On Thu, Jun 9, 2011 at 10:47 PM,
<gardening-request@eastraleigh.org> wrote:
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Today's Topics:
1. Zoysia grass? (Mark Turner)
2. How's Your Garden? (Ryan Parker)
3. Re: How's Your Garden? (Damian Maddalena)
4. Re: How's Your Garden? (Patrick Cooney)
5. Re: How's Your Garden? (Vanessa Van Horn)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:30:15 -0400
From: Mark Turner <jmarkturner@gmail.com>
Subject: [Gardening] Zoysia grass?
To: Gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Message-ID: <4DF10327.3080001@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hey folks,
This may be a little off topic, but with the heat wave we're having I've
been watching my lawn and those of my neighbors withering in the heat. A
neighbor down the street just had zoysia put in and it's looking great
(albeit they've been watering it...).
Does anyone here have experience with zoysia? If so, how do you like it
and where'd you get it? Did you go with plugs or sod?
Thanks!
Mark
1108 Tonsler
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 13:41:46 -0400
From: Ryan Parker <kennethryanparker@gmail.com>
Subject: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
Message-ID: <BANLkTi=0CNi9bere3gaMTv1BmBQ1cRTP7w@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Now that we are into the dog days of early June(?), I was wondering how
everyone's plants are holding up.
I harvested my first cucumber (burpless) yesterday and quickly made it an
addition to my salad.
Bush beans are ready for picking.
Tomatoes are surprisingly slow to produce but the basil is looking good.
Cantaloupe vines with flowers are reaching out of the beds and I am probably
going to have more than enough for ten families this summer. Will trade for
yellow squash when they are ready.
Sweet banana peppers are starting to show and Jalapeno are close behind.
I am only watering every other day for 3-5 minutes from the sprinklers.
Hope yours is hanging in the heat.
Thanks.
Ryan
Drew St.
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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:01:37 -0400
From: Damian Maddalena <damianmaddalena@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
To: Gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Message-ID: <4DF10A81.1070303@alum.wvu.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
If you are using sprinklers, watering a few minutes a day is generally
not as effective as watering more thoroughly once or twice a week, with
spot watering as needed otherwise. Depending on the thickness of your
mulch, and the texture and density of your soil, watering a few minutes
a day does not permeate the soil matrix like a good long soaking will.
(Especially if you are watering in the morning.) Additionally, a
superficial soaking of the topmost layer will spur shallow root
production rather than deeper roots that are less susceptible to the
soil moisture fluctuation that occurs in the shallow soil layers this
time of year. (Root production is correlated to some degree with
moisture availability, more deep water, more deep root production.)
Try watering longer with a slow deposition rate or by hand using a more
targeted nozzle or a bucket at the base of the plants that need it. Or
use your sprinkler for a longer period. This will give the water a
chance to permeate deeper into the soil matrix. Experiment with
duration, digging into the soil in a few locations to get an idea of how
deeply the water is permeating given your watering time.
Finally, it's not the end of the world if some species wilt slightly
during the day. Some plants shut stomata as part of their defense
against water loss during the hottest part of the day. Check the soil
before watering, too much water can also be a problem.
-Damian "too much information" Maddalena
219 Lafayette Rd.
Ryan Parker wrote:
> Now that we are into the dog days of early June(?), I was wondering
> how everyone's plants are holding up.
>
> I harvested my first cucumber (burpless) yesterday and quickly made it
> an addition to my salad.
> Bush beans are ready for picking.
> Tomatoes are surprisingly slow to produce but the basil is looking good.
> Cantaloupe vines with flowers are reaching out of the beds and I am
> probably going to have more than enough for ten families this summer.
> Will trade for yellow squash when they are ready.
> Sweet banana peppers are starting to show and Jalapeno are close behind.
>
> I am only watering every other day for 3-5 minutes from the sprinklers.
>
> Hope yours is hanging in the heat.
>
> Thanks.
