Slugs have been terrible in my raised beds this year. Have never had a problem for the past two years, but this year they were everywhere in the raised bed that had all the lettuce and cabbage. Hopefully they will die off as the heat increases. So far they have left all the vegetables in the strawbales alone. Good luck on getting rid of yours... I keep drowning mine in beer!
General Discussions - 2010 - Chapter 31
I give up on strawberries . I'm giving my plants away , except those I've already covered with chips from the chipper
Hi Sally; I just got a bunch of strawberries, kind of the wrong time of year to transplant them and they are looking pretty sick. But I'm watering them hoping that some of them will take root and give me a start. It got hot and dry right after I transplanted them.
Hey how is the rhubarb by now, have you made a pie or crisp yet?
I've only made one crisp so far but then one of the girls DD came and I sent a bunch back with her. Haven't even made a dent in my patch.
LOL
Russ
Lena: enjoyed your update!!
I can't wait to try all my tomato varieties this year, but especially looking forward again to the Golden Jubilees!! :-)
Kent
Oh Russ , I had four barbs to come up and I think one of them bit the dust . It had one leaf , but it turned brown and curled up . Don't know if the roots are alive or not . Will just have to wait and see . It may be too hot for them here . I'm sure it will be next year before I have a coupla stalks to eat . They have afternoon shade , but good morning sun .
They do like it cooler alright but I think it should make it. There are a couple places that I know of, that it is growing in the shade or at least partial shade. Water it some more maybe give it a little shade maybe prop up a screen of some sort. The old half rotted roots that I tossed back in the hole have sprouted and have small leaves. another year and they will probably start filling in and get some size to it. That might have something to do with our soil here too.
I guess if it don't work out they can't say we didn't try. I will do some more investigating and see if there is something we missed.
So Russ, how is your garden coming this spring? I know what all you planted, so how are they growing? How has your weather been? Are you getting all the rain and cold weather the rest of us are?
The tomatoes and peppers look real good but maybe it will warm up and they can grow some. If not, they might rot.
We are still in the 50s for highs. Can you believe that? 50!! It finally is in the 40s at night. I don't know, if the ground can't warm up any better than that, I doubt if we will have any produce on them. I did see a little blossom on a pepper. LOL
Oh well, sounds like a rerun of last year doesn't it?
Jeanette; corn is doing great. The ground stayed cool too long for some of the white potatoes, so a few of the spuds just rotted but I still have around 15 hills that made it and are doing great. Have been harvesting radishes the size of golf balls and they are very mild. If it were hot and dry they would have been hot. Carrots are about to the size I'll need to thin them out. The sweet potatoes aren't fairing too good yet as it turned hot right after I planted them Some are starting to look like they will do something. Tomatoes are only about 6" tall but are looking good I planted them deep as they were rather leggy. Cucumbers are just starting to get some leaves, the same with my squash. Haven't found any of the watermelon sprouting yet.
I've been gathering grass clippings where ever I can get it. I'm thinking I'll need to put a lot on to retain enough moisture this year.
The strawberries, well I'm glad they were free. I think some will make it but I'm having to water every thing. and that isn't normal for here. I haven't seen any Castor beans yet either. may have to do more watering.
One of the vines I ordered took 6 days to get here, it was a dry stick and its leaves crumbled to the touch. I think if I want that vine I will have to go pick one up in person. They didn't package it to retain any moisture..
I don't think I'll get any apples this year as a frost hit while my tree was in bloom.
Sally; Google in, growing rhubarb. It don't look too promising unless you have less than 40 degree temps over the winter and you may want to use some 10 10 10 fertilizer to help it get started. but Google that in as there is a lot of information there.
I didn'dt know that about rhubarb Russ. That it needs less than 40 degrees in the winter to do anything. No wonder it does so good here. I only like it in rhubarb cake. No pie etc. But the cake with whipped cream or ice cream is wonderful.
Got down to the teens last winter . It's down in single digits some winters , and I remember zero several nights a few years ago . Gotta get lottery numbers for dh . If we win , we'll all be rich . HAHA, wanta hear another joke ?
Nini - She is adorable. Look at those lashes, usually it seems the boys get the lashes. Wait till she flutters those at the boys!
Wow, Russ, it sounds like, in spite of having to water, your veggies are going to town. I had wondered about people putting strawberries into bales, then it dawned on me that they are likely annuals, whereas we can buy perennial strawberries here. They don't necessarily bear year round, just last longer.
