Gardening 2024 - Whatcha got going on this year?

[Dland]

This is the first time I've ever heard of scapes. Can I do the same with chives and other onion type plants?

Probably you can. The main purpose of harvesting, or removing the scapes is so the plant puts more energy into the garlic bulb instead of flowering. If one does not remove the scapes, garlic cloves tend to be quite a bit smaller. This probably would apply to other aliums grown for their bulbs or cloves, if typically they are harvested after time they would normally flower.

 

[VApatriot]

here's a couple casper the friendly eggplants.

 

[corkybstewart]

My first 100% garden salad of the season. Lettuce, tomatoes, chives, and basil. Dressing is my wife's homemade vinaigrette.

 

[Rodent]

Catching some of the last apricots of the season in a batch of jam. I had zero apricots this year due to the few blooms on my young trees getting hit with a killer freeze the day after they were in full bloom, so these five pounds of Robada apricots are from a neighbor's tree.

Aren't they gorgeous?! Robada apricots are my favorite for their color, flavor, and enormous size. These were cleaned up and coarsely diced

then mashed with a BHPM*

Add sugar, lemon juice, and pectin, bring to a boil, and jar for hot water bath canning. I got 10ea 1/2 pint jars of scrumptious apricot jam plus a bit extra that I had on muffins for breakfast this morning.

The color is just outstanding, and thanks to the BHPM it has an excellent consistency with chunks of apricot goodness.

Sadly this is the only apricot jam I'll make this year. Hopefully the weather is better during flowering time next year and there's more apricot jam to be made.

*Big Honkin Potato Masher (BHPM)

 

[Rodent]

Broccoli harvest this morning.

Not pictured is an equally generous harvest of tender secondary side shoots/heads.

I continue to be impressed with the 'Artwork' F1 hybrid and its ability to perform like a champ with close to three weeks straight of daily highs at/above 100F. So far only one plant has shown early signs of bolting, and those where I previously harvested the initial main crown are loaded with tender secondary side heads (aka Broccolini)

I'm going to start seeds in Aug in anticipation of planting a crop that will mature in time for a Fall harvest.

 

[Kent88]

When my in-laws built a new house I planted a few things in their yard, including 3 apple trees. I know they say that you shouldn't expect anything for the first 5 years, but they still looked underwhelming after that. I started giving them fertilizer spikes in the spring and it seems to have helped one in particular.

 

[Agent]

Being gone for nearly two weeks during peak growing season is fun to see the progress, except for the sheer dread of overwhelming weeding.

The sunflowers have made the ultimate sacrifice so the pumpkins and corn could approach maturity in the deer food plot.

Beans and cukes are starting to come on hot and heavy.

 

[corkybstewart]

I have a question for you gardening experts. Over the past month my zukes have quit producing edible fruit. My BIL across the street has the same problem, and a sister in law from the other side of France is experiencing it. The fruits get about 4 inches long, then turn yellow and fall off. All three of us had a decent harvest going until recently-we just finished the last of our good zukes. One of my plants has a fruit that's still healthy at a slightly larger size so maybe it's a temporary aberration and we'll all get back to having too many zukes.
Is anyone familiar with this problem and have solution?

 

[day_trippr]

Haven't run into that problem, though we only just enjoyed our first cuke (and first summer squashes) yesterday.
With all the rain we had early this summer everything seems to be running slow. Zukes may be another week or so...

 

[Rodent]

I have a question for you gardening experts. Over the past month my zukes have quit producing edible fruit. My BIL across the street has the same problem, and a sister in law from the other side of France is experiencing it. The fruits get about 4 inches long, then turn yellow and fall off. All three of us had a decent harvest going until recently-we just finished the last of our good zukes. One of my plants has a fruit that's still healthy at a slightly larger size so maybe it's a temporary aberration and we'll all get back to having too many zukes.
Is anyone familiar with this problem and have solution?

how is the soil and it's moisture level?

curious if there's possibility it's either blossom end rot or a symptom of overwatering

 

[corkybstewart]

how is the soil and it's moisture level?

curious if there's possibility it's either blossom end rot or a symptom of overwatering

Actually the constant rain has stopped so I'm watering every 2 or 3 days. Everything else is doing great. Blossom end rot sounds like the culprit, is there anything I can do about it? My sis in law is a master gardener, she's never seen this in her 70+ years of gardening.

