Rocks expanded garden and renewed shed

[Rockporter]

So this morning I went out and saturated every single pot with 1 inch of water, then proceeded to treat every single one with a triple threat of beneficial nematodes. Then watered them in as it says to do. It seems to be so much more water than I want to put into my containers, lol. It's probably okay though. I've seen they now have them in pellets you put on top of your soil and they break down each time you water. I think that is the route I will go the next time I need to treat.

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product ... -nematodes

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product ... -nematodes


Also while I was out treating everything with the nematodes I saw that 6 of my little peaches fell off the tree. I hope it is just shock from being transplanted and that is all I lose from it.




Aphids on my kale, this is the container that had ants all over it. They are on every single leaf so I yanked the plant and got rid of it. Soaked it with soapy water and trashed it.

Garden 2023-Kale-Aphids.jpg

This the underside of the a cucumber leaf after I sprayed them last night. I don't see any mites moving so I will keep checking twice a day to see if I need to treat again.

Garden-2023-CucumbersCattlePanelTrellisOutside4Mites.jpg

[Whwoz]

Peaches will self thin to what the tree will support, the transplant shock may reduce the load, but they should be better size for it

[Rockporter]

Today in the garden didn't work out as I had planned. I don't sleep well and had only slept about 2 hours yesterday so with that I was able to get into bed earlier than the usual. I went to bed at 2:30 am and was still awake at 4 am. I had the alarm set for 7:30 am but didn't wake up until 11am. By that time it was already hot, humid and way too sunny to do what I had planned out there. So, I moved on to the other thing I had planned, that was to pack up all the cabbages, leeks, cauliflower, and broccoli and take it over to the community garden. We did get them there and then went out to lunch. I have decided I don't like those single cells to start plants in. I am going to figure out another way to start seeds with some good dirt below and some peat vermiculite mix on top so I can just grow a decent sized plant in there and harden off and get out into the garden. This single cell stuff is too compact for me to deal with. Also, hubby was working on getting the plastic secured on the other end of the covered trellis and working on the door frame for the other door. Hopefully that part will all be finished by tomorrow.

[Rockporter]

Out in the garden today at 9:00 am (yesterday morning) and it was nice out, a bit cloudy so it was cooler. I started with transplanting some more of those dense planted leeks into other containers, then helped hubby with the door frame for the trellis back screen door and it is finished. Now we have the screen around the door frames to put on and decided to leave the plastic around the top area of the door frames. We also got the top plastic permanently secured to the trellis. Next will be deciding how to add the side screen, the side plastic and a rain gutter, lol. It is getting really hot out there and weekends are the only time he can work on these things making it take longer to complete with all the other things that need to be done, weather permitting always.

We also made some more mix to replace the two containers of bad mix because of the liner, and I decided to drill holes into my new earthbox I discovered in the shed when I cleaned it out. I have some cauliflower and broccoli to plant in there from my grow out seedlings in the shed. I transplanted the lime tree and the replacement blueberry bush is in it's new place too.

I just came in from picking the peas I meant to pick this morning and I got a couple of good handfuls for tomorrow nights dinner. Just trying to think how I will prepare them since we have just been eating the few we get as a side dish snack in the raw. I like raw peas, they are the best way to eat them in my opinion but I have enough to do something else with them. I think I will harvest the rest of the radishes, they aren't doing as well as I had hoped they would.

Finally, my spot treatments of the kale, tomatoes and cucumbers seem to have worked. I will keep checking them for rebounds of mites on the cucumbers and tomatoes, and aphids on the kale.

Garden-2023-12 Foot Cattle Panel Trellis-Second Screen Door Completed.jpg

Garden-2023-12 Foot Cattle Panel Trellis-To Plastic Secured.jpg

Garden-2023-Dwarf Key Lime Tree.jpg

[Rockporter]

It's currently 71 degrees, average 10 mph wind, current 14 mph wind and the peak is 17 mph wind with 62% humidity. This according to my personal weather station. The computer tells me it is 66 degrees, 19 mph wind, and 64% humidity but that comes from almost 30 miles away.

