Gardening 2024: Zukes, Cukes, and Nuke The Flukes

[PilotsError 2286]

between your four potatoes and my one fig we might have something here. 

[miguelito 11250]

What would Mark Whatney do?

[CoachTex 2623]

19 minutes ago, miguelito said:

What would Mark Whatney do?

Farm in his own shit.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Rain caused the tomatoes to take off. Fruit is splitting on the vine.

Same with the eggplant. It is flowering, not setting fruit.

[brakeman 28344]

 

I caught this guy in my plot today, something about ...

You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Quit snoopin' 'round my door
You can wag your tail
But I ain't gonna feed you no more

[brakeman 28344]

[USCATX 1078]

Tomatoes are running out of steam, but the soybeans and cowpeas are coming on strong. The cowpeas have to be the easiest thing to grow that I’ve ever attempted.  They’re from seed and are already producing and have never had irrigation on them.  I was gone for 10 days and they looked better than ever when I got back.
 

l I also have some cantaloupe and watermelon that are doing pretty well.  The corn seems a bit stunted but we will see how it works out.   

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Finally pulled a few egg plants. Sucks watching a garden wither.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

OK, I am sure it has already been said but I hate squirrels. Walked outside and there was one nibbling on tomatoes. Sure, take one you greedy little bastard, but don't knock the green ones off their branches.

I let you have bird seed and don't shoot a .177 pellet at you, so chill man. And be realistic, you only are doing this since it is too hot to put the dogs out.

[OregonHorn 96]

Squirrels hate safflower meal.  I top dress with it, and it keeps them out of the garden.  I also mix it with chicken feed.  It's cheap and makes a decent high N fert.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Malabar spinach (not a real spinach but a good summer green) is kicking ass. Eggplants are going off.

Babaganoush tomorrow my friends.

[NorthLoop 14180]

The cukes have enjoyed the wet summer so far. 

[InkaUtexas 25852]

58 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

The cukes have enjoyed the wet summer so far. 

And you were complaining about rain? How dare you Sir!

[brakeman 28344]

First big pull of the season. 10#s

[texasdago 7562]

Went to Natural Gardner yesterday to get some tomatoes to plant for the fall.  Didn't like what I saw... only two varieties.

Then went to HEB and saw some leftover tomatoes at .20 each.  Bought three Champion and one other one.  A little rough looking but dug holes deep, planted them with some humates and Hastagrow and have them under shade cloth for the worst days.  What are my odds of success?  Only .80 financial outlay

[4th and 5 4914]

if you water, and dodge spider mites, I like your chances

[NorthLoop 14180]

My cukes have been tasty but their skins have been bitter af. Went ahead and just completely peeled the ones I'm pickling. Not sure how that will turn out. 

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Going to start making cuttings off the sweet 100's. They are flowering but not setting fruit. Hope the weather next week will let them get a second wind, but still want to be ready for the fall.

And of course it will never rain again.

[texasdago 7562]

9 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

Going to start making cuttings off the sweet 100's. They are flowering but not setting fruit. Hope the weather next week will let them get a second wind, but still want to be ready for the fall.

And of course it will never rain again.

So on new transplants, should you pluck any flowers or just see what happens and if they start setting fruit?

 

[InkaUtexas 25852]

11 minutes ago, texasdago said:

So on new transplants, should you pluck any flowers or just see what happens and if they start setting fruit?

 

I cut non-flowering branches before they start flowering, soak in water and seaweed for a few days then into a transplant mix. They root pretty quick and will baby these for until mid-late august then they go in. I have done it before with so-so luck, but want to try again.

Had a bunch of althea cuttings. Missed watering a few days and lost half.

[USCATX 1078]

Got my first watermelon, I’m not sure who asked for personal size with seeds although the flavor was great.  
 

I can’t keep up with the damn cowpeas eating them fresh as green beans so I let a bunch go and harvested them as black eyed peas.  Laborious AF shelling them, but it’s at least new and interesting.  They’re an incredible cover crop to keep weeds down so I might have a literal million next season.  

Edited July 21 by USCATX

[NorthLoop 14180]

The two pinto bean plants my boy started I put in the bed... they went crazy... and never produced a single pod. All they did was try to vine over all my other plants. Won't be doing that shit again. 

[USCATX 1078]

10 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

The two pinto bean plants my boy started I put in the bed... they went crazy... and never produced a single pod. All they did was try to vine over all my other plants. Won't be doing that shit again. 

