Strawbale Gardening: General Discussions - Chapter 23

Hi guys,

Sally, I don't know what to tell you about your tomatoes. So sad. How are they today? Were they all hit? Did you put your bales in the same place where you had the problem before? That is the only thing, like Russ, that I can think of.

Here is a good site that tells about it, but it doesn't sound like there is much you can do about this year's crop. Are you sure it is blight? Jeanette

http://pmo.umext.maine.edu/factsht/Earlytom.htm

How is your nephew?

Hi! Jeanette, We were beginning to think you had skipped out on us.
I checked several sites. Got everything from getting the lower leaves wet while watering and a little of everything else. I got disgusted with myself trying to get a hyperlink to work without success.
Was about ready to copy and paste the whole thing.
Good to hear from you.

Welcome back Jeanette! We were all getting worried about you. It's not like you to be gone from this forum for so long!!!

Doug

Thanks you guys, Russ, that is all I do. I just cut n paste. Easiest way. I just tried that link I posted above and it works good. But, it doesn't have the DG link. I don't know how to do that.

Guess whatever works. But, Sally, I am asking you again, are you sure it is blight? Because it would make a difference in how you treat it, or IF you treat it. Maybe you ought to take a piece to a good nurseryman/woman and see for sure.

Jeanette

look who's here , jnette , don't worry us like that . no, i'm not sure it's blight . i got that from a neighbor that has a four acre garden , and has grown tomatoes for 55 yrs. i went to the tomato forum and read posts for hours and still couldn't decide if it was that leaf spot or blight . one of the tomatoes is wilted ,but seems to be holding its own .i noticed a few days before that it wasn't as deep a green as the others , so put cow tea on again , and sprinkled a little 13-13-13 around the top of bales. been watering every day and teaing two to three times a week. i picked everything that couldn't wait five days to harvest ,then sprayed with m-45 , pulled off all the leaves that looked affected . my neighbor, ralph , starts spraying when his get the first bloom and repeats every week for three sprays ,then every three weeks . doesn't have this problem . another thing , i noticed last night that my straw bales were so soft inside that i could compact them a bit around the roots and thought maybe the roots weren't getting solid support any more . looked at everything awhile ago and plants look a bit better . this is my first time to plant anything other than containers here and that's a waste of time . i just never had this problem anywhere except here in georgia . i'll definitely have green tomatoes in the freezer if this dosen't work . i'm so glad you'r back . sally

fog , my squash is fine , in the bales between the maters. that m-45 is a fungicide and ralph swears by it . not all ace hardware stores carry it .jnette , my nephew was moved to a regular room yesterday , but it's so hard on sis, if they release him tomorrow , he might go right back in the next day . his high risk factor is off the chart .i'm grateful he was ok for a long week before his last crisis ,thanks for asking . sally

Well Sally, at least you had a short visit, well, a look at your sister. Too bad it got cut short. Especially after 10 years didn't you say? Why don't you visit her? Might be easier. All new hobby shops, thrift shops, etc.

What is that m-45 fungicide you are using? Your neighbor sprays as a deterrent rather than a cure? Interesting. I think if you are sure you have a problem that you might watch out your window at your neighbor and when he heads out then you know it is time to do the same. LOL, what do you think he would thing about that?

Russ, are those begonias I sent you blooming yet? They sure should be. Altho, mine aren't. But then I planted mine 2 months later. They might not bloom at all this year.

Jeanette

must be a deterrent says start when they emerge , but at this stage , if it does any good at all i'll use it . it's dithane m-45 a trademark of rohm and haas co .website,www.southernag.com . sis is hard to visit with , she works, on call every three weekends, immaculate house , takes care of that boy when home ,can't ever know when he has to go back to hosp.she doesn't shop much , her dh does most of that . besides,lol , i take my own coffee , don't like hers .no , really , i took off 10 yrs ago to visit her in oregon . she gets up around 4:30 am to get ready for work and goes to bed early too . she took off work one day to visit . didn't get to see her much . sad, the way she works and now she had a malignant tumor removed from around her heart last year .i will visit more often now that she has moved back to texas. i'm scared to death to fly .

