As of April 28, everything in the garden has come up. 1 hill of spaghetti squash seems to have been munched by something, and about 1 foot of lima beans have also provided a little creature’s lunch. All of that will need to be replanted. All the little plants are so cute, I just want to pet them. Instead they are getting soaker hose installed. They probably prefer that anyway.
Most of the summer squash has true leaves and so far except for a few tomato plants that were gobbled by roly pollies, the bugs have not been too bad. There are a few isolated holes in the cabbages and kale, but they are not bad enough to get out the sprayer. When the little white moths start flitting around the BT will have to come out.
There is a tiny little artichoke on one of the artichoke plants and there is head forming on one of the broccolis. The potato bag is growing like crazy. Dirt has to be added almost every day and the bag is 2/3 full now. The true test will be if there are any potatoes in there.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Showing posts with label Summer Squash. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer Squash. Show all posts
Monday, May 2, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Looking Forward, Looking Back
I expect this to be the last post for 2010. It has been a good year for the garden. 2011 should be even better. Looking forward…Looking back. There were lessons learned that should improve the garden next year. Fortunately some of them were learned from successes. A few were learned from disappointments.
The greenhouse did very poorly last year. I think it was mostly my fault and changes have been made to this year’s procedures. The tomatoes were delicious, but there were not enough of them. Everyone whom I spoke with seemed to have disappointing results in the tomato department. The things I did this past year have worked well in the past, so the only thing to really change is the location within the garden, which changes every year anyway. The problem seems to have been the extreme heat, which is not normal. The summer squash and cucumbers got wiped out by the spotted cucumber beetle. A lot of control methods were discovered on the internet. Most of them project a marginal success at best.
I have been accepted into the NC Agricultural Extension offices “Master Gardener Program”. It is hoped that I will learn enough to avoid some mistakes and improve results. By learning to help other people with their gardens and yards, I should learn to help myself.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The greenhouse did very poorly last year. I think it was mostly my fault and changes have been made to this year’s procedures. The tomatoes were delicious, but there were not enough of them. Everyone whom I spoke with seemed to have disappointing results in the tomato department. The things I did this past year have worked well in the past, so the only thing to really change is the location within the garden, which changes every year anyway. The problem seems to have been the extreme heat, which is not normal. The summer squash and cucumbers got wiped out by the spotted cucumber beetle. A lot of control methods were discovered on the internet. Most of them project a marginal success at best.
I have been accepted into the NC Agricultural Extension offices “Master Gardener Program”. It is hoped that I will learn enough to avoid some mistakes and improve results. By learning to help other people with their gardens and yards, I should learn to help myself.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 19, 2010
Out with the Old, In with the New
Not New Years, just a turning point in the garden season. The old squash is getting raggedy. Some of the new squash is blooming. Some of the new squash is just getting planted. The sunflowers are almost all on the ground now. When they hit the ground they are finished whether they are finished or not. They will be pulled off this weekend and the bed will be freshened up for something in the fall garden.
The greenhouse is torn all to pieces inside. It needs to get back together for the starting of cabbage and broccoli plants. The spaghetti squash is coming off this weekend. A lady I met in Renfrow’s said that winter squash planted later in the season would taste better. It is too late to try that this year. Next year not everything will go in the ground on good Friday. Some of the plantings will be staggered. Winter squash is one of those things.
Another lesson from this years garden. The beds will either have two inch plastic pipes embedded in the corners or they will have bamboo poles set very deep. This will be to anchor any trellis or other structures needed to support growing plants.
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/
The greenhouse is torn all to pieces inside. It needs to get back together for the starting of cabbage and broccoli plants. The spaghetti squash is coming off this weekend. A lady I met in Renfrow’s said that winter squash planted later in the season would taste better. It is too late to try that this year. Next year not everything will go in the ground on good Friday. Some of the plantings will be staggered. Winter squash is one of those things.
Another lesson from this years garden. The beds will either have two inch plastic pipes embedded in the corners or they will have bamboo poles set very deep. This will be to anchor any trellis or other structures needed to support growing plants.
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/
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Succession Planning for Gardens
This is not to keep my children from fighting over the garden after my demise. This is to keep the garden producing all year. There are several phases of succession planning. The overall garden plan needs to be considered. If inter-planting techniques are used, the succession may take care of itself. Greens or salad stuff may be planted at the edge of the squash beds (rows). When the greens start to bolt, they can be pulled off to leave more room for the squash. Summer squash takes a lot of space when it starts producing.
Some things can be planted at intervals to provide a longer eating season. Spinach, lettuce, carrots and radishes are good examples of this. Increasing day length causes the spinach and lettuce to bolt so the succession crops of these will be short lived. Old radishes and carrots tend to get woody as the season progresses.
Squash and tomato plants will produce until frost; but the plants get shabby and production declines. A follow-up crop in June will assure a continuous supply of these summer delights, to mix with the okra and lima beans. Potatoes will be finished in July in Charlotte. Peas will be finished in June. These rows or beds make a great place for follow-up plantings.
