The Dawg Patch

[friedgreen51]

Here is what I suspect is causing your tomato problems.
https://plantpath.ifas.ufl.edu/rsol/tra ... odule.html

I have it in several tomato beds. I only grow Florida 7514 in those beds now. Also trialing 'Rica' cherry tomato from Bunny Hop Seed which is resistant to bacterial wilt. Florida 7514 is a decent tasting big red tomato. Good for a sandwich, making salsa, or freezing for soup, etc. I get my seed from Rupp Seed. Try it. You can grow tomatoes in the ground again. I reserve my big pots for heirlooms.

[Seven Bends]

@friedgreen51 Sorry, I hadn't seen your post in this thread when I posted the same link over in the other thread. I agree that this seems likely to be the culprit.

[friedgreen51]

@friedgreen51 Sorry, I hadn't seen your post in this thread when I posted the same link over in the other thread. I agree that this seems likely to be the culprit.

No problem. I think we have consensus on what the problem is.

[GoDawgs]

Thanks for the link, @friedgreen51 and @Seven Bends. Bacterial wilt is the reason I haven't planted tomatoes in the garden for the past 5-7 years. It just showed up one year and ever since, no matter where I plant them in the garden (testing for unaffected areas) the plants always succumb to it but it happens when they're quite large and it's very sudden. And yes, they did exhibit the bacterial streaming from a cross section placed in water. This seems to act a bit differently. And it's strange that adjacent plants aren't affected.

If another one dies I will take it to the Extension agent.

[rdback]

...That means it's time for the squirrels to start their visits...

humor - squirrel 2.jpg

[GoDawgs]

...That means it's time for the squirrels to start their visits...

humor - squirrel 2.jpg

What a gang of thugs! Especially the lookout posted on top of the box. He's got that intense look like he's plotting the details for the invasion.

[GoDawgs]

Gardening lately has been a "before noon" affair. It's not so much the 90's but the danged humidity has you sweating gallons of water without doing much at all. But garden life goes on!

This morning I hand watered everything well and then turned on the overhead sprinkler for the corn. While that was going I got the Bodacious corn stalks removed and toted back to Mt. Brushmore.

Now you see 'em....



Now you don't.


The bed's been prepped for planting field peas tomorrow. Some Big Boy and some Knucklehull. I raked all of the mulch to the middle and will spread it back out when the plants get up about 4-6".



I took that last pic around 5pm with rain moving in. You can see way down the road where it curves into the distance how foggy it looms. That's rain and the first drops fell right as I pressed the shutter button!

[PlainJane]

Most of the tomatoes along the fence look like they shot up a fair amount.

[GoDawgs]

They have! At least the survivors. I had to pull a German Johnson yesterday. It was the next plant down the row from the previously pulled plants. Five down, eight left. Curiously, I think it's Daniel Burson that's in the middle of that streak of pulled plants and it's still looking good.

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday I spied the first sweet potato flower and a split second before I fully presses the shutter button, a bumble came in and started nosing around. What are the chances of that happening? Sweet potatoes are in the morning glory/bindweed family so I'd much rather have sweet potato flowers than have the others in the garden!



As I was removing the cornstalks yesterday I noticed that one of the four kale plants down at the end of that bed was starting to bolt. The kale next to it wasn't looking so good either so both of them joined the cornstalks back at Mt. Brushmore. The other two plants are still looking good. The plant tag by one of the plants said they were planted Sep 17! Sure have gotten a lot of good off those. I don't think I've ever had kale plants go this long into summer.



I was planning on planting two kinds of field peas today. I had just a few seeds left of both, 23 of one and 32 of the other. Now I can't find them. I've checked all the seed boxes and they're not to be found. Maybe I tossed them a good while ago and just didn't remove them from the seed list but I don't think so. Now I can't find anything else I want to put in there. Maybe some zinnia plants that are ready to go.

[GoDawgs]

One of this year's garden toys is sesame and I have three plants. The last time I posted about them was when the deer munched three heavily and left one alone. I staked down tomato cages around them and that fixed that!

The unmunched one is now 3-4' tall, the rest are about a foot shorter and they're all blooming.





Sesame flowers start at the bottom of the stem and open successively up the stem. Pods are forming along the stem on the largest one.



What I've read says that when the seed pods are about ready the leaves will start browning from the bottom up and that's when the pods are harvested before they shatter and spill out all the seeds. Open Sesame!

[PlainJane]

Wow, flowers are very decorative.