> Ryan
> Drew St.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Gardening mailing list
> Gardening@eastraleigh.org
> http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
>
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 15:15:31 -0400
From: Patrick Cooney <patrickbcooney@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
To: <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Message-ID: <SNT105-W2344C9DCC3B1083885189ECA650@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
This heat has been great for plant growth, but terrible for fruit setting. The plant stems, especially tomatoes, beans, potatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and cantaloupes (as well as the spices like dill, basil, mint, cilantro, rosemary, and sage), have shot up and out like weeds with the heat. Most of my current garden time is propping things up, pushing growing stems back into cages, or guiding the beans up their frames. While the heat has done well for the stem growth, the vegetable flowers have had a different story. They often wither in the heat before getting the chance to be pollinated. Plus, the number of pollinating insects seems to be less in the heat. Those flowers that got pollinated about three weeks ago, or before then, have had fruits and vegetables coming ripe and will continue over the next few weeks (tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant), but any flower that has come out since the major heat and lack of rain has either
withered away, or has had significantly lower pollination rates. Similarly, the yellow squash and zucchini seem to switch to predominantly male flower production once the major heat hits. I have learned that by planting the cucumbers underneath tomato and eggplant plants, they will be shaded a little and won't have the same problem and won't be as bitter tasting later in the season, although keeping the cucumbers from growing up and all over the other plants does take some effort.
All of these heat related issues happen every summer when a heat wave hits, but generally hasn't happened this early in the summer. It always seems that the heat doesn't reduce immediate harvest, but rather you feel the effects of it two to three weeks down the line when those vegetables would have been coming ripe. We planted a little earlier this year (end of March) compared to other years (middle of April) because we saw that the threat of frost was gone/low. This is leading to earlier harvest than previous years. Hopefully the garden continues producing late into the the year like last year. Incredible how us and some neighbors had tomatoes, peppers, and beans all the way into the first week of December when the first frost hit, providing for fresh vegetables at Thanksgiving.
We put down some free mulch in our garden this year after the plants had established themselves, but before the weeds popped up. The mulch has done wonders to increase soil moisture retention and has entirely eliminated weeds, which were problematic in previous years. However, the mulch has contributed to a huge increase in insects, particularly pill bugs (rolly pollies, sow bugs, or whatever you may call them), because of all of the moist interstitial spaces between and under the mulch pieces. The pill bugs mostly eat rotting or decaying material, but sometimes decide to chow down on something living, and there is hardly anything you can do to kill them besides chemicals, so I have just accepted their presence. We also already had two tobacco horn worms devour a pepper plant as well as some dill. We normally don't see them until much later in the summer, and they normally stick to the tomato plants.
I got sick of watching the small green caterpillars devour our cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and brussel sprouts every year. Since these plants don't need to be pollinated like the other things in our garden, I built a giant "tent" made out of window screen and flexible water line piping to cover that section of the garden. This has worked wonders at keeping the pests out, and has provided some shading, allowing these "colder weather" plants to weather the heat. We continue to harvest broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage, and hope they continue into the summer.
We plant in the ground and over the years have done our best to improve the soil with compost, leaf material, and lime. This past year I took some soil samples to the Agriculture Extension Unit and had them tested for free (it is on Reedy Creek Road kind of near the RBC center), and followed some of the steps they recommended. I am fortunate to have a friend with a tiller, making the initial gardening stages in the spring a little easier. Of course, clay and MILLIONS of small rocks dominate the soil in our area, and I have piles of golf ball size rocks removed from the garden area along my back fence. I try to "rotate" where I plant the different types of vegetables to prevent pest problems, but in the end there is only so much space, and you have to account for those plants that get tall and block light to others.
We have run into some problems this year with our bell pepper plants. I planted some in the ground and some in pots with potting soil. Those in the pots are doing well, whereas those in the ground have curled leaves that wilt and fall off quickly. I wonder if it is something that is in the soil from previous years since other plants in the garden are not showing signs of problems and the ones in pots look fine. It seems like every year I have one type of plant that decides not to cooperate. Last year it was powdery mildew on some squash plants. Looks like this year it will be the pepper plants.
Some neighbors have raised beds, and with the optimal soil they had delivered combined with their soaker hose irrigation, their plants are very robust and grow very fast every year. It is tempting every year to go for raised beds because of the multiple advantages, but when I think of the expense, I quickly shy away. Is there anybody who has switched to raised beds and seen a dramatic change in production and success? We have good success now, but as always, I could easily be convinced to take on a new project in the garden.
