2014 Spiral Garden Garlic Onion Pea Corn Squash Cuke Beet

[applestar]

I put one of the hanging melons in a net bag today so it won't pull the vine down or fall off before it's ready to pick:

The knot in the bamboo stake shows how much
higher I pulled the fruit up to relieve the weight
pressure from the vine, it's pretty heavy already.

Also harvested some of the onions:

[applestar]

I'm usually INSIDE the garden or just outside the fence tending the fence row bed, but I decided to walk out to the sidewalk and see if the passers by can see the 10-12 ft corn from out there and just how it looks right now. My front lawn is pretty deep -- maybe 60 feet from the sidewalk to the picket fence which is 5 ft high with 6 ft posts.

Hmmm.... I guess you can't get the sense of scale without the houses, so...

...next time, I'm definitely taking progress photos from out there. I just LOVE thinking that corn is a kind of grass and here I am, growing giant grass. So I like to grow at least one block of really tall corn variety. This is Bloody Butcher.

[applestar]

Pulled just about most of the rest of the onions today before watering... and found cucumbers hiding under the foliage in the process. I didn't harvest yesterday, but that can't explain these.

[Raff_Out_Loud]

Subbed. This is very cool!

[applestar]

Thank you

Today, I saw that several squash plants that didn't get covered by the protective tunnel have collapsed. They were looking suspiciously languished already, but their condition was more obvious this morning.

Sure enough. SVB'S IN ALMOST EVERY LEAF NODE.
The two plants nearest were not Bush Delicata as I had guessed but
Uncle David's Dessert Squash. I thought there was one but actually discovered a second fruit. Both immature according to the thumbnail test. I'm hoping they will still be edible as "summer squash" or will be good for the Ma Ingall's Green Pumpkin Apple Pie recipe.

On the far end of the Haybale Row, two affected vines were Red Kuri and Uncle David's, as well as two little volunteer plants that I didn't realize were there. Kakai may have been infiltrated but is not showing more than a suspicious hint. I may try injecting with Bt tomorrow.
biology-and-management-of-squash-vine-borer-in-organic-farming-systems

That Red Kuri looks almost mature if judged by the color.
I hope it'll finish maturing before I have to dispose of the
entire vine.

I didn't have time to open the tunnel today, but am planning to check on the occupants tomorrow.
...I decided it was too tedious to open the tunnel every day and hand pollinate. I'll try to make note of female blossoms that look like they will open the next day and TRY to get to it, but otherwise, it will be like a lottery -- some days, there will be blossoms to pollinate, and other days, I'll find closed females from previous day that I missed. Primarily, I need to get in and clean up/remove any leaves showing signs of fungal infection.

[applestar]

Cucumbers are really producing!
I keep finding fruits I missed

[ReptileAddiction]

Wow that looks really good! I really need to find an in-ground place to grow cucumbers. They just do not work very well in containers.

[applestar]

[applestar]

Some of the developing squashes including
newly pollinated fruits inside the protective
tunnel and resistant C.moschata and
C.mixta/angiosperma

SVB's were infiltrating the unprotected Red
Kuri fruit

Unprotected C. maximas and now C.pepos
have been infiltrated by SVB's

[applestar]

These are the squashes growing inside the protective tunnel.
I know there are at least one Red Kuri and one Guatemalan Blue in there, but so far no fruit. I've tried to hand pollinate Guatemalan Blue twice now but they weren't successful.

Looks like four Kakai and two Uncle David's
Dessert squashes.

[applestar]

Hey, I haven't posted a view from my favorite window lately

The corn was starting to yellow from the bottom up. I'd read that this is a sign of nitrogen deficiency so I mixed alfalfa pellets and bran 1:1 and soaked in rainwater with a bit of molasses with a scoop of organic potting mix, dolomitic lime and home made compost to add some good microbes. Then diluted and soil drenched. I did this twice over the last week and I'm seeing the corn greening up darker now, though there are some yellowing Ieaves still. We finally had a good soaking rain too, breaking the drought so that must have helped, too.