Good to see you back, Jeanette.
Sal, I sure hope you're able to salvage some of your plants. Do you have access to a local argicultural extension service? They should be able to help.
Just picked my 3rd big zucchini and 3rd and 4th cucumbers. I have lots of yellow squash, cukes, zucchini and baby watermelons forming- they're probably a bunch more under all the foliage that I can't see. My zinnias are blooming, too! And some little tomatoes, esp. the Romas. The foliage is so dense on the hay side that I'll have to go in looking for the tomatoes! Gotta get them supported this week.
xox Suz

Thanks Suzan.

Suzan, what are those plants blooming white in the background? Do you walk on those pallet boards or whatever they are? You be careful, that could be a killer.

Your plants look nice and healthy. Very nice.

Jeanette

Thanks Suzan.

Suzan, what are those plants blooming white in the background? Do you walk on those pallet boards or whatever they are? You be careful, that could be a killer.

Your plants look nice and healthy. Very nice.

Sally how sad. Certainly not much of a life for your sister or her husband. How old is the son? Poor thing. Hospitals are just awful. And not knowing when you are going to have to go back to one must be terrible. I have to assume that they got all of the tumor and she is ok there?

How far does she live from you? That will be nice that you can see her more often than 10 years. That must be some coffee you drink. LOL

Well, we are off topic again. Guess we better quit while we're ahead.

Jeanette

she was in colo ,ore ,las vegas , now ,dallas tex . 1000 miles. boy's 42 now. she had radiation .suz , you have a handful of garden ,beautiful plants ! do you have any help with it ,i mean REAL help ? i'm going to pick a bunch of green tomatoes tomorrow and prepare for freezing ,to fry later. then spray again ,wait five days , pick again . i pulled of the dying leaves and sprayed the first time and the plants seem to be in remission . we'll see . hugs, sally

Sally, so glad you seem to have stopped the problem. Good that you took all of the leaves off. Same to do with Blackspot on roses. Very bad stuff. I will have to remember that m-45. You say it is a Rohm and Haas & co. product.. I have heard of neither the product or the company. Bet we don't get it up here.

Hope your problem is solved. Don't pick all of the tomatoes green.

plants are still looking like they might recover . also allyou ones i've been promising , yea ! i ordered my camera this morning . will be here july 28 . got a canon S5 . now, all i have to do is learn how to use it , yea ! sally

Good for you Sally. Now you will have fun. I have one that I bought when the digitals first started coming out so I am due for a new one too. Let me know how you like yours.

Jeanette

Jeanette; If my corn is laying flat to the ground, does that mean I have to make flat bread with it????? LOL
Storm came through last night. Had gusts up to 75mph. lot of fireworks and rumbling. We had 2" of rain in just a short time.
I been cutting up limbs that broke off the trees. One cedar tree was twisted far enough that it is split nearly from top to bottom. I cut a bunch of limbs off it. decided I could wait till tomorrow morning to drop it, when it is a little cooler. Some of the smaller tomatoes just in cages without a steel post to hold them up are leaning over a bit. Too muddy to go in and straighten them up just yet.
I had planed on picking some sour cherries this morning. Lady said I could have them all, nobody likes them. I think sour cherries make a very good crisp just as rhubarb does. Maybe if she were younger she may have used them but just don't like to bother with things like that any more. Jokingly she did say they would make good " Bounce" lol
Russ

Gosh Russ, that sure is awful. I suppose the flat bread would be good. LOL, not funny. So sorry about your garden. Also the trees. I have so many trees, cedars I will send you some.

Russ, I asked you a while back about where I was suppose to mound the soil around the sweet potatoes. Around the center of the plant, or along the vines? I dont know if you got it because I didn't get an answer. Know you are busy.

Jeanette

Russ, I must admit that I have never mounded soil around sweet potatos....maybe it's the difference in zones. You're 4b & I'm 8b

I like my vines to stay nice & full, though, no bunnies or deer allowed...If i can keep the tops looking pretty & green I know I'll have good potatoes down below.

Foggy

Boy, Russ- you folks in IA sure have had some foul weather- hope the damage wasn't too bad. Hope the cleanup isn't too bad and your plants survive.

