Gardening

[BruceWL]

In our garden we have been picking green beans every other day now for about a week or so. Our tomotoes are not ripe yet. Bell peppers and squash are also ready to pick.
Blackberries and raspberries are ripe, also. We have some of them in our backyard. Going to my brother in laws land later today to pick blackberries.
How are your gardens doing. I thank the Lord for our bounty this summer.

[mattfivefour]

Yes brother, He is so good in His provision for us! I rejoice with you in your blessing!!!

[Adopted Son]

All great news isn't it? My son stuck raspberry shoots next to our fence line last summer and we have eaten fruit from it already this summer! Amazing! We've exhausted the early strawberries and look forward to the fall bunch. Hurry up tomatoes.

[KR McKay]

Well, the cucumbers are going "gangbusters," the tomatoes are still a week or two from edible "'maters," and the squash...well...not really sure. Haven't grown squash before. My parents warned that squash can be "temperamental," and now I'm seeing why! Am seeing areas of gray, "hairy," growths! I assumed that these areas are fungal, and sprayed with Daconil, but they returned after a day or two...(SIGH).

Anyway, the cucumbers are awesome, and the "'maters" should be, as well! (Can't wait for a good tomato sandwich)!

Thank you, Lord!

P.S. -- On the subject of cucumbers, I have a thread with a question about them here Cucumbers that I'd like some input on, if anyone has any input!

Thanks!

[open door]

I agree He's awesome in providing for us. I have a garden going down at my cabin on the old homeplace, & the peas, butterbeans, squash, okra, sweetcorn, potatos, bellpeppers, egg-plants and cayenne peppers are great. We had extreme drought conditions, but was able to water from the local system to keep the plants alive. It's work, but soooo satisfying (not just the taste of the food, but there is something special about hard work that the Lord rewards you with; I'm unable to explain it - everyone who does it knows what I'm talking about). Economic conditions are bad, and if anyone locally falls upon hard times, I will be more than willing to share His bounty with them, both from the garden and from a spiritual standpoint. Thank you, Lord.

[bghtnpd4]

I sure wish I was a gardener...I looooove fresh veggies!!! Cherry Tomatoes are my most favorite!!!!! Any of you gardeners live near me???!!! I can be at your house in a flash!!!!

[anath]

We grew a pot of Louisiana strawberries this spring, 1 bell pepper plant that produced 1 bell pepper and a few creole tomatoes. We have banana trees that are loaded with bananas tho The bananas aren't the kind you eat raw...they are plaintain and we don't care for them at all so we set them out front in a basket for anyone to take.
I live by the river in the city and have a beautiful semi-shady tropical backyard. Our front is just a narrow strip of concrete and then theres the street. So,space is indeed limited in the city.

[Thrundar]

So far so good, thank the Lord.
Well...out of 28 tomato plants, 18 have survived and those seem to be thriving now.
We have 3 100 foot long rows of Okra and all of that seems to be coming along nicely.
Also have 24 cucumber plants (Burps in the making kind.)
A few Basil plants
100 foot long rows of garlic and spanish onion, and 6 zuchini plants.
We planted a month late this year as I had decided at first not to even mess with it. Second year garden and the left over weeds and grass sure are a headache, especially without a rototiller. But neighbor stopped and offered to disk it up, and I do have a pull cultivator on my riding mower, so went ahead and attempted a garden this year.

Our landlord says we are the only ones around with any Okra that survived. I use drip tape irrigation and kept our garden watered, while everyone else's dried up and withered.

We should be munching on cucumbers this weekend! Tomatoes in maybe 2 - 3 more weeks.

[open door]

So far so good, thank the Lord.
Well...out of 28 tomato plants, 18 have survived and those seem to be thriving now.
We have 3 100 foot long rows of Okra and all of that seems to be coming along nicely.
Also have 24 cucumber plants (Burps in the making kind.)
A few Basil plants
100 foot long rows of garlic and spanish onion, and 6 zuchini plants.
We planted a month late this year as I had decided at first not to even mess with it. Second year garden and the left over weeds and grass sure are a headache, especially without a rototiller. But neighbor stopped and offered to disk it up, and I do have a pull cultivator on my riding mower, so went ahead and attempted a garden this year.