These barely run, more like a little soybean shrub.  Nowhere near the mayhem of cantaloupe or watermelon vines. 

[Celery Man 20929]

We missed the window to plant anything really and so I just scattered some seeds in the bed. Was super stoked when I saw that the tomatillo plant took hold, but am realizing now that it probably is not going to produce fruit. I guess, it needs to cross pollinate, and….. is this just one plant I guess? I suppose my question is if next year I need to make sure I get a second one in there?

[Masshole Horn 769]

On 7/20/2024 at 10:46 PM, USCATX said:

I can’t keep up with the damn cowpeas eating them fresh as green beans so I let a bunch go and harvested them as black eyed peas.  Laborious AF shelling them, but it’s at least new and interesting.  They’re an incredible cover crop to keep weeds down so I might have a literal million next season.  

What variety/seed company are these? It sounds interesting.

[DonnyKerabatsos 86]

https://victoryseeds.com/products/elite-southern-pea

https://victoryseeds.com/products/fagiolino-dolico-di-veneto-cowpea

https://victoryseeds.com/products/champion-southern-pea

https://victoryseeds.com/products/coronet-southern-pea

 

this is what you need.

[brakeman 28344]

Tonight's pull is 11 pounds.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

There was a good monthly to do list posted on here. Cannot find it and like a dumbass did not save the link. Anyone still have it?

Thanks in advance.

[TonyTexas 10504]

On 7/23/2024 at 12:00 PM, Masshole Horn said:

What variety/seed company are these? It sounds interesting.

This is the queen of peas. Absolutely delicious. If you want to try before you plant, many HEBs have them during the summer months in a small freezer in the produce section along with fresh frozen purple hulls, black eyes among others. 
https://victoryseeds.com/products/lady-southern-pea

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Not a usual grow I know, but they are edible when young and I love the flowers. So do the pollinators. Luffa vine. 

 

Edited August 1 by InkaUtexas
Picture would not upload.

[Xminus6 790]

Thought I’d ask this here:

I’m building a raised garden bed. It’s not too big (8’x2’x16”). I have compost bins on the side of the house so I can mix that in to whatever I used to fill. But what do I use to fill the rest of the bed? Do I just dig up some dirt from the hillside of my house and dump it in there or do I need something else?

I calculated that I need about 21 ⅓ cf to fill it up.

[CoachTex 2623]

15 minutes ago, Xminus6 said:

Thought I’d ask this here:

I’m building a raised garden bed. It’s not too big (8’x2’x16”). I have compost bins on the side of the house so I can mix that in to whatever I used to fill. But what do I use to fill the rest of the bed? Do I just dig up some dirt from the hillside of my house and dump it in there or do I need something else?

I calculated that I need about 21 ⅓ cf to fill it up.

If you have a truck, go get a few yards of garden soil mix.  Can't go wrong starting with good dirt. 

[miguelito 11250]

1 yard is 27 cubic feet, so you only need 1 yard, and you'd have a little extra to add to the compost pile. 

If you can find a landscaping place with a garden mix, the mix should have some dirt, sand, and compost already in it.  But you can always add more compost, or just add some as you add or change plants. 

Good dirt makes all the difference.  Also, if you compost all the kitchen scraps, it's amazing how much it keeps out of the trash instead.

[Xminus6 790]

Yeah. Oddly I’ve been composting my kitchen scraps for years but I never got around to making the actual garden. So I have a good amount of compost already.

[brakeman 28344]

j

Just 4 lbs yesterday, amazingly I still am growing some cucumbers

[CoachTex 2623]

So this year my garden kicked ass. Then like last year, June hits and spider mites explode.  Mostly attacking tomato plants. Is there any proactive treatments that can be done to control those fuckers for next year? Had to cut everything back and trying insecticide treatment by they are still at it. Any preventative treatment advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[OregonHorn 96]

17 hours ago, CoachTex said:

So this year my garden kicked ass. Then like last year, June hits and spider mites explode.  Mostly attacking tomato plants. Is there any proactive treatments that can be done to control those fuckers for next year? Had to cut everything back and trying insecticide treatment by they are still at it. Any preventative treatment advice would be greatly appreciated. 

There are a couple of effective plant-derived pesticides that kill spider mites on contact but won't penetrate the plant or fruit: azadirachtin derived from neem seed oil and pyrethrins originally derived from pyrethrum daisies.  You can apply them frequently, and they're tank-compatible.  You have to hit the actual bugs, so make sure to get full coverage on the undersides of leaves.  Start before you see any leaf perforations or webs for best effect.