[Countryladiesgardens]

Applestar your garden is fantastic! Love looking at updates along the way! Our corn is doing great too! It's really starting to take off now, was thinking about planting in between the corn stocks. Love your cucs! They look fat and healthy!

[applestar]

Thank you! I'm really enjoying growing different varieties of cucumbers. Had old seeds so I pre-germinated them all mixed together -- I was going to grow what germinated. I'm seeing now that I probably have at least 4 varieties going but I can only recognize them by type -- regular American type and pickling type (I think I had two of each of these) and a Japanese variety that I can never remember the name of but probably mentioned earlier and Lemon.

I'm casting around now for ways to preserve them. Just came across a mayonnaise company website that mentioned you can slice, salt, drain water that comes out, then freeze with all the air squeezed out. Thaw in the fridge and use in dressed salads of creamy or mayonnaise type (with tomatoes... with chicken, cold pork roast, ham or tuna... mix in potato and egg salads, etc.) I think I'll freeze a test batch and try these.

Some of the SVB resistant C. moschatas and C. mixtas/angiospermas I'm growing at the base of the corn are later maturing. Thai Kang Kob FINALLY opened a female blossom. I hand pollinated to ensure fruit set even though the bumblebees are all over the blossoms.

TKK is growing!

I took what I thought was a funny video of the bees. I'll post it if I can figure out how.

The vines of the SVB infested Uncle David's Dakota Dessert Squash dried up so
I harvested the only fruit. The skin was hard but gave a little to thumbnail pressure, but there was a hole in the stem

Afraid of repeat of the Red Kuri, I cut it up. But this time the fruit was intact and mature.

1/2 of the squash cut up into a Pyrex bowl

Unfortunately, that means I missed my chance to cure it for a month to sweeten, but it was very good nevertheless, roasted in 1/2" of water and butter and served with a drizzle of maple syrup. ...and
I saved some of the mature seeds. It'll be a mystery/possible cross next year since Red Kuri and the volunteer pumpkin are both also C. maxima.

[Lindsaylew82]

I noticed something with some of the larger zucchini, that I picked after my vacation, in relation to SVB. Keep in mind this is completely random in relation to my garden.
I threw out A LOT if squash and zucchini to the compost pile. It got me so mad that I went and got a knife and started cutting up every fruit that had a hole...... Most had NO WORMS! Here, they seem to just eat a little, realize it's not the vine, then leave the fruit.

MOST of my larger zucchini (arm size) had obvious scars on them, but when I cut them open, they had little to no real damage to the inner flesh. The external damage was healed up and scarred.

My hypothesis here is that the older fruits that are less tender can maybe handle a little SVB damage. I wonder if they can handle winter storage with minimal damage. Maybe I'm not giving my plants the chance they deserve to reproduce....... I think they can handle a little more than I'm willing to allow.

Maybe a silver lining?

[applestar]

Hey that's good to know.
So like I think with many insect eaten vegs and fruits, the key to salvaging them is to get in there and find out the extent of the damage. You won't necessarily have to throw the whole thing away.

Another exciting day in the garden today --

When I checked the watermelons, two of them had dried up tendrils indicating they should be ripe

One of the Kakai hulless seed squash was ready.
Charleston Gray and Sugar Baby watermelons showing
their cream and yellow bellies.

They are small watermelons -- just 6.5 Lbs CG and 5.75 Lbs SB, but that's pretty big for my garden. I would say these are the best looking watermelons I've been able to grow to date.
...does a watermelon floating in a bucket of water mean anything?