By the way, excellent idea for a mailing list. I look forward to hearing the successes, as well as the trials and tribulations, of others and their gardens.
Patrick Cooney
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 13:41:46 -0400
From: kennethryanparker@gmail.com
To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
Subject: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
Now that we are into the dog days of early June(?), I was wondering how everyone's plants are holding up.
I harvested my first cucumber (burpless) yesterday and quickly made it an addition to my salad.
Bush beans are ready for picking.
Tomatoes are surprisingly slow to produce but the basil is looking good.
Cantaloupe vines with flowers are reaching out of the beds and I am probably going to have more than enough for ten families this summer. Will trade for yellow squash when they are ready.
Sweet banana peppers are starting to show and Jalapeno are close behind.
I am only watering every other day for 3-5 minutes from the sprinklers.
Hope yours is hanging in the heat.
Thanks.
Ryan
Drew St.
_______________________________________________ Gardening mailing list Gardening@eastraleigh.org http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
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Message: 5
Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 22:46:57 -0400
From: Vanessa Van Horn <vanhorn.vanessa@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
To: Gardening <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Cc: "<gardening@eastraleigh.org>" <gardening@eastraleigh.org>
Message-ID: <B35D5764-F56F-40E4-8B33-610B0274EAD1@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
Over here I've harvested most of the spring crops & the soft neck garlic is flopping over now so I'm pulling those out as well.
Bush beans are blooming and picking well with the edamame flowering too. I plant them fairly close to shade their blooms. Considering pole beans on the sunflowers?
So far the squash bugs have been manageable; vigilant zuke patrol with a jar of soapy h2o has kept hatching nymphs at bay! Other winter squashes are running vines on a fence but aren't blooming yet. I let the caterpillars have their way with what's left of the kale and turnips- they transform into either
The tomatoes volunteered early this year and are thick with green fruit and flowers. Happy moon & stars melon volunteered again this year, plus it's green & yellow leaves make for a lovely ground cover around the roses.
This heat is stressful for any plant, so a good foliar spray gives them a boost too. No issues with flowers setting fruit so far but the yard is chock full o' flowers and it stays pretty super buzzy.Earlier this week I finally broke out the hose spray and gave the yard a good morning soaking. Just stick your finger in the soil to test how deep the water is seeping?
Late getting the cukes in, but they are set to run up teepees. It's easier to harvest and keeps them straight with no white bellies.
The potato bed is really growing now that the heat is on, but the grass is stunted so store straw maybe plan b. Or my husband will be cutting our neighbors' lawn for clippings :)
If it is a rose, it will come into bloom sooner or later.
~Goethe
Sent from my iPad
On Jun 9, 2011, at 3:15 PM, Patrick Cooney <patrickbcooney@hotmail.com> wrote:
> This heat has been great for plant growth, but terrible for fruit setting. The plant stems, especially tomatoes, beans, potatoes, cucumbers, watermelons, and cantaloupes (as well as the spices like dill, basil, mint, cilantro, rosemary, and sage), have shot up and out like weeds with the heat. Most of my current garden time is propping things up, pushing growing stems back into cages, or guiding the beans up their frames. While the heat has done well for the stem growth, the vegetable flowers have had a different story. They often wither in the heat before getting the chance to be pollinated. Plus, the number of pollinating insects seems to be less in the heat. Those flowers that got pollinated about three weeks ago, or before then, have had fruits and vegetables coming ripe and will continue over the next few weeks (tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant), but any flower that has come out since the major heat and lack of rain has eithe
r withered away, or has had significantly lower pollination rates. Similarly, the yellow squash and zucchini seem to switch to predominantly male flower production once the major heat hits. I have learned that by planting the cucumbers underneath tomato and eggplant plants, they will be shaded a little and won't have the same problem and won't be as bitter tasting later in the season, although keeping the cucumbers from growing up and all over the other plants does take some effort.
>
> All of these heat related issues happen every summer when a heat wave hits, but generally hasn't happened this early in the summer. It always seems that the heat doesn't reduce immediate harvest, but rather you feel the effects of it two to three weeks down the line when those vegetables would have been coming ripe. We planted a little earlier this year (end of March) compared to other years (middle of April) because we saw that the threat of frost was gone/low. This is leading to earlier harvest than previous years. Hopefully the garden continues producing late into the the year like last year. Incredible how us and some neighbors had tomatoes, peppers, and beans all the way into the first week of December when the first frost hit, providing for fresh vegetables at Thanksgiving.
