July on the Homestead

I was finally able to get to my garden after being away for over a month. With my garden being 10 or 11 miles from home and DH being sick, I had not been able to get anywhere near the garden. The weeds were taller than my tomato cages. It was so sad. I had started the season with such high hopes. But all is not lost. A lot of things have survived though nothing has thrived. Many of my tomatoes have died. But there are lots left. I had planted over 30. A few of them are in great shape and even have fruit on them. My 4 yellow squash plants are doing well and have lots of little squash on. I picked a bowl full of beans ( 4 different varieties ). I will have beets in a few days. Lots of onions though they are still small. Still working on finding the carrots. The swiss chard is there with mixed results. DGS and I pulled weeds for nearly 3 hours until dark drove us out. We still have quite a ways to go. My knees are sore from crawling around on the rocks but I'm happy about what we got done.

Some of my bigger tomatoes.

The squash.

The beans are in there somewhere.

Here they are! These are the Yellow Cherokee Wax beans.

Golden beets. I also planted red ones and they are about the same size.

Onions ala weeds. :(

They are spindly. Good thing I have some planted at home too.

The chard.

The payoff!

Glad you could rescue your harvest. I regularly "lose" some of my crop in the weeds - and my garden is right in the back yard.

The little I have growing here looks good except the onions. They are up by thye road and i can't get water there unless I carry it up the hill in jugs. I don't make that trip often enough. No weeds in them though because the bed are made on ground cloth.

This pic is a few months ago.

Glad you were able to harvest some things.

For those following this thread, we came from here...
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1104786/

This message was edited Jul 2, 2010 5:46 PM

Wow! In spite of the weeds, the garden looks good. I know that you and Knock will enjoy the fruits of your labors, that "payoff" looks great.

MsRobin ~ how does your garden grow? Business is doing well, I hope?

We have been under drought conditions this summer and only the past two nights have we received rain. A quarter inch each night and consider ourselves blessed. Have been dining on a limited amount of tomatoes, beans, potatoes and cukes. It never produces what I anticipate so I am reminded once again not to quit my day job.... lol

All around me folks have blight, some worse than others. My tomatoes look good and the only thing I have done differently than last year was to run a row of just-cut comfrey leaves down both sides of the tomato plants, end-to-end for the whole bed. I guess only time will tell if that made a difference in blight, but it sure added fertilizer. They are growing great and have lots of blossoms... and a few small tomatoes. (Late start this year.)

Late start here too and I did just start seeds for fall. I started three tomatoes with shorter DTM and some other vegies/herbs.

Did you till the comfrey leaves in?

Nope, just laid them on the ground, right before 2-3 days of rain. No sign of them after a few days. Bev (Sundownr) who is 45 miles away, made a tea from hers... don't know what else she has in it, and she still has some blight. Don't have a clue what's going on with mine!

Garden is going great, as well as business. Memebers gush over the boxes every week.

What's the purpose of the comfry leaves?

Fertilizer

If Darius doesn't mind, I'll elaborate since you asked. Comfrey benefits soil and plants as the leaves have a high mineral content. It will also make an excellent liquid fertilizer when you let the leaves decompose in a container of water. It is a good addition to a compost pile but it is recommended to use only well wilted leaves as there is a possibility of them taking root. Comfrey is not to be used internally as it is now considered a carcinogen. On external wounds it really does expedite healing. I've turned the leaves into the soil but never made a tea. Too many pets that would think it was their beverage to drink and I just won't risk it.

Pretty blooms too... Happy July 4th all....

Thanks, Pod... I was rushing out the door, and thought I'd expound later... and you beat me to it.

Nice garden

Hi ~ welcome to DG. Glad you could join us. What is going on in your part of the country?

Is comfrey a "weed"?

Howdy Carpetrepairguy. Welcome to our world.

No, it is an herb but it can be invasive so might be considered by some to be a weed.

MsRobin are you saving some of your produce for yourselves I hope?

A new herb I found in an out of the way GH in June. Spilanthes or an eyeball plant. Because the leaves and flower buds can be chewed to numb the mouth it is also known as a toothache plant.

Cool plant!

Yes, we have plenty for ourselves, plus a sackful to each of 3 elderly neighbors that don't have gardens.

I'll have to read more about comfrey. Sounds like something I need for an organic garden.

Robin... did I ask you about yellow cabbage collard greens? If your customers like collard greens, these are rare and I can send you some seeds.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104882982
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100512/ENTERTAINMENT01/705129953

Darius, you hadn't asked me before, but I'd love some.

My tomato plants seem to be dying from the bottom up, about 3' up. Lots of new foliage on top, lots of tomatoes from on the bare vines up into the new foliage. Any ideas before I go to the tomato forum?

Msrobin ~ I found this concise info on tomato issues in general. Have wonder the same about tomato problems.

Mineral Deficiency Symptoms
Nitrogen deficiency will cause yellowing of the leaves, especially in the older leaves. The growth of new roots and shoots is stunted. In tomatoes, the stems may take on a purple hue.
A phosphorous deficiency is usually associated with dark green foliage and stunted growth. As in nitrogen deficiency, the stems may appear purple. But since the leaves don't yellow as they do in nitrogen deficiency, the whole plant can take on a purplish green color.
Iron deficiency results in yellowing between the leaf veins. In contrast to nitrogen deficiency, the yellowing first appears in the younger leaves. After a prolonged absence of iron, the leaves can turn completely white.
--Jessica Hankinson

White leaves? How cool!

Last year about this time, some corn leaves were snow white. Looked weird. They said was growing so fast it couldn't get enough iron. Came out of it in a few days.

Years ago there was an herbicide used for poison ivy in cranberry bogs which worked by interfering with chlorophyll production. Eerie white plants!

Totally white plants can't live, can they? I was given to understand they cannot process chlorophyll (sp?) and nutrients needed for survival.

Thanks, Podster. Pretty interesting. Got some composted manure tea "brewing" and will water with it tomorrow. Could be the problem. Didn't work any of the composted manure into the soil around the tomatoes until 2 weeks ago (after the problem started).

Have a bunch of rooted tomato cuttings in the house and will be planting a few more rows on the end of the garden.

Good for you. I have started three more types of tomatoes for fall and am thinking about starting some small vining tomatoes for the GH this winter. I want to grow radishes & lettuce in bags of compost in the GH too. At least that is the plan.

Podster, the white plants I referred to were the treated poison ivy plants, and no, they can't live which is why the herbicide that knocked out chlorophyll was so effective. Alas it has been withdrawn - but that's another long story.

Yes, I followed that. I was thinking of variegated plants that I grow. When they set a white "sport" it is always tempting to root a cutting and attempt to cultivate it but I know better. They will never live.

Wow! Talk about "Homesteading" and organic gardening. Take a look at this.

http://books.google.com/books?id=bZ8-ZqxFlK0C&pg=PA42&lpg=PA42&dq=%22Map%C3%AB%27di%22&source=bl&ots=y_lLWQVrDJ&sig=N9G4UubJZBWL8dhZwI6N2_YgbGQ&hl=en&ei=qaU9TIS3CYG78gbv95mmBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

The complete book:


http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/buffalo/garden/garden.html

Quite interesting, Thanks.
Downloadable PDF of the original book
Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians: an Indian interpretation, Volumes 6-9

http://books.google.com/books?id=uu81AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Agriculture+of+the+Hidatsa+Indians:+An+Indian+Interpretation&hl=en&ei=6MY9TPnULIP_8Abp0pimBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-preview-link&resnum=3&ved=0CDUQuwUwAg#v=onepage&q&f=false