Rocks expanded garden and renewed shed

[Rockporter]

At 5 am this morning I was out there tying up the alaska snow peas because I went out there looking for my cane. I injured my knee pretty bad back in November to the point I couldn't even point a toe without extreme pain all the way into my knee. Well, now I am getting far better and I can walk without the cane for a bit, but I wind up losing it all the time, lol. I need it, set it down somewhere and walk away until I need it about 10 minutes later or so. I looked all over the house and couldn't find it, so I went out into the garden looking for it and noticed the peas were standing straight up into the air. I have been battling those to get them to trellis for me. So, I took the opportunity to untwist them, and tie them up to the trellis to get them moving, lol. While out there I picked another handful of peas I didn't see the day before, then I went and checked out the bush peas and found a couple there, but I also found a green worm on them so I removed it. Earlier in the day while hubby was building the new screen door yesterday I also picked my first pickling cucumber. I washed off the spikes and we shared it, boy was it a good cucumber.

I just came in from the garden, I harvested the potatoes in the other 2 containers and it is dismal to say the least. At the cost of potatoes and the fact we don't eat that many of them I am going to stop trying with those and concentrate on things that cost more, like greens, beans, tomatoes, etc. It was fun finding a few but it is not worth it to me, and I don't have a way to grow them in the ground, so out with potatoes.

Here is one picture of the best container, this one has a double stack, the other has only one layer of potatoes. Not many for such a long time of growing in such a large pot.

Garden-2023-Potatoes-Gold-1 Container only.jpg

[PlainJane]

Yeah, I did potatoes one season in grow bags and also decided ’not worth it’.
They were fantastic in my Massachusetts garden in the ground but down here not so much.

[karstopography]

I like doing potatoes. Seed potatoes are cheap here so long as you get what the feed store has. I’ve done them in raised beds or other spots that need some soil so I was going to spend whatever money I needed to on the soil whether I did potatoes or not.

Potatoes don’t seem to be pest magnets. Other then a little hilling, there’s nothing much to do. I do douse them with a little fish emulsion here and there, but that’s a two minute operation. Potatoes aren’t space hogs, either.

In in February, out by May. The resulting tubers, however many there are, much more than the amount of seed potatoes at any rate, are super delicious and much better than store bought. French fried Kennebec potatoes fresh dug from the garden are a revelation in flavor. I can plant peanuts, purple hull peas or okra in the wake of the potatoes and the beds are good to go without additional soil needed.

Timing and weather come into play. Potatoes need some cool nights fairly early in the growing process to set tubers well so we down south need to get them in as soon as possible.

That’s a lot of gardening down at our latitudes, figuring out the timing. We have long growing seasons, but not all vegetables work well at the same time. Seems like getting the particular vegetable lined up with the appropriate weather/time of year is pretty crucial to having success. Windows open and close.

[Rockporter]

Back out into the garden today and it has been busy. I removed the dead fig tree from it's pot, dumped the mix and took out any leftover roots then reworked the mix and am ready to transplant the peach tree into it. I just need to look up what amendments I need to add first. I will for sure be using the biotone start fert but need to see if there is anything else I need to add. The dead lime tree still needs to come out and the new one to go back into that container, but I am really tired so it's out for today.

I reworked the three containers that had strawberries that never grew last year, as a matter of fact we had this huge frog, like at least 5 inches long who made those containers and some of my earthboxes his home and ate anything he wanted last year. I had hubby take him to the nearby pond where there is plenty of food for him there, lol. Anyway, after reworking all three of those containers I then reworked all three of the potato containers, and and in two of them I transplanted between them about 80 american flag leeks.