[applestar]

We had nearly 1" of rain the night before last, and the Japanese Pie squash stem had become water soaked and just broke right off yesterday. I'm guessing it was already dried out.
It's SO green I don't know if it is really mature, but I put it out in the sun yesterday, brought it inside last night to keep it dry and warm, and will put it out in the sun again today to be sure, then store it and see what happens. I believe with these they turn tan in storage, but I'd better do more research to be sure. It's a C. mixta or C. angiosperma like Cushaw.

Has anyone grown a Cushaw squash before? Is it a storage squash or should it be eaten/processed right away?

[applestar]

Bloody Butcher corn are ready to harvest! With some of these, I have to reach up to pull the first ear of corn. 2nd ear is completely out of reach

Bloody Butcher, as might be expected is not sweet corn unless picked at young and immature kernel stage. But *if* I catch them at just the right milky stage, they are VERY good with just the right combination of tender, sweet, and full CORN flavor. The older fully developed ears are chewy to hard but have been pronounced -- "WOW just like the ones from the store -- HUGE!" and "Starchy, yet oddly satisfying... Like eating corn chips... hm...not quite... I KNOW! LIKE POPCORN!"

But the compost pile in the middle for constant supply of good nutrients plus the swale to hold rain and irrigation water for thorough watering I think are the two techniques that will help me grow good corn from now on.

I will probably continue to pre-germinate, start seeds in deep containers, then selectively plant even sized seedlings for best chance of catching all the plants at the same pollination stage in my small garden. Circular double-row planting pattern definitely works -- I didn't/couldn't hand pollinate the Bloody Botcher and they all have full ears -- but It wont be possible to implement in all of my garden beds that get full sun.

Four of the okra seeds I sowed along the BACK of the watermelon patch have struggled up from between and under the vines to grow along what is now the MIDDLE of the watermelon patch. Maybe they will produce some before the frost

I see some flower buds!

[applestar]

From the unprotected section of the Haybale Squash Row, I harvested the unknown volunteer pumpkin you see in the corner of the okra photo. As I feared, there are signs of SVB activity

Volunteer C. maxima pumpkin/squash

I'll cut this open tomorrow just in case.

Both the unprotected Kakai Hulless seed squash had ONE squash vine borer in each fruit. But cutting them open soon after harvesting made it possible to save nearly all of the seeds.

Kakai hulless seed squash

I dried the seeds from the first one and lightly toasted the seeds from the second one. My family is sold! With three more developing fruits under the protective tunnel and having hand pollinated another female blossom today, hopefully we will continue to enjoy these delicious pepitos. So far, each fruit has yielded barely enough seeds for everyone to enjoy.

There are also three developing Uncle David's Dessert Dakota squash fruits and one Red Kuri under the tunnel. I have also been harvesting Sayamusume edamame from under there, though they are not growing as vigorously as they should. We are going to compare Sayamusume with Shirofumi edamame and decide which we like better for next year.

In the Spiral Garden, there are two Thai Kang Kob (maybe Seminole) and one volunteered in the compost pile Tromboncino fruits growing at the moment.

*NOT *Thai Kang Kob (maybe Seminole?) and the long Tromboncino

I already harvested a Japanese Pie Squash and there is also a small (about softball size) red pumpkin like squash that also grew in the compost pile. I can't get to it so I'm leaving it there hoping for the best.

[Lindsaylew82]

The tromboncino are SVB resistant?

You use them like a summer squash or let them get big and tough skinned?

[applestar]

Yep. Tromboncino is a C. moschata with solid stems.
Last time I grew them, they did get SVB's further along side shoots later in the season and plus the the *mature* ones were were barely mature at frost and I wasn't impressed with them as *mature* squash, but then they *may not have been fully mature*

I REALLY liked them harvested immature as summer squash. Nuttier flavor and less spongy in texture than zukes since the ENTIRE long neck is solid with seed cavity in the bulb.

This time, I need to replenish my seed supply, so I'm letting this one mature fully and not thinking about harvesting any immature squash... Ordinarily you would want to harvest them immature if you want to keep them producing. I hope to be able to evaluate the mature flavor of this squash without question this time.

