Monday, October 24, 2011

Cleanup and October Update

The fall greens have gotten past their bug problems.  Today took down the tomato netting and dug up the glads.  I think they did pretty well filling more of the pan than last year's.

I've cleaned the compost bin and dumped in bed 2, sowing seeds on top the the compost, which seem to have germinated.  Digging the glads destroyed whatever clover had been sowed, there's some mustard at the end of bed 2.

We had 5 inches of rain when we came back from Rhinebeck, and the dahlias were bent over.
Still holes under the compost bin.


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Fall Crops

Lisa set out her fall seedlings over the last 5 days or so. Problems with cabbage worms. Dug up the glads in south quarter plot and it's all planted now, plus the west end of quarter plot north.  Tomato vines look ugly, but still some leaves and green tomatoes.  Dahlias are doing well.  She cut the asters, which had been beaten down by the storms.  The leeks are doing the best ever.  Peppers did nothing.  I want to leapfrog them ahead of the tomatoes next year.  Eggplants did well.  Italian squash has about 3 left on it, some nibbled by voles?

Want to hardware screen in bottom of compost bin to keep out animals--I'm sure there's something tunneling in it.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Monday, September 5, 2011

Sept 5

Supposed to have a bunch of rain coming.  Got 3 yellow glads (last 10 or so blooms have all been yellow)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Sept 2 Update

Had several yellow glad 3-4 days ago, probably the last of the year.  The dahlias are coming in, even Juanita according to Lisa. During the week I sowed mustard under the west third of bed 2 under the tomatoes and basil. Also crimson clover among the glads in north quarter plot.  Lisa's gotten one yellow summer squash and a fat zucchini.  The Italian zucchini is prolife: Lisa did soup with one, very good, and may do bread this weekend.  All but one of the sunflowers are down.  Continue to get good eggplants from the plants.

Have about 10 ripe tomatoes on the counter, been eating one most days for lunch. 

Worked a little on the landscape blocks--rain seems to come off the roof next to the azalea.



Tuesday, August 23, 2011

August 23 Update

Lisa is planting lettuce (planted some brassicas a couple weeks ago). Below Prince has some nice romaine seedlings under their sunflowers which may have gone in the end of July.

The tomatoes are still yielding, though the 2" of rain last Thursday or Friday seems to have reinvigorated the early blight.

The peppers are doing absolutely nothing--trying to research what's wrong--looks like planting after tomatoes is part of the problem but a number of different possibilities for cause.  Need to deep dig beds.

Trying to figure out how to plant some winter cover while we still have summer and fall crops and while doing some fall tillage.

The Italian zucchini has gone to town--Lisa has 2 big ones here and two more on the plant.  The asters are starting to bloom.

Monday, August 15, 2011

August 15 Status/Lessons on Tomatoes

Gathered a lot of tomatoes this morning.  Had some rain over the weekend.  No glads--they seem about played out.  The second planting of glads in late May? didn't do well at all.  I think planting over a month between mid March and end of April is best.

The leeks are doing very well, Lisa pulled the stocks, the asters have buds on them, the Italian squash is bearing well, the okra is shading the beans and peppers, which aren't doing well at all.  Lisa says she won't allow volunteer sunflowers next year.

On tomatoes: first, don't put basil and tomatoes in same bed--the netting interferes and isn't needed for basil. Second, watering the center of the bed is difficult with the netting. Third, take out poles that go higher than the netting posts.  Fourth, secure the cages well--a number leaned this year.  Fifth, cut short pipe pieces to hold the horizontal pipe within the bed.  Sixth, have the sides of the bed higher than the soil if possible.