Applestar's 2017 Garden

[applestar]

First ripe tomatoes!

[applestar]

Almost finished planting the SIP's --




This overwintered Shishito was uppotted a couple of days ago --




...this is the Fish seedling that was planted in the Earthbox above. Seeds from a SuperVar Fish that was harvested in January of 2015. I have two more, but look at how dark purple this one's stem is! It was darkest of the three. The thing is, I don't remember Fish as having purple stems. You can see a bit of variegation on one of the leaves so it *is* Fish....


...I'm wondering if one of the attempts to cross SuperVar Fish with Bolivian Rainbow had been successful.

[imafan26]

You are way ahead of me. My main garden has been fallow for most of the year. I have been mostly just killing the weeds. I just pulled the pea pods because it is raining again and I don't want them to rot. The cucumber and zucchini are growing. The zucchini is starting to get flowers and the cucumber is over 3ft tall and will soon be over the trellis. It is raining again so I did not have to water. The other good thing is that the grass is dormant so even with the rain it isn't growing much. The ginger sprouted late but it looks like it is catching up.

[rainbowgardener]

First ripe tomatoes!

Yay!! Beautiful tomatoes!

[applestar]

Japanese Striped Maize planted in the center of the Spiral Garden as this year's center/showpiece are starting to show their stripes

[applestar]

I haven't been able to get into some parts of the garden due to heavy rains leaving the accessways more SWALES than PATHS. I should have removed those bottletops yesterday and did already for those I could reach ...but these were doing THIS when I looked as soon as it was light.



I buried some half-finished compost in the center portion of the row and sowed JUST SPROUTED Sweet REBA Acorn and Sibley/Pike's Peak squashes. Since they are C.pepo and C.maxima, I'm planning to put put a SVB protection tunnel over them -- hence grouping them in the middle with the C.moschata on the ends outside of the protection. But I was wiped out today.

These shouldn't need protection with the bottletops because just sprouted seeds/seedleaves are more resilient about encountering and enduring blistering sun.


I also sowed some more melons -- some of these were just germinated Ali Baba and Cream of Saskatchewan watermelon seeds (mostly because I can't take the time to baby them any more -- watermelons take the longest to germinate and sprout). Those seedleaves are a couple of Super Zagross Beit Alpha type cucumber seedlings that sprouted. I noticed that some of the beet seeds I rolled in the mud and scattered about (freshly made/instant seedballs) have sprouted. I did the same for some carrot seeds but I would be expecting to see them for a while.

I also sowed just sprouted Snow Leopard melon seeds, (been sprouted and nearly a goner) Honey Rock melon seeds, and a Thai Yellow Melon that sprouted a while ago but has been surprisingly healthy.


I'm left with another 4 or 5 feet stretch in the Haybale Lane. I might sow my edamame here, unless I'm forgetting something.

[applestar]

Sunflower House and Sunflower House Extension tomatoes. They've really grown and many of them have started blooming.

This year, I have to decide if I want to try practicing cross-breeding again, and if I do, start thinking about which ones and get working -- not wait until too late since the tomato plants suffer from heat, drought, and fungal issues once the summer weather really sets in. I was really disappointed to see successfully set baby fruits get overcome without having the chance to mature after all the work I put into them.



I'm starting to prune ...judiciously... completely necessary due to close spacing. And today's #2 priority ToDo was to side dress and put up the procrastinated support systems for the tomatoes...but... yeah maybe tomorrow.

[applestar]

Finished -- (well, I still have to fiddle with the support cages but that's not a big deal)

~KGPSIP~
Store bought red Pearl onions that started to sprout along the right side -- no idea what variety so expecting to harvest as green onions as they grow.




~EARTHBOX~
I re-positioned the two peppers and planted a Jalapeño and a NuMex Lemon Spice as planned. 2015 Maui Purple is sitting in for the overwintered 2016 Ros de Mallorca since it is still in the house under the WWL lights and still needs to be hardened.

I also sowed pinches of dill seeds along the left edge.

[applestar]

Arrrgh! I FF-ORGOT! Whipping rainstorm side swiping the house siding right now. Yeah THAT was why I was supposed to set up the tomato supports! 5:11 sunset at 8:30 -- enough daylight to let me see the destruction happening-- maybe it will pass just at sunset. ...it's going to be a mess tomorrow...

[pepperhead212]

I was thinking of you today! That rainstorm went just north of me, but the winds were so strong that the sound was drowning out the music on my earphones, and some more of my neighbor's tree came down. Friday I lost one EP, part of a chocolate habanero, and some tomato branches. Sunday, and again today, I tied up the drooping tomato branches, and made sure that I had strong stakes on the plants that needed them (that was the problem with the EP and hab - stakes snapped). Nothing looked damaged after todays winds, but I saw that it went north. I hope it didn't damage too much of your garden.

