Mark Andre’s Little Garden That Could 2023

[MarkAndre]

There is my positive spin on my modest little garden.

I feel self-conscious about starting a grow log on my unambitious garden, especially as a newbie here. I liked that thread about ‘what you did in the garden today,’ but I think that’s mostly for the group in that subforum. I currently only have three categories of vegetables growing in my garden. However, I do have bigger plans for the rest of the summer. May as well be optimistic.

I thinned the zucchini today to two plants. I was surprised to see little fruit embryos on several of the plants. The largest one seems loaded with them. I think it’s too small to support any fruit it might set. We’ll see. (Sorry, no photos today, but I’ll try to take some and add them tomorrow.)

I thinned the beans, too, to what looked like reasonable spacing. I mixed it up here and there and left some closer together and some farther apart, just for support. I also pulled some grass out of the row and mulched with straw.

The tomatoes looked a little dull this evening after the rain last night and the subsequent cool temperatures. Still, I saw a lot more fruit set. I didn’t look closely, but there is definitely fruit set on one Traveler plant now. Temps are forecast down around 50 again tonight. I think I will give everything a coat of liquid kelp in the next day or two.

[MissS]

I love the title of this thread. It reminds me of a small little horse I had many years ago that liked to jump and I called him "I think I can" and so he did.

[karstopography]

To my way of thinking this is a gardening forum, good, bad, indifferent. Share what’s going on out in the garden. No sweat, no shaming, hopefully instead maybe some insight is revealed by those that have been there, or maybe some way to go type of input.

I know I’ve learned a tremendous amount from this forum. There’s likely some that read this or that I might have shared in the past and think “what a duffus” for my not understanding some fundamental concept. Anyway, I’m a better gardener than I was before and TJ and the better gardeners on TJ certainly get some credit.

Posts about what’s going on in a garden are great, that’s the bottom line.

[MarkAndre]

I love the title of this thread. It reminds me of a small little horse I had many years ago that liked to jump and I called him "I think I can" and so he did.

There’s a lot to be said for tenacity. I feel a kinship with that little horse and that he would make a good mascot for my garden. Thanks for sharing.

[worth1]

I've went from hundreds of plants to three or four containers.
I couldn't be any happier.
There are several reasons for it.
Deer.
Tree roots.
Over shading by growing trees.
Nut grass invasion.
Bermuda grass invasion.

[Moth1992]

Hey small gardens are gardens. Balconies are gardens. Window sills are gardens.

[MarkAndre]

To my way of thinking this is a gardening forum, good, bad, indifferent. Share what’s going on out in the garden. No sweat, no shaming, hopefully instead maybe some insight is revealed by those that have been there, or maybe some way to go type of input.

I know I’ve learned a tremendous amount from this forum. There’s likely some that read this or that I might have shared in the past and think “what a duffus” for my not understanding some fundamental concept. Anyway, I’m a better gardener than I was before and TJ and the better gardeners on TJ certainly get some credit.

Posts about what’s going on in a garden are great, that’s the bottom line.

Good thoughts, thank you.

[MarkAndre]

I've went from hundreds of plants to three or four containers.
I couldn't be any happier.
There are several reasons for it.
Deer.
Tree roots.
Over shading by growing trees.
Nut grass invasion.
Bermuda grass invasion.

I get it and agree with your sentiments. Thanks. Though I don’t think I’m far off to say you’re a TV/TJ institution and folks would want to keep up with your doings, regardless.

[MarkAndre]

This post is too big. When I promise you photos, you get photos.

The mismatched in size zucchini plants and their tiny embryos. Had great luck last year with this variety, Desert F1.

A0A2B733-1EEB-4645-A537-19B09FF595A4.jpeg

DE5641D2-AF92-4F4B-B77F-578DCA606063.jpeg

I found more fruit set on Cherokee Purple, also this set of dropping blossoms. I wonder if the cool dip was responsible.

D4688118-227E-4EBA-81E6-1B828C90C94F.jpeg

I was surprised to find more advanced fruit set on Traveler. It’s hard to make out in the photos, but there are large and small marble-sized ones close together.

BF9E2177-6097-418F-822C-52169EA521B6.jpeg

389F3B14-567A-4F39-A8A0-3B641326020D.jpeg

A volunteer tomato near the beans. I don’t recall ever having a volunteer in 15 or so past growing seasons. I have no idea what it might be. I will let it cage it and let it grow, if the deer don’t get to it first.

40AAA3DC-437D-4AFA-A997-20ABE7081296.jpeg

The beans, thinned and mulched. I think I removed too many Louisiana Purple Pod and Tobacco Worm. That’s okay, if the Rattelsnakes do their thing.

2636F1FC-66E2-4D13-B900-464116EB2E97.jpeg

92241013-A993-4C3F-B3C6-A89674607202.jpeg

I don’t see any fruit on the two mystery dwarves I received from my brother. Looks like they’re getting ready, though.




Something has been digging around the yard. Skunk, possibly?

47F0CC9A-F693-4CA0-9F92-06DCED32D0A5.jpeg

CF3243DF-C220-4AF1-8953-1CC2FF8AA16B.jpeg

[Wildcat82]

There is my positive spin on my modest little garden.

I feel self-conscious about starting a grow log on my unambitious garden, especially as a newbie here. I liked that thread about ‘what you did in the garden today,’ but I think that’s mostly for the group in that subforum. I currently only have three categories of vegetables growing in my garden. However, I do have bigger plans for the rest of the summer. May as well be optimistic.

