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Gardening 2024: Zukes, Cukes, and Nuke The Flukes

Mrs Whiggins

By Mrs Whiggins
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MalibuSheriff

MalibuSheriff 1090

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On 5/29/2024 at 8:50 PM, CoachTex said:

Trying this. We will see if it works.20240529_204125.thumb.jpg.a9189aca4b7533fd817cf454e1dab222.jpg

Those damn rock squirrels were my nemesis in my garden in Westlake.  Most destructive little bastards.  I finally had to buy a box trap and trapped about a half a dozen.  They destroyed garden and also were digging under our deck.  Do not miss those little SOBs.

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14180

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2 more hornworms this morning - and caught a fucking rabbit hanging around. Hopefully my fence will keep him out, but I'm gonna have to start checking early every morning for those fucking hornworms. 

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DonnyKerabatsos

DonnyKerabatsos 86

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On 6/4/2024 at 12:21 PM, NorthLoop said:

2 more hornworms this morning - and caught a fucking rabbit hanging around. Hopefully my fence will keep him out, but I'm gonna have to start checking early every morning for those fucking hornworms. 

BT spray. get some, apply after rain or every few weeks.

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USCATX

USCATX 1078

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On 6/4/2024 at 10:32 AM, MalibuSheriff said:

Those damn rock squirrels were my nemesis in my garden in Westlake.  Most destructive little bastards.  I finally had to buy a box trap and trapped about a half a dozen.  They destroyed garden and also were digging under our deck.  Do not miss those little SOBs.

Those things are the worst.  They cut down plants for sport and nibble like three bites out of every veggie.  Hate, hate, hate. 

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14180

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Starting my garden about 3 weeks later than usual really hampered production for me this year. Won't make that mistake again. Only one cuke so far and if history repeats itself, the plant will not handle these temps very well much longer. Peppers are doing ok and the tomato is ok, but usually by June I've got a ton to show for it. At this point just gonna try to keep it going well until the blastfurnace takes it, then start a fall garden when that first cold front comes through. 

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25852

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2 hours ago, NorthLoop said:

Starting my garden about 3 weeks later than usual really hampered production for me this year. Won't make that mistake again. Only one cuke so far and if history repeats itself, the plant will not handle these temps very well much longer. Peppers are doing ok and the tomato is ok, but usually by June I've got a ton to show for it. At this point just gonna try to keep it going well until the blastfurnace takes it, then start a fall garden when that first cold front comes through. 

Put up a shade cloth over it. Will help a late start.

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Masshole Horn

Masshole Horn 769

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Who does drip irrigation?

My thoughts are:

  • dual outlet timer
  • 1/2" distribution tubing with barbed fittings
  • 1/4" tubing to plants with individual drippers for larger plants and plant in fabric pots
  • 1/4" poly dripline for greens, flowers, and peas/beans

I'm sure it sounds way simpler and easier than it will actually be. For those that I done, what tips, advice, etc... do you have that might help?

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MuellerHorn

MuellerHorn 4225

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New to gardening. 

Have a community plot for my young kids to learn to enjoy the work and the excitement of growth/the harvest like I did when I was young. The plot is year-round. I know we’re basically too late for summer, but what resources do y’all have for newbies in Central Texas? I’d love to do some late Summer/Fall planting.

Otherwise, thank you for the existence of this thread!

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DonnyKerabatsos

DonnyKerabatsos 86

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26 minutes ago, MuellerHorn said:

New to gardening. 

Have a community plot for my young kids to learn to enjoy the work and the excitement of growth/the harvest like I did when I was young. The plot is year-round. I know we’re basically too late for summer, but what resources do y’all have for newbies in Central Texas? I’d love to do some late Summer/Fall planting.

Otherwise, thank you for the existence of this thread!

get some sunflower going, they really help your soils and keep the wild birds from destroying other things in the garden. they will finish by the time your interested in starting in the late summer. try and get some determinate tomatoes started by 4th of July and have them ready to plant out by mid August. They will finish before frost. Okra and bush beans can start late as well.

By mid october you should be ready to plant in some leaf lettuces, onions, and strawberries if you can find them.

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OregonHorn

OregonHorn 96

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On 2/12/2024 at 10:34 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

First season in the PNW. No room for a greenhouse, but no real need either.  Need to figure out what to grow, where to grow it, and when to start.  Close on house this week, so gardening of any kind won’t be happening until March at the earliest. 
 

 

The best gardening book I know of for our climate is Steve Solomon's Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades.  He's the founder of Territorial Seeds.  He did a whole lot of trials and selected what grew best here.  His farm was just south of Eugene.  It's definitely a lot different here.  I'm in the coast mountains where we get 100" of rain a year, sometimes zero hard freezes.  I have 30+ blueberries, raspberries & marionberries.  All but a runt survived our rare January ice storm that encased everything in a couple inches of ice for 4 days with a 3 of the nights getting down to 16f.

Warm weather loving plants generally aren't safe outside until mid-May.  Even then peppers are at risk of stunting.  I've been here for 25 years.  The latest dusting of snow was May 1.  It's only been over 100f twice.

 I have average PNW soil:  low N, low P, high K, high S, low Cal-Mag.  I apply dolomite every fall for the C-M and Neptune's Harvest Fish/Kelp for everything else.  There's an inexpensive granulated chicken manure that works well too. at only $10 for 50lbs.

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texasdago

texasdago 7562

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I need some advice. I'm going to be out of town for an extended period of time during the heat of Central Texas summer. I have tomatoes and pepper plants and I'm thinking of just cutting back the tomato plants and then putting up shade cloth above the plants to protect them and peppers while I'm gone. I'll have some kind of sprinkler set up as a drip setup, but I'm thinking it's just easier to cut everything back. If the tomatoes survive they survive. Other option is to tear out the tomatoes because we're going into the hottest part of the summer.  I'll still put up the shade cloth to protect the peppers and herbs and the drip system. 