Our landlord says we are the only ones around with any Okra that survived. I use drip tape irrigation and kept our garden watered, while everyone else's dried up and withered.

We should be munching on cucumbers this weekend! Tomatoes in maybe 2 - 3 more weeks.

Trundar, I hope that you really, really like okra.lol. 3 l00' rows? Wow. I planted about 45' row, and we can't keep up with it. My wife picks it everyday or so, and it won't quit. lol. We have all we need, about ready to pull up the plants.

[Thrundar]

Trundar, I hope that you really, really like okra.lol. 3 l00' rows? Wow. I planted about 45' row, and we can't keep up with it. My wife picks it everyday or so, and it won't quit. lol. We have all we need, about ready to pull up the plants.

Well don't tell anyone, since I'm not licensed... but I plan on selling some!

[open door]

Well don't tell anyone, since I'm not licensed... but I plan on selling some!

I won't.lol. Save some for a gumbo.

[KR McKay]

So far so good, thank the Lord.
Well...out of 28 tomato plants, 18 have survived and those seem to be thriving now.
We have 3 100 foot long rows of Okra and all of that seems to be coming along nicely.
Also have 24 cucumber plants (Burps in the making kind.)
A few Basil plants
100 foot long rows of garlic and spanish onion, and 6 zuchini plants.
We planted a month late this year as I had decided at first not to even mess with it. Second year garden and the left over weeds and grass sure are a headache, especially without a rototiller. But neighbor stopped and offered to disk it up, and I do have a pull cultivator on my riding mower, so went ahead and attempted a garden this year.

Our landlord says we are the only ones around with any Okra that survived. I use drip tape irrigation and kept our garden watered, while everyone else's dried up and withered.

We should be munching on cucumbers this weekend! Tomatoes in maybe 2 - 3 more weeks.

WOW!

If it is possible to envy in a non-sinful way, then, brother, I'm-a-doin' it! How awesome!

I'd love to put out a garden like that, but the local venison--er--deer would make short work of it! (And my father-in-law keeps them well-stocked with corn, year-round, so they don't need a garden to eat! In return for the corn, we eat 4-5 of the deer per year. Saves on buying so much beef, and it's less fatty. But, anyway)...Thus, due to the deer, our stuff is grown in pots on the elevated deck and/or front porch. So, we have only four pots of tomatoes, one pot of cucumbers, and one of squash. Tomatoes are still a week or two out, but coming on strong. Squash are...not sure. Never have grown squash before. We've gotten two from the pot so far (haven't eaten them yet), but am worried that some of them are showing "growths" of grey, hair-like..."stuff." I presumed it to be a fungus, and sprayed accordingly with an anti-fungal -- Daconil -- and that helped for a day or so, but it came back. Not sure if I'm over-watering, or what the "deal" is.

Anyway, the CUCUMBERS are awesome! We've harvested seven so far, and they are delicious! More in a day or two!

But, back to my "envying," Thrundar, I'll tell you: When I was a child, I remember dad and mom putting out large gardens. My brothers and I "helped" a bit, of course, but I just remember seeing the corn and okra and squash and tomatoes and marveling at how fast it seemed to grow from "nothing!" Thanks for reminding me of those times!

"Thanks," of course, to our Holy Father for giving us the knowledge to know how to grow all of these things, and for the necessary weather and conditions to make it all possible!

[Thrundar]

KR
The deer are here as well as rabbits. I learned a trick for dealing with the deer. Put bars of Irish Spring soap in knee high nylon stockings, and then hang those stockings with the soap in several places around your garden. The deer can't stand the smell.

As far as the rabbits, am looking for a remedy for them. They are eating the cucumber and bean leaves. Grrr.
(Had our first cucumber last night.
:-)

Well gardening is work, and God promised back in Genesis that it wouldn't be easy.

