Applestar's 2017 Garden

[bri80]

I mentioned elsewhere that my plants must be secretly monitoring what I post about them on the internet, because they seem to respond. Well, look at the Japanese Striped Maize in the VG.SIP today:



When I looked closely and counted, I realized that 8 out of 9 plants in there -- I.e. all except one -- are showing red stripes now....

That is cool. I wish I had the space to grow corn! Especially some awesome variety like that.

Mind if I ask what VG.SIP stands for?

[applestar]

Vegetable Garden SIP

...from p.11 June 19 I think -- forgot already

Subject: Applestar's 2017 Garden

I got the VGD.PSRB planted. This year's "share with the neighbor" fence crop will be the Korean cucumbers. I rarely grow hybrids, but I decided to stick with productive, disease resistant varieties when doing this. If some of the tomatoes --particularly Bear Creek -- and the Giant Marconi peppers and Hari eggplants manage to top the fence, they will provide nice addition for offering.



In VG.SIP, Japanese Striped Maize and Korean Melon are settling in. We are having mostly overcast days so I removed the screen cover. If the melon seeds in the other corner don't sprout, I will have to sow some more.

The ants had moved out of the used SIP potting mix pile (to underneath the mulch bag -- so I didn't have to deal with the ants while I worked to fill the VGB.PSRB.

I got overheated and tired -- not hot but so muggy today -- wasn't able to quite finish up. We are expecting thunderstorms later/soon so I did want to take care of all of the potting mix, which I was able to manage.

I had a "grand plan" for this patio corner, but had to put it aside since it was holding up the rest of the planting. This SIP will be designated "Kitchen Garden Patio SIP" (KGP.SIP) and, along with the other planters and containers, will be planted with Mexican/Southwestern cuisine ingredients

[applestar]

15 pages in this thread already! I started a Tomato Garden progress thread so I can post details about the tomatoes and other solanacea without overwhelming this thread
Subject: Applestar's 2017 Tomatoes (and peppers and eggplants)

[bri80]

Vegetable Garden SIP

So maybe I'm dumb, but what's SIP??

[applestar]

Oops sorry I got used to talking in these abbreviations. Sub-Irrigated Planter.
Here's a bit of discussion about them Subject: Self Watering Container and Sub-irrigated Planter

[bri80]

Oops sorry I got used to talking in these abbreviations. Sub-Irrigated Planter.
Here's a bit of discussion about them Subject: Self Watering Container and Sub-irrigated Planter

Hey, cool! Very creative!

[applestar]

Plants that prefer warmer root zone than my garden and climate can supply seem to do really well in these -- peppers and eggplants for sure. Most likely melons as well. I'm also trying them for ones that really suffer from our summer drought since the reservoir can maintain steady moisture levels.

[applestar]

I finished hilling the corn in the Spiral Garden and sowed some bush beans in available spots ....you don't see any? Well I MADE them fit


Okra and summer squash seeds sprouted

[applestar]

A number of green fruits are starting to color break, but it looks like the first to actually BLUSH among the SFH/SFHX in-ground tomatoes is the Not Raymondo's Australian Mist Currant-leaf RL. I don't know if the color didn't show up well in this morning's photo or if it's the angle, but I could clearly see the yellow color from the upstairs window this afternoon.



...runner up prize might go to Maskotka, but this one needs to go full red, so not really.

[applestar]

Here is my lean-to overhead trellis idea for the cucumbers in VGD.PSRB (pallet sided raised bed) on the left and cherry/indeterminate tomatoes in VGB.PSRB on the right. Neither of them are completely finished since I want to add the front edge bamboo to the 4'x4' VGD which I built first.

I really like the look of the 4'x6.5' VGB trellis, but it is not completely secured yet. My neighbor's lawn service came and started spraying so I had to skedaddle. The odor lingered for a while, making me suspicious that they didn't keep their sprayer wand low again, so I ended up spending my time rinsing off my blackberries and other plants with hose end sprayer after they had gone and the air had settled.



I expect some of the fruits (Korean cucumber, indeterminate and cherry tomatoes, Korean melon) will end up being left laying on top of the wire fence, though I intend to try to be vigilant and train any wayward floral/fruit trusses into hanging the fruit underneath.

