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Post by oldmobie on Aug 15, 2014 14:44:23 GMT -5
Pretty sure the three transplanted Oaxacan corns for the cross have died. So I'm now soaking half of the remaining seed. Saw the beginning of a tassel in the first wave of Ashworth today.
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 17, 2014 14:55:37 GMT -5
 Finally got the first zucchini. One of Joseph Lofthouse 's. It's an unusual summer this year, milder than most, and I've been watching that one poor fruit for a week now. Finally saw signs of growth yesterday. Maybe cool soil. Maybe lack of water. (Watering now.) Maybe young plants? At any rate, that's just the first fruit from eight healthy looking plants. Looks like I'll finally produce something abundantly enough to share. (Knock on wood.) Also detassled the first planting of Ashworth for the cross today. My first time. Seemed easy enough. I hope they always come out like that. ![]( "Right click to shift") |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 18, 2014 21:00:26 GMT -5
 Today's haul. Also decided today that I'm dissatisfied with my tomato yeild. Part of my barn has a slab floor, which the in-laws cattle have covered with manure. Well aged. The boys and I snagged a wheelbarrow full and headed to the new garden. One shovel full between every two tomato plants (3 feet apart). And cukes (2 feet apart). One shovel around every hill of moschata and cantaloupe. I tried to run out, I really did. But there was enough left and I put a scoop between every two zucchini. This is gonna get ugly, isn't it? Will I need a chainsaw? ![]( "Right click to shift") |
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Post by steev on Aug 18, 2014 21:21:23 GMT -5
No shit; you can't beat manure.
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 19, 2014 0:30:12 GMT -5
Trying my hand at refrigerator pickles. Keep your fingers crossed!  ![]( "Right click to shift") |
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Post by kazedwards on Aug 19, 2014 0:31:40 GMT -5
They look delicious!
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 21, 2014 21:39:20 GMT -5
Went to clear away the peas today, to regain the space. They've been dead for about a month now, but I left the seeds to dry down for saving. I guess that's not how it's done; most of the pods were gone, and the ones I found were empty. Must have been some happy birds around here. Or maybe there are volunteer peas in my future.
In that spot I transplanted the three homeless rattlesnake beans that were still in a milk jug bottom. I think they're still alive, though they've been severly dried out. If they shape up, they'll be for seed saving.
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 22, 2014 23:20:53 GMT -5
Harvested my first watermelon today. Black Diamond from the "always first" hill. About bowling ball sized. I really suck at identifying which melons are ripe. I took the chance because this one's stem was dried up. Pretty tasty. We're saving all of the mature seed from it.  Hoping to increase production enough in the future to select for slightly larger fruits and thinner rinds, always saving the seeds from the tastiest melons, too. ![]( "Right click to shift") |
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Post by philagardener on Aug 23, 2014 6:27:14 GMT -5
Sometimes, it helps to be a bit thick skinned . . .  |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 24, 2014 1:04:58 GMT -5
Lots of vines dead or dieing around here. Cukes and pepos mostly. Squash bugs everywhere! Don't know if they're to blame, but I see more of them on the worst plants. Trying to ween myself off of poisons, so I sprayed 'em with soapy water, 1 tablespoon per gallon.
Will that kill 'em? Will it at least repel 'em? If they go, might some plants recover? Should I fortify the spray with tobacco tea, or maybe water I've boiled hot peppers in? Is going back to sevin my only hope?
Ideally, I'd like to develop resistant landraces, but realistically, if the bugs kill everything before it produces seed, I can't select anything. Short term, can I provide minimal protection and select heavily in favor of plants that fare the best?
On a more positive note, I saw a fruit on one of my moschatas for the first time today! It's from my own saved seed from Waltham Butternut, the hill farthest east. I grew them vertically last year, in too many hours of shade. Looking forward to seeing how they produce on the ground in full sun.
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Post by philagardener on Aug 24, 2014 6:32:22 GMT -5
Squash bugs everywhere! Don't know if they're to blame, but I see more of them on the worst plants. Trying to ween myself off of poisons, so I sprayed 'em with soapy water, 1 tablespoon per gallon. Will that kill 'em? Will it at least repel 'em? If they go, might some plants recover? Should I fortify the spray with tobacco tea, or maybe water I've boiled hot peppers in? Is going back to sevin my only hope? For my small garden I knock'em into a small container of soapy water. I find they like to drop when disturbed, so anticipate their escape behavior and use it to raise your batting average. Labor intensive but satisfying, and the ones you get aren't going to leave offspring for next year. Good luck! A longer term option might be chickens for your garden, if you are ready to go that route. They are apparently great at clearing all sorts of insect pests (but maybe someone with experience with that can comment on squash bugs). Eggs are more tasty than bugs; but there again you may get different opinions.  |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 24, 2014 19:15:23 GMT -5
Several watermelons stopped growing at baseball-softball size. Their vines dried up, so I decided to "harvest" them. They really were too small and pitiful to eat, but all had mature looking seeds inside. They grew in hard untilled soil, with intense weed competition and sporadic watering. It seems likely that they should add toughness and resiliency to a landrace. I didn't keep them sorted, but they appeared to be a Crimson Sweet, a couple Black Diamonds and a yellow. I'll be saving all of the mature seed. I expect to harvest at least 2 more eating sized Black Diamonds, and probably 3-5 more "too smalls".
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 29, 2014 21:31:07 GMT -5
 I think I read somewhere that certain bugs don't like eucalyptus. Today I put a tablespoon of this and a tablespoon of dishsoap in a gallon of hot water, then let it cool before spraying it all over four lucky test plants. (Eucalyptus isn't readily available here, that I know of.) Two Watermelon and two cucumber. The squash bugs don't seem to appreciate it. Some of them died, others suddenly remembered appointments elsewhere. Just now, hours and hours later, I checked and the plants are mostly clean. I saw about five squash bugs. Now if my little cocktail fails to kill the plants... If the plants improve or stay the same, I'll make a big batch and really clean house! Does this qualify as organic? It's a start. I got results, and without sevin. ![]( "Right click to shift") |
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Post by flowerweaver on Aug 29, 2014 23:56:16 GMT -5
White petrolatum is basically Vaseline, a petroleum product. Turpentine oil can cause fatality in children if taken internally. Many grocery stores and health food stores carry small bottles of eucalyptus oil. We use a drop in hand lotion to use on our skin to repel mosquitoes. I don't think I'd spray any of these things on my food. Like philagardener I use a bucket of soapy water and flick bugs into it. |
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Post by oldmobie on Aug 30, 2014 3:06:27 GMT -5
White petrolatum is basically Vaseline, a petroleum product. Turpentine oil can cause fatality in children if taken internally. Many grocery stores and health food stores carry small bottles of eucalyptus oil. We use a drop in hand lotion to use on our skin to repel mosquitoes. I don't think I'd spray any of these things on my food. Like philagardener I use a bucket of soapy water and flick bugs into it. Ok, I guess vaseline's not very organic. (Anymore.) I may try smearing it on the leaves so it doesn't get on the fruits. That is until I learn to make repellant from garlic chives and water. I just can't see tryin' to handle all those bugs by hand. Maybe if I'd been vigilant earlier. But now it's like the twelth plague out there! (The eleventh was the fleapocalypse our indoor/outdoor cat infested our house with last summer.) |
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