You know that seed was from 20117 before the hurricane and so I decided to plant "All The Seeds". I believe I had 100% germination because I have hundreds of little seedlings, lol. I called the local community garden and asked if they wanted some little seedlings and it was a resounding yes. I think there are at least another 200 leeks ready to be transplanted from the containers I have them in. What I did was I planted my alaska snow peas at the trellis side of the container, then I did two rows of leeks with numerous seeds per hole, then I put two each of kale in the front. I really think I got 100% germination on those leeks, lol. I love leeks but I don't need 3 or 4 hundred of them.

That leaves one big potato container and the three smaller containers so I went crazy on bush beans between them all. I planted 17 royal burgundy, and 21 cherokee wax, between these and the 15 yard long bean plants on the trellis I sure hope I am getting something to can, lol.

The whole time I was out there it was about 65 degrees overcast, misty, and at times I thought it was going to rain. I love working in the garden on days like this, low wind, decent temps and no sun beating down on me.

[GoDawgs]

At 5 am this morning I was out there tying up the alaska snow peas because I went out there looking for my cane....so I went out into the garden looking for it and noticed the peas were standing straight up into the air. I have been battling those to get them to trellis for me. So, I took the opportunity to untwist them, and tie them up to the trellis to get them moving, lol. While out there I picked another handful of peas I didn't see the day before, then I went and checked out the bush peas and found a couple there, but I also found a green worm on them so I removed it. Earlier in the day while hubby was building the new screen door yesterday I also picked my first pickling cucumber. I washed off the spikes and we shared it, boy was it a good cucumber.

I just came in from the garden, I harvested the potatoes in the other 2 containers and it is dismal to say the least. ...

Sooooooooo... did you ever find the cane, which is why you went out there in the first place? You sound like me, always setting something down and then not remembering where it is. "It was RIGHT THERE just a few minutes ago! "

Interesting about the gutters and the trellis. If stuff will be climbing over the trellis, will they cover the gutters? Hmmmmm....

[Rockporter]

At 5 am this morning I was out there tying up the alaska snow peas because I went out there looking for my cane....so I went out into the garden looking for it and noticed the peas were standing straight up into the air. I have been battling those to get them to trellis for me. So, I took the opportunity to untwist them, and tie them up to the trellis to get them moving, lol. While out there I picked another handful of peas I didn't see the day before, then I went and checked out the bush peas and found a couple there, but I also found a green worm on them so I removed it. Earlier in the day while hubby was building the new screen door yesterday I also picked my first pickling cucumber. I washed off the spikes and we shared it, boy was it a good cucumber.

I just came in from the garden, I harvested the potatoes in the other 2 containers and it is dismal to say the least. ...

Sooooooooo... did you ever find the cane, which is why you went out there in the first place? You sound like me, always setting something down and then not remembering where it is. "It was RIGHT THERE just a few minutes ago! "

Interesting about the gutters and the trellis. If stuff will be climbing over the trellis, will they cover the gutters? Hmmmmm....

LOL, I looked in the whole entire house, except our bedroom because hubby was sleeping. I am generally up all night long so I don't disturb him while he sleeps. Anyway, I had already come in from the garden and when he woke up I told him I couldn't find my cane again, and he said, "It's in the bedroom by the dresser!". LOL, yep forever losing that thing. Funny he knows where it is, lol.

If things climb the trellis I am trying to make it so they climb inside the trellis, not outside. We'll see how that works but with plastic on the top uppermost part of the trellis I don't think anything could really attach to the plastic. My thought is to make the screening not super tight to the trellis with it coming over the top of the t-posts that are on the outside of it. The plastic I roll down will go over the top of the screen when it is needed as well. If this plan works I will do it to all the three trellises because I would love to have that rain water for the drier months. It rained some more today, a nice slow steady pace so everything outside is getting a good soaking.

[Rockporter]

Walk in the garden is a bit unsettling. My tomatoes, radishes, and cucumbers are having some issues. This is where I need help. I put all the amendments in before planting. I have not fed any of these yet, so should I, or is something else going on?

Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside2.jpg

Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside3.jpg

The pics of the tomato leaves didn't come out for some reason and many of the times I take pictures they don't show up in my log when I put them on the computer from my phone. It is so weird.