[imafan26]

Wow, that is a fantastic amount of production from the spiral garden. I did not get around to building my own spiral garden, but I went to the Halawa Xeriscape plant sale today and I was inspired a miniature version of a spiral garden. It is only a little over 3 ft in diameter and it is designed so that the center is higher than t he rest of the garden. The garden is watered from the top and the water trickles down. The plants that need more water at at the bottom of the spiral.

This is probably something I can fit in my smaller space. I may even incorporate some keyhole garden concepts to make watering more efficient. I think this will work for herbs or strawberries. Now, I just have to find the time to actually do it.

I tried to upload a photo, but it said the file was too big.

[applestar]

Ooh! I've seen examples of those kinds of spiral herb garden. That would look nice!

To post a smaller file size photo, one suggestion I've seen made is to mail it to yourself. Usually the cellphone mail app will ask if you want to reduce the image file size. I use an app on the iPad and iPhone and can post the AppStore link if needed.


I cut up the volunteer maxima pumpkin and the Japanese Pie squash.

It turned out that the pumpkin was intact -- there was a chewed hole in the stem but it looks like the shell had hardened enough that the SVB couldn't get in past the stem scar. (Did I mention I injected the hole with Bt?) I baked half and froze the other half. The pumpkin was fully mature and delicious -- my DD's loved it I also toasted most of the seeds after saving some to plant, and DH ate the majority.

Japanese Pie squash started to spoil in the narrow neck so I opted to cut it open. It was still green outside and I do believe it was immature, though I saved the seeds. After baking, the squash had the texture of a zucchini, though nutty and tasty nevertheless. I even had the leftovers cold this morning with mayo and couldn't help eating the second, last slice though I refrained from also eating the leftover pumpkin slices and saved them for the kids

[applestar]

Yesterday's and today's harvest.
Uncle David's Dakota Dessert squash
Smutty corn

The squash was harvested by my parents. I took some of the started plants and prepped and planted a garden for them earlier this season in spring. They said the squash vine had crawled up the garden fence and ranged around, and this squash (about 8" in diameter) was hanging on the fence. They weren't sure if it was mature, but were sure if they left it on the fence, some animal -- they get deer and groundHOGs traipsing through -- would eat it, so they harvested it. (I think it's was the right choice. Thumbnail leaves very slightly marks....
(Update -- just now talked to them and they said it was slightly immature with many seeds that hadn't plumped up yet, but steamed and served with slaw dressing, it is/was delicious )

I found a smutty corn! It's so WEIRD looking. I recognized it for what it was right away though I never had one like it before. Not sure what to do with it.... (I cut the affected area off and froze it while deciding )

We ate the Sugar Baby watermelon

[applestar]

I've been reviewing the winter squash varieties, and I don't think what I have growing in the Spiral Garden are Thai Kang Kob. They should be wartier, ribbed, and flatter. I'm a bit bummed, because I really wanted to grow this variety.

But if you remember, I combined my seeds in the sprouter to pre-germinate, and I thought. I could tell the difference, but once they swelled with water, the seeds started to look different than before and similar to each other. Considering the other varieties, I think these are likely to be Seminole, the Florida Heirloom C. moschata. I guess I'll have to try growing TKK again next year.

I edited the recent post to reflect my observation.

[applestar]

Hot and mild peppers in the Spiral Garden

TOP ROW
Etkezi Hot Paprika (maybe Etkezesi) - Hot Lemon (Drop) - Fish

BOTTOM ROW
4 yr old Jalapeño (something/hornworm nibbled it) - Corno di Toro - Peppadew

All of these except I think Corno di Toro were overwintered.

[applestar]

Today's harvest included another big basket of elderberries. The catbird calling from the top of the shrub clued me in that the big cluster was ready.