[applestar]

Thx pepperhead212 -- from what I could see from the window it didn't seem too bad.... a mulch bag blew into where sunflowers have sprouted, a couple of maters are leaning... a container of pepper -- peppadew -- fell over.... Will find out more in the morning....

[applestar]

All in all it wasn't too bad in the tomato garden. Mostly bandaid fix -- 3 or 4 plants that were leaning over and needed to be clipped onto a thin cane -- since of course they are drenched with dew and you don't really want to handle them too much then. And I sure am not going back out there after the sun has fried the dew off.

More serious were all the milkweeds that fell completely over. One fell in the pond. Some of them were already trying to grow upward just at the very tip. THAT took a while. I scared a frog in the grass while I was working -- I asked it what it was doing out of the pond (it was not a tree frog). Then a swarm of mosquitoes flew up and started attacking me.

[applestar]

My corn breeding projects are ready to plant, but it was way too wet to walk or dig in the Spiral Garden today



Hopefully these won't grow up too late to try introducing the "Striped Maize" genes to some of this year's crosses. If possible, I'm going to try crossing both ways in case the variegation is sex-linked. (I read that sometimes, variegation is only passed down from the mother.)

So as not to let all of them get crossed if they happen to bloom at the same time, I'm growing a group of Japanese Striped Maize in VGSIP on the other side of the house, too. This also means the different growing conditions may create different pollen shedding and silk ripening period among them.

[applestar]

Timing is critical when pre-germinating and pre-sprouting cucurbits.
You can see the difference -- When planted just as the seedleaves are shedding their seed husks, they are unfazed by the sun and stretch out just as if they had been sown right here, except that they do it so much faster. One of the Butternuts didn't make it. I sowed 3 more soaked (but not pre-germinated) seeds. I also sowed Borlotto pole beans at the base of the two nearby T-posts.



Once seedleaves have sprouted and especially if you let a (stunted) true leaf begin to grow, they need a good bit of protection and recovery time.

Here are the melons in the Haybale Lane

[applestar]

I feel like the basils have REALLY grown since I planted them. Other plants have settled in, and it's time to deal with the weeds.



Here are the rest of the first batch of basils (Lettuce Leaf, not so Lettuce Leaf, and Dani Sweet Lemon)

[applestar]

Today's Harvest

[applestar]

Yay I got my corn planted! Spiral Garden is almost filled up



Hoping the pink and orange ribbons will make the bunnies think twice about coming inside the garden enclosure and trying to nibble in them. STAY OUT!

Red straws mark the large fruited,day-neutral Seascape strawberries. I want to weed out the bird-sown wild strawberries that have mingled into this area, so I'm waiting for re-bloom to confirm ones that are Seascape, then will pull the rest.

[applestar]

Yesterday, I saw and eliminated two harlequin bugs. This is WAY too early for them to be showing up -- usually later July mid-August. With the tropical storm systems blowing in from the southeast, too, I'm guessing all the summer pests including the SVB's could be flying any time now. So first thing this morning, I temporarily covered Sibley and REBA squash seedlings with the pop-ups. They don't have a chance at all if they get infested now.



Hopefully, the Nutterbutter and my cross breeds which are C.moschatas will be OK for the time being. Usually they don't go after them until 2ndary infestations start.

[applestar]

...Little by little we're there...

— made some more progress planting the VG raised beds

[applestar]

After sporadically producing nice berries all winter in the Garage V8 Nursery, and a few more this spring, this clump of White Soul Alpine strawberries stopped bearing berries. I decided it might need to be uppotted from a cute clay cauldron-shaped pot -- when I worked the rootball out, it was completely dried out even though it should have gotten a nice soak yesterday.

So I mixed in a good amount of citrus tone in this basket which was sitting around dry with nothing growing in it (patched the coir lining on one side with some long grass). This should be about three times the volume it was in before. I soaked it thoroughly, then wandered around with the soaked heavy basket, looking for a good place to hang it... ugh ... Gave up and hung it on the end of the swing set. Hopefully, the squirrels won't think of raiding it here.....

[applestar]

Took some photos of tomato blossoms and green baby fruits today

I was intrigued by these mega-blossoms -- (and of course HAD to include the one not mega with a metallic green bee working it)



These are my Maglia Rosa x (Coyote and Faelan's First Snow) F3 segregates. Early to mature.




Seeing those bright yellow blossoms made the clear flesh Vernissage Yellow's pale flower petals (and of course the striped fruits) stand out --



I wish Rebel Alliance was a little bit more grown up so you could see the multiflorall trusses better --

[applestar]

Thanks to pepperhead212, I'm more aware of the threat pepper maggot flies pose, so I've planted most of the remaining cherry pepper type varieties and thick-walled sweet varieties under an insect screen tunnel.