I took a walk out there just now to see how the beans are doing in the wind and with those covers on them I had noticed yesterday that the beans seemed to be rebounding from being beat up so badly in the wind and it was a nice thing to see. So, I stood there during some high wind gusts just now and I can see these covers have helped them very much by blocking a lot of the wind from getting to them. When I first put them down I had some frost cloth on them thinking it would block more wind but it got so humid I decided to remove it. Then the wind knocked them over so I used some landscape cloth pins to hold them down and it is working out well. The beans probably only get about 1 more week under them but I am hoping they are strong enough by then that I can attach them to some string to climb up until they can reach the trellis.

So, if anyone is having issues with wind blown seedlings there are some wire trash cans at the dollar tree that seem to work well for what it is I need. There were at least 3 different sizes and styles. I went with the two round ones, one is the tallest and then smaller ones I thought I could use for smaller baby seedlings when needed.

[Rockporter]

Just harvested some kale and will go out later and harvest some lettuce, and one cucumber that is ready out there. Salad again tonight.

[Rockporter]

Oh yeah, before I forget, I planted some cauliflower and broccoli I grew in the shed today. Can't wait to see how they do out there.

[Rockporter]

Still battling the aphids but the mites don't seem to have come back so I think I did catch it at a good time. I will still keep an eye on them though. I moved some more containers around the garden, now that the replacement blueberry is planted it allows me more space to use there for shorter crops between the blueberry taller containers.

[Rockporter]

In the evening of 4/1 and the morning of 4/2 I worked on straw mulching as much as I could, I also removed old straw mulch and added more mix where needed in containers before adding the new mulch. I got most of my containers completed before it got too hot to keep going. This time when working with the straw I decided to put it into a container and wetting it before using it, because the wind takes that stuff and puts it all over the place. It did help with some of that wind carry using it wet while adding to the containers but some still went airborne. I was able to get those bean containers mulched around the white mesh trash cans I have on the beans so that worked out great. When I remove those trash cans as the beans continue to grow and get too big for them I can push some of that mulch a little closer to the plants and protect their soil below them. Some containers would be too hard to mulch like the leeks containers, how in the world do you get mulch around 50 plants inside a 22" round container, lol.

I stopped at adding to things like the squash because the leaves are so low to the ground I didn't want to cause any mold issues with wet mulch but the wind is just so hard to work with out here so I don't think I will be mulching the squash this time, I waited for the wind to be less and had other things to do during that time and the squash has grown quite large. This squash is in the RKN area and a test anyway, if I get something out of there I will be happy, so far so good on those.

I also noticed as I was soaking the straw it became a really dark brown color, is that nutrients from the straw I should have used in the garden when I water again? I tossed it into the compost pile so if it is beneficial then at least it went to a good place. I am thinking if that is beneficial nutrients it would have gone into the containers if I had put the straw on while dry and let the water release it into the mix. The wind though, it is such an issue. I also remember putting the straw mulch last year before planting anything into the containers so it was much easier then, and I did it while dry and it was all over the yard, lol.

[Rockporter]

last evening I harvested more peas, enough for another side dish for us in one picking, I hope this continues for a bit. I harvested on cucumber called patio snacker. I have more cucumbers on other plants coming in, bell peppers, and some onions can be harvested soon. I am growing the onions in the cinder blocks but won't do that again because I don't think they are deep enough for them. I also found some cut worms out there eating the tops off the onions too. I found another worm on a tomato plant, again a dark brown/almost black worm not a hornworm. I have no idea what kind of worms these are but they are just as damaging as a hornworm it seems. Things are doing well, I will add some pics tomorrow because the ones I took tonight just aren't clear enough to post. I do have blueberries at their second stage on all three bushes, I have limes coming on the new lime tree, no oranges or lemons as of yet. The peaches continue to do well, and I have figs on one fig tree but the other fig is still just putting on leaves. The RKN zone is growing well too, I hope I get something out of there and find I was worried for nothing about that mix, or that any bad guys were killed off in the last 5 years of not using the mix. I also had treated all of those containers to beneficial nematodes triple threat so that I am hoping helps too.

[GoDawgs]

Recommend using bT on those plants where the cutworms and others are doing damage. It takes care of all worm types with a natural substance. It;'s a life saver.

