2010 Garden Peek-tures

I've tried not to dominate garden threads this year with my ceaseless talk of my garden's successes and failures, but I have to post a few pictures. For our 4th of July cookout and fireworks this year, we had about 35 people as our guests, and they all commented on how nice our garden looks. Of course I just smiled, saying thanks and how much we enjoyed the garden, but I never offered to let anyone get into the garden where they could see the aphids or squash bugs regrouping after the rain. We've had a few trouble spot this year, but I hope to smooth them out in subsequent years as I improve the garden and my methods. The text below should describe the pictures and stimulate either discussion or maybe some good belly laughs. I've certainly had a few horrible failures this year. My sweet peas are gone, tilled in and replaced with fall tomatoes and squash. I consider my broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage a learning experience. Perhaps, I should learn to just not plant them anymore.

1st picture: My tomatoes have been good, but the Romas and Big Mommas (I think that's what they are.) seem to suffer from our high heat. Luckily, the 444s and Early Girls have produced lots of medium to large tomatoes.


2nd picture: The whole garden as it looked this morning: Onions next to the fence, then cucumbers and cantaloupes, squash, okra, blackeyes/cowpeas, tomatoes


3rd picture: Blackeye peas and tomatoes. I don't have any pests on the blackeyes except aphids. I'm going to try some soapy water and see if that doesn't take care of them. The plants are healthy and producing lots of peas.


4th picture: Recent setting out of tomatoes on big hills covered in mulch. The plants were so big that I had to dig a trench and lay 3/4 of the plant in the trench and gently curve up the remaining plant while covering with dirt. This should give me a tremendous root system to feed the plants in the remaining hot months of summer. I also have some tiny seedlings of fall squash planted behind the tomatoes. Less than a week and they are up. On the right is watermelons, broccoli-cauliflower-cabbage, peppers and some asparagus. Closeups will follow in the next post.

More photos...


1st picture: My little cabbages. Note the marble sized holes in the leaves where the worms chewed them while we were gone 2-1/2 weeks on vacation. I may have some little heads to eat since these are about the size of a softball.


2nd & 3rd pictures: My sad (and reddish) cauliflower. It's making a head, but why it decided to turn red is anyone's guess. I read somewhere that you can pin the leaves over like in the third picture to "blanch" the cauliflower. It does seem to help since the heads are lighter, but I'm not sure I'll eat this. hmmm?


4th picture: Belly-laugh Broccoli. That's what I'm calling my sad broccoli plants. Not only did the bugs eat the plants, but the deer feasted on them too before I got my fence built. I think it got too hot and the plants just mutated to this bushy looking mess.:confused3:

Another set...


1st picture: I have a nice stand of 12 asparagus ferns growing beside my fence. They are planted in rich compost and seem to love their environment. maybe in a couple of years I will be able to taste homegrown asparagus.


2nd & 3rd pictures: A couple of closeups showing my watermelons peeking out. By the end of July, I hope they are big and ripe. . . maybe even earlier.


4th picture: One of my watering manifolds in front of my sweet basil plants.

I also have lots of banana peppers, bell peppers, poblano peppers, and jalapenos, but I didn't take any closeups of those.

Final set...

Yesterday, when I went to the garden, I was shocked to see a big beautiful cantaloupe I expected to pick was hollowed out and mostly eaten. I immediately assumed it was done by a raccoon and set a trap using the left-over melon and some corn-on-the-cob from my cookout. The bait worked, but I didn't get a 'coon. I got a big fat possum. We made a trip to the LBJ Nat'l Grasslands this morning to give this little fellow a new home. I'll reset the trap tonight and hope to keep these critters out of my melons. I have about 5 big cantaloupe that will be ripe by mid-week. I've already picked two and they are delicious. I'm not sure, but I think this possum had a grin on his face even though he was hissing like crazy.

Thanks for the pictures. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Beautiful garden. You're about 3 months ahead of us!

Nice pics Jim. I have some little green maters about the size of a grape, but lots of hope and expectation. It hit 90* yesterday and low 90's today - good tomato and corn growing weather if I can keep them wet. Supposed to be around 90* the next several days - we're havin' a heat wave !

Is asparagus common in your area? I don't picture it doing well in extended heat and dry spells. Don't know, just wondering.
Dave.

dave1949 said:

Nice pics Jim. I have some little green maters about the size of a grape, but lots of hope and expectation. It hit 90* yesterday and low 90's today - good tomato and corn growing weather if I can keep them wet. Supposed to be around 90* the next several days - we're havin' a heat wave !

Is asparagus common in your area? I don't picture it doing well in extended heat and dry spells. Don't know, just wondering.
Dave.

Click to expand...

Dave, wild asparagus grows here in fencelines where the soil is undisturbed for years. I remember as a kid going out along the railroad track I walked to school every day and looking for wild asparagus shoots in the spring. I think at one time I found about a dozen and my mother cooked them. From that time forward, I was hooked on asparagus.:dance1: Where I have it in my garden, it only gets about 4 to 5 hours of direct sunlight during the day. I think it will do fine as it seems to be thriving and extremely healthy.

Stay cool! I noticed today that the eastern seaboard and northeast was especially hot, more than here. It's just very humid here, but only in the low to mid 90s today.

Hey Jim,

Looking good! I've never had a 100% success year in my life.
Just doesn't work that way. Love the critter catch!!
I honestly used to say that I loved fishing, but I gotta say, I still love fishing, but there is something about gardening that is so challenging and enjoyable. Maybe these two things have more in common than I thought!

jinman said:

Final set...

Yesterday, when I went to the garden, I was shocked to see a big beautiful cantaloupe I expected to pick was hollowed out and mostly eaten. I immediately assumed it was done by a raccoon and set a trap using the left-over melon and some corn-on-the-cob from my cookout. The bait worked, but I didn't get a 'coon. I got a big fat possum. We made a trip to the LBJ Nat'l Grasslands this morning to give this little fellow a new home. I'll reset the trap tonight and hope to keep these critters out of my melons. I have about 5 big cantaloupe that will be ripe by mid-week. I've already picked two and they are delicious. I'm not sure, but I think this possum had a grin on his face even though he was hissing like crazy.

Click to expand...

Coons have been checking my corn so I have a trap like that set tonight, baited with some canned tuna. If I catch him, I won't take him anywhere, I'll introduce him to Benjamin and dump him out for the buzzards.