Pics of Garden!

[mikus]

hello,

i am new to gardening (really new = first year) and so far i am excited about the results im seeing, so i wanted to share pictures just because i am so darn excited.

sunflower




crookneck squash


zucchini


cucumber






pole beans




canteloupe


watermelon


pumpkin


tomato




(tomato i started really late...)

[kgall]

Beautiful pictures. This is my second year and I still have that excitement!

[oldschoolvdub]

looks good... why do you put hay down?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Way cool mikus,

Pass the salt and butter. I'll be right there. Now where is that Google map

If you are a true gardener, you'll be excited on the 10th year, 20th year, 30th year etc...............


Not to answer for mikus, hay, mulch, compost, conserves water, adds nutients to the soil and blocks weeds.

[applestar]

GREAT photos! Everything growing well!

I did notice you have doodlebugs (leaf miners) in the crookneck squash leaves. You'll want to cut the doodles out with scissors or remove the leaves entirely and dispose of them before the larvae emerge to drop off into the soil and pupate.

It's probably also a good time to start spraying with 10% milk for fungal disease prevention.

... wow you're so far ahead of me. I'm still waiting to plant tomatoes and am starting to think about planting pumpkin and cucumber seeds....
It's the cool weather crops that are just starting to grow:

[DoubleDogFarm]

applestar,

Is it whole milk and water

[mikus]

I did notice you have doodlebugs (leaf miners) in the crookneck squash leaves. You'll want to cut the doodles out with scissors or remove the leaves entirely and dispose of them before the larvae emerge to drop off into the soil and pupate.

can u elaborate on this? doodlebugs? where? I'm not sure what ur referring to.

It's probably also a good time to start spraying with 10% milk for fungal disease prevention.

while i have your attention can you explain this as well....10% milk and water sprayed on everything or is this a reference to the squash plants as well.

looks good... why do you put hay down?

i wanted to put some sort of weed barrier down and for me it was cheaper to buy a couple bales of hay than to buy bags of mulch, plus i wanted something to make it look nicer than lumpy soil.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here is information on leaf miner.

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag295/html/vegetable_leafminer.htm

[applestar]

Yep. It's those scribbly lines in the leaves.

The 10% milk thing -- the original formulation was 10:1 water to 2% (I'm pretty sure) milk, but I just like the sound of "10% milk solution" and keep using the term in the hope that it sticks. I'm a casual gardener and actually have used anything from whole milk to skim milk, and anything from 8:1 with the skim and/or already heavy presence of powdery mildew or black spot to something much more dilute like 12:1 with whole milk for simple prevention.

Thread in which HG introduced 10% milk spray as fungicide: http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... 0129#70129

I use it for anything and everything that might get fungal problems -- cukes, squash, and melons, tomatoes, peas, beans, apple tree and other fruits, roses, magnolia, etc. etc. I love it that it smells wonderfully milky and feels completely safe even when I'm getting the milk spray facial.

Oh, don't forget the mints -- peppermint, spearmint, beebalm, lemon balm....

We've also discussed the potential for using whey as in liquid in the yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream. I've also considered using hooch from sourdough starter. And I have basically experimented with all because sometimes, I just don't have milk in the house. Considering that you can make yogurt from powdered milk, my suspicion is that that would work as well, and of course, it doesn't have to be cow's milk, as long as it comes from a mammal.

[DoubleDogFarm]

8:1 skim milk ( 0.5% fat)

12:1 whole milk (3.25 - 4% Fat)

Witch one is more diluted

[applestar]

Has anyone caught on yet that I'm not very math oriented?
Chemistry was my worst subject, too. Only "chem lab experiment" that I did well in was when we made peanut brittle in high school. My college chem labs reports were dismal, at best.

I just mix'em and spray'em OK? So far nothing's been damaged from the spray and I just spray some more if the fungal problem is still there after a few days. As always, don't spray in full sunlight. Spray when overcast or in early morning while foliage is still wet with dew. I've also sprayed in the evening since the injunction against wetting the foliage in the evening is to avoid fungal problems, and I was spraying to prevent fungal problems anyway.

I don't measure much when I'm cooking either, but most of the time, things turn out OK. When they turn out great, then I write down what I remember of the cooking process and guestimate amounts and proportions after I finish eating, and call it a "recipe". Gimme a break.

Oh, BTW, AACT foliar spray works well for fungal issues too. I try to alternate.

[applestar]

Wait though! I just remembered. Whole milk actually contains something like 4% milk fat, I think. Now WHERE did I read that?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Wait though! I just remembered. Whole milk actually contains something like 4% milk fat, I think. Now WHERE did I read that?

What does this have to do with Peanut Brittle

[applestar]

Peanut brittle, peanut butter, ... that reminds me I have to start my peanut seeds. I was a little late starting the trial batch of 4 last year and the later DS'ed ones resulted in late crop that barely made a handful of peanuts. I want to do better.

Back to the "10% milk solution" -- so I'm talking about 10% being milk itself and not milk fat. The milk fat in excess may or may not cause foliar damage (as oil sprays do) and may or may not act as insecticide like soap solution does. Somebody pitch in if you know the answers please.

Also, important point -- the water should be de-chlorinated water because we're encouraging beneficial bacteria to grow and out-compete the fungus.

The other day, I had to mix up a 10% saline solution for pre-treating bamboo seeds and rice seeds, and had to research for a refresher on how to make one. In the process, I was reminded that a "10% solution" is actually 9:1 not 10:1.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Is that by weight or volume hehe

I have never grown peanuts before. They start above ground and the branches arch over and reinter the ground I aways thought they were more like potatoes, guess not.