It seems like a lot but it just looks that way because of all the interlaced stems. By the time most of the bitter? astringent? stems are removed, it doesn't amount to much and we *may* have a full 1 qt freezer bag of berries *after* these are processed and *added* to the previously saved harvest.

4 more Anne raspberries from crowns planted this year. They are fantastic and I can't wait till next year when we should have a larger harvest. It doesn't look like the red Prelude which was also newly planted this year will be giving us a taste.

I harvested some Swiss chard seeds to save -- these are either Cardinal chard or the Feurio from Switzerland that were planted in the Sunflower & House (I'll have to double check my notes).

[applestar]

As mentioned in this thread:
Subject: Does this look like Rocky Ford cantaloupe?
We've been eating the melons. I'm still not positive what kind they are -- I really thought it should be easy to tell from the fruits even if I mixed the seeds -- but they were sweet, luscious, and delicious.


Melon slices in 8-1/2 inch bowl


1/4 melon wedge in 10 inch dinner plate (this piece weighed 5/8 Lbs so approx. 2-1/2 Lb whole)

[applestar]

Today's harvest

The mature yellowed cucumber is for saving seeds.

[applestar]

Bloody butcher ears growing way up high that I left to mature are starting to dry. I'm harvesting them as the husks become dry-ish. But will have to harvest them all if there is going to be rain. Way too early to save the stalks for decoration, so I'll crush them with hand sledge and use them as mulch. Cherokee Longear popcorn ears are starting to dry and it's interesting (and somewhat confusing) to see the different kernels since these were grown from saved seeds. The kernels should be small. At least some of them could possibly have have crossed with Double Red Sweet or ..hmm that other dent corn I grew one year.. It's not painted mountain... What was it....
Earth Tones Dent.

More beans, of course, and some apples. These are earlier than they should be -- usually due to some insect damage ...Maybe stinkbugs... they start to spoil and start to turn red prematurely (actual harvest should be late September to early October). But from past experience, if I pick these shortly after I see this happening, I can cut away the damaged parts and salvage the rest of the still tart but flavorful fruits. Most of the time, the seeds are still white or light tan.

I can use these to make apple butter, applesauce or cook them in baked goods. DDs like to eat some of them fresh -- I do tell them to restrict themselves to small amounts.

[applestar]

Today's harvest:

Technically those potatoes are from the Patio-side Tomato Garden and the Apple Guild. Pretty sorry looking but I wasn't concentrating on growing potatoes this year, and these were half heartedly grown at best from sprouted pantry potatoes, with no additional care lavished on them.

As a hobby gardener, even this little bit is kind of satisfying to dig up, though they are making me vow to grow a big harvest of potatoes NEXT year.

We only have this one pear to harvest this year due to late frost blasting every single other blossom. This one was growing on the lowest espalier limb and luckily protected by a bunch of weeds that had overgrown the underbranch. When. I discovered the fruit earlier in the summer, hidden by the tansy growing taller than the branch, I was elated, and I have been very carefully keeping an eye on it all season.

[applestar]

I've decided that the rambling monster squash with huge leaves are probably Seminole rather than Thai Kang Kob. Since the corn has more or less finished and presumably stopped taking up nutrients, these vines have correspondingly accelerated in growth.

I thought I have been keeping them from climbing the corn stalks, but today, I noticed this.

...I have no idea HOW I missed this vine making it's way up the corn, but it has already reached the top of these corn

[applestar]

I pulled the cucumbers in the Kitchen Garden last week. They were just getting too hard hit by mildew, which was affecting the fruit quality, and they'd produced enough anyway. I took down all the vines and pulled them out when the ground was dry and hard so the roots broke off nearly at the surface with hardly any soil disturbance.