Picked my first wax beans today, as well as a GIGANTIC zucchini and a beautiful yellow squash. (Wax beans were a little tough, though.) Bunch of watermelons and cantaloupes doing nicely, too, and my zinnias are magnificent. Loving my garden!!!

Suz

Very nice Suzan. Zinnias are very pretty.

Jeanette

suz , you have a beautiful garden , yum , watermelom , hmm ,if i was passing through , i just might help some of them disappear .lol do be careful tho , one of my dogs got bit on the nose by a copperhead snake nite b4 last .she is fine tho , the accepted treatment is antibiotic and something like benydril. no antivenom . this is fourth dog bitten in eight years , so every one be aware,they are out there .just thankful we don't have rattlesnakes in this area , altho they are all around us and can move in anytime . in the meantime , my tomatoes are holding thier own . i won't get the harvest that i expected ,but will be better than anything i've ever had here . next year , i won't leave anything to chance , will start preventative action from the start .our nites have been cool with lots of dew and i'm thinking that might be the reason of my tomatoe woes . sally

Sally, same thing here. Almost nobody has ripe tomatoes yet. It's been such a cool wet spring and early summer they just haven't taken off like they should have. I reached in yesterday to pick my very first red tomato from the strawbales and a squirrel or chipmunk had already tasted the bottom of it!! Guess it's time to get the 22 rifle out and start squirrel "hunting" !!!

Doug

get a dog doug , the squirrels may be nursing another set of babies .lol little beagles are terrific on those critters , but my chihuahua and my part poodle do a great job .wrong time of year to eat squirrels, but they sure make good dumplins .he he . sally

What are your nighttime temps you guys? My tomatoes are finally coming on good but nothing ripe yet. My temps are in the high 40s to mid 50s at night. I might get some ripe tomatoes starting sometime next month but that is no different than usual. I am just guessing tho.

Yes Doug, I know what you mean about the squirrels eating the tomatoes. I had to put bird netting around my plants last year. They would take one bite and then move on to the next ripe one. etc. Nasty little creatures.

Jeanette

My neighbor was shooting them last year with a BB gun. All he was doing was stinging their little butts! I finally got my 22 out and got rid of 4 or 5. My wife came home and I was sitting in a chair on the deck with the umbrella up and the rifle in my hands. She started laughing and asked where my camo was!!!! I have never been a hunter so I guess it was a funny sight to her.

I have rabbit fence around my bales to about 40" high but I guess the squirrels decided the red looked so good they'd just climb the fence!

Doug

I found the bird netting worked fine Doug, but this year I will leave it open at the top so I can get in it easier. They won't mess with it because they are afraid of getting tangled up in it. I leave it loose.

I won't shoot them. Sorry, I kind of like them. I even feed them. LOL (other than my tomatoes)

Jeanette

that picture in my mind of you sitting , with cannon across lap is a chuckle every time i think of it . would love to have a picture of it , would it in permanent file to show off . sally

Oh, I must share! I traded some of my tomatos for a bucket of plums & when their corn is ripe, we're gonna make another exchange!
This is the first trading veggies that I've done!......I'm thrilled!

Foggy

& the ginger plum jam tastes luscious!

How wonderful! Care to share the ginger-plum recipe?

foggy , ginger plum jam! you know how to hurt an overweight woman . sally

darius , we're on the same page for the recipe . all i need are the portions ratio .sally

Ginger plum jam

10 cups plums quartered & pitted
4 cups sugar*
juice of 2 limes*
zest of 2 limes*
3 T fresh minced gingerroot ( gives it a bite)

I don't like my jams very sweet so you might add another cup of sugar
you can leave out the limes

Foggy

Thanks! I love the bite of ginger; I keep pickled ginger in the refrig. and make my own crystallized ginger for snack bites.