[GoDawgs]

Did this happen all of a sudden, like within the past few days? Is there a chance they got a touch of frost or a few nights of just real cold temps without frost?
I don't think it's a nutritional issue.

[Rockporter]

Did this happen all of a sudden, like within the past few days? Is there a chance they got a touch of frost or a few nights of just real cold temps without frost?
I don't think it's a nutritional issue.

We did have a few nights of cold, but we also had the wind I thought would kill my yardlong beans that I covered. I never thought of the cold doing that to the other things.

[Rockporter]

We repotted that peach tree which is loaded with peaches, yay. I already had the pot ready so just added the bio starter and gave it good deep watering with some straw mulch added to the top. I think it took all of 20 minutes today. I need to now take care of the lime tree so getting that lime out of the container that is dead, rework the mix and repot the new one into it. Ha, I'll do that tomorrow morning, the citrus tree is small enough I don't need hubby to help out on it.

[Wildcat82]

Walk in the garden is a bit unsettling. My tomatoes, radishes, and cucumbers are having some issues. This is where I need help. I put all the amendments in before planting. I have not fed any of these yet, so should I, or is something else going on?



Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside2.jpg

Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside3.jpg



The pics of the tomato leaves didn't come out for some reason and many of the times I take pictures they don't show up in my log when I put them on the computer from my phone. It is so weird.

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

[Wildcat82]

Did this happen all of a sudden, like within the past few days? Is there a chance they got a touch of frost or a few nights of just real cold temps without frost?
I don't think it's a nutritional issue.

We did have a few nights of cold, but we also had the wind I thought would kill my yardlong beans that I covered. I never thought of the cold doing that to the other things.

It hit 38 degrees here a couple nights over the past week but my tomatoes look pristine so I doubt the cold caused your leaf problems unless you actually hit the 32 degree mark.

[Rockporter]

Well today in the garden didn't turn out how I would have liked. I was taking the dead lime tree out of the container, removing the old mix and I came upon an almost identical situation regarding that awful liner not draining properly. So, now I have two mixes that are messed up that I cannot plant in because it is like a sewer, the lime tree wasn't near as bad as the container that had the blueberry that died in it. So, I have decided I have to dig down into both fig trees, the cara cara orange and hopefully that is all I used that awful liner in but something tells me, and I think it is also in the other two blueberry pots as well. That would be 5 more pots with bad liner all put in last year in the spring. This liner is supposed to be well draining and provide plenty of air, not in my experience it isn't. When I needed more liner there wasn't anymore of this liner so I bought a different one and I am sure glad I did because when I pulled that frozen fig tree out and dumped the mix the liner was fine and so was the mix, well drained and airy. Hmm, maybe I got lucky and only planted the blueberries and lime tree with that liner, that would be a blessing. It is still a waste of time, effort and most of all money we put into these containers. I am not a happy customer at all.

Tonight I went to the dollar tree and got some of those wire trash bins to put over the top of my yard long bean plants to help cut the wind down. I hope it works, I think I have lost two of them so I need to reseed those.

[Rockporter]

Walk in the garden is a bit unsettling. My tomatoes, radishes, and cucumbers are having some issues. This is where I need help. I put all the amendments in before planting. I have not fed any of these yet, so should I, or is something else going on?



Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside2.jpg

Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside3.jpg



The pics of the tomato leaves didn't come out for some reason and many of the times I take pictures they don't show up in my log when I put them on the computer from my phone. It is so weird.

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

Thanks, I will check into that tomorrow morning.

[Rockporter]

Did this happen all of a sudden, like within the past few days? Is there a chance they got a touch of frost or a few nights of just real cold temps without frost?
I don't think it's a nutritional issue.

We did have a few nights of cold, but we also had the wind I thought would kill my yardlong beans that I covered. I never thought of the cold doing that to the other things.