I did get 2 cucumbers this week. But then, I picked them the size of a dill pickle and ate them in the garden. I have 3 cukes in that bale and it is the one one the downside of the row and it is collapsing into itself. Too bad there is not a way to add soil inside after they are planted. There are lots of blossoms on the plants. Interestingly, I have 3 zucchini plants in bales. 1 in a bale with 1 of 3 mystery plants (lost labels from seedlings) and a pepper. The other 2 are planted together in another bale. The 2 planted in the same bale are much slower, while the other one is double the size. They were all the same size, from a 4-pak, when planted. My radishes are planted in window box planters and grow a little slower than in ground. The 'giant' variety are not and another one I tried has white skin and red inside and is very slow. I also have some little fingerling carrots in those boxes, but need to thin those. Would like to grow some root veggies in ground, but with rabbits and gophers, it seems an effort in futility. Hopefully the castor beans Russ sent will work against those varmint and close to fall I can plant some beets!
A little zone envy here, sometimes I would like to be able to have a late fall garden. Extend my maters past December, Grow greens and carrots all winter but reality hits at about the second or third frost and you know whatever you haven't dug up you just might lose. And swinging a pick ax to dig veggies don't appeal to me either.
I might have to join digger and dh and invest in that red neck retirement program so I can travel during those frozen days of winter. lol
Come on Russ , always welcome . It did get down to 25 two nights in a row and I lost some tropicals , very unusual for the coast, that far south . Drag Barb along , We'll go yard sale shopping .
Sounds like a fun thing!!!
I'll have to put in two numbers maybe we will win enough to fill the gas tank.
Come to think of it, that might even buy a cup of coffee to go. lol
Don't win on two numbers . Wouldn't it be fun to invite everyone that has posted on Strawbale Gardening to a huge weekend BBQ . We could have even paid the transportation and time off from work . Oh , well .
Yup; O well. Fun thought anyway.
Could make one whale of a garden with loads of color.
Digger, you aren't going to have time to yard sale shopping. We are going fishing remember? LOL
Hey that's right, I got my snagin rod with a Penns reel, 120lb test fishin cord. we might go for the big ones.
Now Russ!!! What the crap do you expect to catch with 120# line???? If you got anything that big it would pull you all over the gulf. Or wherever you were fishing. We would all have to hang onto you and I doubt that Sally is that big, and I am not that strong. We would all drown!! Thanks.
I have only caught 1 -- 55lb. spoonbill with that and your right without a harness one of those big ones could pull a person overboard. I almost went in catching the spoonbill.
Spoonbill cat , yum . A lot of people don't like catfish , but if you clean the dark skin off the inside of the belly , It doesn't taste fishy or muddy . We have oppaloosa , ( I know I didn't spell that right ) that is the most delicate flavor . Anyone try it , they would like it . My favorite is white crappie , Now that's eating !
Russ we don't catch spoonbill in salt water , but even if something pulled you over , the bay is for the most part shallow enough for miles to wade. I posted this somewhere , but will put it here in case it was another thread , You don't eat these when they are this big . Only eat the two or three pounders . We give them away or turn them loose .
See how shallow the water is ? He caught that one right there , about fifty foot away , wade fishing .
The only thing fishing has to do with strawbale gardening , is they make good fertilizer .lol
That was on 12 lb line . Black drum .
Yes everybody, were talking about ( great fertilizer ) unless you eat what you catch. lol
Best tasting fertilizer I ever ate.
OK , I meant to say , we give the eating size black drum away, or release them . And you have to release the big ones. If I could talk the men into keeping the unedible parts , I could have some rich soil . At the cleaning stations , I could get all I want . Those men in my family just don't understand the basics. LOL
That is one crazy huge fish! Did you see the size of the EYEBALL on that thing?!?!?!?! !!!! It's so big, it's LOOKIN' AROUND!! Gack!!
LOL =)
I've been outta comission lately. Been kinda tied up with the son's wedding this past weekend. Kent, you're gonna love those frames around the bales and planting in old decomposed straw next year. The Garden Tour is Saturday and there's already been several writeups in the local paper about my strawbale garden. Hope they don't think that's all I do! Here's to great veggies to all for the summer...
Doug (&Cheryl)
Doug , Cheryl , that is a beautiful picture . I love your dress . Makes me wish I could wear red .Always wanted to . Hugs, digger
Nice picture Doug. Cheryl is a very nice looking lady.
