Mystery Squash

One has to wonder what type of misogyny goes on in the garden when no-one is looking. The squash seeds we got this year were really mixed up. The patty-pan was a light colored zucchini. The spaghetti squash was mostly true, except for one plant. This plant is producing something that looks like a small watermelon and taste like a cucumber. It is not particularly good.

The first tomato is almost ready to pick. We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will survive to turn red in the garden. There is a great temptation to pick it and put it on a window sill, but we are resisting the urge.

One day in the life of picking okra was skipped. The okra got 7” long. It was still tender however. The new planting of patty-pan squash is coming along well. The zucchini and the light zucchini are still producing strong, as is the yellow crookneck. The leaves on the yellow crookneck are looking sad. It does not look like the powdery mildew. It just looks tired and dry.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Irrigation and Water Heaters

Maybe you are not sure what this has to do with gardening. Last week when I watered the garden and went in to take a shower there was no water coming from the hot water faucet. After a few minutes the water ran. Monday the same thing happened; but the water did not run again until the next afternoon. I did some research on the internet Tuesday.

The research suggested that the bottom was probably clogged. That does not really make sense; but it will definitely be checked. Tuesday night the hot water was fine. When I water tonight, the intake to the hot water will be turned off to keep the water from siphoning out of the water heater.

Saturday morning the heater will be drained. Hot water will not be good for the garden, nor will the water full of sludge. I guess that water will just be wasted.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Trees and Gardens

Trees reach for the sky. They spread their branches to capture the sun and smother anything smaller than they are. A tree in the forest has to grow fast to survive. Some trees, like oaks and walnuts, practice chemical warfare. Their dead leaves have chemicals kill the plants that would try to gain a roothold under them.

In our yards the trees compete with the grass and the garden plants. The gardener in many cases has to choose between the trees and the garden. How many people have you heard say, “I would like to have a garden, but I have too much shade?” When someone buys a newly built home in a cow pasture like setting, they have the luxury of choosing where to plant trees and where to plant garden. Those of us who have bought existing homes, have a harder choice.

One of the reasons for purchasing a home may be the beautiful trees and the landscaping. To buy a house and cut the trees down seems insane. It is worth it to find a place no matter how small, that a garden can thrive. Many people are using pot gardens on decks and porches. How have you dealt with trees and shade issues? Please comment.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Front Yard Garden

There have been lots of article in various magazines lately about front yard gardens. My brother doesn’t really have much of a front yard; but he does plant vegetables in his flower beds. When I look at the lush growth in the vegetable garden, I can’t help but think it would look good in front of the house.

Squash is not so different from elephant ears. The herbs almost all have great flowers. Tomatoes and corn are not actually ugly; but maybe they should stay in the backyard. Broccoli is kind of ugly; but there are ornamental cabbages that still taste good. Eggplants and peppers are down right decorative. Bean vines on a trellis could make a nice privacy screen. We have started eating the flowers and planting some in the vegetable garden. Perhaps it is time to blur the lines between ornamentals and edibles.

Next years garden plan is already taking shape, influenced by this year’s mistakes. It is time for a thoughtful walk with a notebook through the front yard. The neighbors already think I’m crazy, what’s to lose?

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Holey Can be Good

It is terrible to walk through the garden and see holey leaves. Since the home garden plants are sprayed with BT after every rain, it is especially scary. It isn’t all bad however. The holey leaves are very rare. They are probably leaves that were missed by the sprayer. Some of the undesirable insects are necessary to feed the beneficial insects.

The insects that prey on other insects are not attracted to healthy plants. They are attracted to the leaves with holes. This is a signal to them that there may be a meal under that leaf. Organic gardeners know that a healthy garden is a complete ecosystem. Excluding or poisoning the bad bugs also kills the good bugs. This could mean pollinators as well as predators.

