Are You Ready for Labor Day?

Labor Day is the traditional day for planting fall gardens. The ground should be ready for planting. For gardens planted in the old standard way or rows and paths, everything that is not still producing something should be tilled under, and the rows should be laid out nice and straight. Usually 3” is a good width for the type of things that are planted in the fall. PH should be tested to see if lime or sulfur is needed. Three trenches should be dug with a garden hoe. These should be filled with finished compost and covered with the dirt from three intervening trenches dug with a garden hoe.

When planting these will be the rows for the seeds. What to plant in the fall? Virtually all of the crucifers (collards, turnips, mustard, radishes, etc.) can be planted now. Broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts will do better if plants are used. Lettuce, arugula, mesclun, carrots and spinach will add variety to salads and should be ready to eat before the last tomatoes are picked. With any luck at all there will only be a few weeks all year, when there is nothing to eat in the garden.

Labor day is also a good time to plant things like asparagus, blueberries and artichokes. They will get established before the really cold weather comes and there seems to be less stress from drought in the fall. Just be sure that everything is well mulched before the first frost.

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/

Three Days is Not Enough

The spotted cucumber beetles in my yard are developing a resistance to BT and to Sulfur sprays. For three days in a row they have been sprayed. There are still a few there. They got sprayed again yesterday. Who knows if that will work? The only cucurbits left are some new cucumbers and some new yellow squash. They may make it. They may not.

Rain has been threatened all week, but the garden is dry enough that it will need watering tonight. The upside down tomatoes are the canaries in the coal mine. When they wilt, it is an indication that the soil is getting dry. Soil in pots dries fast. Soil in raised beds dries almost as fast.

The vacant raised beds are ready for the fall planting now. The official time to plant is Labor Day. Our garden may get planted this weekend. The weekend is supposed to be cool and dry. Good for the gardener.

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 Different Way to Fix Eggplant

My wife has invented a new eggplant recipe. The eggplant is peeled and sliced in about 3/8” slices. These are chopped into pieces no more than 2” in any direction and stir fried in olive oil until they are done. Onions are sautéed very slowly. The onions and eggplant is put together and olives, capers and anchovies are added. A few hot or sweet peppers could be thrown in as everything is heated. This is poured over any pasta of your choice. The taste is a little strange, but very tasty.

The spotted cucumber beetles seem to be resisting the sulfur spray. The BT is getting rid of the larvae; but the beetles themselves are hard to defeat. Today will be the third day in a row to spray them. In the past three days in a row of spraying has worked until the next rain. Yesterday when the bugs were sprayed the infestation did not seem any less than the day before.

There are little tomatoes on the upside down tomatoes that were planted mid-season. They haven’t required tying up yet. When the fruit gets heavy they will probably need tying. That is going to make it very difficult to move them into the greenhouse when frost threatens.

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/

Unproductive Weekend

In the last month 2 weekends have been spent traveling. This weekend was the weekend to get the garden ready for fall planting. It did not happen. The wet weather made the grass grow so fast that it needed cutting. I managed to cut down one of the Arbor Day trees that survived from spring. Now there are only 2. There is also a little crepe myrtle that survived transplanting from the back yard.

The tomatoes are coming along nicely again. They don’t come fast enough for canning though. The fig trees seem to be between crops. They are loaded with figs, but they are not ripe. The lima beans are the biggest disappointment. They have lush vines and almost no beans. The hot peppers are producing very heavy. We don’t eat them, we just give them away.

The squash bugs and spotted cucumber are eating the squash, cucumber and cantaloupe plants faster than they grow. They don’t seem to bother the watermelons. The rain washes the sulfur off of the plants almost as fast as it gets sprayed on. It takes about three sprayings to wipe out the cucumber beetles. One spraying seems to have destroyed the squash bugs.

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/

Arbor Day Trees

Join the Arbor Day Foundation for $10 and get 10 “free” trees. Of the 10 from last year, 3 are still alive. This fall, for taking a survey, there are 10 more trees plus a crepe myrtle. They won’t be labeled so it is really fun to guess what they are. They will be planted between the street and the sidewalk. If 3 live each year and I only want 9 trees, someday my part of the streetscape will be tree-lined.

The Arbor Day trees are just tiny little sticks, some of them don’t even have roots. I’m excited that 3 of them lived. Of all the blueberries I have planted, there are only 2 plants alive. I have planted at least 10 or 12. They were a lot more expensive than the Arbor Day trees. This year, I will clone some blueberries and mulberries for a hedge on the inside side of the sidewalk. The birds seem to beat us to the mulberries in the back yard every year; but we like the birds too.

This is a really good time of year for taking most cuttings. Snip a 6” to 8” piece of new growth with a tiny bit of old growth. Dip this in some rooting hormone and plant it in some wet sand. Cover with plastic to maintain humidity. Mist the young plant every couple of days. Place the plant in indirect light rather than in strong sunlight. When the plant has developed roots and begins to show signs of growth transplant it to a pot for about a year before planting it in the ground.

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/

Preparing Raised Beds

Raised beds are much easier to get ready for replanting than traditional rows, but some work is required. The old plants and any weeds should be pulled. If they are put in a compost pile, it should be hot and the new material should be buried in the center to burn up any pests or diseases. Any remaining mulch can be raked off of the bed into the pathways to deter weed growth there. If this bed had any type of infestation the mulch should either be burned trashed or placed in a hot compost pile.

