The Dawg Patch

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#601

Post: # 55788Unread post GoDawgs
Sun Oct 17, 2021 5:46 pm

It got down to 46 this morning after that front came through late yesterday. Summer things are winding down in the garden and cooler nights will hurry that along. Today there was just a handful of field peas but they're so nice and green with no stings on them from the stink bugs or leaf footeds. I'll shell them along with the handful I pulled two days ago.

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There's one more baby squash coming on.

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And a few sweet potato volunteers have decided to sprout up. I wonder if they'll make a reappearance in the spring too. Farther down the bed I saw one 4" tall tomato seedling and one field pea sprout. Last gasps.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#602

Post: # 55847Unread post GoDawgs
Mon Oct 18, 2021 6:14 pm

As the summer garden fades away, fall plantings start taking over the job. The staggered plantings of various brassicas are coming along and we've already consumed the the first cutting of kale. Deer have been spotted in the adjacent pastures so I decided to play it safe and put the netting tunnels over the four brassica beds. Better to be safe than sorry!

Of the two near beds, the one on the right has two plantings of broccoli down the right side. On the left side are Komatsuna greens, some cabbages and several plantings of cauliflower. The half bed on the left has two staggered plantings of kohlrabi.

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The bed on the left in this shot has young turnips coming up on the left side. The right side has the initial turnip planting with newly seeded rutabagas finishing out that side. The bed on the right has a couple kale and collard plants, cabbages and the last planting of cauliflower. I think it's safe to mulch the young turnips without burying them. :lol:

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The last pic today is the former zinnia bed that now has carrots growing down both sides. This near side was sown Sep 2 and the other side on Sep 28 so they're still real small. The poor zinnias and marigolds are about finished but the butterflies still come and get what they can from the now-little flowers that insist on blooming. I can't bear to deprive them just yet but it'll happen soon so I can get that mess out of there. That's the Provider bean bed on the right. Got another pound and a half today.

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It's time to get out the weedeater and whack down the grass between beds. It might be the last time this year. Hooray!

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#603

Post: # 55978Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:12 pm

Yesterday was Final Fall Planting Day. Onions, scallions, garlic and radishes are now in so it's maintenance time along with seed inventory time.

I got the fencing part of the trellis in the onion bed removed but the t-posts will have to wait until we get some rain to get them pulled out. Texas 1015 onions were planted down the left side and Australian Browns went halfway down the right side. For whatever reason germination of those seedlings wasn't what is usually is this fall.

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Lorz Italian garlic was planted along one whole side (18') of the garlic bed and the other side got half Russian Inferno and half Siberian, the two I've been growing for a few years now. The Lorz was new last year so I didn't use any just to make sure I had enough for a full row this year.

This year I'm trying Kolibri kohlrabi across the bed from the usual Blauerspeck. Their DTMs are very similar but the Kolibri seems to be making faster. This one is 1.5" so far and the Blauerspeck has just now starting to swell.

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One other kohlrabi I'm trying is Gigant Winter. It's a toy and supposed to make really huge kohlrabi. If the foliage is any indicator, that may be the case. The plants are three times the size of the other two varieties and all were started/transplanted at the same time. We'll see.

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And finally, more greens. These are some of the six Komatsuna (I keep wanting to say Kama Sutra. LOL!) greens from some freebie "thank you for your order" seed.

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Kitizawa says that in Asia they are almost exclusively grown in Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Another toy. I guess I can start picking some leaves here and there. There are plenty of recipes online so I'll have to try them soon.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#604

Post: # 55979Unread post Whwoz
Fri Oct 22, 2021 1:57 pm

Komatsuna is also very nice to eat raw @GoDawgs. If the timing is right, often take a mix of Komatsuna, Mizuna, Mibuna and a spicy leaf mustard into work as a salad

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#605

Post: # 55981Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Oct 22, 2021 3:51 pm

Thanks for that, @Whwoz. Would it work in a salad with arugula? I have some of that growing on the front porch.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#606

Post: # 55995Unread post Whwoz
Fri Oct 22, 2021 10:19 pm

I see no reason why not @GoDawgs. Arugula is not popular here so I don't grow it.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#607

Post: # 56037Unread post bower
Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:04 pm

I agree that komatsuna makes a nice salad green! We ate a lot of it for a couple of years when I first started growing winter greens. Iirc, it was not too strong nor too mild tasting, just middle of the road all purpose brassica green.
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#608

Post: # 56092Unread post GoDawgs
Mon Oct 25, 2021 6:23 am

Yesterday I picked what is probably the last pound of green beans for the fall. There are very few "not readies" and I see no more flowers so it's time to yank the plants out.This was the last of seven pickings done every other day and the total picked was just shy of ten pounds from two 18' rows. This last pound will be dehydrated today along with some thin sliced garlic cloves that were left over from planting a few days ago.