[GoDawgs]

The pickleworms have finally showed up. Last year they came in July so it's time. I found one on a squash two days ago and the worm had just crawled out of the hole!



Here we can have two waves of them. Right now the cucumbers aren't making and the squash is taking a break so they can starve as far as I'm concerned! More on the pickleworm:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible ... eworms.htm

I thought that there were some of those little 2" spiny cukes that popped up in the okra bed so I let the vines stay as living mulch. BUT... they're not what I thought. I think it's some kind of melon! This one is about 6" long now. The only thing I can think of is that it might be Crimson Sweet. We'll see.



I pulled these two days ago so the Silver Queen is ready! After saving all those socks I decided not to put them over the ears. I'd have to take them off periodically to check readiness of each one and it would take way too long as there are just too many ears to do that.



We had rain all morning yesterday from the wee hours until lunch for a total of 1.7". Much needed! I was going to pick corn when the rain stopped but would get soaked going down the rows so left it until this morning. That will be today's project. Somehow a couple of squirrels have managed to find a way under the netting so the sooner I get the corn out of there the better!

[PlainJane]

My first wave of cukes and squash got in before the pickle worm moths showed up but now they’re around here too. I think last winter’s hard freeze knocked them back.
Hope the corn doesn’t get too chewed up!

[GoDawgs]

This morning I removed all the 2x2's and bricks holding down the bottom of the corn netting and pulled out all earth staples, freeing up the bottom of the netting. It's getting hot out there so this evening we'll get the netting down, folded up and stowed away and the netting support poles pulled out. Then first thing tomorrow I can start pulling out corn stalks.

Meanwhile, next to the corn patch the Red Ripper field peas are starting to climb the fencing after a little help getting started.



I'm seeing the first few pods starting on the lower parts of the plants. I think of all the veggies in the garden, field peas attract the most pollinators by quantity and diversity.



It looks like the Stop Rot calcium spray has stopped the blossom end rot on the squash. There are now six newbie fruits setting and they all look fine. Not a browning, shriveled one among them. Yay! And I had a comment ready related to the absence of a certain squash pest but the words will not pass my lips.



The mowing deck on the riding mower is out of commission due to a wobbly spindle that needs replacing. Pickles dropped the deck to remove both spindles but couldn't get one large nut to budge. She got out her impact wrench and found she didn't have a socket large enough. Off to the city she went to get one, couldn't find it but came back having bought a new riding mower.

Well, the old riding mower does have over 400 hours on it and is at the point where stuff is starting to need repairs. So now there's a reliable mower here and the old one has assumed Mower Emeritus status with subtitles of Official Cart Puller and Stand-in Emergency Mower. Pickles put the new one to work yesterday for a badly needed mowing and the place looks civilized again. Now she can work on the old deck at leisure.

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday I got out there at 9am to get those old corn rows tilled. I think I will put in another row of cucumbers and three rows of Red Ripper field peas. Those peas will make a good ground cover and replenish some nitrogen.



Pickles came in laughing, saying that she was looking at those tubular sesame flowers and all she saw was bee butts! They were all busy collecting pollen. So when I was in that area I looked and sure enough. Bee butts!



I got some field pea samples in the recent MMMM and I planted 9' of each twelve days ago. The one on the left is supposed to be a bush form of a long Asian bean, a 'Stickless Wonder' type that I grew three years ago. They all popped up right away. The ones on the right are 'Whippersnapper'. They had spotty germination (labeled '20) but there will be enough to collect seed from if they do well. That white blob in the front left corner is where I used soap water on a fire ant hill that was forming. Thou shalt NOT invade the field pea bed! "Death From Above"!



Today I will take out the fall-planted kale at the far end of the row. I'm amazed that it lasted this long but the mild May/June weather made that happen. The big zucchini on the far left will hit the road too. It was supposed to have been a spaghetti squash to climb the trellis. Hmmmmm......

And finally, the Crawford pole beans are drying down and I'll be collecting that seed for sure. This was my first time trying these and they are probably the most tasty pole beans I've ever had. They have earned a place on the garden A Team.



They were planted three weeks after the bush beans and were ready shortly after the bush beans were done and gone. A nice succession planting! They are one of those beans good for fresh eating, shellies and dried beans which is great for multi-use. However the pods are really tough and leathery at the shellie stage and too much work to get into. Although it's nice to know they can be used as shellies, I'm skipping that and waiting to see how they do as dried beans.