 

[Rodent]

Actually the constant rain has stopped so I'm watering every 2 or 3 days. Everything else is doing great. Blossom end rot sounds like the culprit, is there anything I can do about it? My sis in law is a master gardener, she's never seen this in her 70+ years of gardening.

blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency, often brought about by either a lack of sufficient calcium in the soil or (the most often cause) moisture levels fluctuating with periods of dryness that make calcium uptake more difficult.

I fought blossom end rot all last year on my maters, peppers, and zucchini, and it took multiple steps to get it corrected to where it's not an issue this season

a) I adjusted the soil pH into the 6.5 range that most garden veggies prefer. my native soil averages a pH reading of 8.2, and this impairs calcium from moving freely into the root system. I used Espoma soil acidifier (horticultural Sulphur and fish meal) at the rate directed to bring my soil into the 6.8-6.3 range across each bed. amazing how well the veggies are growing this year with just a pH adjustment, and no calcium deficiency symptoms visible in any of the beds. I have well water that is very hard and mineral rich, so watering was compounding my alkaline soil issue last year.

b) I took into account that I garden in a near desert like microclimate that averages just 5"-8" of annual rainfall. for the mater bed, I mounded a row 6"-9" taller than the surrounding soil, set a soaker hose down the center of the row, then covered it with black plastic tucked in along the sides. maters were planted in cutouts in the plastic and sit adjacent to the soaker hose. this has eliminated the moisture quickly escaping even after a long soaking, and evened out the moisture content throughout the day. the maters and peppers love this consistency, and the cause of moisture stress invoking blossom end rot is removed. I covered the plastic with a 1"-2" layer of mulch to keep the sun from warming the covered soil too much

c) in addition to b, I also worked several yards of composted leaves and mulch into each row. this helps with drainage and moisture retention on the rows not covered with black plastic. I also covered the rows with 1"-2" of mulch after planting

it was a lot of work this Spring, but necessary. I'm being rewarded with outstanding results all around because of it.


my last remaining issue I'm fighting this year is that the daily humidity is too low, and this is causing the mater bloom stamens to not be as 'sticky' as they should to easily hold onto the pollen within their blooms. I may have to supplement watering with some kind of action on the surface that will evaporate and raise humidity in the close proximity of the blooms. this is somewhat releived when daily high temps are in the mid-80s and lower. when temps are 100F and above like we've had the last many weeks, it's just sad to have thousands of mater blooms in the row but very few fruits setting.

 

[day_trippr]

the daily humidity is too low

Man, I could use some of that. This has been the most wet and humid summer I can remember...

Cheers!

 

[Deadalus]

It was a pests and disease afternoon here. Didn't know squashes got BER too. I water 3x a week sans rain. We're in a drought right now 90% of the state (WV). I compost everything but particularly egg shells. Since I upped my compost program, I haven't had BER issues. They will abort the fruit if not pollinated. It's said to be common for the male flowers to grow first, but not always. Bees love squash flowers, I find them chilling in them in the mornings. I had been watching my zucchini and yellow squash closely, and noticed potential striations in the stem and a drooping leaf which upon closer inspection was squash vine borers. Sucks since I've got about 4 plants of 6 varieties, and only picked four zucchini so far. I figured this yea II was going to go in and cut them out! A little surgery. I was even watching for squash bug eggs but didn't see any.

Tomatoes were cruising along, lovely plants but the Costolutos caught a little leaf spot septoria. It seemed localized to just a couple of them but when I got out there today it was fairly pervasive. Localky, we've had about a week of rain days, too much moisture. I did get a copper treatment in but no go. I do everything else organic but septoria will wipe all the tomatoes out so I had to break out the mancazeb.

Then last week I noticed increasing slug damage, even after spotting some beer traps, hunting them, and sluggo. I had a dumper keg available so I filled up 20 or so beer traps. They filled up. Caught gobs of the small black ones, they've been pounding on my beans. I hit them wiyth Sluggo earlier and I'm going out now to refill the beer traps and do a little hunting.

Not complaining too much though, lots of tomatoes and peppers and one cherry and one Nardello pepper just blushed so soon for those!

 

[corkybstewart]

blossom end rot is a calcium deficiency, often brought about by either a lack of sufficient calcium in the soil or (the most often cause) moisture levels fluctuating with periods of dryness that make calcium uptake more difficult.

