The Garden of Woz...

[karstopography]

https://www.almanac.com/pest/flea-beetles

I’m saying it’s a flea beetle. The link has control tips.

[Whwoz]

Thank you @karstopography, but I forgot to mention that hey would be around the 1/4 inch or slightly longer in size, as against the 1/16 quoted in that article. Gives me a good starting point as they are something similar

[GoDawgs]

I agree with Karst. Those little buggers will shothole everything. Having tried a few different things on them I found that in my garden one spraying of pyrethrin on the plants and on the ground around them takes care of them pretty good.

[Whwoz]

Dig the first of the potatoes today, the Kestrels.

[attachment=0]IMG_20211228_144855_225.jpg[/attachment

This is typical of the harvest from 4 plants, total of 15kg/32lb from the row. Individual potatoes were smaller on average than expected based upon what I have seen in the shops, but considering the season and how quickly the ground locked up, I am happy with yieid

[Whwoz]

The warmer weather we are having, up around the 100F mark for tomorrow and Saturday, is really giving the plants a boost. Just a matter of being able to keep water up to them now. Tomatoes probably added a third of their height on last 4 or 5 days, sweet corn tasselling so silks won't be long with luck.

Plants for baby corn are starting to show tassels, but still within leaves, not yet standing up. Any suggestions as to best way to de-tassel this, don't want to let pollen get mixed up with sweetcorn.

Corn that was in pots too long has greened up and put out new growth but is also starting to show tassels. Not sure what will come of it.

Overwintered capsicums are just starting to ripen the odd fruit, new plants, which look really good are just starting to pop buds open.

[MissS]

Is 100F normal for you? What are your normal temps for your growing season?

[Whwoz]

Where we are normally receives 15 to 20 days over 100F a summer @MissS . North of the Great Dividing Range, 100F is far more common, can go on for 3 months or more. Where we are gets regular cool to cold fronts coming through and we will drop back down to around 20C or 68 to 70 F.

One big advantage that we do have here is low to very low humidity, often under 20% and on days when the north-west winds blow strong, temps can get to 110F humidity can go under 5%. On those days I will get overhead sprinklers going to cool the plants down once the worst of the heat is over.

[GoDawgs]

Wow, that's really low humidity! I can see where stuff would dry out really fast. So different form here where we get that high heat and high humidity at the same time, making it really miserable.

Love your potatoes. So pretty. Good job!

[Whwoz]

@GoDawgs I have noticed that too. Makes a big difference with disease pressure or lack thereof. Really noticed this three years ago when we had a spell that got up to 44C/110F . By watering with sprays going up I was able to keep the plants from burning and dying as happened to those growing in towns.

[Whwoz]

Picked a few more tomatoes today, seeing more blush as well. those picked include new to me Potatomatti and 42 days. Yet to taste them thanks @svalli

[Whwoz]

Have just picked half a dozen bell peppers from last season overwintered plants, most of these are well loaded up with flowers and fruit, photo of Oranjevote Chudo from last season is fairly typical

Oranjevote Chudo aka Orange Miracle.JPG

This seasons plants by comparison are only just starting to flower

Candy Cane F2.JPG

For those of you who know Mcsee from his TV days, the above plant is one from seed from a flower that he glued the segments together to stop from being crossed pollinated. It has some typical Candy Cane varigation on the leaves, not a lot though, but enough to encourage me into thinking that I should get striped fruit from it. 2 plants in the ground

Marconi Rosso.JPG

Marconi Rosso is a red Bulls Horn type pepper, first time growing it, 3 plants in the ground

The following are from @Tormato, with 3 or 4 plants of each in the ground.

Flavor Burst.JPG

Santa Fe Grande.JPG

Sweet Pickle.JPG

The black hose visible in some photos is a soaker hose, sprays down, that I use to water them with

[Whwoz]

Kang Kong

Had much better success germinating this this year, previously 25 to 30% germination would have been typical, mainly because of helmet heads from planting roughly 1/2 an inch below the top of the mix. This year I sowed the seed about an inch below the surface, 16 out of 20 up and zero helmets. Some plants were a bit small and ratty to start off as I probably planted to densely in the pot but all have survived and are due to have the first harvest shortly

Kang Kong v3.jpg

[GoDawgs]

@GoDawgs I have noticed that too. Makes a big difference with disease pressure or lack thereof. Really noticed this three years ago when we had a spell that got up to 44C/110F . By watering with sprays going up I was able to keep the plants from burning and dying as happened to those growing in towns.

