Took the bird feeders apart, cleaned/sanded them & then painted them. I'll reassemble them & do the pole/brackets tomorrow so I can check that line off my 'honey do' list.
Whatcha Up To???
- Thread starter Mike
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Rahab222
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- Planting Zone
- 9B
I've been picking my tomatoes early morning and late evening - in the cool of the day. This hopefully gives me a jump on the birds morning feeding (although they have finally discovered the tomatoes and are pecking away). Unfortunately, I found my first leaf hopper on a tomato in my main garden today. He was too fast for me to catch and definitely not slow like those in the nymph stage that I was pulling off a single tomato plant by the handful. Guess the heat and humidity is bringing them back, after a rather cool and rainy spring. I still have a lot of tomatoes on the vines, but I'm not sure how far into July they are going to make it. I cut off a bunch of yellowed leaves/branches from the heavy rains we've had, fertilized, etc., but the plants sort of look like they do in mid-July - rather withered with a continuance of yellowing leaves. I've had to water every other day since last Sunday due to the heat - just using my water wand to give everything a good drink. Do you think I need to start my drip hoses for a deeper drink/soak or are the plants still suffering from the excess rain? I need to take photos tomorrow to post, as my cucumber leaves also have something funky on them again. It's HOT, HOT, HOT with HUMIDITY in Houston. I think the rain is gone and we're in for a long...hot...dry...summer... Friends are killing me with pictures posted on Facebook from the rivers, but my trip to the Guadalupe won't come until September this year. Bleh! I think I just need some time to soak all the heat out of my body in the Guadalupe River.
S
Slowngreen
Guest
Did some weeding yesterday. Thats about it.
Cut the grass. Re-assemble the bird feeders after painting them. Start prepping the 'swim up bar' for refinishing... time to fill up our redneck swimming pool.
Mrs. Ranch harvested more green beans & some tomatoes.
Mrs. Ranch harvested more green beans & some tomatoes.
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ErnieCopp
Guest
I did not get into my garden today. Drove 240 mile round trip to my old dentist to get some work done. But Linda found enough raspberries for a small dish each after dinner. I did not expect, and will not have, many this year as i pruned and transplanted all the vines this Spring, but have been geting a handfull each day. Have high hopes for next year as i found one that was nearly an inch across. Never saw a raspberry that big before, anywhere.
So much better and so much more pleasnt to pick and prune than the BBs, I sure hope i can keep the Wilt out of them.
Rahab, Some yellow leaves are caused by old age, and they show their age, but if they look healthy, except for the color, it may be from too much water. The surface of my tomato box looks dry, but i use a moisture meter to make sure it is damp below the surface. My soil varies so much, I use my MM more than any other tool on the place. I put a long handle on it so i can reach the ground from my tractor/scooter, so i do a lot of moisture checking. I had yellow leaves from both reasons on my tomatoes this year, as one plant was located near two drip emitters, and was geting too much water. I took it out, and located its replacement near just one emitter.
Ernie
So much better and so much more pleasnt to pick and prune than the BBs, I sure hope i can keep the Wilt out of them.
Rahab, Some yellow leaves are caused by old age, and they show their age, but if they look healthy, except for the color, it may be from too much water. The surface of my tomato box looks dry, but i use a moisture meter to make sure it is damp below the surface. My soil varies so much, I use my MM more than any other tool on the place. I put a long handle on it so i can reach the ground from my tractor/scooter, so i do a lot of moisture checking. I had yellow leaves from both reasons on my tomatoes this year, as one plant was located near two drip emitters, and was geting too much water. I took it out, and located its replacement near just one emitter.
Ernie
Watered everything as it is dry as a bone. Temps in the 90s & windy again...
Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
The ground in Houston is so dry it's cracking. Hard to believe we just had 14 inches of rain in a week. All of that is gone, gone, gone... I've been watering my boxes every day and turning the soaker hoses in the larger areas on every other day. I did another Miracle Grow treatment today after wetting everything down. I had to put some bird netting up on my big beef tomatoes today because the Mockingbirds are getting 2 or 3 tomatoes for every one I'm able to save. I really hated to do this and the Mockingbirds were screeching at me from the fence as I stretched the netting out over the plants. Hopefully, they remember what happened last year and leave the tomatoes beneath the netting alone. I hate hanging or maiming those who get trapped in the netting. Tomorrow, I'm going to put some tulle up in other areas of the garden. I won't be able to cover them completely or the pollinators won't be able to get in. I also planted some okra today in the space where I pulled the 10/13 onions. I got the only packet of okra seeds left at Home Depot and I found it in a small pile with some other seed packets discarded beneath the main Burpee's seed display area. I guess everybody in Houston is planting okra. The Burpee's display was totally ransacked and many of the seed packet slots were empty. I can't remember, but I don't think Home Depot carries seeds in the fall as they use the space for more seasonal things. So I did purchase some other seeds for my cooler weather crops.
Watered everything again & worked on the 'swim up bar'. Finished painting the bird feeder station as well as their water trough.