[KR McKay]

Irish Spring? Hadn't heard that one! I had -- in years past -- heard of some herbs that can be grown (I think oregano, but don't remember), and have heard of some home-grown remedies, including one a Master Gardener with a radio show recommended, including hot sauce, beer, and human...liquid waste, shall we say? He noted that most refused to collect the last ingredient, but that the concoction wouldn't work well without it. You were supposed to put it in a sprayer and douse the garden with it.

I have not attempted this idea...

Will remember the Irish Spring thing, though...if we're still here, next year!

What kind of interval (spacing) do you use for the soaped stockings?

[Thrundar]

Irish Spring? Hadn't heard that one! I had -- in years past -- heard of some herbs that can be grown (I think oregano, but don't remember), and have heard of some home-grown remedies, including one a Master Gardener with a radio show recommended, including hot sauce, beer, and human...liquid waste, shall we say? He noted that most refused to collect the last ingredient, but that the concoction wouldn't work well without it. You were supposed to put it in a sprayer and douse the garden with it.

I have not attempted this idea...

Will remember the Irish Spring thing, though...if we're still here, next year!

What kind of interval (spacing) do you use for the soaped stockings?

Apparently not enough yet. Had deer attack my cucumbers yesterday! Wind must have been in wrong direction. A safe guess would be space them about 20 feet apart, which is more than what I have. However what I have sure has slowed them down.

I also am trying a new idea. I took a reflective mylar survival blanket and made 2' strips 3 inches wide and hung the strips around the garden yesterday. Hoping those help as they make crinkling noise, plus the visual distraction "should" keep the deer away....we'll see.

[KR McKay]

Everyone,

I'm writing to ask everyone's assistance with our cucumbers! After glorious growth, and 15-18 nice cukes, they have suddenly (over a 3-5 day period) developed yellow-brown "splotches," and there are suddenly very few blooms, any more! Many of the blooms seem to have turned brown and withered away. I have included pics of these problems.

Now, there are a very few areas of new growth, at the end of some of the vines and you can see some of the small, darker-green, new leaves.

Thing is, I've never grown cucumbers before, so I have no experience with cukes and their "ailments."

What I need to know from those who have "cucumber experience," is, are our plants suffering from some kind of disease, some kind of pest, or have they already exhausted themselves? I figured that they'd keep producing until the frost came. Am I wrong, and do they "expire" after a time of growth and production?

For the record, they are kept well-watered, and are fed Miracle-Gro Tomato and Plant Food every two weeks, as directed on the plant food package.

Any ideas?

Might they be over-watered?

[BruceWL]

I have never had that happen to cucumbers before. Maybe to much water. Don't know for sure or a blight. My cucumbers are doing poorly. We have flowers but no cukes and the plants are small.

[Carl]

I suspect that it is a fungal or bacterial infection.

Here is a link that may help you GARDEN Cucumber - DISEASES, PESTS AND PROBLEMS

[Thrundar]

another place to try is garden web forums
My guess would be over watered, too much fertilizer, or a disease, or combination of all. Either way, those look like they are done for the year. I've never tried cucumbers in a pot.
Also city water which has a lot of chlorine in it will burn leaves and blooms. However it don't harm the plant if applied through the soil. Not sure what kind of water you use.

[anath]

Last year I had a beautiful squash vine that grew from a bird dropping a seed into a little square of poor dirt (16x16") we cut out of the concrete in the front of our house. Anyway the vine was huge & gorgeous, the leaves very large & green. It mainly grew on hot congrete except for the little patch of soil the seed grew from and it grew underneath a Plumeria tree. It produced lots of beautiful yellow flowers but zero fruit. Everyone admired it daily...it was a spectacular looking vine. There was an old timer who told me all the blossoms were male. It seems the female blossoms come later on. I didn't have the time to wait, the vine was interfering in the walkway (banquette, we call it here) so I had to take it out.