There are some very effective products only labeled for ornamentals that you can use on neighboring trap plants all growing season.  I'll use a product called Avid on hibiscus plants that I mix in with anything subject to mites.  They go straight for the hibiscus first, dine & die.  Avid will persist in the plant for about 30-40 days, but it has to be applied to any new growth.  Its action in plants is called locally systemic.  It penetrates the leaf surface, travels a short distance through intracellular spaces, then parks for the rest of its time.  Keep trap plants in. pots that can be moved away from edibles before reapplications.

If you ever have issues with aphids, nasturtiums are very good trap plants.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Damn good post. Trap plants are overlooked. I have a few of these around the perimeter. Not only are they pretty and pollinators love them, if there is 1 aphid in the garden it is on this. Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)    Also known as the Mexican Butterfly Weed.

Plus these are a natural host for Monarch caterpillars. They can take the beating from the munching little fucks, keeping them off the edibles. Plus butterflies are cool.

Trap plants tend to bloom a lot, so you get more pollinators.

 

Edited August 5 by InkaUtexas
added the catepillar.

[tx 3 putt 76859]

On 7/26/2024 at 9:07 PM, brakeman said:

Tonight's pull is 11 pounds.

[4th and 5 4914]

On 8/3/2024 at 11:05 AM, InkaUtexas said:

Damn good post. Trap plants are overlooked. I have a few of these around the perimeter. Not only are they pretty and pollinators love them, if there is 1 aphid in the garden it is on this. Tropical Milkweed (Asclepias curassavica)    Also known as the Mexican Butterfly Weed.

Plus these are a natural host for Monarch caterpillars. They can take the beating from the munching little fucks, keeping them off the edibles. Plus butterflies are cool.

Trap plants tend to bloom a lot, so you get more pollinators.

 

Tropical milkweed types also host a parasite that infects and harms monarchs. And encourages them to stop short of their full migration.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

1 hour ago, 4th and 5 said:

Tropical milkweed types also host a parasite that infects and harms monarchs. And encourages them to stop short of their full migration.

Did not know that. FUCK this is why we cannot have nice things. OK, so next question, do I inject the plant with ampicillin? Make super monarchs?

[Tailgate 3021]

Any off y’all have any thoughts on what could be happening to my grass? This was laid down a few months ago and started of nice as I was watering a few times a day (small area) and then I noticed these patches.

I had the irrigation guy come look and he said it’s not the coverage of water…it’s something else…you can see green on the inside in places.

It’s a common Bermuda grass.

Is it pests or some type of rot? Appreciate any thoughts.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

5 hours ago, Tailgate said:

Any off y’all have any thoughts on what could be happening to my grass? This was laid down a few months ago and started of nice as I was watering a few times a day (small area) and then I noticed these patches.

I had the irrigation guy come look and he said it’s not the coverage of water…it’s something else…you can see green on the inside in places.

It’s a common Bermuda grass.

Is it pests or some type of rot? Appreciate any thoughts.

There is a lawn thread. I don't know shit about lawns. If there is open space and it is green, it is a lawn or potential veggie garden.

No one should worry about grass this time of year in Texas. Only shit that deserves water are things we can eat.

[Tailgate 3021]

2 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

There is a lawn thread. I don't know shit about lawns. If there is open space and it is green, it is a lawn or potential veggie garden.

No one should worry about grass this time of year in Texas. Only shit that deserves water are things we can eat.

Thanks…thought this was it….found it.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

Any recommendations on lettuce varieties for Central Texas? Thanks in advance.

[4th and 5 4914]

Romaine and buttercrunch always do well for me. I grow mine in flats on the back porch to keep it clean/less buggy. Plus baby lettuce tastes better.

[InkaUtexas 25852]

18 minutes ago, 4th and 5 said:

Romaine and buttercrunch always do well for me. I grow mine in flats on the back porch to keep it clean/less buggy. Plus baby lettuce tastes better.

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.

[NorthLoop 14180]

I've never grown lettuce but might give it a shot this fall. When's an ideal time to plant? 

[Lhorn 4907]

Cooler months for me.  I live in the Bay Area and it gets hot but not Texas hot.  If I plant early spring it bolts quickly when it gets to 90 degrees or so.  

[Lhorn 4907]

Pretty good tomato year so I canned some.