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/
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
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/
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/
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
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/
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/
Monday, June 21, 2010
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/
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/
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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/
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/
Thursday, June 17, 2010
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/
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/
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
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/
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/
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