If there are a lot of lacy leaves, more attention should be paid to the organic pest control. A few isolated leaves can be thought of as a break room for the beneficial predators.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

1st Day of Summer

Spring has sprung, fall has fell, etc. It is hot and it has been hot. It has also started to turn dry. Today the predicted high is 94. Tomorrow it is 97. Wednesday the call is for thundershowers. In average weather most garden plants need about an inch of water a week. When it is this hot and when the foliage is in advanced stages of growth. More is needed. Most of the plants are fruiting and the fruit largely consists of water.

Water early in the morning or late in the evening. Putting water on plants in 90 + degree heat will only boil them. Sunday morning the water was started at 6:00 AM. Tonight, being the longest day of the year, the watering will start at about 7:00 PM or 7:30. If there is not a rain gauge in the garden leave a bucket or a glass sitting out to catch the water and record what falls in the garden. Every micro-environment is different. Sometimes a heavy rainfall a block away will leave another area dry.

Some plants like to have the whole plant sprayed or misted. Other plants need to be watered only on the ground. Corn for example needs the water at the roots as it may rot the ears of corn.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Will the Real Patty-Pan Squash Please Stand Up

The momentous event actually took place on the 16th. As was mentioned in earlier blogs, the patty-pan squash that was planted on Good Friday, turned out to be a pale zucchini. On Saturday the 11th, seeds were obtained from Myers Park Garden Center. They were Reneé’s so I have confidence they are the real thing. They went in the ground on the 12th and on the afternoon of the 16th the first two had sprouted.

Yesterday some of them had true leaves. I just hope they have true fruit. The other squash are really coming in. The cucumbers, okra and corn are doing likewise. There are some good sized watermelons on the fence and the spaghetti squash is loaded. The corn is the surprise. It has been smashed down by rain several times. The ears are very small for silver queen, but they are fully filled out and they have very sweet and tasty kernels.

One tomato was starting to blush just a little yesterday (Sunday the 20th). Maybe there will be a complete salad in the future. The mesclun is looking a little ratty, but it is still producing. We harvest with the scissors, so we have to pull the leaves off of a tough center stalk now.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Cold Spell

The 10 day weather report calls for today to be downright chilly. It should only go to 86 degrees. The rest of the 10 day report hits 90 + every day. It is still 5 days until summer. The hot weather and frequent thunderstorms are ideal for gardens. We don’t have to water and the fruits swell and ripen fast. The plant growth is lush as well. It is too bad, that it is so uncomfortable in the garden.

The mosquitoes do not seem to mind the weather either. Their job is to guard the weeds in the garden. I must admit that they are doing a good job in my garden. The Mosquito Dunk donuts in the birdbath and the rain barrel help. The mosquitoes do not seem to be as bad as they have in past years. We quit putting out the “Bug Free Backyard”, several years ago, because we were afraid it would hurt the pollinators. Since then we spray ourselves instead of the yard. The mosquitoes appear to be less troublesome now.

Yesterday, I was really excited because I could go home early and work in the garden. It was so hot and uncomfortable that I just couldn’t bear it. Maybe today (6/16/10) will be better.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Garden Record-Keeping

A good journal or record of the garden will help prevent making the same mistake over and over. It also is a guide to the micro-environment of the individual garden. Day before yesterday (6/15/10) Charlotte had a good drenching from a thunderstorm. My yard did not get a drop. I wasn’t home so how do I know that? I have a rain gauge. A little notebook in the greenhouse records the rainfall and the temperature and the day’s harvest.

It also records the activities done on that day. There is also a garden map that tells what is planted where. Whenever a bed is fallow, a ph grid is made. The ph in the beds changes some from season to season. If the garden plan will require a certain ph for the next thing to be planted in a particular spot, the soil modification can begin at once. Sometimes the map is needed to identify what was actually planted. The patty-pan squash this year turned out not to be patty-pan squash. The garden map assured me that I had planted patty-pan squash in that bed. Squash seeds are unreliable.