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/
Some things can be planted at intervals to provide a longer eating season. Spinach, lettuce, carrots and radishes are good examples of this. Increasing day length causes the spinach and lettuce to bolt so the succession crops of these will be short lived. Old radishes and carrots tend to get woody as the season progresses.
Squash and tomato plants will produce until frost; but the plants get shabby and production declines. A follow-up crop in June will assure a continuous supply of these summer delights, to mix with the okra and lima beans. Potatoes will be finished in July in Charlotte. Peas will be finished in June. These rows or beds make a great place for follow-up plantings.
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/
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Perfect Garden
The Perfect Garden
This is the time of year when the successes and disappointments of the garden become reality. I am a little disappointed with the garden this year. There are some successes; but the failures are more glaring. The perfect garden like the perfect lover is mostly in the mind. That is why this is the best time to start planning next years garden. It is still perfect.
It is wonderful to live in the city and still have deer and rabbits and other wildlife in the yard. They are great to watch. It has never been a problem if they eat a little bit from the garden. It is fun to play little tricks on them, like spraying everything with habanero spray. This year they have taken more than a little bit.
Deer must be excluded from “the perfect garden”. Stuff will be planted outside the garden for them to munch. An 8’ fence will go around the garden. Deer can jump 18’; but maybe they won’t if there is something good to eat outside. Bugs must be excluded as well. Companion planting and organic sprays will be used for that. The habanero pepper spray worked well. It was a little too strong at the bottom of the sprayer. It actually burned the grape leaves. There are some really simple cheap sprayers at Lowes. I will buy a couple extra and label them so the sprays can be separated. BT, sulfur and pepper-garlic will be used.
It would be wonderful to have everything in raised beds. The work to do that is massive; but a couple of new raised beds can be added each year. The plans in my mind included a row of hanging tomato plants. The one hanging plant is not doing as well as the planted ones; so maybe 3 or 4 hanging plants will be used as a comparison. The design on the raised beds will be made to accommodate some chicken wire panels that can be added or removed easily to let me in and keep rabbits, squirrels, raccoons and birds out. Bird net can be draped over the top.
Summer squash plants are so greedy. They want to take over the whole garden. (See Picture.) They were given a 4’ row this year. It is still not enough. Next year they will get panels on the side of the rows to keep them in their place.
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/.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
My Decision
My Decision
The last ending was Good Friday is coming. “To plant, or not to plant? That is the question. This is the answer. I planted cucumber and summer squash and zucchini. I used some of the compost that is not quite finished. Last week when I turned it, it had lots of little squiggly earthworms. This week it had loads of big fat earthworms. They grow fast.
For the cucumbers, I put up a fence of plastic 2” X 4” wire 28’ long. I made a deep furrow down one side of the fence. The soil tested 6.5 to 6.8 ph. Cucumber’s soil should be 6.0 to 6.5. I put a thin line of sulphur in the furrow and then filled it with compost (and earthworms). After covering the furrow with dirt I planted the cucumber seeds about ¾” deep and about 6”s apart.
I planted 6 hills of summer squash (yellow crookneck) and 5 hills of Zucchini. The hills were spaced on 3’ centers. To make each hill, I dug a 6” hole with the posthole diggers. I filled the hole and made a pile of compost about 6” high on top of it. I scraped up the loose soil around this and the plug from the posthole to make a hill about 18” in diameter and 10” high. I poked three holes in the face of each hill just like those in a bowling ball. I put 3 seeds in each hole, filled them with loose dirt and patted them down.
Incidentally, the garlic has come up. The fig trees are putting out leaves. The radishes in the new raised bed are up. I also planted a thyme plant in the new raised bed. Spring is so wonderful. Happy Easter.
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/.
The last ending was Good Friday is coming. “To plant, or not to plant? That is the question. This is the answer. I planted cucumber and summer squash and zucchini. I used some of the compost that is not quite finished. Last week when I turned it, it had lots of little squiggly earthworms. This week it had loads of big fat earthworms. They grow fast.
For the cucumbers, I put up a fence of plastic 2” X 4” wire 28’ long. I made a deep furrow down one side of the fence. The soil tested 6.5 to 6.8 ph. Cucumber’s soil should be 6.0 to 6.5. I put a thin line of sulphur in the furrow and then filled it with compost (and earthworms). After covering the furrow with dirt I planted the cucumber seeds about ¾” deep and about 6”s apart.
I planted 6 hills of summer squash (yellow crookneck) and 5 hills of Zucchini. The hills were spaced on 3’ centers. To make each hill, I dug a 6” hole with the posthole diggers. I filled the hole and made a pile of compost about 6” high on top of it. I scraped up the loose soil around this and the plug from the posthole to make a hill about 18” in diameter and 10” high. I poked three holes in the face of each hill just like those in a bowling ball. I put 3 seeds in each hole, filled them with loose dirt and patted them down.
Incidentally, the garlic has come up. The fig trees are putting out leaves. The radishes in the new raised bed are up. I also planted a thyme plant in the new raised bed. Spring is so wonderful. Happy Easter.
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/.
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