...yes I HAD to take extra pictures of the Japanese Striped Maize

The PSRB was my answer to have solid skid panels against the picket fence as a barrier, and to raise the planted plants way above the ground level. The beds were filled semi-hugelkultur so there is over-abundance of biological activity underneath to act as bio-remediation. The SIP in the middle is isolated from the ground. I'm not entirely sanguine but by planting broadleafs susceptible to herbicides, these beds are used to check for possible contamination of the VG beds that are further in, and I do share the harvest over the fence with my neighbor.

[applestar]

So the first variety to present mature fruit from the SFH•SFHX side of the house was Not Raymondo's Australian Mist. I was right and it doesn't have the "Mist" -- frosty white fruit color. I don't know if it came through in the photos but my Maglia Rosa x Coyote segregate from last year's white cherry definitely has this characteristic inherited from the Coyote ancestry..

Although I picked it because it was soft to the touch, it resisted being picked, which means it wasn't fully ripe, whereas Not Raymondo's fell right into my hand.


Marz Pulcent fruits are from KGP (Kitchen Garden Patio).

[applestar]

I was reminded to check on the progress of Santa Lucia Island peppers -- three plants under the insect screen tunnel. Trouble with those things is you need extra motivation to undo all the (insect proof) fastenings and open them up. This one is inside a 4 foot chickenwire fence, double-secured gated SF&H (Sunflower, etc. House) garden -- it was devised to keep groundHOG out -- so that's another cause to balk at dealing with it all.

Well, it was a good thing because it was a mess under there with 2nd set trueleaf tomato volunteers everywhere -- NO TOMATOES WERE PLANTED HERE< NONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GROWING

They might have been set back from the competition, but they were still pretty small. But the 3rd year Doux Long d'antibes had a 4 inch green fruit. And big leaves of Senposai was ready to harvest -- giving that to my mom today. I weeded with the shedding comb and tucked them all back in under the covers.

[rainbowgardener]

Love the lean to trellis. So the idea is to train things to grow across the top? Will you plant something underneath in the shade thus created?

Everywhere I put my compost, I get volunteer tomatoes.

[applestar]

To be honest, I don't know how these will turn out after the cucumber and tomato plants have engulfed them. It's a new idea and an experiment. But if nothing else, these will give them 16 sq.ft. and 26 sq.ft of extra growing space, keep them from flopping over, and maybe will look interesting.

VGB.PSRB has salvias and balsams growing under the indeterminate tomatoes and one? Cherry tomato. I intend to ruthlessly prune lower tomato leaves to give them space.
VGD.PSRB has 3 short determinate tomatoes (Marz Pulcent and Maskotka) as well as I think Dwarf Brandy Fred growing in the front. One indeterminate Bear Creek on the end, 2 Marconi pepper's and 2 Hari eggplants which all can get pretty tall. Oh and I planted a Cypress Vine in the corner....

Bwahahaha -- the more I think about it, the crazier this sounds!

[applestar]

Spiral Garden, viewed from the East --



...I'll probably collage this with other photos into a bigger picture...

[applestar]

Nutterbutter is climbing the wall ...err trellis.

[rainbowgardener]

To be honest, I don't know how these will turn out after the cucumber and tomato plants have engulfed them. It's a new idea and an experiment. But if nothing else, these will give them 16 sq.ft. and 26 sq.ft of extra growing space, keep them from flopping over, and maybe will look interesting.

VGB.PSRB has salvias and balsams growing under the indeterminate tomatoes and one? Cherry tomato. I intend to ruthlessly prune lower tomato leaves to give them space.
VGD.PSRB has 3 short determinate tomatoes (Marz Pulcent and Maskotka) as well as I think Dwarf Brandy Fred growing in the front. One indeterminate Bear Creek on the end, 2 Marconi pepper's and 2 Hari eggplants which all can get pretty tall. Oh and I planted a Cypress Vine in the corner....

Bwahahaha -- the more I think about it, the crazier this sounds!

that all sounds like stuff that likes full sun and it seems like once things grow over the trellis, it won't be full sun under there....

[applestar]

Well, right now, the area gets sun from sunrise until the fence itself which is on SW side starts shading it -- so the bed underneath the overhead trellis should get the sunrise to noon at least -- the lean-to design should help. We'll see.

In the past, the Lady in Red salvia grew well in my front NW-facing porch-side bed which only got 4 hours West setting sun, and the pink balsam grew well in the SE-facing (but shaded until the sun cleared the trees) 11AM-3PM sun bed.