The garden journal also helps with crop rotation and measures the success of certain things in certain places . If problems occur with certain crops year after year, we may just have to accept that those crops should not be grown in our garden.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Weather or Not

The ten day weather forecast for Charlotte calls for 90 degrees everyday and thunderstorms every two or three days. This is not great for people who enjoy being outdoors, but it is great for gardeners. It may not be that great for the corn and sunflowers. The tassels on the ears of corn are already starting to darken at the ends and the ears are not filled out. The rain has smashed the corn down several times and this has probably interfered with pollination. About 1/3 of the sunflowers are down too.

The little bitty tomato plants that were started around a week ago for the upside down tomato containers were transplanted to little pots on Sunday. They all seemed to survive. The basil seed that was planted to accompany them did not even germinate. The soil was probably too warm

The green beans and lima beans are the only things in the garden that have not bloomed except for the patty-pan squash that was planted Sunday. The beans are running strong though. When they do start producing at least they have healthy vines. The green beans are planted with corn and butternut squash. The smashed down corn may cause a problem there. Next year I may plant sunflowers with the three sisters and build a frame to support the whole mess.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Cucumbers and Onions

My wife’s favorite way to eat cucumbers is to marinate them in oil, vinegar and salt water with just a bare touch of sugar. Leave them in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Overnight is better. I would add a few basil leaves. Michael Swol likes to add a jalapeño pepper. It is fantastic any way you do it.

We picked over 5 ½ pounds of produce yesterday (Sunday). Most of it was squash and cucumbers, but we did pick some mustard greens and salad stuff. I also replanted the patty-pan squash. I found a package of seeds at the Myers Park Garden center. They were “Renee’s” and they had 3 different varieties. The variance seemed to be mostly by color. They were planted in a 3’ wide bed, so they will probably run everywhere. There was a good thunderstorm yesterday that should get them off to a good start.

The thunder storm knocked down about 1/3 of the sunflowers. They were planted a little too close anyway. Today I will pull all of the downed ones and side dress the rest. They are just starting to make flowers.



David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Big Zucchini

The speed at which a zucchini grows is always amazing. There was a little zucchini on the vine Wednesday. It was no larger than my little finger. Last night the rain came pouring down so hard that I could not go to the garden. This morning that little zucchini was 15” long and huge. The pale zucchini on the bush that was supposed to be patty-pan squash grows much slower.

The same package of seeds that sprouted the spaghetti squash, is sprouting different types of squash. Of the three largest, one is the color of a melon and the others are pale green. The watermelon already has bunches of little melons on the vine. This year we want to do a better job of picking them at the right time (whenever that is). Last year they were good, but had too many seeds.

There is a tomato as big as my fist on the tomato vines. We are getting lots of cucumbers and the mesclun is still producing. Help me pray for that complete salad from the garden.



David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Summer Bounty

Finally cucumbers have joined the garden salad. Tomatoes will be awhile. The squash plants are overflowing their beds. The greens are getting brown and lacy. It is time to get them out of the way so the squash will have more room. The sugar peas are still producing as is the broccoli, but they are starting to look kind of ratty.

I was a little disappointed because I thought that the zucchini I planted was a different variety. It turned out to be tasty, so I was fine. Now I am really disappointed, because what I thought was patty pan is a pale colored zucchini. I hope it is not too late to replant patty-pan. The real problem is that I don’t have any space yet. The broccoli is planted beside okra and cucumber. The sugar peas are in a 3’ wide bed. It is too early to pull the potatoes.

A year without patty-pan squash could be really sad. Maybe I can plant some in the front yard. I had better buy the seeds someplace else. I am sure if I go back to Renfrow’s they will be from the same batch.



David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

Here Come the Squash

Friday night there were enough squash to make a big mess of squash & onions. We used green onions from the garden too. Sunday there were over2 pounds of squash. We had squash casserole. Mick McNeely taught me a new trick. Pick a handful of Sage leaves. Get some olive oil hot in a pan. Drop the sage leaves in and crisp them and pull them right back out. It takes 5 seconds or less. Be careful not to overdo it. After the squash dish is cooked garnish it with the sage leaves. They provide a wonderful surprise when bitten into.

