tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post121772605399557022..comments2024-03-17T05:30:42.919-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Mid-August Update - Hilltop BedsMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-76165673650939425402015-08-21T13:33:10.045-04:002015-08-21T13:33:10.045-04:00Thanks Jennifer! This is my first time growing eg...Thanks Jennifer! This is my first time growing eggplant so I really had no idea what to expect, especially in terms of timing. What I didn't expect was getting some sort of disease...just have to roll with the punches, I guess. I hope your plants start to fruit up for you soon!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-56164193068424259952015-08-21T10:59:45.343-04:002015-08-21T10:59:45.343-04:00Your garden looks lovely! That is a lot of rain!!...Your garden looks lovely! That is a lot of rain!!! So sorry about your eggplant. I still don't have any eggplant fruit on my plants, but I'm having a particularly crummy year for gardening.Jenniferhttp://www.fernsadventures.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-70467955856093220962015-08-20T21:21:24.750-04:002015-08-20T21:21:24.750-04:00The peppers are definitely coming along & I...The peppers are definitely coming along & I'm starting to see a bit more red, which is so exciting. Now I just have to go back in my notes and figure out what to do with each of the varieties!<br /><br />When it comes to squash, I'm grateful for any that I get, that's for sure! There's something special about finding female squash blossoms, especially on the winter squash - and here I thought it was just me and my squash deprived garden ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-89145850737647097652015-08-20T12:36:38.821-04:002015-08-20T12:36:38.821-04:00Those pepper plants are looking good, with lots of...Those pepper plants are looking good, with lots of peppers! And I'm with Michelle, you seem to have caught the pepper bug. I had to laugh when I read your last line - one is indeed better than none! And I'm out checking for female blooms on my winter squash almost every day. I do the happy dance when I see one too!Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-73161251572208693902015-08-20T06:11:40.410-04:002015-08-20T06:11:40.410-04:00Hee hee...it has come in handy. What's funny ...Hee hee...it has come in handy. What's funny is that a rain gauge was on my shopping list for about a month before the Fling (after I planted my new trees) but I just never got around to getting one. And I'm glad to hear that your potager is having a great season too!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-15588967505027972222015-08-19T19:35:47.643-04:002015-08-19T19:35:47.643-04:00Nice rain gauge: It looks so familiar. ;-) You hav...Nice rain gauge: It looks so familiar. ;-) You have quite the harvest going there! It looks like it's a great growing season in your area. Here, too. Yay!Beth at PlantPostingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473637655960119672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-4494823458155150052015-08-19T09:08:00.088-04:002015-08-19T09:08:00.088-04:00Very true Jenny. I'll be trying the bales aga...Very true Jenny. I'll be trying the bales again next year though - there is such a great opportunity to grow space hogs like pumpkins, etc., out of the proper veg garden & onto unused grassy areas that I don't want to give up on them quite yet.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-22528597182166447742015-08-19T09:03:45.791-04:002015-08-19T09:03:45.791-04:00That's what I enjoy about vegetable gardening ...That's what I enjoy about vegetable gardening as well - most veg are a one year (or less) commitment and if you don't like them or they don't do well, there is another variety or technique to try the following year. I hope you see some babies in your squash patch - finding them and watching them grow is quite thrilling!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-13658544753845418092015-08-19T08:59:34.120-04:002015-08-19T08:59:34.120-04:00We have had an unusual stretch of hot weather this...We have had an unusual stretch of hot weather this year (and I know you guys have been cooler than usual), so that likely accounts for things. Normally we do get hot, but only for about a month - this year, the heat has extended from June into August - we are still getting humidex readings in the 30's(C) for several days at a time and that's very unusual for mid-August.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-82387320926137165782015-08-19T08:56:46.980-04:002015-08-19T08:56:46.980-04:00Looks really great, especially those peppers. You&...Looks really great, especially those peppers. You'll have a great harvest soon. Too bad about straw bale, but even one squash is better than none for winter.Jenny Rottingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559432369642740389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-74171315970422796292015-08-19T07:45:52.601-04:002015-08-19T07:45:52.601-04:00You win some, you lose some, every year, that'...You win some, you lose some, every year, that's why it's good to grow different varieties of the same thing. If one doesn't work out as you'd hoped, the other just might. I've grown butternut squash for the first time this year but I haven't checked if there's any fruit developing, I need to look when I'm next at the allotment.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-47650284607670835532015-08-19T04:20:14.538-04:002015-08-19T04:20:14.538-04:00That is a lot of rain, We grow our aubergines/egg ...That is a lot of rain, We grow our aubergines/egg plants and peppers in the greenhouse and your peppers are still further on than ours.Sue Garretthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164518448098182276noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-76785174032539267952015-08-18T22:22:18.730-04:002015-08-18T22:22:18.730-04:00Thanks Michelle - all it took was growing those Hu...Thanks Michelle - all it took was growing those Hungarian Wax peppers last year and I was hooked!