yes, they found us. even though I moved toatoes out of the garden into pots. I squished five huge tomato hornworms today ( they hide under the leaf branches and can be hard to find.) I feel better after squishing them but the question is-how bad will this be?they can strip a tomato bush in a day. we have HUNDREDS of tomatoes on the 14 plants so...i really don;t want to let this go.
First, this is why I check the garden every day and-second-I will attempt to keep squishing instead of spraying, though there are some good fairly safe sprays on the market. one listed one is Sevin but i am told it is doing real damage to beneficial insects where it is sprayed.I do spray the fancy roses with Bonide, which is Neem oil-it is a fungicide too.-they are far from any veggie crop, and they just cannot withstand the japanese beetles. i will say, the bush roses, Knockout, just keep smiling. they have had only compost and minerals this year.
heat-not even July and we expect to hit 100 degrees tomorrow. worrisome. dogs and I hole up all afternoon. the plants can;t!
I expect the garlic onions shallots and potatoes will give up the ghost unless it cools off a bit more towards normal ( 80's next week?) so we will have smaller crops but sometimes you have to be OK with that.
I water every evening, supposedly a no no but the sun is too strong in the morning. at this level of heat, everything will be dry by dark..they need the cooling effect as well as the water. one fancy basket of flowers seems to have given up the ghost today.the strawberries to aren;t very happy.
Polyculture
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
the first! and a surprise to boot!
I harvested the first zucchini today. this was a surprise as I had thought the squash in the middle of all those pumpkin vines was an English thing-summer pumpkin. so I am grateful and pleased to report we will have zucchini this year! and the little fig tree has arrived-complete with figs growing! so cute! ( a tree you can keep in pots if needed; cover or set in a garage, etc for the winter. convenient.)
looks like the garlic and shallots will be ready in a few weeks. I am trying to wait a few days on new potatoes-so tempting to look inside the bags! we'll be eating the first strawberries soon also ( grown from seed!)
the buttoned ( bitter small heads) broccoli further insulted by getting bug eaten. it's been pulled. I may try fall sprouting broccoli-might work better here.Beans are coming on and finally-some growth from the cucumber starts.waiting on the last of the turnips. have enough dill and cilantro for an army.( I save the seeds and-resow. keep the good bugs coming!)
when each bed empties, I'll be using more minerals. compost, and a cover crop-then they;ll be ready for fall crops. I use buckwheat in the summer-quick and effective. just cut it in about 30 days and lay it as a mulch and plant your transplants ( or move aside a bit for seeds.) I like the fall mixes later on or something that will completely winter kill, like oats. cover-mulch-in one step. can;t beat that!
multiplier onions seem very happy. if they work out-forget onion transplants. perennials are so much easier!
and did i mention the tomatoes? Japanese trifels(black) are racing the principe borghese ( sun drying tomatoes) to set more and more, and to ripen. the coustralee(red) and manyels( yellow) are not far behind.I count at least 20 on each plant-most have more.I've had to top every one of them ( branches taller than the cages are unsupported and can break) they will start new side shoots soon.( not a problem once you have fruit set)
Onion tomato and cheese sandwiches here we come!
looks like the garlic and shallots will be ready in a few weeks. I am trying to wait a few days on new potatoes-so tempting to look inside the bags! we'll be eating the first strawberries soon also ( grown from seed!)
the buttoned ( bitter small heads) broccoli further insulted by getting bug eaten. it's been pulled. I may try fall sprouting broccoli-might work better here.Beans are coming on and finally-some growth from the cucumber starts.waiting on the last of the turnips. have enough dill and cilantro for an army.( I save the seeds and-resow. keep the good bugs coming!)
when each bed empties, I'll be using more minerals. compost, and a cover crop-then they;ll be ready for fall crops. I use buckwheat in the summer-quick and effective. just cut it in about 30 days and lay it as a mulch and plant your transplants ( or move aside a bit for seeds.) I like the fall mixes later on or something that will completely winter kill, like oats. cover-mulch-in one step. can;t beat that!
multiplier onions seem very happy. if they work out-forget onion transplants. perennials are so much easier!
and did i mention the tomatoes? Japanese trifels(black) are racing the principe borghese ( sun drying tomatoes) to set more and more, and to ripen. the coustralee(red) and manyels( yellow) are not far behind.I count at least 20 on each plant-most have more.I've had to top every one of them ( branches taller than the cages are unsupported and can break) they will start new side shoots soon.( not a problem once you have fruit set)
Onion tomato and cheese sandwiches here we come!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
some things are good, some are not
the broccoli, which grew well, has developed little button heads. I suspect the heat caused this; cut the main shoots off and hoping the side shoots are edible.I also found a cabbage worm and a snail in the area; if one is committed to not using poison, you find other ways to discourage bugs.so; we will rapidly change out the polyculture ( beans look great) and perhaps not even try cole crops again there. Increasing lime is also possible. Turnips are doing well which bodes well for fall kale, turnips and rutabagas).
