I planted Beauregard sweet potatoes today. I have so many volunteer potatoes coming up that I am confused. I cannot see how we left that many from last year, but I transplanted 17. They were in where squash is, pretty close to pole beans and tomatoes and in walk ways. I think more are coming up They are all over the place. There are some in the front yard in the flowers, so that has to be from compost or something. We did not plant potatoes with the flowers. The free seed potato I got are up. It looks like every single one that I planted came up and I think they are red potatoes.
Well, I still didn't get the seeds I forgot to sow, planted! Rained most of the day yesterday and went off to the wrong garden for those things, today.
Did get the seed in the ground for green and dry beans. And . . . most of the soybeans. Forgot the 2nd variety. I may be at both gardens tomorrow.
Pepper, eggplant and melon starts all went in. Will have to replace some summer squash and cucumber plants - thank you Benjamin Bunny :/!
I have had a friend ACTUALLY come around and help me lately.
I'm still in pain from the chest thing, I'm not recovering well or fast at all. So it is sooooooooo good to have someone do some of the bending and pulling for me. We were able to move some struggling tomatoes, peppers and unwanted cone flowers. We got more corn in, she pulled the rest of my garlic, pulled some weeds... and helped water a bit.
It doesn't seem like much, but as I can't do much at all.... significantly less then she got done with me, it was a HUGE world of help.
I am planting nothing today since my garden is under water for the 4th or 5th or more I've lost track time this year, but soon I will be repanting the whole thing for the 4th time this year!!!!!! I had a whole awesome plan for another drought year, however we have had late freezes and torential rain that have wreaked havoc!!!
Good for you, Kassaundra. I think I would have thrown in my hat after that flood! I do have some things planted, but we are going down to 39 degrees again tonight- so nothing is very happy out there- including me!
I planted the last packets of sunflower seeds. The marigolds Dad gave me and some snap dragons DH started indoors. I do think ALL of the vetables are in the ground and some are showing there sweet green selves. We have even enjoyed some radishes, mint, horseradish, kale, lettuce, walking onions, rhubarb and asparagus.
I pushed the envelope and kept the sweet potato slips that I ordered in a wine carafe with water for 3 WEEKS!!! I finally got 10/12 of them in the bed Sunday. Only lost 2, and the other 10 look good as of this morning, when I watered the bed. It took me 3 hours to till the top layer to de-weed it, dig out the next spade's deep and move it, and double dig the bottom of the bed, then fill in with compost and other garden dirt . Only took 5 minutes to plant it.
I also planted about 15 onions and dug in some rotten strawberries in the same bed. Strawberries are supposed to have a couple hundred seeds per fruit, so I Guess we'll see what happens. The bed looks really nice, now.
I have planted Walla Walla Sweet Onion seed in August before. It has been a few years but, if I remember right, it was at least 3 times. Sowing seed in August is how I understand that the onion growers in Walla Walla do it.
In my garden, about 200 miles north of Walla Walla, it worked once and then not again :/. The plants would bolt in the spring! The last time, 100% of them bolted!
For the last couple of years, I have grown a nice hybrid sweet onion, Ovation. It has real good keeping qualities and that is one thing I like about it. My idea was to try sowing some Ovation seed in August - problem was, I don't have any seed! Too late to order, I decided to go with Esteem Hybrid, instead .
Esteem hasn't proven itself in my garden, at all. I tried sowing it very late at the beginning of the growing year - a couple months later than the Ovation, Walla Walla and Utah. They have all done well and formed large bulbs. The Esteem nearly died during transplant - too hot! Cucumbers have now invaded their space and it looks like there is no chance of them forming anything but tiny bulbs :/. I will leave some of the plants this winter. I may pull some and see if they'd work as "sets" next year . . . and, now, here I go planting some seed on the last day of August !
Anywhooo, I thought I'd share and suggest that some of you may want to sow seed for next year's onions. It would sure be nice for me to not have to start flats of them in the (unheated) greenhouse in February. I'm not betting the farm on what I've got right now, tho'! For one thing, it has NOT cooled down here! If they need "cooler," they may not get it for a couple of weeks. But, maybe by June 2014, I'll be able to decide if Esteem warrants any esteem . . . hope so .