Started designing canning labels that will be applied to the lids (don't want to muck up our jars). It easier to see what product is in the jars.
Started designing canning labels that will be applied to the lids (don't want to muck up our jars). It easier to see what product is in the jars.
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ErnieCopp
Guest
Suckered the tomatoes, watered picker boxes, spot sprayed a few aphids in the melon patch, started the heavy watering cycle on the lawn, but the best part was findeing a peach ripe enough to eat one side of it, and found three ripe mission figs. Birds had eaten part of two of them but left me half of each, and one entire fig, Very early and very sweet. main crop still small and very green.
A volunteer Nutmeg melon sprouted in a tree basis 60 feet from the melon patch and now has seven melons on it. Still getting a handful of raspberries about every day. Weather still too cool for tomatoes but found one. Plenty of green ones now, but ripening very slow.
Ernie
A volunteer Nutmeg melon sprouted in a tree basis 60 feet from the melon patch and now has seven melons on it. Still getting a handful of raspberries about every day. Weather still too cool for tomatoes but found one. Plenty of green ones now, but ripening very slow.
Ernie
Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
Picked a few tomatoes. Not many ready right now. Seems to be a pause. Went to WalMart to see if they had any more bird netting. Nope. Just like last year, they have cleared out about 90% of the garden center and now have a display of frost cloth where the bird netting was. Really? In June on the Texas Gulf Coast? Nobody buys frost cloth unless they are sure a freeze is coming through. I'll have to keep looking. I watered everything yesterday and they sprayed everything with Miracle Grow. It seems to have perked things up. What we really need is some rain to get the garden producing again. I'm doing rain dances in Houston.
First thing this morning, I put Mrs. Ranch's bird feeders & 'bird bath' back together as she was getting impatient. Then picked green beans for her to make amends for my being slow on this (that & it will give her something to do), LOL!!!
Picked another tub of tomatoes. Tomorrow I'll pick about 20 lbs of eggplant for a big batch of caponata (which I started today & will finish tomorrow).
Picked another tub of tomatoes. Tomorrow I'll pick about 20 lbs of eggplant for a big batch of caponata (which I started today & will finish tomorrow).
E
ErnieCopp
Guest
General clean up and small jobs. Helper was here, picked Green Beans and squash, moved a surplus tomato plant in a picker box out to garden, box and all, and put it under the drip lines, so i could build a trellis from PVC. Changed oil in tractor, Helper weedwhacked and pruned, etc, just small stuff that piles up.
Picked another handful of raspberries that i transplanted this spring. One plant out of about 20 is producing berries 50 to 100% bigger and better than other 19 plants. I am going to keep my eye on it, and if that holds true next year, i will propagate from this one plant and replace all of the current plants with descendents of this one. .
Maybe hit another home run, like i did when i discovered the Perfect Purple Flowering Crab. [Google it if interested in beautiful trees}.
Ernie
Picked another handful of raspberries that i transplanted this spring. One plant out of about 20 is producing berries 50 to 100% bigger and better than other 19 plants. I am going to keep my eye on it, and if that holds true next year, i will propagate from this one plant and replace all of the current plants with descendents of this one. .
Maybe hit another home run, like i did when i discovered the Perfect Purple Flowering Crab. [Google it if interested in beautiful trees}.
Ernie
- Thread starter
- #565
Pulled my first onion from the garden... I was disappointed. Those things have been getting very tall. In fact about every 2-3 weeks I trim the tops down a bit and the onion I pulled today was only about the size of a silver eagle. :\
Picked another tub of tomatoes & canned another 12 quarts of whole tomatoes (#7) from yesterday's tub. While the last batch was in the 'water bath', I picked some okra & 4 ears of corn. Then picked 20 lbs of eggplant to finished the caponata (I started yesterday, so all I have left to do is the eggplant). We will freeze tomorrow before vacuum packing it.
Mrs. Ranch vacuumed pack the green beans that I picked for her (she cleaned & froze them yesterday). Also vacuum packed the zucchini bread that she made yesterday.
Mrs. Ranch vacuumed pack the green beans that I picked for her (she cleaned & froze them yesterday). Also vacuum packed the zucchini bread that she made yesterday.
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ErnieCopp
Guest
Worked a couple of hours in the shop, organizing my tractor tool box, and took a couple of pictures of thhe volunteer Nutmeg melon close to the veranda. Seven melons on it, and a few blossoms, but foliage is getting dry, so not sure it has time to even ripen the last two of the seven.Ernie
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ErnieCopp
Guest
Forgot to resize this one so could not get it to load on post above. I lifted the vines yesterday while the Helper weedwhacked under it. Very few melon vines get that much attention. lol.
Ernie
My nutmegs are flowering (as are the other 3 varieties) but no lil' melons yet... I can see the growth of the vines daily though!!!
E
ErnieCopp
Guest
We had an early hot spell that got all of my melons started, but been very cool since, so my melons are way ahead of last year, but tomatoes are far behind. Nights have all been below sixty, and very few days have been up to eighte with a lot of days in low 70's. Much different than last year. Water melon are growing so fast i can see the difference from day to day. I think another big factor with the melons being so early was with the warm winter, our ground warmed up much earlier than normal, too.