the asiatic lilies are fabulous; daylilies are in bloom; every day it's a new set of surprises.We are having gentle rains every few days, and a few downpours, but it is so much better than the last 3 years, I cannot complain.of course more rain makes more weeds but the ground is soft and they easily pull by hand.
the tomatoes are to the top of the cages; I've had to top them. many many fruits setting and, they can still grow more side branches. unsupported branches over the top tend to break.I also clean off leaves and branches for about a foot on the bottom; supposed to stop blights and such, though we've never had them, i feel learning everything to improve tomatoes is worth it!( get every sucker-every new branch in a crotch between leaf and stem, at least until fruit set. also remove any leaf that seem to be touching a growing tomato or otherwise blocking light)We planted a french red, coustralee, japanese black trifele ( oooh they are good!) yellow manyel and true sun drying tomatoes-principe borghese-the branches of little tomatoes are so cute. 2 of the tomatoes live with melons and nasturtiums and everyone seems happy.the others, pots,partially covered by the hosta leaves, are doing great!
the cucumbers, once again, are not germinating as well as I would like. I am rather confused by this-not all the same variety and I bought fresh seed ( ps if you haven;t planted them yet-try pearl, a white cuke. just try them. fabulous)
next job-harvest garlic, later shallots. re-compost and amend; add buckwheat seed for a quick cover crop. then kale, etc can go in. I may go ahead and broadfork that bed rather than wait as we plan to have quite a lot of fall crops growing.
I am saving peas for a fall crop ( let the peapod get a bit dry with full peas inside-I pull them and dry them for a few more days in the kitchen before packing them in paper bags and bottom drawer of fridge) I also am finding left over field peas;saving them too. the parsley from last year should flower soon. (about half our seed is self saved now)
busy-pretty, such a nice time of year...new potatoes should be ready in a week or two (we like the small, easily roasted or steamed kind; they taste so good) and the replanted zucchini seems to be taking off.the pumkins are-doing their pumpkin thing. vines taking off everywhere. and that is a fun thing!
Carol and I planted her corn in the traditional manner-mounds with 3 corn seeds, surrounded by beans and pumpkins in between the mounds. it already is looking good!
the asiatic lilies are fabulous; daylilies are in bloom; every day it's a new set of surprises.We are having gentle rains every few days, and a few downpours, but it is so much better than the last 3 years, I cannot complain.of course more rain makes more weeds but the ground is soft and they easily pull by hand.
the tomatoes are to the top of the cages; I've had to top them. many many fruits setting and, they can still grow more side branches. unsupported branches over the top tend to break.I also clean off leaves and branches for about a foot on the bottom; supposed to stop blights and such, though we've never had them, i feel learning everything to improve tomatoes is worth it!( get every sucker-every new branch in a crotch between leaf and stem, at least until fruit set. also remove any leaf that seem to be touching a growing tomato or otherwise blocking light)We planted a french red, coustralee, japanese black trifele ( oooh they are good!) yellow manyel and true sun drying tomatoes-principe borghese-the branches of little tomatoes are so cute. 2 of the tomatoes live with melons and nasturtiums and everyone seems happy.the others, pots,partially covered by the hosta leaves, are doing great!
the cucumbers, once again, are not germinating as well as I would like. I am rather confused by this-not all the same variety and I bought fresh seed ( ps if you haven;t planted them yet-try pearl, a white cuke. just try them. fabulous)
next job-harvest garlic, later shallots. re-compost and amend; add buckwheat seed for a quick cover crop. then kale, etc can go in. I may go ahead and broadfork that bed rather than wait as we plan to have quite a lot of fall crops growing.
I am saving peas for a fall crop ( let the peapod get a bit dry with full peas inside-I pull them and dry them for a few more days in the kitchen before packing them in paper bags and bottom drawer of fridge) I also am finding left over field peas;saving them too. the parsley from last year should flower soon. (about half our seed is self saved now)
busy-pretty, such a nice time of year...new potatoes should be ready in a week or two (we like the small, easily roasted or steamed kind; they taste so good) and the replanted zucchini seems to be taking off.the pumkins are-doing their pumpkin thing. vines taking off everywhere. and that is a fun thing!
Carol and I planted her corn in the traditional manner-mounds with 3 corn seeds, surrounded by beans and pumpkins in between the mounds. it already is looking good!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
time for garlic scapes!
We are making garlic scape pesto this afternoon! you actually cut the scapes ( flowering stalks) to keep the bulbs growing....but gee, this is a tasty addition to the garlic menu!
Here's the recipe
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup pine nuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
start with oil and scapes; as these get blended, add in nuts, slat and pepper and grated parmesan cheese to taste. a serving on pasta is about 2 tablespoons.
Here's the recipe
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup pine nuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
start with oil and scapes; as these get blended, add in nuts, slat and pepper and grated parmesan cheese to taste. a serving on pasta is about 2 tablespoons.
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