Faced with a pile of diseased vines, I normally would have put them in a large garbage bag, but this time I was too tired to even think about stuffing them all in the bag, let alone dragging it around the house to the trash bin in the driveway, so I did something I never did before -- stuffed them all in the plastic compost bin in the middle of the Kitchen Garden. Last two deposits of kitchen scraps included lobster remains, so I mixed the cuke vines in with those, then brought out a paper grocery bag of saved toilet paper tubes to mix in. Added a 5 gal bucket of dry leaves from the wind drift pile by the back fence.

Since then, I have been harvesting dry and fresh shelling beans so today, I dumped in a paper grocery bag full of shelled bean pods with the rest of the kitchen scraps and just used the plunging compost aerator to poke a bunch of holes.

A little while later, I had to lean by the compost bin and put my hand down on the lid to support myself -- it was HOT ! So hot to the touch that I involuntarily jerked my hand back.

...I hope it runs hot for a couple of days. That would help me feel better about the diseased vines.

[applestar]

Couple of SVB resistant squash from the center of the Spiral Garden:

Since Thai Kang Kob is supposed to be flat, ribbed, and warty, I guess this latest green one isn't it either, though it doesn't look exactly like Seminole....

I made myself open the SVB protection tunnel and see what's going on in there, and there was a female Kakai!

So I hand pollinated it. Counting the green fruit developing, there are/will be two left in the tunnel. This one may turn out to be the last of the lot.

[applestar]

BUMMER! I should have taken a BEFORE picture before removing the dried corn stalks. But done is done. I wanted to open up and let more sunlight through when there IS direct sun, since this area is fast becoming swallowed up by the lengthening house shadow,

Here's an update with the window view of the Spiral Garden:

[applestar]

Update on these two squashes.

Couple of SVB resistant squash from the center of the Spiral Garden:

Since Thai Kang Kob is supposed to be flat, ribbed, and warty, I guess this latest green one isn't it either, though it doesn't look exactly like Seminole....

The Seminole is just about ready to harvest. I'm waiting for the stem to dry up (unless heavy rain pass through but we seem to be in the drought before the fall rains -- good for ripening and maturing).

The green one has started developing the requisite pleats and warty skin to qualify for a Thai Pumpkin. Still doesn't match the few photos I've been able to locate on the internet for Thai Kang Kob except one or two, but I won't quibble.

[applestar]

Just HAD to show how much that Thai Kang Kob squash / Thai pumpkin has changed:

[applestar]

I harvested the TKK today since there' s a good chance we will get frost by morning.

...there's one more softball sized in the garden but I'm going to chance leaving it out.

[applestar]

I moved the compost bin from the Kitchen Garden to the Sunflower & House for the winter

DD raked up the Green Ash leaves which are the first to fall and bagged them as well as filling the bin and spreading them around the garden paths.

[applestar]

Fore some reason, my parents' garden seem to have been spared from the SVB's and they have been harvesting these squash which I believe are Uncle Davids's Dakota Dessert Squash -- C. maxima type which are susceptible to SVB's.

I picked up three of these squash today, just sitting on the ground with their stems dried out.

It's rather funny (especially if you re-read all the effort that went into growing MY squash in MY garden.... ) because they completely neglected their garden and out of all the seedlings and seeds of various crops I planted for them, the squash and Matt's Wild Cherry were the only ones to survive, and the squash essentially took over their entire garden with the squash vines and cherry tomato vines competing to climb the surrounding fence. There is even a squash vine that escaped the vegetable garden, grew through the other half which is supposed to be the flower garden, OVER THE FENCE AT THE OTHER END and about 10 feet beyond.... There is a squash growing on the end of it under a shrub.

There are SIX more still green and growing squash of various sizes in their garden (including the errant escapee) that I believe are Seminole pumpkins. I put them all on brick risers, off the ground.

[applestar]

These are probably the last harvest from the outside garden this season -- maybe a few more carrots and green onions, ...maybe some leeks... before the forecasted temperature plummet to 25°F arrives on Tuesday.

(Sunchokes from the Front Yard Edible Landscaping, and ....Beans, beans, and more beans! LOL)