I fought blossom end rot all last year on my maters, peppers, and zucchini, and it took multiple steps to get it corrected to where it's not an issue this season

a) I adjusted the soil pH into the 6.5 range that most garden veggies prefer. my native soil averages a pH reading of 8.2, and this impairs calcium from moving freely into the root system. I used Espoma soil acidifier (horticultural Sulphur and fish meal) at the rate directed to bring my soil into the 6.8-6.3 range across each bed. amazing how well the veggies are growing this year with just a pH adjustment, and no calcium deficiency symptoms visible in any of the beds. I have well water that is very hard and mineral rich, so watering was compounding my alkaline soil issue last year.

b) I took into account that I garden in a near desert like microclimate that averages just 5"-8" of annual rainfall. for the mater bed, I mounded a row 6"-9" taller than the surrounding soil, set a soaker hose down the center of the row, then covered it with black plastic tucked in along the sides. maters were planted in cutouts in the plastic and sit adjacent to the soaker hose. this has eliminated the moisture quickly escaping even after a long soaking, and evened out the moisture content throughout the day. the maters and peppers love this consistency, and the cause of moisture stress invoking blossom end rot is removed. I covered the plastic with a 1"-2" layer of mulch to keep the sun from warming the covered soil too much

c) in addition to b, I also worked several yards of composted leaves and mulch into each row. this helps with drainage and moisture retention on the rows not covered with black plastic. I also covered the rows with 1"-2" of mulch after planting

it was a lot of work this Spring, but necessary. I'm being rewarded with outstanding results all around because of it.


my last remaining issue I'm fighting this year is that the daily humidity is too low, and this is causing the mater bloom stamens to not be as 'sticky' as they should to easily hold onto the pollen within their blooms. I may have to supplement watering with some kind of action on the surface that will evaporate and raise humidity in the close proximity of the blooms. this is somewhat releived when daily high temps are in the mid-80s and lower. when temps are 100F and above like we've had the last many weeks, it's just sad to have thousands of mater blooms in the row but very few fruits setting.

All interesting things but they don't really apply. Our soil here is derived from the chalk that starts about 2 feet under the top of the soil so.l there's plenty of calcium. We have a flower garden within 10 feet of the zukes and clover is a native ground cover so we have manyy varieties bees in the yard. The rainfall averages 1/2 inches per week, much better than the half inch per day through the first half of May. And so far the hottest day this summer was 92F. Next year I'll have almost a yard of good compost available, I'll use that before I plant. It's a very small garden, so that's gonna be plenty I think.

 

[Agent]

I think @Deadalus is on about the fruit aborting due to lack of pollination.

Also funny thing. Last year I had zukes running for so long that some of the last ones were more like winter squash with thick skin and hard orange flesh.

 

[hottpeper13]

I got the dreaded BER last year so this year I put the summer squash and zukes on a trellis. You have to tie them on but it makes picking way easier. The first one's turned yellow at about 2" long so I got some fermented molasses liquid fertilizer and have been picking perfect fruit since. Next year will put the egg shells in the planting hole instead of scratching into the surface.

 

[Rodent]

Here's a good graph on soil nutrients and their availability across the pH spectrum. it's good to know both the low availability and mild toxicity thresholds for most of the minor chemicals a plant needs, and use it to find the optimal pH range for the plant(s) you're growing.

Image source link

In my native soil that ranges between 8.2 and 8.4 pH, Calcium is listed as being mostly unavailable even though our 30' deep rock-free silt from the Great Missoula Floods is exceedingly rich in it. By lowering the pH into the 6.5 to 6.8 range, it's now right in the sweet spot for Calcium and most everything else except Iron and Molybdenum. Chelated Iron additions will help if I start seeing signs of iron deficiency (in my roses it's often a yellowing of the lower leaves as the plant shifts its limited chlorophyl generating capacity around to the younger leaves)

This chart can also be useful when making decisions on what foundational plantings to group together. I find it easier to recognize why I have gotten poor results in the past when grouping together plants with significantly opposing requirements.

The image came from an article that and easy and excellent read on soil pH in case you have some free time and want to dig in on the topic - Article on soil pH

 

[corkybstewart]

Here's a good graph on soil nutrients and their availability across the pH spectrum. it's good to know both the low availability and mild toxicity thresholds for most of the minor chemicals a plant needs, and use it to find the optimal pH range for the plant(s) you're growing.

View attachment 854098

Image source link

In my native soil that ranges between 8.2 and 8.4 pH, Calcium is listed as being mostly unavailable even though our 30' deep rock-free silt from the Great Missoula Floods is exceedingly rich in it. By lowering the pH into the 6.5 to 6.8 range, it's now right in the sweet spot for Calcium and most everything else except Iron and Molybdenum. Chelated Iron additions will help if I start seeing signs of iron deficiency (in my roses it's often a yellowing of the lower leaves as the plant shifts its limited chlorophyl generating capacity around to the younger leaves)

This chart can also be useful when making decisions on what foundational plantings to group together. I find it easier to recognize why I have gotten poor results in the past when grouping together plants with significantly opposing requirements.