[bri80]

I was intrigued by these mega-blossoms -- (and of course HAD to include the one not mega with a metallic green bee working it)

I'm curious to see how any fruit that sets from that mega-blossom turn out! That's neat... I've had something similar happen and I got a giant, weirdly shaped fruit from it, but the blossom wasn't that large.

[applestar]

The “Big Reveal” – took the hoops and cover off the Japanese Striped Maize in the center of the Spiral Garden.

I got distracted by the elderflowers and forgot to take a picture while outside, so this is just a view from upstairs window....

[applestar]

Today's harvest,--

[applestar]

Finished planting SF&H --

- Pulled last bolted Michihili and harvested all of the large leaves from Senposal and Osaka Shirona(?)
- cleaned up weeds and damaged leaves
- scattered Citrus tone
- Planted peppers that need to be protected from pepper maggots
=King of the North? 2015
=Trinidad Perfum (patihum) 2015
=Chocolate Cake? 2015

=Sowed dry -- Bau Sin Kai Tsai, Semposai, Komatsuna, Osaka Shirona, Tokyo Bekana, Fun Jen, Misome, Mizuna, Yu Choi Sum, Yokatta-na, Southern Giant Curled Mustard....



Other possibilities for here --
=Sweet Chocoloco
=OKAHIJIKI
=DS Brussels sprouts
=Onions? Carrots?

[applestar]

I've just about given up on growing sunflowers this year. I started out with pre-sprouted seeds -- they disappeared so I sowed some pre-germinated seeds -- last of the seeds in the Lemon Queen packet -- and was seeing them start to sprout, when they were all beheaded. So I sowed soaked Hal-runner white mountaineer bean seeds.

Now I'm seeing beans suffering the same fate -- chipmunks? Voles? Whatever they are, they are eating the cotyledons (which are two halves of the seed) overnight. ...hmmm maybe slugs? But usually they don't eat the entire sprout at once -- I see them nibbled.

Starting to see same thing happening to my black edamame that have sprouted. Ugh!

It really is getting late for sunflowers and I was only going to grow the Lemon Queen this year -- was going to give up but there was that recent thread in which a new member from Maryland or Virginia said they sow/start Sunflower seeds all the way into July. I like growing sunflowers for the birds and wildlife -- I was reminded of that while posting in the Sunflower Hulls discussion.... bah. Maybe I WILL fuss with them a bit more and grow them to first trueleaf then transplant, or try putting up some kind of protection after direct seeding.

Now what to do about the beans -- I have a bush beans I want to grow, and more pole beans. It's getting late for edamame -- I don't have the seeds for early maturing varieties this year and was hoping to acclimate the black ones saved from last year's harvest.

[Taiji]

I've had a lot of trouble this year with something eating my cotyledons too. Not for sure what it is. Maybe more than one pest. I even suspect an occasional mouse. Once in awhile I see one running round; one of the few things that still manage to get in my enclosed garden. I finally seemed to get beyond that problem. I don't blame them because that's where so much nutrition is.

[applestar]

Those pesky little critters that reasonable amount of fencing can't keep out are the worst! More so because they ARE clever.

[applestar]

When I look over the indeterminate Tomatoes in the Sunflower House, the two varieties that stand out as competing for the TALLEST status are Wes and Sergeant Pepper's -- but both these are hearts and have wispy foliage.

So the ones that are more obviously trying to take over the most CRW remesh panel trellis space by spreading out with big leaves are Michalych and Amy Sue (Giant Syrian x Marianna's Peace)... and if they were also on the CRW remesh panel, Cheste and Grandma Oliver's Chocolate, and maybe Ernie's Plump would be as well.

I thought from all the descriptions that Rebel Yell would be one of them, but it is being pushed aside and dominated by Cheste.

[applestar]

Ground was dry and this was my chance to pull all the garlic before the tomato roots would be adversely affected from digging them up.

[applestar]

Tomatoes with green fruits in the Sunflower House and the Sunflower House Extension

First -- The Map


SFH

Dwarf tomatoes

- Dwarf Blazing Beauty
- Dwarf Chocolate Lightning
- Dwarf Orange Cream
- Dwarf Uluru Ochre



indeterminates, determinates

- Cheste (gerardo'Jul2016)
- Grandma Oliver's Chocolate (gixx'13)
- Ernie's Plump (meb'16)
- Ramallet Mallorquín Pequeño Multiflora (gerardo'Nov2016)
- Sergeant Pepper's (itali'16)
- Amy Sue (digitS'15) {Giant Syrian x Marianna's Peace F5? F6?}
- The Witz (digitS'16) Woodle Orange x ? F7/F8
- Mikhalych (tillyboris 2016)


cherry tomatoes

SFHX
- Maskotka (Clara 2016)
- WS.FFS F4 heart 8.16.16 ChLn
- NOT Raymondo's Australian Mist RPL (Aug'16)
- Rebel Alliance F5 (Marsha'16)
- Isolde (clara 2016)
- Vernissage Yellow Clear Flesh (VGC'15)