[applestar]

Here's another craziness -- I wasn't able to keep up with the C.pepo and C.maxima squash protected under the insect screen, and they proceeded to poke their tendrils THROUGH the mesh and climb up to the top.



At least the C.moschatas are starting to climb their wire fence trellises as intended.


With both those squash and these melons:



I'm going to borrow from and adapt this idea:

T clamped onto T-posts supporting a cattle panel


https://youtu.be/nE92hZvcmgo

[applestar]

Yesterday's harvest. I gave all of these except the Jasmine blossoms to my parents.



I also took the two Marz Pulcent tomato plants that were starting to mature fruits (the one in square white container and one in white plastic hanging basket) as well as a container planted with Lettuceleaf Basils.


I still have this one from which I harvested a couple of fruits this morning, as well as the Jasmine blossoms since some more opened.


...and a Maskotka. I didn't want to give these away because they are the ones I practiced cross-breeding on, and the blossoms seem to have set fruits

[applestar]

VGD.PSRB ... VG.SIP ... VGB.PSRB



VGD.PSRB ... [ ] ... VGB.PSRB

[KitchenGardener]

Here's another craziness -- I wasn't able to keep up with the C.pepo and C.maxima squash protected under the insect screen, and they proceeded to poke their tendrils THROUGH the mesh and climb up to the top.



At least the C.moschatas are starting to climb their wire fence trellises as intended.

Can't see from your pics, but trust that its happening! Determined little guys!

[applestar]

[applestar]

Uppoted the crucifer seedlings in plug cells. For some reason, the Limba Broccoli which sprouted well all died -- damped off? Strange because all these others were fine in the same ice cream tub. So no fall heading broccoli but I may try the overwintered broccoli later in late September/early October.



These seedlings include the following, but particularly ones marked with *
*Broccoli, Purple Peacock (Fedco’13)
Kohlrabi, Superschmelz (Ellie’14)
Cauliflower, Early Snowball 2013
*Cauliflower, Snowball (ellie)
*Chinese Cabbage, Kyoto No.3 (Kitazawa’15)
Kale, Lacinato (SESE’09)
Kale, Flowering Peacock Red (Pinetree’13)
*Kale, Red Russian
*Kohlrabi, Azure Star (Park’13)
*Kohlrabi, Kolibri (Pinetree’14)
*Cabbage, Brunswick (LinFL’16)

[applestar]

I was too wiped out to go back and take pictures of them, but the Littleleaf H-19 cucumbers in the Apple Guild (AG) bed has finally started opening female blossoms after days and days of bachelor party. It was a good thing I was looking to discover all of the female blossoms because I found a leaf foot bug

Everything is growing in leaps and bounds, forcing me to throw together trellises and supports out of any available material.

For VGB inderterminate tomatoes -- I made up a bamboo trellis supports frame and then one of those 5' x 10' nylon netting veg trellis draped on both sides to completely enclose and tightly strung with little zip ties.



Haybale Lane (HBL) melons -- I wanted them to sprawl on the ground as much as they could to give them chance to set down additional roots, but now they are crawling on top of each other and trying to escape through the fence, so I've temporarily secured first part of my idea for the overhead shelf trellis. Honey Rock melon has opened a few female blossoms. I thought about hand pollinating them, but each of them were already occupied by a bee....



I'm trying to decide whether to continue with my original idea to fold another section of wire fencing, zip-tied back-to-back with this one -- planning to get the metal straps fastened with a bolt for tightly securing the wire fence to the T-posts -- then lengths of bamboo laid across the full width on top and secured with zip ties to support the overhead shelf.... or if there is a better idea....

[SQWIB]

How big is your yard
Is that a Big Green Egg in the pic on the left?

[applestar]

YOU would think that. I'd love to get one of those green monster$ -- I have admired them from afar.

No, that's one of the earliest compost tumblers that started showing up on gardening catalogs. End-to-end design. Not the best since it's really not dimensionally correct. I helped neighborhood kids with their science fair project with one of these... oh maybe 10 years ago. All grown and married, etc. now, those kids. I remember one of the parents looking very put out and telling me that all these ants and rollypollies and earthworms fell out of the drainage holes when the kids demonstrated tumbling it. And me saying ...um yeah? Did the kids mention that was SUPPOSED to happen in their report? Earliest models as I said -- probably explains how they have held up so well (I have another one). It's my (WAY) back burner project to figure out exactly how to lazily use these most effectively because they really don't work very well unless you obsessively chop up all ingredients and make minute adjustments in the ratio, etc.

