce yet in georgia? You guys that far south could probably plant most types of lettuce in early Febuary! Don't worry though, you'll figure it out in a year or two. You'll really enjoy your first salad! SO much fresher than anything store bought. BIG difference in the stuff that gets trucked all over and ends up in the supermarket compared to something that gets cut , washed and eaten in less than an hour. I even plant some lettuce in september for a "late" harvest and some years have lettuce after halloween. Some of the leaf lettuces you can cut and they'll come back 2 or 3 (sometimes even 4) times. I'd probably have to force myself to eat the store bought stuff now. Oh and you can grow so many different varieties that are not available in any stores because they wouldn't survive shipping! I love some fresh salad

edited to add: Don't worry, your friends will see the light of your "earthy" ways when they try some of your delicious homegrown veggies! You may even convince some of them to become more "earthy". ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with growing your own fruits and veggies. The work of growing a garden is good for your health and you also have control over what types of chemicals you and your family are exposed to. You never know what the commercial farms are putting on stuff you buy at the supermarket!

 

[GrowinVeggiesInSC]

WOW, that was great info GrowingVeggiesinSC.

Thanks :rainbow-sun

No problem! I'm still learning, too. Every year our garden gets better.
I'm sorry that your friends are not "on board." I had all my girlfriends over last week and they were oohing and aahing over the garden. I guess I'm very lucky.

 

[digitS']

My garden look gorgeous. But something is amiss. I have five feet tall corn stalks no ears? . . .

You may have a pollination problem with the zukes and cukes but not having ears on the corn wouldn't have anything to do with pollen.

Got tassels?

You may have too much nitrogen available for those plants to go into their flower and seed production stage right now. That may not be a big problem.

Ah, heirloom tomatoes! I live where a supposedly 80-day tomato is almost too risky to grow. Come to think about it, talking about corn tassels is a little weird since I must be well over a month away from even seeing a corn plant .

Steve

 

[vfem]

I had heard to 'shake' corn stalks when you start to see the silks? I have hand pollinated my tomatoes before....

I also heard that the first round of flowers on cukes are usually ALL male and you have to wait for the second set of flowers to bloom for pollination to happen!!

I hope that helps some.

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi there!

jlmann,

Still nothing from the Brandywines --- Hmmm! It's still a bit chilly to direct sow tomato seeds outside --In fact it is wet & cold here today & very cold last night. I have retired inside for the day & the chickens are out of the wind, under the shrubs or inside their coops.

If I can get hold of more seeds & did plant them outside could I put floating fleece round them & reflective foil to concentrate the sun's rays?

What do you think? I'm so desperate to taste them after all the years about hearing about their wonderful flavour. I just love tomatoe salad! I am so determined to grow some BUT.....!!

HELP WANTED..........PLEASE!


Happy gardening to you all!

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[jlmann]

Hattie- I really don't know what would be best for you to try since I'm not familiar with your local conditions. Do you have a fairly long season? You could always wait a bit and just have "late" brandywines. Or maybe try a cold frame? The brandywines have always given me trouble unless they were outside after last frost. If you have had success with the fleece before I say go for it. Never hurts to try right? I've always wanted to try the "wall of water" things you see, so I could try to get some earlier tomatoes. Around here all of us gardeners try to get our first tomatoes by the 4th of July so we can have them at the cook-outs and picnics and such. You could always put a mason jar or large glass over them if it is cool to make a "mini' greenhouse. Bottom line is you know best when it comes to growing things in your garden, but I'll sure do my best to help you think of something.

I would gladly send you some sprouts when mine come up but I'm afraid they wouldn't make the trip " across the pond" I'll try to think of something else. Or maybe someone else will have a good idea! You really are missing out- brandywines are an awesome tomato!