It hit 38 degrees here a couple nights over the past week but my tomatoes look pristine so I doubt the cold caused your leaf problems unless you actually hit the 32 degree mark.

We had very high winds again a few days ago during low 40's temps, my beans look the same way, they got beat up pretty bad, I think I might lose about half of them, I know I have lost two so I need to reseed those.

[Rockporter]

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

I found this article, I don't have any webs on the leaves but I will keep watch for them. I think I might go ahead and go out there right now with a flashlight and see if I can find anything.

https://audreyslittlefarm.com/spider-mi ... to-plants/

[Rockporter]

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

I found this article, I don't have any webs on the leaves but I will keep watch for them. I think I might go ahead and go out there right now with a flashlight and see if I can find anything.

https://audreyslittlefarm.com/spider-mi ... to-plants/

Hmm, I think you are right. Although there aren't any webs there are teeny tiny little dark brown or black bugs crawling on the underside of a couple leaves. So, neem oil? Water first, then neem oil? It is very humid out right now so I really don't want to be drenching my plants with water tonight.

[Rockporter]

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

I found this article, I don't have any webs on the leaves but I will keep watch for them. I think I might go ahead and go out there right now with a flashlight and see if I can find anything.

https://audreyslittlefarm.com/spider-mi ... to-plants/

Hmm, I think you are right. Although there aren't any webs there are teeny tiny little dark brown or black bugs crawling on the underside of a couple leaves. So, neem oil? Water first, then neem oil? It is very humid out right now so I really don't want to be drenching my plants with water tonight.

I treated with insecticidal soap because the neem oil concentrate I have needs a spray bottle for a small amount and I don't have one. I didn't want to mix up alot of it and then wind up spraying other plants that don't need treatment. I will check the plants in the morning and keep watch, treat every other day or so until I hopefully can get rid of them.

[Wildcat82]

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

I found this article, I don't have any webs on the leaves but I will keep watch for them. I think I might go ahead and go out there right now with a flashlight and see if I can find anything.

https://audreyslittlefarm.com/spider-mi ... to-plants/

Keep in mind there are many types of mites besides spider mites. Broad mites attack my plants in early spring. They like temperatures in the mid 70's but broad mites only attack new growth and buds. Russet mites, on the other hand, attack older growth and don't leave any webs. You need a 100-power or greater magnification to see them. Check my growlog for pictures of my eggplant since I believe russet mites attacked them. Spider mites thrive in a hot dry dusty environment and attack here in the middle of summer. You can see spider mites without magnification. They often leave webs.

[Rockporter]

If I saw tomato/cucumber/eggplants with those leaves in my garden, I'd assume some sort of mite problem. However, I am plagued by mites and I'm not sure if that's a problem where you live.

I found this article, I don't have any webs on the leaves but I will keep watch for them. I think I might go ahead and go out there right now with a flashlight and see if I can find anything.

https://audreyslittlefarm.com/spider-mi ... to-plants/

Keep in mind there are many types of mites besides spider mites. Broad mites attack my plants in early spring. They like temperatures in the mid 70's but broad mites only attack new growth and buds. Russet mites, on the other hand, attack older growth and don't leave any webs. You need a 100-power or greater magnification to see them. Check my growlog for pictures of my eggplant since I believe russet mites attacked them. Spider mites thrive in a hot dry dusty environment and attack here in the middle of summer. You can see spider mites without magnification. They often leave webs.

Thank you, I saw your vlog on the eggplant before and I do believe mine is spider mites, but there is no web yet so I think it was caught quickly. I wasn't even going to post pics but did and am glad I did because I would never have seen those little buggers on the backs of the leaves. Here is a picture that depics the spider mite I am sure you know what it is, but this picture made it so I knew for sure that spider mites is what I have here. Mine are not so dark but more of a dark reddish brown.

[/url]https://biologicalservices.com.au/conte ... cumber.jpg[/url]