I think I've posted about basically all the areas that I've turned into gardens. We have a large useless front lawn due to REALLY bad planning on the original developer's part, but DH isn't in tune with the concept that lawns are passé. But everywhere inside the backyard fence is under MY purview

[SQWIB]

YOU would think that. I'd love to get one of those green monster$ -- I have admired them from afar.

No, that's one of the earliest compost tumblers that started showing up on gardening catalogs. End-to-end design. Not the best since it's really not dimensionally correct. I helped neighborhood kids with their science fair project with one of these... oh maybe 10 years ago. All grown and married, etc. now, those kids. I remember one of the parents looking very put out and telling me that all these ants and rollypollies and earthworms fell out of the drainage holes when the kids demonstrated tumbling it. And me saying ...um yeah? Did the kids mention that was SUPPOSED to happen in their report? Earliest models as I said -- probably explains how they have held up so well (I have another one). It's my (WAY) back burner project to figure out exactly how to lazily use these most effectively because they really don't work very well unless you obsessively chop up all ingredients and make minute adjustments in the ratio, etc.

I don't sweat the compost, everything just keeps getting dumped in

Yeah, I kept staring at that and thought, dam, Applestar even has a Big Green Egg.

Here's my Homemade Baby




I used to compost years ago, but stopped due to yard constraints (pool) anyhow the one pictured here is the same type I had 20 years ago. I just framed it out with 6x6's and the front piece is just laid in place to access the compost.

I think I've posted about basically all the areas that I've turned into gardens. We have a large useless front lawn due to REALLY bad planning on the original developer's part, but DH isn't in tune with the concept that lawns are passé. But everywhere inside the backyard fence is under MY purview

Sounds like you got the better deal

[KitchenGardener]

Hahaha, thanks! I can see that!

[applestar]

SQWIB, I suspect your "baby" is a high performance machine (with places for everything you need at hand) compared to the dumb ol' egghead.

KG, if you don't post a picture, it didn't happen.

[applestar]

I installed the overhead shelf trellis using the back-to-back idea for the TKKxSeminole squash bed. I think this will work. Once the two panels are zipped tight together, the vertical panels in the middle stiffen into strong non-warping structure. I needed to get this much done TODAY because some of the vines were already at the top of the lower kneefence.


...I just have to go back and secure the bamboo cross beams and frames to support the overhangs from flopping.

-- I'll put up the same other-side fence panels and the overhang support for the melons. Depending on how vigorous these get, I have some ideas for structural additions. This morning, they had ALREADY reached for and wrapped tendrils onto the new, upper fence panel.

[applestar]

I was searching for this but couldn't find it. It seems I wrote it in my gardening journal but never posted it.... ?

Here's what I'm doing to help keep the hanging basket Tomatoes from completely drying out when it's super hot.

I replaced the caps with liquid soap caps that fit and cut off the flip lid. They are on their sides and the water doesn't pour out. The idea is that when it's super hot, the expanding heated air forces the water to drip out. Drip by drip. So it's not the same as automated watering -- you still have to water them once a day, but I can get away with not watering them again later in the day, and so far they have survived until next morning's watering.

[applestar]

The tulle protection for the C. pepo Sweet REBA and C.maxima Sibley/Pike Banana squashes was becoming useless since they had clambered their way up by poking their tendrils through the netting.



When they are pressed up against the netting like that, bugs will poke their ovipositor right through the mesh and lay eggs on the plant. And I was concerned that they were going to lift the netting up and create gaps at the base, which would let the SVB moths in. And I already had to cull the volunteer C.pepo squash plants -- all theee of them -- due to signs of SVB infestation. So they have been and ARE here.


I decided today was THE DAY -- it had to be rebuilt.

It turned out that my concerns were justified, because when I moved some of the errant vines of the C.moschata TKKxS F3 {Thai Kang Kob x Seminole TKK#2Bkt F3 (SG'16)} to get them back in their bed and crawl towards their support trellis, I found a whole bunch of squash bug eggs (...and when I opened up the tulle protection for the SVB vulnerable squashes, there were leaf footed bug eggs on some of those leaves)



But luckily I remembered the duct tape trick -- what a joy! The duct tape makes egg removal ever so much easier. You just have to find them. Press on and pull off. Zip! Done!