I was a little self conscious when I started my grow log since crop failures are so dang common for me here despite my best efforts. I figured not many people would want to view the grow log of someone struggling. But I figured that if even just one person could learn from my experience and ongoing experiments, that would make it all worthwhile.

I'm glad you started your log. I'll be comparing notes.

[Whwoz]

@MarkAndre, the best way to learn on gardening is to be prepared to accept the advice of others. Let's face it, we all start off small, just that some have the advantage of learning from their parents while young, which can make a difference. Sometimes you can learn more from failure than success, it is simply a matter of keeping track of what you do. Grow logs, weather one per year or one open ended one help so much in that regard as everyone has trouble remembering what happened two, three years ago, even if they think otherwise at times. Then there is the weather variable that we have too contend with, so much easier to keep track of the differences when it is written down.

We all start small and grow from there, listen to others, find out who is in a similar climate, maybe take a bit more notice of their comments and those failures will become successes.

[MarkAndre]

@MarkAndre, the best way to learn on gardening is to be prepared to accept the advice of others. Let's face it, we all start off small, just that some have the advantage of learning from their parents while young, which can make a difference. Sometimes you can learn more from failure than success, it is simply a matter of keeping track of what you do. Grow logs, weather one per year or one open ended one help so much in that regard as everyone has trouble remembering what happened two, three years ago, even if they think otherwise at times. Then there is the weather variable that we have too contend with, so much easier to keep track of the differences when it is written down.

We all start small and grow from there, listen to others, find out who is in a similar climate, maybe take a bit more notice of their comments and those failures will become successes.

That sounds like very wise advice, I will try to heed it well. Thanks very much for the encouragement!

[MarkAndre]

Since I couldn’t figure out when the Texas Tomato Food would arrive, I decided to give everything a boost with the dregs of the Fox Farm products this morning. Then I checked my mailbox and found the TTF in there.

The forecast looks like we will be above fruit-setting temperature range within a few days. Noting this, and because I had to stretch the Fox Farms a little thin, I went ahead and fertilized again with the TTF this afternoon. Neither product has a high analysis, so hopefully that will be okay. I probably won’t fertilize again for a couple of weeks.

[karstopography]

Since I couldn’t figure out when the Texas Tomato Food would arrive, I decided to give everything a boost with the dregs of the Fox Farm products this morning. Then I checked my mailbox and found the TTF in there.

The forecast looks like we will be above fruit-setting temperature range within a few days. Noting this, and because I had to stretch the Fox Farms a little thin, I went ahead and fertilized again with the TTF this afternoon. Neither product has a high analysis, so hopefully that will be okay. I probably won’t fertilize again for a couple of weeks.

From what I can tell with using a lot of these fertilizers is that there is a big margin of safety built in with label rates. It seems pretty tough to over do it enough to over fertilize once the plants are weeks into the season. I’ve used TTF for now the second season and was fairly recently, by accident, using it at close to twice the labeled rate and cannot see anything negative happening to the tomato plants.

I put out granulated fertilizer around the base of the tomatoes periodically, something like Miracle Grow Organics 7-6-9 and will sometimes use TTF as a drench over the granulated fertilizer. These plants once they get some size on them and the weather is favorable will soak up a lot of nutrients.

I’m still trying to figure out temperature wise where these tomatoes will completely shut down on fruit setting. I’m pretty sure there’s other factors that come into play than simply the air temperature, at least where the upcoming forecasts are trending a few days from now.

The forecast starts looking less favorable out a few days, but these tomatoes haven’t been enduring and beat up by days and days of extra warmth and my thought is that if the tomatoes going into the period are tanked up on nutrients, in good condition and have plenty of fertilizer and moisture available, get something like a carpenter bee to aid in pollination, many will set fruit just fine.

[MarkAndre]

@karstopography That’s great information to have regarding fertilizers. I’m relieved. I might try fertilizing more aggressively during fruiting this season and see what happens.

I’m open to the idea of more fruit set in the heat. There may yet be some cooler spells in May, too.

[GoDawgs]

Looking at your photo of the hole, I think it could be a skunk or a young 'dillo. A big 'dillo would go down maybe 6-8" and scatter that dug out soil a lot more.

[MissS]

I look at the pic of the hole and see what looks to me to be a pipe. Could it be some sort of outlet such as for your sump pump?

[bower]

I don't grow much zuchinni and not every year, but mine always have the little 'cluster of promise' soon after setting out, I think they will come on fine. Only thing, they always take longer to grow it up than I expected. YMMV of course, climate ding ding ding!

[MarkAndre]

I look at the pic of the hole and see what looks to me to be a pipe. Could it be some sort of outlet such as for your sump pump?

It does look like that in the photo. I think it was cloudy that day, causing the bottom of the whole to be a little murky. There are other similar holes, and more every day.

[MarkAndre]

Looking at your photo of the hole, I think it could be a skunk or a young 'dillo. A big 'dillo would go down maybe 6-8" and scatter that dug out soil a lot more.

I’ve seen raccoons, foxes, opossums, and rabbits. I’ve smelled a skunk many times and think he may live under the deck.

I was about to say no armadillos but I just remembered the massive albino armadillo that I found decomposing in the front bushes last year. So, yep, we have armadillos too.