Mind you they aren’t too happy with me tonight as I spread out some cayenne pepper to try and keep the squirrels from digging. She was none too happy shortly after this pic.
This likely isn't going to be revolutionary for you Idiots, but just DO NOT buy cheap seeds. Please. All of us gardeners get lured in to the big-box stores every spring and summer and see the huge displays of seeds with such promising pictures and low prices. I ordered "Clemson Okra" from a reputable seed company this year. "Clemson Okra" may very well be the most popular heirloom vegetable ever. I'm in the Deep American South, and okra thrives here. Well, it hardly came up. Probably like half of it sprouted. I bought a corn variety from a big-box store on a total whim. Mistake. Probably planted over a hundred corn seeds and literally ONE came up. Drove out to the sticks and the "Feed and Seed Store". Bought seeds of okra, corn, zipper peas, cow peas, corn, etc., etc. that have all just been amazing. Shop local.
Despite the lack of rain here, I've kept the gardens going well and even managed to start cutting mint to dry. I put that shit on everything. Our peach trees are loaded with fruit. Even with culling some of them, the branches are drooping. I need to get some supports out there or I'm afraid they'll lose some limbs. Looking at the apple trees, they're loaded too. We're supposed to have several days of rain, which we desperately need, so we're not complaining about staycation plans possibly being "ruined".
I’ve been intentionally trying to limit the amount of watering I do as I think I way over watered things last year, which was super easy due to the automated watering I have in place. It seems to be going very well, but I’ve been needing to fertilize way more as shit is coming up nutrient deficient so far. Probably due to the high density I plant stuff in. All good so far though.
I believe we’ve had too much rain when my tomatoes were getting established (ground was sopping under my fabric week after it rained) got 4 that are drooping bad. Now it’s hot. Not sure what I could do to save them. Healthy one:
I'd be tempted to remove the fabric to try and let the moisture evaporate... odds are you've rotted the roots off. I did something similar last year to about half of my crop, but that was just me being aggressive with the automated watering. This year I'm not watering hardly at all other than when I fertilize and things are going great.
Ive used to it every year but one for the past 5 years and never had it happen. This year think we've averaged a lot more rain this spring/summer so far than years past. Historically Ive struggled to keep them watered evenly with long dry spells. Be hard to totally remove but I could slice and pin it back.
I hear you... and am just taking a wild guess... I think normally the fabric probable helps a lot (I use mulch for the same reasons, mostly), but with all that water it's abnormal. Short of pulling them out and transplanting them temporarily into dry soil, I don't know what to suggest.
Garden is coming along nicely, despite the crazy weather we've been getting. The only issue has been my peppers... they're a bit undersized and have light green streaks in the leaves, which I think is a nitrogen deficiency, so I am upping the fertilizer a bit. Already had a few early cherry tomatoes and some really potent radishes, and going through tons of lettuce and finished off the early Swiss Chard. Can't wait for the cucumbers and tomatoes to start up...
for all the wicking bed people, is there a specific fertilizer you prefer? Wife went down a google search and she's now in her words, confused as to what she should and shouldn't use. I would've just went with some sort of veggie fertilizer and called it a day...
Never thought of it at all... I tend to use water soluble fertilizer and spray it on, and haven't thought anything of it. Why would you treat it as anything different than a non-wicking bed?
Ive always used Tomato tone and Neptunes Harvest fish fert. Always had good results. Both highly recommended in the tomato world at least.
I have no idea. My wife asked me about it this morning and said when she looked online she found a lot of conflicting information. I think it was about having too much fertilizer build up in the bed, but I don't know how that's any different than any other garden or field...don't use more than needed.
It's been raining its balls off here the last few days and the garden is in its glory. And, if the limbs can hold up under the strain, we're gonna have a shit ton of peaches. I've supported the tress as best as I can.
It's hot as hell but everything gets watered with poopy duck water daily. All the growth is exploding. The heat is slowing the ripening of the tomatoes but I'm getting plenty of kale, waves of zucchini and yellow squash, cucumbers are trickling in. Tons of peppers for daily use. I think the potatoes are dying back and I'm excited to see how this experiment went. The close plantings are OK mostly but it is becoming a pain to get in there with the hose. One thing I'm working on gradually is moving out a line of cinder blocks to expand the garden. Once I get them set into place I'll dump a bunch of poop and broken down straw from the duck run into the new space. I'd like to plant zucchini in ground next year and just do bags of herbs along the fence next summer.
Wow. Looking great! We’re getting a ton of rain and hot weather right now. No real garden pics, but I was really happy with how this one came out… I’m really liking the changes to the back yard.
I love your lilies and... is that celosia in the front? Now I'm just being nosy (what's new?) but what does the green sign on your shed say?
Airplane Mechanic on Duty. Dad was an aircraft maintenance engineer for years, so this was a sign we bought for him when he first built that shed.