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Gardening 2024: Zukes, Cukes, and Nuke The Flukes


Mrs Whiggins

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1 hour ago, InkaUtexas said:

yep, and I do red leaf since I like the color. Was wondering any specific varieties. Want to try some new shit this year.

And yes, building vertical flats this weekend. Did it in the past and worked well. if I have luck will post pictures.

Also, glad I did not cut back the cherry tomatos. Yes, more plant than I wanted, but about to issue a nice august crop. Two plants, about 2 bowls of tomatoes a day. Peppers and eggplant both loved the rains we will never see again.

I do mesclun mix and arugula flats as well. And a bunch of spinach (direct sow).

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6 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

Disappointing end to my cuke plant. Every fucking one was bitter this year. Peppers have gotten their 2nd wind though and are still cranking. Cherry tomato too. 

Yep, cherries are kicking ass as are the peppers. Eggplants are the best I ever grew. Won't stop.

On the cherries though, if the dick dangler plant takes down the trellis, and I think it will without some serious non-aggy engineering, they are in trouble.

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On 8/29/2024 at 8:27 AM, miguelito said:

What kind of okra is that?  I got some seeds for some kind of giant okra, and the 'fruits' are like half the size and shape of a damn football.  Almost too big (TWSS).  I think I'd rather have that smaller normal size that you have (TWSS). 

I looked and couldn’t find the seed packet for them.  I tried a couple last year and this one is definitely unique with a shiny green look compared to Clemson red or the more normal light green kind.  They all taste about the same to be, but definitely don’t want to let any of them get more than 3-4” long.  That’s all she needs, allegedly. 

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My winter garden is mostly planted, a combination of direct seeding and starts in pots that I’m keeping in partial shade because it’s so hot. I’m going to keep planting and see if I can make a succession of veggies for the winter.  So far I have:

Snap peas, snow peas, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, fennel, red beets, golden beets, two kinds of carrots, three kinds of radish, endive, three kinds of lettuce, arugula, dill, cilantro, basil, green onions, chives and a few Cherokee purple tomatoes I started in mid summer.  

 

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3 hours ago, miguelito said:

Does the basil last until there's a freeze?

My summer basil has been bolting for a while.  I never thought to just plant it again.  I have hundreds of seeds from it.

Yeah, frost will smoke them but when it goes to seed you can get another round in during fall by planting them.  You can also throw them in pots if you want to mess with bringing them into the garage. 

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On 11/4/2024 at 1:04 PM, PilotsError said:

Do I still need to be watering things like figs and blackberries or is it time to let them go dormant?  First year with these.  

I’d keep watering the blackberries until it frosts and kills the leaves.  Weird that apparently it will be December before that happens, but mine are alive and thriving right now. 

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@cactusflinthead  You’ve helped in the past, hope you can provide some guidance here.

We have this photinia that was planted by the previous owners, and, over the past 15 years, it has grown fairly large.  Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed sections dying.  Yesterday, I just walked up and pulled an entire branch off with almost no effort.  I did some additional pruning, but not much yet.  Here is what we are looking at (pics don’t do the damage justice):

IMG_6240.thumb.jpeg.aec2881ef9c0dcd8fb7db6a75f18de76.jpeg
 

IMG_6235.thumb.jpeg.4b403688cd4c855c62206461f8e69c55.jpeg

IMG_6236.thumb.jpeg.a86fc4926478d92131fab725174d934d.jpeg
 

IMG_6238.thumb.jpeg.467afd6f03e925056bfa48bce8c637cc.jpeg


It provides needed privacy in addition to a pleasant view, so I’d like it to live.  Interwebs say that late winter is prime for pruning; do I just prune away the dead stuff in February?  Or is it in a known lifecycle death spiral?  FYI, there seems to be new growth from the “trunk.”  We are in the DFW area.

TIA!

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10 minutes ago, solamente73 said:

Interwebs say that late winter is prime for pruning; do I just prune away

Yeah, the only drawback to winter pruning is waiting for stubs to regrow if the shrubs are getting a hard cut. Taking out dead branches can be done any time. 

The random dying branch could a number of things, but I would bet on phytophthora. If it's getting new growth there's enough root system to weather the occasional attack. Keep an eye out for spotting on the leaves. That's usually what takes a toll on them.

HGIC_shrubs_entomosporiumleafspot_16x9.thumb.jpg.19708be4eb31e20e0670695c58082340.jpg

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/leaf-spot-red-tip-photinia

I prefer t-methyl to the copper based fungicides. Propiconazole or azoxystrobin will work too. It's better as a preventative than remedial. Once it's got it you have to grow new leaves and keep them clean. Leaf litter control is very helpful for tamping down that part of the cycle.

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