First planting of Okra only produced a few plants but i replanted the skips and all are doing well now, but have not seen any blossoms yet.
On the other hand, I planted some Kohlrabi very late for it, and it is doing very well. So it seems to be liking the cool weather.
Ernie
First planting of Okra only produced a few plants but i replanted the skips and all are doing well now, but have not seen any blossoms yet.
On the other hand, I planted some Kohlrabi very late for it, and it is doing very well. So it seems to be liking the cool weather.
Ernie
Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
I picked several cucumbers today. Last year I didn't get any, so I'm hoping to have enough to make some pickle relish. I just got one tomato this evening. Apparently, my tomato plants threw a large, early harvest after the 14 inches of rain and are now producing a second generation for the season. Lots of green tomatoes again. Houston got a few sprinkles today, but nothing substantial. 60% change on Tues., 80% chance on Weds. and then 60% chance of rain on Thursday. This is what my garden really needs to kick itself back in gear.
I drove through Bastrop on Saturday and stopped at a roadside stand where I bought some Fredricksberg peaches. They are small, but really sweet. Mom has been wanting some spiced, canned peaches. I got (4) pints and (2) half pints out of the peaches I bought along the road. I found a recipe substituting honey for the sugar in the syrup, so I used that. I'm really having a hard time with so much sugar in everything I can, as I'm not a big sweets person. I've cut the sugar in half for everything. I'm hoping the honey syrup will work, as I also added cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg to the jars before filling with the sliced peaches and the honey syrup. One of the half pint jars didn't seal, so I put it in the icebox for Mom to test in a couple of days. Can you say honey is really expensive?
I drove through Bastrop on Saturday and stopped at a roadside stand where I bought some Fredricksberg peaches. They are small, but really sweet. Mom has been wanting some spiced, canned peaches. I got (4) pints and (2) half pints out of the peaches I bought along the road. I found a recipe substituting honey for the sugar in the syrup, so I used that. I'm really having a hard time with so much sugar in everything I can, as I'm not a big sweets person. I've cut the sugar in half for everything. I'm hoping the honey syrup will work, as I also added cinnamon sticks, cloves and nutmeg to the jars before filling with the sliced peaches and the honey syrup. One of the half pint jars didn't seal, so I put it in the icebox for Mom to test in a couple of days. Can you say honey is really expensive?
Cut the grass before the rain comes (actually finished the last 3 strips in a downpour)...
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ErnieCopp
Guest
Picked the first ripe Babcock peaches, My favorites but hard to buy ripe ones, as they just melt and turn to sugar when picked ripe,. Have a perfect load on the tree, We thinned about 80% earlier so now have a nice peach about every three or four inches. First time i have ever had to thin. Going to replace a couple more tomato vines that are not producing, Others are getting nice loads of green tomatoes, so may have ripe ones when summer comes.
Ernie
Ernie
Rahab222
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 354
- Planting Zone
- 9B
My section got 2 inches of rain today! It came in a thunderstorm that cut the electricity for three hours. Rain off the Gulf is supposed to continue through Friday, so I put out some containers to catch some rain. I really need to get some rain barrels, as I find myself out in the rain catching rain from the downspout and then dumping it into a larger container. I bought (4) 55-gallon, plastic trash cans for this last summer, but the water was coming out black; as in the plastic from the garbage cans was leeching into the water. Can't have that.
The afternoon cooled down to around 82 degrees at 3:00 p.m., so I went out to the garden and covered any roots on my plants that were showing. I also planted some more okra and did some weeding. I prepared another stretch of empty garden space where I harvested onions from earlier. I can't decide if I want to plant more okra or do another round of purple hull peas. From what I'm seeing on Texas A&M's Planting Chart for my area, these are about the only two seeds you can plant this time of year. Decisions, decisions.
I have great hopes that the rain will revive my garden for another nice round of tomatoes, so I can make some GTO sauce for the nephew who is requesting marinara. Just a few more cucumbers and I should be able to make some relish.
The afternoon cooled down to around 82 degrees at 3:00 p.m., so I went out to the garden and covered any roots on my plants that were showing. I also planted some more okra and did some weeding. I prepared another stretch of empty garden space where I harvested onions from earlier. I can't decide if I want to plant more okra or do another round of purple hull peas. From what I'm seeing on Texas A&M's Planting Chart for my area, these are about the only two seeds you can plant this time of year. Decisions, decisions.
I have great hopes that the rain will revive my garden for another nice round of tomatoes, so I can make some GTO sauce for the nephew who is requesting marinara. Just a few more cucumbers and I should be able to make some relish.
E
ErnieCopp
Guest
I gave up on my last Black Krim tomato plant and replaced it. I also have to keep my Zucchini plants heavily pruned to give it air circulation so i did that. I replaced the Black Krim with an Indigo ?????, tomato plant that i have not heard of. Purple with a red bottom when ripe. Has anyone grown this one?
Ernie
Ernie