>
> We put down some free mulch in our garden this year after the plants had established themselves, but before the weeds popped up. The mulch has done wonders to increase soil moisture retention and has entirely eliminated weeds, which were problematic in previous years. However, the mulch has contributed to a huge increase in insects, particularly pill bugs (rolly pollies, sow bugs, or whatever you may call them), because of all of the moist interstitial spaces between and under the mulch pieces. The pill bugs mostly eat rotting or decaying material, but sometimes decide to chow down on something living, and there is hardly anything you can do to kill them besides chemicals, so I have just accepted their presence. We also already had two tobacco horn worms devour a pepper plant as well as some dill. We normally don't see them until much later in the summer, and they normally stick to the tomato plants.
>
> I got sick of watching the small green caterpillars devour our cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and brussel sprouts every year. Since these plants don't need to be pollinated like the other things in our garden, I built a giant "tent" made out of window screen and flexible water line piping to cover that section of the garden. This has worked wonders at keeping the pests out, and has provided some shading, allowing these "colder weather" plants to weather the heat. We continue to harvest broccoli, lettuce, and cabbage, and hope they continue into the summer.
>
> We plant in the ground and over the years have done our best to improve the soil with compost, leaf material, and lime. This past year I took some soil samples to the Agriculture Extension Unit and had them tested for free (it is on Reedy Creek Road kind of near the RBC center), and followed some of the steps they recommended. I am fortunate to have a friend with a tiller, making the initial gardening stages in the spring a little easier. Of course, clay and MILLIONS of small rocks dominate the soil in our area, and I have piles of golf ball size rocks removed from the garden area along my back fence. I try to "rotate" where I plant the different types of vegetables to prevent pest problems, but in the end there is only so much space, and you have to account for those plants that get tall and block light to others.
>
> We have run into some problems this year with our bell pepper plants. I planted some in the ground and some in pots with potting soil. Those in the pots are doing well, whereas those in the ground have curled leaves that wilt and fall off quickly. I wonder if it is something that is in the soil from previous years since other plants in the garden are not showing signs of problems and the ones in pots look fine. It seems like every year I have one type of plant that decides not to cooperate. Last year it was powdery mildew on some squash plants. Looks like this year it will be the pepper plants.
>
> Some neighbors have raised beds, and with the optimal soil they had delivered combined with their soaker hose irrigation, their plants are very robust and grow very fast every year. It is tempting every year to go for raised beds because of the multiple advantages, but when I think of the expense, I quickly shy away. Is there anybody who has switched to raised beds and seen a dramatic change in production and success? We have good success now, but as always, I could easily be convinced to take on a new project in the garden.
>
> By the way, excellent idea for a mailing list. I look forward to hearing the successes, as well as the trials and tribulations, of others and their gardens.
>
> Patrick Cooney
>
>
>
> Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2011 13:41:46 -0400
> From: kennethryanparker@gmail.com
> To: gardening@eastraleigh.org
> Subject: [Gardening] How's Your Garden?
>
> Now that we are into the dog days of early June(?), I was wondering how everyone's plants are holding up.
>
> I harvested my first cucumber (burpless) yesterday and quickly made it an addition to my salad.
> Bush beans are ready for picking.
> Tomatoes are surprisingly slow to produce but the basil is looking good.
> Cantaloupe vines with flowers are reaching out of the beds and I am probably going to have more than enough for ten families this summer. Will trade for yellow squash when they are ready.
> Sweet banana peppers are starting to show and Jalapeno are close behind.
>
> I am only watering every other day for 3-5 minutes from the sprinklers.
>
> Hope yours is hanging in the heat.
>
> Thanks.
> Ryan
> Drew St.
>
>
> _______________________________________________ Gardening mailing list Gardening@eastraleigh.org http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
> _______________________________________________
> Gardening mailing list
> Gardening@eastraleigh.org
> http://www.eastraleigh.org/mailman/listinfo/gardening
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