Jeanette
Well, I've finally returned home from the Grandmother routine, started to get over the jet lag from the red-eye return flight and had a day to get back into the garden. The straw bales are just over the top. The tomatoes are out of their cages and the peppers and eggplants are in full bloom and setting fruits like crazy. Have attached photos. Cannot believe the change in 12 to 14 days since I left. I even ate my first tomato today! Several of the Sun Sugar Cherry tomatoes had ripened. Whoever stated that they were one of the sweetest tomatoes was not kidding. Have several more near ripe and cannot wait!
Here are the peppers. They were tiny when I left and now some of the large roasting peppers are near 7 inches long! They are supposed to get 10 to 12 inches long so a guess they are well on their way!
And the eggplant.... Yahoo roasted eggplant in the future...
I'll take credit for the Sun Sugars nini. I try to get people to try them but they are stuck on the ones they have been planting for years. Oh well. Enjoy them.
Jeanette
And lest I forget... the Tomato Forest.... up and out of their cages.....Not sure what to do now for support, it's only June and almost every plant is over the top of their 54 inch cage....Guess that will be this weekends project.
And one last photo of the Tomatoes... Lots of green ones now, can hardly wait for them to ripen.
Nice work, nini!! I only have two mater plants at that stage, but I was having issues supporting them as well. Now, mine were supposed to be tied to their fences, but they felt that was insufficient. There was a major part of each plant on the ground. I didn't mind so much, except that I feared they would be eaten by someone other than ME!
The former owners of the house had left a bunch of conventional tomato cages. They had stayed on top of the pumphouse, except the ones I used for the peppers. They were much too small for "real" maters. But, turned upside down, with the spikes meant to anchor them spread out, they make nice supports for those branches that had attempted to reach the next county. Of course, it still doens't make it easy to walk down the row.
I am NOT complaining, mind you, just trying to 'splain how I'm _attempting to_ control my renegades...
Nini - your plants look great! Now, you are growing in hay, not straw, right? Are you still fertilizing? I went back and saw your photo from when you put them in the beginning of April. Mine went in about the same time and surely do not look like yours, but do have some green tomatoes. All tomatoes do have blossoms and most have at least one green tomato (even the runt, but not the very bushy Bush Cherry's). The Bush Cherry's are in one of the bales that are collapsing. Only one pepper plant has a flower and that is one that over-wintered from last year. The other seedlings were not planted till 5/10.
Photo of bush cherry's
Starting to get cucumbers growing on these 3 'in bales' and baby starting on vine version in the pot behind. This bale has collapsed the most and the 2 cucumber plants on the left have merged in a depressed area. The next bale to the left has peppers and it started to sink 2 days ago. The prior photo showed the other collapsing bale. These are all on the down side of a hardly noticeable down grade. They collapse more if I use the soaker & drip hoses.
Now, this is interesting. There are 3 zucchini plants (called 'Dark' Zucchini). I purchased a 4 pak and all 4 were the same size and color. I planted 3 (gave away one) all at the same time and in same method, but the one on the right is huge compared to the other 2! It also has darker leaves and 2 babies. The other 2 do have many blooms.
To the right is a plant that I lost the label to, but is growing well in that bale (compared to another like plant I put in a bale across from it). After seeing Nini's eggplant photo, I think this may be an eggplant also, except mine has purple veining. I posted some photos of this mystery and other 'volunteers' in bales in the Beginning Vegetable Forum. Did not think there would be volunteers in bales! LOL
Zucchini photos
I have 3 melon bales. One is with 2 watermelon from seed. And from seedlings planted 5/5 - one with 1 each of Sweet 'n Early and Hales Cantaloupes, and one with a Hales Cantaloupe and a Crenshaw Melon . This picture was taken Monday and you can see there is a plethora of the yellow blossoms. By Wed. some critter had been up there chomping off the ends of the vines! Mostly on the cantaloupe at the end of the row. All but tomato bales have bird netting draped over them (per Jnette's suggestion to deter those wascally wabbits). Since rabbits stay away from tomatoes, I cut leaves and branches from the bottom of those plants and placed them under and around the cantaloupe plants and moved 2 potted tomatoes to either side of the bale. Yesterday there was more damage. While watering I noticed the netting had captured and killed two (endangered species) horny toads! Before there had been 2 lizaards that had met the same demise. I wonder if those guys nibble on plants? That would make me feel better about being a killer.
3 melon bales