 

Thoughts?

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miguelito

miguelito 11250

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This article might give you some comfort with that idea:

https://www.expressnews.com/lifestyle/home-garden/article/plant-fall-tomato-crop-san-antonio-19506852.php

 

This is the jist of it:

"Harvest all the tomatoes by the end of June so you can plant a new crop for fall by the end of July. Pull up the plants, and if any of the plants are infested by spider mites, discard them and as many of the mites as possible in the garbage can rather than a closed compost pile."

 

Some people start with completely new tomato plants for a fall crop.  But if the plants are in good condition, I think it's worthwhile to keep them going through the heat.  If you want to keep them going, cutting them back now is probably a good thing to do.  As you say, if they survive, they survive.  Or conversely,

ifhedies.jpg

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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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On 6/13/2024 at 12:07 PM, MuellerHorn said:

New to gardening. 

Have a community plot for my young kids to learn to enjoy the work and the excitement of growth/the harvest like I did when I was young. The plot is year-round. I know we’re basically too late for summer, but what resources do y’all have for newbies in Central Texas? I’d love to do some late Summer/Fall planting.

Otherwise, thank you for the existence of this thread!

In addition to the resource links that @Masshole Horn provided, I would add this one: https://www.centraltexasgardener.org/.   Be careful though, I could spend a lot of time on their site because they have a lot of useful info. They have a to do list calendar that includes maintenance chores for lawn and garden as well as planting dates. For example, here is one for July: https://www.centraltexasgardener.org/resource/july-to-do-list/

...and here is the link to the months so you can see what is coming up: https://www.centraltexasgardener.org/category/tips-of-the-month/

Have fun!

My youngest liked growing beans the best; lima beans and green beans. I have the sweetest pic from when he was five with a big no front teeth grin holding a lima bean as big as his thumb.

 

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25852

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24 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Same.  Added molasses, humic acid and a little fish emulsion.

If you don't mind, share the methods you followed. Never added humic acid.

Concerning fish emulsion. I use it on my front lawn. I don't like the people across the street.

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Post Oak

Post Oak 20204

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13 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Seaweed?

Didn't have any liquid kelp this time.  Thought I did but was out. I have some in my Amazon cart for next time.

 

 

11 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

If you don't mind, share the methods you followed. Never added humic acid.

Concerning fish emulsion. I use it on my front lawn. I don't like the people across the street.

I use fish emulsion on my plants, natives and veggies, plus my trees about once every 6 weeks or so. 

I just thought I'd add some. Couldn't hurt.  I've read about people adding it and it's high in N, relatively speaking,  and that couldn't hurt anything that I spray it on.  

I really didn't have specific measurements. I did 1/2 cup molasses per 5 gals.  Some sites said 1/3 cup some said a few Tbsps.  I figured I'd rather have more than less.  I want to make sure my microbes have enough food.

Humic acid is supposed to help root development, condition the soil and make the plants more disease resistant.  I did about 1/2 cup per 5 gals.

Im excited to use it.  I don't expect to see results right away but my main goal is to boost microbial life in my soil and help my plants survive searing summers and freak cold snaps.

Honestly my worm bin needs a little work.  It a little too moist, I think. So Im leaning towards creating another one to keep up with our food scraps.

Do you have a bin?

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25852

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5 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

 

Didn't have any liquid kelp this time.  Thought I did but was out. I have some in my Amazon cart for next time.

 

 

I use fish emulsion on my plants, natives and veggies, plus my trees about once every 6 weeks or so. 

I just thought I'd add some. Couldn't hurt.  I've read about people adding it and it's high in N, relatively speaking,  and that couldn't hurt anything that I spray it on.  

I really didn't have specific measurements. I did 1/2 cup molasses per 5 gals.  Some sites said 1/3 cup some said a few Tbsps.  I figured I'd rather have more than less.  I want to make sure my microbes have enough food.

Humic acid is supposed to help root development, condition the soil and make the plants more disease resistant.  I did about 1/2 cup per 5 gals.

Im excited to use it.  I don't expect to see results right away but my main goal is to boost microbial life in my soil and help my plants survive searing summers and freak cold snaps.

Honestly my worm bin needs a little work.  It a little too moist, I think. So Im leaning towards creating another one to keep up with our food scraps.

Do you have a bin?

Nah, renting. But I can build one pretty quick. Got plenty of green and dry to keep it going.

And really, if my wife finds a worm we are off fishing. I try to say no, but how do you reason AND still get laid?

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 25852

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14 hours ago, Post Oak said:

Who says I do.  

I'm pretty lucky. My wife is extremely environmentally conscious. She's fine having worms in the utility room.

same here. Wildlife biologist is what she does. But worms are off to the river if found.

I still make a spray with seaweed and molasses. Woke up this AM, walked the garden. Swallowtail caterpillars attacked the mandarin tree. bird shit looking bastards.

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miguelito

miguelito 11250

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Weeds popped up like crazy in my beds after these rains. Fortunately they were easy to pull up with the soft soil. 

A lot of my tomatoes were split, though. :(

 

Edited by miguelito
Tomato
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Hornbeliever

Hornbeliever 712

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Planted potatoes in a huge container and the green plants thrived and being a first time potato farmer, I was very optimistic.  The plants finally yellowed and died so I harvested and here is my bounty after four months.

How much lard does it take to make 9 french fries?

IMG_1832.jpeg

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