However, while most of the plants were still nice and green, there was a small section that didn't look very good. And when I pulled them up yesterday I did find nematode damage in that section and also in the same area on the other side of the bed. I will have to rearrange the spring map to shift some brassicas into that bed. I found that they help reduce the 'tode population a bit, especially if they're planted early and have a good root system by the time temps rise above 65 and the 'todes wake up.

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The Red Ripper field peas are starting to really kick in and so I also picked two small baskets full. They got shelled out, were blanched and are now in the freezer awaiting bagging this morning.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#609

Post: # 56134Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Oct 26, 2021 7:12 am

Yesterday was a putter day. I got the three newest micro tomatoes potted up and started some garlic bulbils in a window box. They're from a few Siberian garlic plants I let go to seed this summer.

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Articles I've read say it's an exercise in patience as it will take several years of growing and transplanting until they'll finish at full size. But it's something to play with; another experiment. We'll see! I have plenty of these bulbils so I might just plant some around the property and see if the squirrels leave them alone.

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The new micros now join the other three under the lights for the duration. Both sets consist of one each of Red Robin, Jochalos and Pinocchio Orange. The three older ones (front row) were started 8/22 and are already setting fruit. The younger ones were started Sep 18 and already two have flowers. I'm trying to time the starts so that as the older ones finish bearing. the younger ones are starting with the aim to have cherry tomatoes throughout the winter. I'm not sure when I'll start the next three. Can't have more plants than I have lights for!

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Pinocchio Orange at 38 days from seeding:

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The next garden task will be removal of the zinnias and Mexican torch plants. I've waited until the last blooms have appeared so that the few butterflies left have something to feed on but the plants are so ratty they need to go.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#610

Post: # 56222Unread post GoDawgs
Wed Oct 27, 2021 4:35 pm

As Woz builds the spring garden, GoDawgs is slowly dismantling the last of summer. LOL!

Today I did pull the zinnia plants. The second planting of carrots down the side of that bed were finally big enough to get mulched without being buried so that happened. On the other hand, the torch plants got a reprieve as the Gulf Fritillaries were visiting and there's nothing else around for them.

It's also time to spread what's left of the two big leaf piles created last fall since it's almost time to start gathering them again. I dumped some on the few beds where mulch was a bit thin and then dumped ten cartloads on that separate planting area where the potatoes and watermelons grew this summer. That 8" cover of leaves will really melt down over the winter. There are still more leaves to move but I'm done for the day.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#611

Post: # 56548Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Nov 02, 2021 7:18 am

First Frost is coming closer and will most likely happen this weekend. Starting Wednesday the ten day forecast shows a sudden drop of highs from the 70's to consistent 50's. It's time.

Yesterday I pulled the pepper plants out, stripping off the few good peppers remaining and then pulled the one zucchini as the powdery mildew had just blitzed it. The yellow squash has one more remaining and it will be picked today.

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The zinnias were dug up a few days ago so now the carrots planted there have full sun.The marigolds will come out soon. The older carrot sowing is Bolero and Envy and the younger sowing is Envy and Yaya..

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These are staggered turnip plantings with a half row of rutabagas. Three days ago I pulled the first two readies from the far side of the bed, I'm glad I staggered the plantings because otherwise one can have too many ready at once. What I should have done is stagger that second planting. Now there will be too many ready at once come later!

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And finally this is a shot of the two Jacaranda broccolis I'm trying. They're so much bigger than the nice-sized Packmans on the other side of the bed even though both are 50 day varieties. However there's no sign of broccoli buttons on the Jacs yet but the first six Packmans have buttons ranging from 1-2". Depending on how the Jacarandas do they might be a candidate for naturally staggered production.

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After I took the pics I got out the weedeater and trimmed around the beds for what will probably be the last time this year. Time to get out the seed box and do an inventory. I shouldn't need to order much at all but I'm sure that when the catalogs come out there will be a few "toys" found among the catalog eye candy. ;)

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#612

Post: # 56928Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Nov 09, 2021 4:13 pm

We finally had first frost yesterday morning, just a light covering at 35 degrees. That's the end of the one summer squash left and one cucumber plant. There were six snow pea pods to pick on the 4' wide trellis and I pulled the first two carrots of the fall planting just to see where they were size wise. They're still just about 4" long. These are Bolero.

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A deer nipped one of the carrot fronds off so I looked farther down that side of the bed and found that every plant in the second half of the row, the Envy carrots, each had one or two fronds nipped off. No telling why they nibbled on the Envys and hardly at all on the Boleros.