[Rockporter]

Wel, I cannot post any pictures because they open as a black screen even though I can see them in the thumbnail. It won't let me save them as anything specific so I can't see what picture to put on here from my phone. I have no clue what is going on but I will keep trying. Lately I have taken pics and they just don't show up in thumbnails either. Weird. Picked another handful of peas tonight, a couple of cucs and a couple of bell peppers

[Rockporter]

The garden is looking real good out there in spite of all that rain. I don't see any mildews or other things to worry about, and I picked another handful of peas last evening. I had a huge male flower on my black beauty zucs so I am awaiting maybe getting some squash this year, and this is in the RKN zone containers. All those french marigolds I have transplanted all over the garden are getting some good flowering going on. I saw more pollinators today than I have seen before the rain. I took 5 of the wire trash cans off of the beans and set them into the trellis mesh in hopes they catch it. The rest are still too short so they will stay in the cans until they get tall enough to weave into the trellis mesh. All in all, it is looking good out there.

[Rockporter]

Well, I spoke too soon I found the peas covered in powdery mildew, I have sprayed them with copper this evening and will go out in the morning and yank them. I don't see any other mildews out there and I don't want to risk the other plants right on the other side which are tomatoes and cucumbers. So, out with the peas, they were stunted back during the arctic freeze and I was surprised to get anything out of them, so out they go.

I do see I have some yellow squash, some butternut squash and I see some tomatoes on plants that didn't have any, so yay, things are coming along really well. The beans I took the trash cans off of look good and don't seem to have been bothered by any wind they received and are still on the trellis netting. Oh and the squashes are all in the RKN zone

[Rockporter]

I cut back the catnip today, pulled off yellowed leaves, and watered all of the smaller containers, the large ones are still good for a couple of days after all that rain we got last weekend. I also pulled the rest of the wire baskets off of the bean plants and they are all doing well and when I went to wash them off I realized I still had the others I had pulled off before on the work bench clean and ready to go. Well, so I got to washing the branches of the catnip and set one inside one of the clean baskets, then realized I could put the branch into the basket side holes. Kind of like a flower frog, lol. I used 5 baskets to hold all the branches so they could get air and dry better after I washed them Then as they dried I picked all the good leaves off and it was so easy to pick a branch out of the basket and leave the others in place. Another great use of those baskets for sure.

The squash is still doing well, I noticed more tomatoes on some of the plants and one bell pepper plant has four on it about ready to pick.

[Rockporter]

The powdery mildew is trying to take hold on all the squashes and I found some stink bug eggs on my chard when I harvested it for dinner with some kale. So with the pressure of bugs and mildews coming on I decided to use the NeemMax 4 in 1 to help combat that. The rain was a determining factor to do it as well. I have yellow summer squash that seems to be just sitting there, not growing. One I pulled because it was starting to wrinkle up so I know it didn't get pollinated but the others look good but aren't growing, it is really strange. The zuchinni has finally put out a couple of female flowers so hopefully something will start there, and the patty pan squash along with the butternut squash are doing well with plenty of growing squash. That cantaloupe that did not come up has actually finally emerged right inside the patty pan squash, lol. I must have watered that seed right into the patty pan or I planted them both together, lol. Everything is doing well in the RKN zone, and all that listed above is from it.

The rest of the garden is doing well, I have lots of tomatoes out there, a few cucumbers and bell peppers. The lettuce has become bitter but has not bolted yet, so I am going to let it go and flower to draw in more pollinators. I guess it is time to start some lettuce in the shed under the lights so we have some all summer to eat. The beans are doing well with most climbing the trellis, I have two or three out there that are just not tall enough yet.

All in all, I think it is a much bigger success than I have ever had now that there is some wind protection out there and shade, as well as much more trellising support.

[Rockporter]

I am so happy the garden is still doing well, by now before having any wind or shade protection at all I would have everything struggling to survive out there. I have picked a slicer tomato and a whole limb of cherry tomatoes yesterday morning before the heavy rains hit. I also pulled a few onions and replaced them with some flowers to bring in more pollinators. Most of the onions came from the cinder blocks I planted them in and I don't plan on doing that again because they don't hold water well enough and they aren't really deep enough. I used those because I needed to plant onion starts and that is all that was available while we were still working on setting up the garden area. Some onions are doing well but most are struggling to get very large at all. I pulled the onions from the large container the yard long beans are planted in next to the huge trellis hubby built and the onions were huge. I will definitely use a much larger container for onions from here on out but desperation called for "anywhere is better than nowhere!", lol.