I am excited to see ALL THESE fruit shapes in the MRxCF F3 segregates. A little surprise, too, which I'm not sure how to interpret -- I will followup about that later. (Click for enlarged, zoomable view)




Since they started fruiting, I gave them all a side dressing of Tomato-tone. I want to put down kelp meal as well, but keep having to do other priority chores. I think I have to water as soon as it is light since the last rain didn't supply as as much water as needed -- only just enough for them to recover from being dry.

[applestar]

Ground-level views of the Spiral Garden 2017 Corn Patch



I am LOVING the Japanese Striped Maize -- it was a seed gift from a friend

[applestar]

I was intrigued by these mega-blossoms -- (and of course HAD to include the one not mega with a metallic green bee working it)

I'm curious to see how any fruit that sets from that mega-blossom turn out! That's neat... I've had something similar happen and I got a giant, weirdly shaped fruit from it, but the blossom wasn't that large.

I've been carrying around an electric toothbrush to buzz the mega-blossoms so all parts are fully pollinated, and also encourage fruitset when humid and pollen tends to clump, but so far, every time I try to buzz floral trusses, I end up disturbing tiny wasps, hoverflies, as well as the shiny green metallic sweat bees -- already hanging onto the end of the anthercone. So my efforts seem superfluous.

I'm beginning to think the blossoms with brown, bruised looking anther cone tips may have already been worked on by the bees. They cling to the end and buzz repeatedly while turning around and around....

Bee Types | Great Pollinator Project
https://greatpollinatorproject.org/polli ... /bee-types

Family Halictidae—Sweat Bees
Green metallic bees [...] Species in the genera Augochlora and Augochlorella are entirely brilliant green.

[applestar]

Ramallet Pequeñito en Ramos Multiflora (gerardo'Nov2016)

[applestar]

Today's top priority project was building a larger insect screened tunnel for the SVB-vulnerable Sweet REBA acorn squash (C.pepo) and Sibley Banana/Pike's Peak squash (C.maxima).



I have high hopes for REBA in the tunnel since it is supposed to be resistant to Powdery Mildew.

The Thai Kang Kob x Seminole crosses in the foreground are oddly yellow. I wasn't sure why since they were planted next to crab remains trench compost, but I needed to side dress the corn anyway, so I gave some to the squashes and hilled them, and fed the melons, too.

You can see that the Nutterbutter butternut squash are doing well, and the seeds I sowed in addition to the one have also sprouted.

I'm bummed that only one Borlotto bean out of the 5 or 6 I sowed under these T-posts managed to escape the chipmunk raids, but thankful that "Baby Fweddy-Fwed" -- a.k.a. the bunny wabbit - hasn't found it.

[applestar]

The Japanese Striped Maize in the VGSIP are not showing much red stripes, if any, but look at this MONSTER!! It's beautiful



(There is a volunteer tomato that sprang up behind the SIP. Tiny blossoms so it might be Petite Pomme Blanche ...or Coyote.)

[applestar]

Kitchen Garden Patio SIP progress photo and the Purple Coneflower in bloom (big one was originally a gift plant from a member here plus seed-started babies)


...yep, that's "Tim"F2 there...

[applestar]

...three kinds of mint... Spear, Pepper, Apple

I was looking for "mojito" mint which is supposed to be a hybrid (Mentha x villosa)
...then came across this:
Mentha x villosa alopecuroides Apple Mint PFAF Plant Database
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinNa ... pecuroides

[applestar]

One of my friends likes to send me "seed challenges" So I attempted to grow Okahijiki/Land Seaweed along with other greens earlier in spring (cool weather crop). But couldn't get them to germinate or sprout after two tries.

Well, I am trying again after finding this note:

Mustard 'Oka Hijiki' (Salsola Komarovi) Vegetable Plant Heirloom, 1.5g (~150) Seeds
https://www.theseedsmaster.com/index.php ... uct_id=865

Super nutritious, grass-like mustard green also known as 'seaweed on land'. 2in (5cm) long, deep green matchstick leaves are wonderul source of calcium, potassium and vit. A. Young leaves are tender, salty and tart with a succulent texture,
[...]

Growing: Prefers mild and cool temperatures. Pre-chill seeds for 7 days at 41F (5C) for better germination. Germination temp. 68-86F (20-30C) for 14 days

Also started a bunch of cruciferous seeds -- broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and some kohlrabi -- so I can make an attempt at fall crop.