Hi guys!!!
Spent most of the day, picking and pitting cherries. got just a little over 4 gallons after pitting. Don't have a cherry pitter, so I did it one at a time. I don't know what kind they are but definitely not Bing. They are sour, or really tart which ever you would use to describe them.
Not too good for picking and eating straight off the tree. I plan to use them for pies and crisps. Maybe some jam or jelly. But not tonight. LOL

Jeanette; saw your question on mounding SPs. I mound up around the main stem. But this being past the middle of July. I think that is about the limit on time for here in zone 4b. Hoping to get good sized roots and not a lot of little ones.
I'm not sure on the vardaman. but with the vining ones like Centennial. I will kind of wind the vine close around the stem, and cover those vines leaving most of the leaves exposed to the sun. Just trying to keep most of the taders in a fairly small area. I do have the vardamans mounded up pretty good. probably only about a foot after this rain. They were up about 15" and a diameter of18" to 24".
I tried to send a reply last night but for some reason or another send did not work. I hit send it kind of blinked and I waited and I waited and waited. It was late and I figured I had to clean out a bunch of the tracking cookies and and re boot. So I just gave up. to try another time.
Foggy; You won't shoot me if I try your recipe. hmmmm lol

Trouble is, no plums this year. Evidently the frost got them in bloom.
I'm not on cloud nine, but I picked one bell pepper and 5 tomatoes tonight. I couldn't find my labels by the plants so I could only guess. But two were definitely Roma's.
Russ

Wow! That Ginger-Plum jam recipe sounds wonderful! Gonna hafta try that one. That and the zucchini Pie recipe I got the other day- it's s'posed to taste like apple pie! Here's the recipe (anyone out there who's growing zucchini should be thrilled to have yet another recipe for them). I haven't made it yet, but it sounds good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zucchini Pie

-
Pie Crust:
4 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
3/4 pound butter or margarine


Filling:
6 cups seeded, peeled, and sliced zucchini (6 to 8)
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1 ½ tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

-
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
For the pastry:
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Press
half the mixture over the bottom of a greased 9 X 13-inch baking pan.
Reserve remaining pastry mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
-
For the filling:
Cook zucchini in lemon juice until tender (about 10 minutes). Add sugar,
nutmeg, and a teaspoon cinnamon. Simmer for 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup reserved
pastry mixture. Simmer until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Let cool.
-
Pour zucchini mixture over crust. Mix 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon with remaining
pastry mixture in bowl. Sprinkle over pie. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until
lightly browned.

-
This dessert tastes like apple crisp....people won't believe it's zucchini!

I saved both recipes you guys, thanks. My sister grows plums and will have to buy the ginger but I sure will try it.

And Suzan, I am not a zucchini lover so I don't grow them. However, once in a while someone offers me one so I normally use it in bread or Jalapenia jelly. But, will try this instead.

Jeanette

Ha Ha Ha. I have a friend, who apparently don't care for zuccini. I have teased him, saying I was going to raise some just for him. He said to let him know when I was comming - - - - he would have his Shot gun loaded. LOL
That might be a good trick to play on him. I'm pretty sure his wife would go along with it. Course he migh have a return ( favor) though. He He He.
But of course that does sound like a recipe to keep.
Thanks for posting it
Russ

Hello, gang: just a quick note to say hello.

All I have left in my garden are tomatoes and peppers. Squash, zukes, and cukes have all been pulled up. Had a great crop this year.

I had a problem with my German Johnson tomatoes this year. Every last plant caught some sort of virus/wilt that went through them like wild fire. And it wasn't just me. Anyone who had German Johnsons in my area all seem to have the same problem.

I lost my Cherry tomatoes to the same type issue.

Better Boys, Celebrity, and Super Fantastic tomatoes are all doing well, so far.

Peppers are doing great.

Busy time of the year so I'm not online as much.

Everyone is doing a great job with their garden. Keep up the good work.

Kent

Haven't been on DG for some time. We had a severe wind storm, July 10, winds up to 75 mph. No rain. Blew down 2 of my favorite trees, A Purple Leaved Thundercloud Plum and half of a Raywood Ash that shaded the east end of my deck. Luckily neither of the trees landed on my house. But there was a lot of trimming and sawing to be done.
The fellow who works for me finally got the trees sawed up and moved out to parking gravel area. The smaller limbs shredded. Still have to do something with the root mass from the Plum, When it went down also smashed one of my favorite small evergreens forget the name but it had really pretty purple cones.

Have been eating cukes and tomatoes from my garden, and sure are good. Corn not quite ready yet.

Donna

Well glad to see you're alive Kent! Thought maybe you've been working a lot catching those criminals.

Doug