We had a nice day Saturday, we went up to Halletsville to look at a cell tech trailer because there aren't any in this area. These are some really nice trailers and the plan is to make one into a camper, with plumbing and electricity permanent of course but everything else can be removed so we can still use it for cargo, and carrying a car. Hubby was impressed as I knew he would be and had told him before, because I looked at one last summer but the local place doesn't have any in stock right now. This trailer was 20 degrees cooler inside as compared to a regular enclosed car hauler with wood inside last summer when I looked at it. The humidity level was really small in comparison to the wood lined trailer too. My lungs cannot handle the off gassing of wood, and many other things so having a new rv is out. So, the cell tech trailer is really nice, we can add windows, and strap in cabinets and have a portable kitchen so we can do some camping and take the car with us too so we can hit up some car shows away from home, or escape the dreaded storms. I spoke to the manufacturer of the trailer, as long as we have a certified tech do the work, and the tech makes the supports for everything according to his engineer he will approve the trailer and still provide the full warranty. The best part of it all is that there would be one trailer, three uses, one registration, one insurance, and only one parking space needed to store it. That is a huge win!

While we were heading up to Halletsville we stopped at a couple of farmers markets and got some goodies to eat. On the way home we took the long way around and went through Gonzales. On the way there I saw a really nice garden nursery so we stopped and I picked up a tomatillo that is already blooming(mine didn't germinate), and 24 flower plants to replace the onions I knew I would be pulling. I got 12 flowers and the tomatillo planted before the heavy rain started yesterday and boy was it strong and cold. The wind was blowing the rain sideways, it was strong. I can't wait to see how much rain fell yesterday. All those I planted are probably well watered in now, lol.

[Rockporter]

Hello everyone, it sure has been a long month since I posted or came here. I have been super busy and just couldn't sit down to read posts and give an update so here it is.

The garden is doing well, I have been harvesting a few tomatoes, cucumbers, many more bell peppers, and lots of kale. I have been harvesting some yardlong beans as well as the purple and yellow bush beans. We have been thoroughly enjoying it all. Oh, some onions as well. All of this is from the regular garden containers

In the RKN zone I have harvested more chard, more yellow and patty pan squash, and even three small butternut squash. I never got one zuchinni from two plants and I expected to be overloaded with them, lol. I have trimmed all the squash plants back and decided to give the zuchinni some more time to see if it will finally give me something. Either the possible RKN's did it or I just got some bad seed, lol. There are some tomatoes growing in the RKN zone as well, some plants have zero tomatoes on them. I'll have to come back tomorrow and post what is actually giving me tomatoes and what isn't, I can't remember what is out there.

I have been dealing with more powdery mildew, and a few bug outbreaks but it hasn't been too bad out there in the grand scheme of things. This garden is doing far better than I have ever had before, and I know it is because I have those much needed wind and shade breaks in there.

We have had a lot of rain the last month, so much that the far end of the garden flooded twice and the water took two days to drain off each time. We have had around 14 inches of rain in the last 30 days here. Because of this the containers on that end were sitting in water so I had to get more bricks to raise them up out of it.

I bought some recycled olive barrels to make rain barrels and we decided to figure out how to set them up on the covered trellis. We used the rain gutter with a flat back edge, slipped that under the wood that the plastic is connected to and added the ends to the gutter to hold the water in. It worked out great and we were able to use the same screws we used to secure the wood to the trellis. We added a gutter drain to the barrel and it works great. Of course we were supposed to get a lot of rain the next four days but only got a little so I haven't collected much. We only setup one barrel and need to setup the other one on the other side of the covered trellis. These are 55 gallon barrels and we set them up on cinder blocks for stability and secured them to the T-post closest to them.

I still can't get photos from my phone to open up, it is still a black square instead of the photo I am looking at on my phone.

[Rockporter]

Update on plants with zero tomatoes on them in the RKN zone would be Mortgage Lifter, and Brandywine Pink. It's all growing well out there so I see no reason to have zero tomatoes on those two but to have them on all my other plants.I don't even see flowers on them, it is so strange, like with the zuchinni, there are plenty of male flowers but I am not getting any female flowers on there since the first two I saw that didn't pollinate.

Also in the RKN zone is the fennel and I just harvested it and it has barely any root at all. One is more like a small carrot and the rest are barely a stick. The roots of them look great, no knots at all just no real good sized root bulb.

[GoDawgs]

Squash will try your patience. All these guys hanging around just waiting while the gals take their sweet time making an appearance!