2020 Garden Thread.

[Fish24/7]

For those of you with maters ,may want to look at the underside of some leaves for eggs and bugs. I had one plant out of 27 that had some hiding . Little diluted neem oil and presto! No more bug. I keep forgetting it's June and the insects are out in full force now, and I saw those darn metallic green beetles hooking up on my roses  too ,geez get a room already😦

[Terrierman]

Today.  Eight big beef and two Cherokee purple on the vines.  A shipload of crookneck yellow squash about 2" long.  Another shipload of zucchini blossoms but no fruit as yet.  Cucumbers are behind.  Dill is finally up and getting going.  I watered again yesterday.

 

[Fish24/7]

Things are trucking right along. Got the maters sprayed with fungicide. Had to water everything yesterday,I mean soaked it good. Got some pink tomatoes the size of a tennis ball but I doubt they will be ready by the 4th since I am a month behind this year. First sets of cocktail maters are still green but full grown and more coming on every day.

About time for another feeding. Have been foliar feeding once a week, root feeding twice a month and will increase that as the plants get bigger.

Watermelon started to vine out ,no blooms yet.

Did two more transplants last night. That makes 9 cocktail plants. That's gonna be a lot of little maters,and I have more in pots ready to go in!

This is that volunteer cocktail tomato I dug up. Survived two frosts and transplant shock. There's fruit on it just down low and covered by leaves.

[BilletHead]

               I seen something I have never seen before. Japanese beetles swarming three tomato plants on edge of garden. They have never messed with them before. Out came the seven spray and gave all plants a spritz. By the time I got back to the plants they were on I had dead beetles!

[Fish24/7]

39 minutes ago, BilletHead said:

               I seen something I have never seen before. Japanese beetles swarming three tomato plants on edge of garden. They have never messed with them before. Out came the seven spray and gave all plants a spritz. By the time I got back to the plants they were on I had dead beetles!

My poor red roses, every day I spray those little beetle bastards. They are alll over my evening primroses too. Pray to God they stay away from the mater vines🙏

[BilletHead]

                 Update, a watering tip and some fun,

    Tomatoes getting big and are drinking lots of water. The reservoir on the self wicking tubs holds five gallons more of less. There is no waste or overwatering. If I fill daily I am putting in a gallon easy.   Skip a couple days I am standing there for awhile with water hose in each of the fifteen watering tubes. Have some of those plants five feet tall now. All are loaded with blooms and green tomatoes.

      Cucumbers sucking up water too. instead of watering the whole bed I am giving them an IV treatment every couple of days. Get my tall bucket elevated. then a couple I/4 inch or less siphon hoses. Fill bucket and let gravity do it's thing. Trickle on two hills at a time. Water goes to where it is needed. When bucket is empty move hoses and repeat. 

   Now to something fun.   I was out and gone early yesterday morning. I get a text from Pat with a picture.    We like them this way belly up.

    We get so much yard damage from them in the yard. Little bulldozers. They have their place I suppose but not in our yard digging grubs and ants. Pat's flower beds have taken the brunt this Spring. I am not going to deter them by spraying the yard for pests. I trap a few with 120 and 160 conibears. If you can find a den it is easy that way. So Pat was doing her morning walk coffee in hand and there is one in the iris patch. She looks for a weapon. House is full of anything she needs but she decides to grab a metal cross arm brace. She heads for the critter. Out of the iris it goes into the gooseberry's. Then she gets it to leave. It stops. Here she is in her house robe in the wee hours of the morning creeping from behind it. Then she goes all King Author on it swinging her mighty sword on it's noggin. Her am was true impact happened and in armadillo fashion it went airborne bouncing around. Then she began to beat it severely on head until it quit moving. She even disposed of the carcass in the field south of the house. I did not have to do that deal! What a woman. Stone cold diller killer! Vultures are out there on carcass right now. 

   PS

   If I ever go missing would someone please investigate field south of house and see if the vultures are circling me.   

[Deadstream]

8 hours ago, BilletHead said:

f I ever go missing

That notwithstanding, Do you drill holes in the mineral buckets for drainage?  The big black cattle ones?

[Terrierman]

I know better than to water in the evening but there you go, things looked dry.  So the sprinkler is on.

[Johnsfolly]

8 hours ago, BilletHead said:

       We like them this way belly up. Then she began to beat it severely on head until it quit moving. She even disposed of the carcass in the field south of the house. 

Possum on the half-shell! Killer Pat takes him out!

[jdmidwest]

You know, when skeered, they spray diarehea on their attackers.  Good thing she ducked that one.

I love conibears, but they have too many pet side kills.  Have to be selective to use them around some of my property.