Next, the bed should be raked smooth. Compost should be added to top the bed up and a thin layer of dirt should be used to cover the compost. If several beds are being prepared at once, dirt can be rotated between the beds, otherwise just throw some dirt in a wheelbarrow before beginning the renewal of the bed. If the bed has not had a major reworking in the past several years and if the soil is getting packed down, it may be good to double dig the bed and add compost in layers. Be sure to note what was done in the garden record.

Finally the garden record should be consulted to see what has been planted in this bed and when. The ph should be checked, noted and modified if necessary. If sulfur or baking soda sprays have been used or if compost has been added the ph will probably have changed since the last use.

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/

Equality Among Figs

When it was time to prune fig trees last year only one tree was pruned as a kind of experiment to see how production would be affected. When the figs first started ripening the un-pruned tree out produced the pruned fee at least double every day. Wednesday both trees produced the same amount. There were downsides to not pruning.

The un-pruned tree is harder to pick. It also shades the garden more. This year both trees will be radically pruned. The birds get about 1/3 of the figs anyway. The birds pick the taller tree more easily than the shorter tree. We enjoy birdsong and seeing the birds. It is a fair trade.

The new planting of cucumbers from Thursday had sprouted when we got back from Charleston on Sunday PM. The rain had washed off all of the spray and the cucumber beetles and squash bugs are back in full force. BT was sprayed with the sprayer from Lowes. The sulfur is in the sprayer from Home Depot. It has a pressure relieve thing that won’t hold pressure now. The sprayer is about 2 months old. Someday I will learn not to buy anything from Home Depot with moving parts.

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/

Grandchildren in the Garden

Grandchildren are visiting. They are lot’s of fun especially in the garden. Yesterday they wanted to help pick. We started with the figs. They are small enough to duck under the branches and pick the low hanging fruit. Little Caitlin enjoyed pointing out the high ones and then she got the idea to climb the tree to pick them She and I picked one tree, my son and Samantha picked the other.
The okra was out of Caitlin’s reach and of course one can’t climb an okra plant.

She did a good job of finding the okra pod’s though. It was the same with the tomatoes except I had to lift her to pick the tomatoes. When we cut grass she stepped on a fire ant nest, so we had to stop and take care of the wounds. Then we started murdering fire ant hills. We dug them with the hoe, sprinkled them with mound destroyer and Caitlin sprayed them with the hose. When she ran out of fire ant nests she decided to spray me. I retaliated of course, so we had to go inside and the rest of the day’s projects just didn’t happen.

I went to Renfrow’s yesterday for the fall seeds. I was told that the bugs would get all the cucumbers if I replanted; but a pack of seeds was 89 cents. One cucumber costs that, so I got them anyway. They will hopefully be planted today if there are not too many distractions.

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/

Fall Cleaning Progresses

The garden part of the weekend was dedicated to getting ready for fall planting and cleaning out the accumulated debris of the season. The accumulation bin of the compost system was pretty much filled with old squash plants, grass and old sunflower stalks. Some of the grass was so bad the lawnmower was used. That is in the section that will be tilled anyway. The fence-line between the neighbor and the grapevines was trimmed back as well; but that stuff went on the street.

The vacant beds (there are 5 of them) still need to be raked and refreshed. A new addition will be added to each one. They will get a permanent “corner post” in each corner just like an old four-poster bed. It will be either bamboo or fence post that can be used to attach trellises or other supports. The okra has mostly been beaten down by the rain. The corn suffered the same fate earlier. Maybe a few bamboo poles around the edge would have given enough support to stop this.

The lima bean vines have some little beans on them; but are still not ready to pick. They made beautiful vines really early, but took a long time to flower and to make beans. They do not seem to be very prolific. Everything has slowed down anyway except the weeds and the bugs.

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/

Adventures in the Jungle

Everything in the garden is so big that one has to walk over to the bed of interest to see what’s happening there. Visibility is limited. The birds are everywhere. They are feasting on the figs. My greatest fear is coming around a tall tomato bush and meeting a tiger or some other jungle creature that decided the garden would make a good home.

The struggle to get ready for the fall garden is intensifying. There are several beds with old non-producing stuff that can be pulled off. There are so many desirable items for the fall and so many items that can possibly be replanted for a second crop. It is a challenge to plan the layout. I think I will just spend the weekend reworking the space available and then come up with a planting scheme.

The garden needs another planting of cucumbers and mesclun and some spinach and sallet greens. The broccoli and cabbage plants in the greenhouse will be ready to transplant by labor day or maybe a little sooner. There are enough plants, but the soil was too warm for good germination.

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/

Cucumber Beetles Almost Defeated

The sulfur and BT have almost eliminated the spotted cucumber beetles. The rain keeps washing the spray off of the leaves, but I would rather spray than water. The problem is that the yellow squash and zucchini are pretty much destroyed. The yellow squash has been replanted and is almost ready to bloom.

The yellow patty-pan squash has little squash on the vines. They seem really small. I hope they don’t turn out to be the little medallion sized squash. Cucumbers and zucchini will need to be replanted. There may be time for a crop before first frost. The tomatoes are doing great and we are still getting mesclun. The mesclun is looking ratty but maybe it will last until the fall planting comes in.

The figs and hot peppers are the real stars of the garden right now. We are getting 3 to 5 pounds of figs a day. Yesterday Ana made preserves. We will probably have to make more tonight. The birds are eating a lot of them, but there is plenty for them and us. The tomatoes seem to have slowed down ripening a little in but there are still plenty on the vines. The upside-down tomatoes are growing rapidly and should be producing before frost. They are going to be heavy for the rafters in the greenhouse. They may need some special support structures.


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/