The image came from an article that and easy and excellent read on soil pH in case you have some free time and want to dig in on the topic - Article on soil pH

Thanks.

 

[Agent]

Did I mention that we put in a few green beans?

 

[Rodent]

@Agent what's your plan(s) for that great green bean bounty - canning, freezing, pickling, and/or other?

 

[day_trippr]

Today's Summer Squash picks. Garden is just starting to produce...

Cheers!

 

[corkybstewart]

Pulled some roots for our lunch salad.

 

[corkybstewart]

 

[Agent]

@Agent what's your plan(s) for that great green bean bounty - canning, freezing, pickling, and/or other?

We don't freeze much produce unless it's necessary (namely peas, berries, herbs, and corn). So lots of canning in one shape or form.

We try to do 1-2 dozen pints of dilly beans, and 2-3 dozen quarts of regular canned beans annually.

And of course eating lots of them fresh, or pawning off on unsuspecting acquaintances.

 

[Deadalus]

We don't freeze much produce unless it's necessary (namely peas, berries, herbs, and corn). So lots of canning in one shape or form.

We try to do 1-2 dozen pints of dilly beans, and 2-3 dozen quarts of regular canned beans annually.

And of course eating lots of them fresh, or pawning off on unsuspecting acquaintances.

I think I keep forgetting those are called dilly beans but I have been making those for about 25 years or so! I vaguely remember hearing that term before. The recipe I use just called them pickled green beans. We didn't have a pressure canner for ages, then I ruined the one we got. Holding out for an All American.

From Saturday and then this morning I grabbed this cuke (2nd), first pattypan, and first ripe tomato. @corkybstewart are pattypans popular in France?

 

[corkybstewart]

I think I keep forgetting those are called dilly beans but I have been making those for about 25 years or so! I vaguely remember hearing that term before. The recipe I use just called them pickled green beans. We didn't have a pressure canner for ages, then I ruined the one we got. Holding out for an All American.

From Saturday and then this morning I grabbed this cuke (2nd), first pattypan, and first ripe tomato. @corkybstewart are pattypans popular in France?
View attachment 854240
View attachment 854241

I don't think I've ever seen one here, but to be honest I've never looked.

And suddenly 2 of my 3 zuke plants are producing edible fruit again.

 

[Deadalus]

I don't think I've ever seen one here, but to be honest I've never looked.

And suddenly 2 of my 3 zuke plants are producing edible fruit again.

They kind of look like a flying saucer, and potentially smaller than the one I posted. I had a recollection of a French connection which turns out is the name pattypan. Suggested to come from pâtisson, a cake made in a scalloped pan. They come in different colors. Not too common here either but I like to grow them.

Kind of an odd situation with the zukes. Maybe an odd environmental trigger affected male flower growth. Mine seem to close their flowers when it gets warmer towards the afternoon. The flowers last for several days but I don't know specifically how long. That would seem to need a heat wave to be the cause.

 

[Kent88]

And suddenly 2 of my 3 zuke plants are producing edible fruit again.

Anyone who lives in corky's area, lock your doors.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Garden is behind, 2024 has been crap here, no rain... giant pumpkins were a complete failure, and we got started late on the rest, but the chickens are producing a nostril-ton we'll probably get slammed with cucumbers all in one shot and I won't complain because it might be our only decent crop this year, a pathetic pick today, and our first pick of the year. The eggs in the bowl is half of what we got, from one day.

 

[corkybstewart]

Garden is behind, 2024 has been crap here, no rain... giant pumpkins were a complete failure, and we got started late on the rest, but the chickens are producing a $hitton we'll probably get slammed with cucumbers all in one shot and I won't complain because it might be our only decent crop this year, a pathetic pick today, and our first pick of the year. The eggs in the bowl is half of what we got, from one day.
View attachment 854299

In France we had daily rain until almost the end of April, then decently spaced rainfall almost weekly, but the temp stayed around 20C and nothing started growing until the end of June. I got a dozen carrots from the first planting, so I replanted a couple of weeks ago and we'll have an excellent crop later.

 

[corkybstewart]

They kind of look like a flying saucer, and potentially smaller than the one I posted. I had a recollection of a French connection which turns out is the name pattypan. Suggested to come from pâtisson, a cake made in a scalloped pan. They come in different colors. Not too common here either but I like to grow them.