... It took me until 2PM to get this much done -- and I think I still need to fortify the overlapped areas in the tulle netting, but I'm pleased with the result

[applestar]

Things are happening!

First Nutterbutter femal flower bud:


H-19 Littleleaf cucumber female flowers:


Orient Express F2 eggplants:


The earliest Japanese Striped Maize in the Spiral Garden started to grow their tassels a couple of days ago, and Today first of the silks showed up. I did not have my file folder pollen collector on hand because I didn't realize about the silks coming out, plus it was still kind of wet out after a wee hours of the morning sprinkle. But I didn't want to miss anything, so I improvised with a hosta leaf, which worked out surprisingly well. I wiped it dry on my pantleg, it had the right shape, and I was able to collect some pollen and sprinkle on the first couple of inches of silks.

I checked on the JSM in the VG.SIP -- a couple of them were growing tassels and there were first hints of where the silks will be growing, but they weren't making pollen yet. But oh boy these are gorgeous!

I really wish I knew what the difference is. I would think some people would be disappointed thinking they were not getting much stripes if they were growing in similar condition to my Spiral Garden. I'm so glad I tend to try different micro-climates/growing conditions when trying to grow something new.

Tomatoes

[applestar]

Cabbage White butterflies are out in force! Anything left out in the garden that is in the mustard family -- radish gone to seed, turnips, volunteer kale and Asian greens... is covered with the fuzzy frosty green caterpillars. It's been hot so the cabbage moths have arrived as well, and I'm also finding 1/2 inch long cross-striped cabbageworms... no loopers so far.

Since I want to try growing fall cruciferous veggies, I need to "clear the air". I'm going to try to reduce their local population by eliminating everything out in the open. I'm hacking down all volunteer Russian kale this year and will start from new seedlings I have growing under cover. I'll have to check on the garlic mustard that are growing along the back fence. Normally, they don't lay on those as much (because they find my veggies, I think)

[applestar]

A couple more I forgot to post yesterday --

CORN UPDATE:

I've been hand pollinating my little patch of Japanese Striped Maize. Tassels are dark burgundy red (pollen is still yellow).



CUCURBITS UPDATE:

When this Nutterbutter female flower opened, her suitors had already opened the day before and closed up. I wasn't sure if it would work, but I tore open the male flower petals and found some pollen that were loose and not clumped so tried hand-pollinating. We will know in a couple of days -- so far she looked good today.


...after all my work building the climbing trellis for the melons, I found this good sized -- 4 inch or so -- presumably Korean Melon practically pressed into the mud. I gave it a rough pillow made of dried up grass....

[lakngulf]

Youve got it going on applestar! Viney plants LOVE a trellis and youve got a good strong one

[applestar]

You are not kidding @lakngulf! -- they have all reached the top of the trellises I put up.....



Here's that Nutterbutter -- still waiting to see if pollination was successful



VG Pallet Sided Raised Beds. Korean cuke vines are VERY vigorous. Balsam are way ahead of salvia, but if I remember correctly, they shut down after blooming last time, so if that happens again, the salvia can take over....

[applestar]

It was 60°F outside this morning! 60! I was ecstatic because I could finally do something I've been wanting to do -- take down the compost bin and move it along with unfinished compost to the other side of the yard. I like to alternate the plastic bin's location so the neighbors get fair share of having it near their side

I have a small pile of mostly finished compost. It's teeming with earthworms as well as rollypollies, sawbugs, and other detrivores, ants, etc. so I covered with porous landscape fabric for today and hopefully, I will be able to side-dress the melons, tomatoes, and corn with it tomorrow after sifting out some finished compost for the AACT.



After that, I'm moving the container tropicals over to where the compost bin used to be, so they can benefit from the enriched soil underneath.

[imafan26]

That is the trick with netting it has be placed over a cage high enough so the plant does not poke through it. I have the same problem with bird netting. Once the tomatoes poke through it or if the tomatoes are up against the netting the birds can get to them. I built a pvc frame for the netting and it worked as long as the plants stayed in side and bugs stayed out. I had problem with leaf footed stink bugs that ate everything to the midribs unless it was netted. The netting though does not last very long and I had to sew it together to get a wide enough piece. I also had to make a sock filled with dirt to put on the bottom to keep the bugs from crawling under the netting.