The micro tomatoes are coming right along. The three older plants are on the front row. L to R: Red Robin, Pinocchio Orange and Jochalos (a yellow):

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We're about to pick the first two tomatoes, one off each of the smaller plants. The Red Robin is a lot bigger but taking its sweet time putting on fruit. I think next time I'll choose something smaller for that third spot in the lineup.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#613

Post: # 57103Unread post bower
Thu Nov 11, 2021 1:54 pm

Gotta love the peas and carrots still going. Those little tomatoes look awesome! :)
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#614

Post: # 57491Unread post GoDawgs
Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:47 am

It's that slow time of year with not much going on until yesterday. The first seed catalog came! It was Pinetree. They're always the first to arrive. It seemed the arrival was very early but after checking last year's calendar I see it arrived Nov 21 last year. And so begins the parade of enticements. I don't need much this year, maybe just a few "toys" to play with. :)

The seed box has been cleaned out with any extra or discontinued seed moved to the "vault" in the freezer and both have been inventoried.

The leaves have started falling and there were enough down for Pickles to put the bagger on the mower, give the grass what's probably the last cut and start hoovering up the leaves. The big piles from last year are now gone as I moved the last bit yesterday to various beds. Out with the old and in with the new!

The cows in the adjacent pasture are gone now except for two very pregnant ones. Off to market, I guess. I'm thinking about slithering under the pasture fence, gathering old cow patties and burying them where certain veggies will be planted come spring. The spring planting map is pretty much done so this would be pre-prepping planting holes. I just need the motivation to actually do it.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#615

Post: # 58300Unread post GoDawgs
Mon Nov 29, 2021 7:27 am

Time for a microdwarf tomato update since the last one three weeks ago. We're now getting cherry tomatoes from two of them.

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This is Pinocchio Orange, the one putting out the most right now:

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Lots of flowers coming on a Jochalos plant:

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Meanwhile, the leaf piles for next year's garden mulch keep growing. You can't beat free!

It's been pretty much decided how much of what to grow next year and it's time to figure out some possible seed starting dates. Of course, everything is subject to change. Has there ever been a time when there wasn't? LOL! But it's something to do for now. I could wipe down the tubes on the light shelf fixtures but that will wait until I'm in the mood to do that. Probably just before I need them. :)

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#616

Post: # 58321Unread post bower
Mon Nov 29, 2021 3:36 pm

Those are great looking Pinnochio Orange. I've been waiting for it to get cold enough that the aphids die out in the greenhouse. I'm ready to start some greens but still growling about those pests that are doing surprisingly well on the few things I have left out there. I thought I had em gone a few times but a warm day and presto, they are on the wing spreading again. Want to wipe down the lights and area in the house but from past experience, if they're hopping next door it's too early, they may well find their way in and spoil the effort. Argh! ;)
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#617

Post: # 58359Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Nov 30, 2021 6:07 am

As we slide into the longest days of the year, the fall garden keeps chugging along. There have been several overnight lows around 28 but cole crops don't mind a bit. Even the turnip leaves weren't bothered. Hopefully the last of the army worms that were lacing up those leaves froze to death.

Back beds, left to right are carrots, turnips/rutabagas, cabbage/kale/cauliflower. Front beds are two short kohlrabi rows on the left and staggered broccoli and cauliflower on the right.

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The first planting of turnips are gone and the second planting is almost ready. The first Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage was ready so part of it will magically transform into cole slaw to accompany the bbq ribs today.

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I also pulled two Kolibri kohlrabi, more Bolero carrots and the first few Envy carrots.

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The first of two trial jacaranda broccoli is almost ready. This head is about 4" wide and still has a bit more to go. I'll be interested in seeing how it tastes. I've never grown a purple broccoli before.

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Yesterday I figured some tentative planting dates for spring. The earliest will probably be the first round of scallions, to be started a few days from now on Dec 1st for a February plant out. This year I want to see if I can keep scallions going all year long which will be a challenge during the summer months. The heat makes them bolt. Maybe some in a bucket in semi shade. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#618

Post: # 58388Unread post Whwoz
Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:36 pm

@GoDawgs, have you tried growing the topsetting onions/walking Onions as an alternative to scallions, being naturally perennial they make a good onion green if you pick the leaves

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#619

Post: # 58425Unread post GoDawgs
Wed Dec 01, 2021 7:35 am

@Whwoz , we do have some of those growing.

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Re: The Dawg Patch

#620

Post: # 58627Unread post GoDawgs
Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:16 am

It's still very dry here with less than an inch of rain all November so watering the fall veggies continues.

Yesterday I pulled a few more turnips as well as the first French Breakfast radishes and the first Blauer Spec kohlrabi. The Blauer Spec looks just like the Kolibri but finishes several weeks after the Kolibri so planting the two together is producing a nice staggered harvest.


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