Kind of an odd situation with the zukes. Maybe an odd environmental trigger affected male flower growth. Mine seem to close their flowers when it gets warmer towards the afternoon. The flowers last for several days but I don't know specifically how long. That would seem to need a heat wave to be the cause.
View attachment 854253

We're experiencing the first truly hot weather of the year starting yesterday, but it will be over by the weekend with the temps dropping back to the mid 20s(C).
I'm curious about how to cook the pattypan, I've always seen them in the States but to my knowledge I've never eaten one. We're going to the grocery store later today, I'll make a point of looking for them..

 

[Agent]

Garden is behind, 2024 has been crap here, no rain... giant pumpkins were a complete failure, and we got started late on the rest, but the chickens are producing a $hitton we'll probably get slammed with cucumbers all in one shot and I won't complain because it might be our only decent crop this year, a pathetic pick today, and our first pick of the year. The eggs in the bowl is half of what we got, from one day.
View attachment 854299

Well, you got your fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, pickled eggs, deviled eggs, eggs Benedict, egg fu young, egg noodles, egg burritos, bacon and eggs, steak and eggs, sausage and eggs, egg salad, egg muffins, egg sandwiches, egg rolls,....

That's about it I guess.

 

[Deadalus]

We're experiencing the first truly hot weather of the year starting yesterday, but it will be over by the weekend with the temps dropping back to the mid 20s(C).
I'm curious about how to cook the pattypan, I've always seen them in the States but to my knowledge I've never eaten one. We're going to the grocery store later today, I'll make a point of looking for them..

They are similar flesh to zucchini and yellow squash. The skin gets tougher as they get bigger. I like to stuff them with a savory mix. We're vegetarian, so a mix of soy ground, the cut up tops, a little onion, capers, maybe wild or brown rice, thyme or sage, maybe topped with some shredded parmesan. It can be sliced up too. I usually only get enough to make twice or so before they die.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Well, you got your fried eggs, scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, pickled eggs, deviled eggs, eggs Benedict, egg fu young, egg noodles, egg burritos, bacon and eggs, steak and eggs, sausage and eggs, egg salad, egg muffins, egg sandwiches, egg rolls,....

That's about it I guess.

You left out poached but technically that's covered under eggs Benedict... I make my hollandaise sauce, eggs also used for that and I cure my own Canadian (or back) bacon.. but looking at that list, yes we use them for pretty well all of those options.. they are quite versatile.

The cucumber crop is what we put the most effort into because we make several varieties of pickles, so hopefully they'll be good, just late, plenty of flowers popping on them.

 

[Agent]

Not to brag, but I get a lot of practice at playing "Hide the Pickle"

 

[Deadalus]

Whipping out the cucumbers are we!

Slugs were voracious on my pickling cukes, having to start those one last time for a fall save. Still germinating...

 

[Agent]

Looks like I'm a week behind @Deadalus pest and disease day.

So the Japanese bettles had one helluva hatch this year. Haven't even seen the rose chafers pop out of their holes of horror yet.

Tomatoes are catching their annual blights that our perpetual rains and dew can't keep away.

And I just found that we have an intense squash bug infestation in the pumpkin patch. Like, under every leaf is eggs or babies, and a couple adults just chilling around. Not amused.

 

[Deadalus]

I don't get but a few Japanese beetles yearly although lots of people reportedly do get lots here. We've got some sort of weird plague of black aphid like bugs spreading around the state, maybe corn aphids. People have been reporting them all week. I don't have enough space for corn, so they are unfamiliar. Wondering if it is because of the drought. They were all over my tomatoes yesterday but it rained and significantly reduced them. I have to check them out further, I think I saw an extension report saying they were harmless. I was going to neem them or use soapy water. I spent the last two evenin

gs trimming tomatoes as the recent rains have been ideal for septoria. I shouldn't ha

ve planted Costolutos again! It's radiating out from them, they have no resistance. They are great for sauce though and finally starting to turn red. That's them on the left.

 

[Kent88]

Looks like I'm a week behind @Deadalus pest and disease day.

View attachment 854539
So the Japanese bettles had one helluva hatch this year. Haven't even seen the rose chafers pop out of their holes of horror yet.

Those bags attract the bugs and fill up with hundreds still around to continue their filthy orgy.

I've used Sevin in the past and that does a decent job of clearing them out. This year I've been applying Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae to my hops, and they're still getting chewed on but they don't seem to be hosting the completely massive orgy they have the past few years.

@kumah