<br /><br />I will definitely not be composting the eggplants - that's a great point about digging out the roots. I'm generally not too concerned about pulling them all up when I get rid of a plant, but I'll have to be extra diligent with these guys. I haven't been able to find Actinovate here, but there is one supplier in Washington state that may ship to Canada - I'll have to give them a call to see how much shipping is as the only other source I found was on Amazon, but they were charging a whopping $100 for a 2 oz bag...yikes.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-81548874023722574382015-08-18T22:12:34.669-04:002015-08-18T22:12:34.669-04:00So long as the chamomile is easy to pull up where ...So long as the chamomile is easy to pull up where I don't want it, I'll be ok with that....I think ;)<br /><br />I'm quite surprised at how quickly the squash size up once they are pollinated. Those babies are one of the first things I check in the morning and their rapid growth never fails to amaze me. I remember you commenting on how late your squash set last year and you still brought in a bumper crop, so I'm hopeful that this will happen this time round too, although no female blossoms in mid-August is a bit worrying. Hopefully that particular variety will surprise you.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-40547653693173035972015-08-18T22:06:12.644-04:002015-08-18T22:06:12.644-04:00The asparagus has been so interesting, especially ...The asparagus has been so interesting, especially as there is surprisingly little information out there about growing it from seed. Many of the things I did were "best guess", which is also why I wanted to document it - it will either be a great way of showing what to do or what NOT to do!<br /><br />Ohhhh, I am so looking forward to diggin' up those taters - I don't know what it is but I always feel like I should speak about them with a southern accent. And have a wonderful week too, Sue....I'm sending tomato ripening thoughts your way ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-29549587148109032822015-08-18T21:59:15.940-04:002015-08-18T21:59:15.940-04:00I'm not having the best of luck with the bales...I'm not having the best of luck with the bales, but I didn't exactly follow the proper "conditioning" method (or any method, for that matter) in the spring, so I'm going to reserve my final judgment for next year when I do it properly. Maybe you'll join me in this straw bale (re)experiment ;)Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-22599562409063542032015-08-18T21:55:27.500-04:002015-08-18T21:55:27.500-04:00I did stop watering a couple of weeks ago, but mot...I did stop watering a couple of weeks ago, but mother nature didn't get the message ;) Like you, I do want to leave them in the ground for a couple of weeks so that they store better, but I'm getting worried that all this rain will rot them. I'm thinking that if we get another big storm, I'll dig them all up...just in case.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-42014314255908847502015-08-18T17:58:53.513-04:002015-08-18T17:58:53.513-04:00Oh no, I hope it isn't Verticillium in your eg...Oh no, I hope it isn't Verticillium in your eggplant. If you think it truly is, when you remove the plants don't put them in the compost. Pull the roots out of the soil and toss them in the garbage along with the rest of the plants. The Actinovate has really slowed the wilt in my plants and there's even new flowers, so if you can find some it really might be worth trying it. I also gave my plants a boost inoculation of beneficial mycorrhizae and bacteria on the theory that the good microbes will compete with the bad ones. <br /><br />I think you are officially a pepper junkie now, welcome to the club! Your peppers are looking great.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-18687144092767028562015-08-18T16:51:31.605-04:002015-08-18T16:51:31.605-04:00I wish we would get 3" of rain. We really nee...I wish we would get 3" of rain. We really need it. We are just too dry. And yes I did warn you. lol That chamomile will be all over next year. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. I'm glad your squash is setting. Mine is too. I always worry that it will be too late. I'm worried this year too with one of the varieties. I haven't seen any female blossoms yet on it. Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-61480909919260260992015-08-18T15:54:57.748-04:002015-08-18T15:54:57.748-04:00Sorry to hear about the wilt on your eggplant
And ...Sorry to hear about the wilt on your eggplant<br />And your asparagus looks so healthy. I really want to try growing that next year.<br />And I'm about ready to dig my Yukons as well. Here's hoping we both have great crops on those. I have noticed that some years----meh, the harvest is poor. But it's like Christmas--we won't know until we dig em up!<br />Have a good week, MargaretSuehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10122524042294993949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-45783649213144557302015-08-18T14:40:05.586-04:002015-08-18T14:40:05.586-04:00I guess the forecasters are the same every where. ...I guess the forecasters are the same every where. We always seem to get rain after I've watered too but when we are so dry at least my watering helps the soil absorb the rain we get and not just run off. Your peppers look fabulous! I've never tried straw bales before but am very tempted. Maybe next year...Karin / Southern Meadowshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06514989784715204223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-50783477396259325992015-08-18T14:25:24.531-04:002015-08-18T14:25:24.531-04:00Looking really good up there Margaret. Wish you...Looking really good up there Margaret. Wish you'd send some of that rain my way. I would say it is time to clip your potato foliage down to the ground and stop watering. I did this last weekend, and expect to dig up the potatoes around the end of the month. Worked out well last year anyway.Eight Gate Farm NHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15877942009419912353noreply@blogger.com