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday I got out there at 9am to get those old corn rows tilled. I think I will put in another row of cucumbers and three rows of Red Ripper field peas. Those peas will make a good ground cover and replenish some nitrogen.



Pickles came in laughing, saying that she was looking at those tubular sesame flowers and all she saw were bee butts! They were all busy collecting pollen. So when I was in that area I looked and sure enough. Bee butts!



I got some field pea samples in the recent MMMM and I planted 9' of each twelve days ago. The one on the left is supposed to be a bush form of a long Asian bean, a 'Stickless Wonder' type similar to one that I grew three years ago. They all popped up right away. The ones on the right are 'Whippersnapper'. They had spotty germination (labeled '20) but there will be enough to collect seed from if they do well. That white blob in the front left corner is where I used soap water on a fire ant hill that was forming. Thou shalt NOT invade the field pea bed! "Death From Above"!



Today I will take out the fall-planted kale at the far end of the row. I'm amazed that it lasted this long but the mild May/June weather made that happen. The big zucchini on the far left will hit the road too. It was supposed to have been a spaghetti squash to climb the trellis. Hmmmmm......

And finally, the Crawford pole beans are drying down and I'll be collecting that seed for sure. This was my first time trying these and they are probably the most tasty pole beans I've ever had. They have earned a place on the garden A Team.



They were planted three weeks after the bush beans and were ready shortly after the bush beans were done and gone. A nice succession planting! They are one of those beans good for fresh eating, shellies and dried beans which is great for multi-use. However the pods are really tough and leathery at the shellie stage and too much work to get into. Although it's nice to know they can be used as shellies, I'm skipping that and waiting to see how they do as dried beans.

[GoDawgs]

Between last night and this morning we got 1.2" of rain. There's another storm coming our way, probably about 20-30 minutes out so I want to get this posted before I lose internet (satellite).

The Cucuzzi squash (one of last year's toys) is doing well this summer. At 75 dtm it's a lot longer to produce than yellow squash but often times it starts producing when the yellows poop out. This year both are doing well so yay! If you look at the lower left corner of the trellis you can see one hanging down, almost ready to get.



This is that squash and another one coming along. There are a lot of little ones on the vines.The narrative says they need to be picked no bigger than 18" because beyond that they start getting tough as they're actually a gourd. When cut crosswise and steamed or fried they taste pretty similar to yellow squash.



I got a better shot of those Jewels of Opar flowers. Dainty little things and it's fun to watch the big bumbles sway around on those thin stems.



And finally, here's a pic of Loxton Lad Dwarf tomato. From what I've read they're supposed to be yellow inside and out. This develops pretty stripes as it ripens. This is just the second one I've picked.



Inside it's yellow and the first one I cut open had a red center about the size of a penny with red rays reaching out. Beautiful! If this one is the same I'll take a pic.

Oops! The rain is getting close. I hear thunder. Gotta gooooooooooo!

[GoDawgs]

This morning it was 75 at 9am this morning, not 85 already. It's the weather I've been waiting for to get some cleanup done in the garden!

The fall kale plants (finally done) and the zuke that was supposed to be a spaghetti squash (stem eaten up by vine borers) got yanked out along with the cucumber vines (roots all knotted by by nematodes). I pulled another dozen carrots from the sides of the cuke bed and they had a few little nema-knots on them too but that's not a culinary problem. There were also two yellow squash ready along with two of those long narrow cucuzzi squash.

All this rain has kicked the fire ants into high gear so there were some new mounds starting that had to be doused. They're such a pain, literally.

The ground is nice and damp, especially the four corn rows that I tilled last week, so I planted field peas in three of them. I'm debating on planting the fourth row with cucumbers. I already have a new row of those that are ready to lay down and start running but I want to make sure we can make enough relish and pickles. Better to give away excess than not have enough! Maybe a few more squash for fall.

And finally I made three trips back to Mt. Brushmore with the dead plants, a few full weed buckets and a load of accumulated branches. All of this took just three hours and I'm done for the day.

I'm fresh out of new photos. Not much new to see other than a bare patch of garden where the field peas were planted. Maybe an update tomorrow on the tomatoes that were hurt by herbicide in the compost. Some have somewhat recovered but it hasn't been a good year for sure.

Meanwhile I need to finish my seed inventory. Too many tomato lists that need to be consolidated along with all the other stuff too.

[PlainJane]

Boy, I would love to see 75 degrees again. I have so much cleanup to do and just not enough hours on the weekends to get all caught up.