Zucchini is coming in now as well. The variety is not exactly what I thought was planted, but they are tasty. That is what counts. The patty-pans are covered with blooms. They all seem to be males. No squash there. There are three little spaghetti squash and several “pregnant” blooms. I am having to spray with BT every couple of days because we are getting so much rain. The fence and the human hair seem to be working fairly well for the deer, so I haven’t bothered with pepper spray. I see small rabbits in the garden every morning; but the garden is well advanced enough that they don’t eat much.

The corn is tasseled and has little ears. The height of the cornstalks is all different because of it being smashed down several times. Who knows if there will be any kernels on the corn?


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

First Across the Finish Line

Michael Swol sent an email this morning with a picture of a red tomato. I know it is true, because I saw the tomato in his garden when it was green. I am still green myself, with jealousy. I assume he took the picture yesterday, June 2. I don’t know of anyone who has picked a real tomato (not a cherry or grape tomato) yet, so I am assuming that this is the first in our circle of friends.

The rain gauge showed 1.4” of rain in the garden overnight. The corn was no worse off than before. No better either. The largest tomato is about the size of a ping pong ball now. The yellow squash picked yesterday was the largest yet; but still pretty small. The sugar peas and broccoli are still producing; but they look like they may be finishing their short but productive lives.

The little tomatoes that got started in the greenhouse Friday are poking their heads up. The basil has not. These will be for the upside down pots that can be brought into the greenhouse at the end of the season. Earthworm castings were harvested this weekend to make potting soil for them.


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

(Sun)Flower Power

The sunflowers are 8’ tall and they still do not have flowers yet. Only a few have fallen over so far. The variety is “Mammoth Russian”. We have planted them before, but not since moving into the city. When fully mature the flowers should be at least 12” across. When dried they will be stacked in a plastic bag with the top open. They can be given to the birds one flower at a time. The birds and squirrels go crazy. The seeds are, of course, great roasted; but we are too lazy to shell them.

The corn is about 6’ tall; but laying down it is only about 1’ tall. The rain finally got the corn that was in the three sister’s bed as well. The rain helped everything else so much it doesn’t really matter. The corn is tassleing already, will this affect the pollination?

The squash is blooming and making yellow squash. The zucchini is coming slowly and the patty-pan has flowers, but no fruit. There are a couple of spaghetti squash on the vine, but no butternut squash yet. Tomatoes and cucumbers are growing slowly and the mesclun is holding out. We may get a complete salad yet.


David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/

A Corny Story

…And the rains came. And the corn fell down again. Part of it did anyway. The corn that was planted by itself in the ground fell down. The corn that was planted in raised beds with pole beans and squash did not. It seems that the vines from the squash and beans held the corn up.

Finally there are some little tomatoes. Saturday there were three, about the size of a sugar pea. Today (Monday) there are many and the first ones are about the size of a garbanzo bean. There are cucumbers about the size of my thumb and most amazing of all. There is a spaghetti squash about the size of a small egg.

The grape vines are very young, so not a lot of grapes are expected. Last year there were a few and the birds ate them before they even got ripe. This year there are at least 5 bunches. We have been saving the net bags that citrus comes in and I made little bags to guard the grapes. The little bags are red/orange. I hope they don’t attract the birds even more than the grapes do.

My neighbor finally put his leaves on the street yesterday. I beat the garbage man to enough of them to finish mulching the garden. The bed where the potatoes were planted and only 7 came up have been filling with grass. They got filled to the rim with leaves this morning. The potatoes are still there. They had already been mounded with leaves and dirt. They are piled a little higher now. By the time the potatoes come off in July, there will be enough reserve compost to fill at least one of the beds with compost.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/