When we get into a streak of 100's I use the overhead water sprinkled in the afternoons to cool off stuff and it really seems to help. I was afraid it would contribute to funk starting but it doesn't seem to have hurt anything. The plants seem so refreshed afterwards.

[Tormato]

Have just picked half a dozen bell peppers from last season overwintered plants, most of these are well loaded up with flowers and fruit, photo of Oranjevote Chudo from last season is fairly typical

Oranjevote Chudo aka Orange Miracle.JPG

This seasons plants by comparison are only just starting to flower

Candy Cane F2.JPG
For those of you who know Mcsee from his TV days, the above plant is one from seed from a flower that he glued the segments together to stop from being crossed pollinated. It has some typical Candy Cane varigation on the leaves, not a lot though, but enough to encourage me into thinking that I should get striped fruit from it. 2 plants in the ground

Marconi Rosso.JPG
Marconi Rosso is a red Bulls Horn type pepper, first time growing it, 3 plants in the ground

The following are from @Tormato, with 3 or 4 plants of each in the ground.

Flavor Burst.JPG

Santa Fe Grande.JPG

Sweet Pickle.JPG

The black hose visible in some photos is a soaker hose, sprays down, that I use to water them with

Over the years, I've only sent out a few Flavor Burst F1 seeds, and loads of F2 seeds. You likely have the F2s.

Also, did I send seeds from this year's MMMM ? If not, did you finalize your list from the tomato and pepper master lists?

[Whwoz]

Thanks for that info @Tormato , will note down the F2 gen.

Re MMMM, I have not finalized a list from the pepper and tomato master lists, with everything else going on it slipped my mindand news that there had been 18000 seed interceptions by customs to the start of November I sort wonder if it is worth the potential loss of what maybe limited seed. Will have a look and get back to you.

[Tormato]

Thanks for that info @Tormato , will note down the F2 gen.

Re MMMM, I have not finalized a list from the pepper and tomato master lists, with everything else going on it slipped my mindand news that there had been 18000 seed interceptions by customs to the start of November I sort wonder if it is worth the potential loss of what maybe limited seed. Will have a look and get back to you.

While some of the 1,000+ varieties may be limited, as for the others...the waterline on the Orca is rising.

[Whwoz]

Thanks for that info @Tormato , will note down the F2 gen.

Re MMMM, I have not finalized a list from the pepper and tomato master lists, with everything else going on it slipped my mindand news that there had been 18000 seed interceptions by customs to the start of November I sort wonder if it is worth the potential loss of what maybe limited seed. Will have a look and get back to you.

While some of the 1,000+ varieties may be limited, as for the others...the waterline on the Orca is rising.

I will be in touch then....

[Whwoz]

Sweet Potatoes:

With the Beauregard plants kicking on and only being able to get 3 of them this year, I thought I would have a shot at producing my own from cuttings. So out with the glass to give it a go...

IMG_0330.JPG

Then the night before last when grabbing a sweet out of the draw for dinner, I noticed it was starting to shoot, so out with another glass, some toothpicks and off with its head...First time trying this, noticed last night that the long shoot had straightened up and was starting to open leaves

IMG_0329.JPG

[Whwoz]

One of the plants that we gave the Mrs for Christmas is known locally as a pussy tail or Mulla Mulla. These come from out in the dry country, have seen them in the wild around Kalbarri in north west Western Australia. A few species seem to cope with our different conditions quite well but the are not naturally long lived. This one is Ptolitus exalatus

IMG_0324.JPG

IMG_0325.JPG

[svalli]

I Googled that Mulla Mulla and I found that a seed vendor in Sweden is selling seeds for Ptilotus Nobilis.
https://www.impecta.se/froer/ettariga-b ... arant-joey

In Swedish the name is kattamarant (cat amaranth) and in Finnish silkkitassu (silk paw). I read that the flowers last for 8 weeks. I am now obsessed and have to order the seeds to grow those beauties next summer.

Sari