I skipped another day yesterday. And it doesn’t look like I recorded what I did on Thursday….
Let’s see… figs and persimmons have all decided it is time to ripen. And powdery mildew has really started spreading on the one zucchini “tree” in there. I might have managed to contact transfer it to the already struggling butternut squash in the Spiral Garden which then started to inch over to the Greek Sweet Red, although GSR vines are still pretty vigorous and is not easily succumbing.
…Today, I finally DID manage to thoroughly spray the butternut and zucchini with oil and baking soda spray based on a new recipe that has been very effective on the zucchini.
(not pictured) In the Sunflower Hoophouse, I planted two more “red creamer” potatoes in the right crate since the gold baking potato doesn’t seem to want to sprout. Purple fingerings turned mushy while waiting for sprout.
— planned to transplant the started beet seedlings in front of the double crates and the mini napa where direct seeded beets and carrots didn’t sprout.
— Beet seedlings are not quite ready, but today, did plant Mini Napa #2 seedlings from one of the 3.5” square pots as planned. These will be thinned to every other hole, keeping the green circled ones (hopefully).
— The new sticky roach traps that had been set out on Tuesday to capture the invasion of crickets looked like these today, and I caught by hand another big one.
— Although I am not impressed by the H-19 Littleleaf cucumber performance, and am going to start looking for a hybrid parthenocarpic variety to grow in the hoophouse, I’ve decided to let one fruit each from the Spiral Garden and inside the Sunflower Hoophouse to mature for saving seeds. I want to see if “
by growing them out for several generations, they will adapt to garden’s growing conditions and begin to grow more vigorously” is myth or truth….
(I’m also saving one Suyo Long and probably one China Jade)
Allowing them to finish maturing a fruit will speed the plants to senility, but I think my family is ready to give up harvesting cukes, and the beds can be turned over to the next succession crop or to cleanup and a state of soil enrichment in preparation for the coming winter.
—— This week’s Harvest collage
9/3 — onion bottoms grew this much over the summer and then flopped over (they might be shallots)
9/4 — Petit Nigra container figs in front of the garage, Arkansas Black apples, and smaller bush American hazelnuts; (Cashflow zuke is still trying. See also 9/7)
9/5 — culled side sprouted cabbages that were in the way of the fall potato crates; test pulled carrots from VG.SIP (still runty); Chicago Hardy figs from tree in the ground SW side of the house also started ripening
9/7 — more Petit Nigra and Chicago Hardy figs and Prok persimmons started. First to set Nutterbutter butternut squash vine died so the one fruit was harvested.
— “Volunteer PL HBR’14” has ripened a gorgeous fruit — this was grown from seeds of the pollen donor parent to the two re-activated cross-pollination projects.
— picture of how the antho of the Queen of Malinalco X with antho purple bleeds blue into the flesh. We don’t usually talk about epi of tomatillos but this one is clear. Squat shape should be noted also. (9/3, 9/7, and 9/9 harvests include the true to type Queen of Malinalco— elongated yellow)
9/9 — Wes; More Chicago Hardy and one Petit Nigra; most of these Prok persimmons were on the ground from missing just one day (albeit there WAS a storm so not entirely my fault)
. The stem attachment seems to have failed. I can’t tell if it’s because the melon stems are so thin or because these were starting to show spots on their sides — I’m thinking stinkbugs or plant hoppers (possibly Spotted Lanternflies although I haven’t seen many in my garden) might have been at them — and they might actually have been sucking at the stems and weakened them. There are only 3 Kaho fruits left on the trellis….
(I’m also saving one Suyo Long and probably one China Jade)