Garden Progress

[wtxbadger]

Our blackeye peas have done fair and have several quart bags in the freezer. Replanted yellow squash and picking enough to cook for supper but not enough to put back for winter. Butternut squash is doing good enough that the boss lady will have some this winter. Haven't had much luck with our second planting of tomatoes, picked enough to have a salad a time or two but that's it. Bell peppers have done fairly well and have had plenty to eat on and freeze.

It's been a different year gardening for sure. I think one of the big problems here in the Texas Hill country was the big freeze in February. Haven't seen near enough bees or yellow jackets or bumble bees this year to help pollinate or eat the aphids on our plants. Fingers crossed we don't have another bad freeze.

[Buckskin]

We haven't yet come close to a freeze, which is unusual for this time of year.  Been battling the tomato worms or hornworms the last couple weeks though.  Hadn't checked on my potted orange ghost plant in a few days and  it was chewed up bad, found 7 of the buggers on it.  Obviously they can handle capsaicin because about 30 peppers had bites out of them or gone. 

Wish I knew someone with a lizard, because I could have kept him fed for months.  I'm sure I picked 50 of those things off my peppers and tomatoes this season.  At this point it doesn't matter much, but I don't want to let them go and help create off spring next season.

[Ranger99]

Some toads would probably help
you considerably
I had some here a while back and
they took good care of the tomato
and pepper plants
I wish I knew how to make them
feel at home

[Bob Riebe]

Best way to check on-line how/where toads in your area live, and then give them a place to survive and haul some in.

I have them here, amazingly find them often on the boulevard which is far from shady but they seem to find the sandy soil on the boulevard hill to their liking as when I pull dandelions I will quite often end up disturbing one.

I do not know how far they range but on top of the Boulevard hill is a hosta bed which I would bet they over winter in; one spring when turning the garden over with a shovel , I broke loose a large clump of soil and found a large toad in the middle of it, I put him back and covered him with loose soil.

[Buckskin]

Well unless I cage them in, there is no way they would stay in garden...  A frog, much less a toad couldn't hop up on the potted plants either.  The worms are generally on the tops of the plants.

[Bob Riebe]

Both gardens are history now; I may turn one over by hand, as I do some years.
I buried a lot of garden debris up North but the South garden is one that benefits from being turned over by hand as it is hard black gumbo and roto-till easier in spring it turned over by hand in the fall.
With the recent rain it would turn over in clumps which is best.

Now I do have two rose gardens to trim and cover so I will be bagging a lot of leaves.

[Bob Riebe]

Both gardens are history now; I may turn one over by hand, as I do some years.
I buried a lot of garden debris up North but the South garden is one that benefits from being turned over by hand as it is hard black gumbo and roto-till easier in spring it turned over by hand in the fall.
With the recent rain it would turn over in clumps which is best.

Now I do have two rose gardens to trim and cover so I will be bagging a lot of leaves.

What a difference on year makes, last year gardens lasted in first week in November, this year frozen over in third week of October.
Both gardens are history, South garden which I finished last week is dry down to the depth of two sand shovels, digging potatoe was hard.

I have a LOT of green tomatoes I wrapped in newspaper and put in the basement and a few in the window.
All that is left to do is cut down flowers up North and dig out and shock the last patch of corn.   ( Oh yes the Roses still have to be cut and covered. ) 

[Bob Riebe]

I got my roses up North buried and covered with leaves; did not have to bag any leaves up here as other yards had their bagged leaves sitting out and were glad they did not have haul them to the compost site.
I had about 30 some bags and put a dozen to cover the roses up North; you are supposed to wait till it is low twenties and ground has frozen to cover roses but I did it when temps. were in the low thirties and as I buried them do not enjoy break-up frozen ground.

Twenty years ago, I bought a cluster of roses for fall planting and it hit low twenties hard and early so I had to break through the frozen ground to plant them. Of coure a week later temps. were in the sixties. Damned if you do and damned if you do not.

Heading down to the South garden tomorrow to bury and cover the roses down there; I am hauling a trailer load of leaf bags with me.
The ones I do not use I put on the North side of the house and use to cover my potatoes in spring.

[Ranger99]

Starting to get a good many tomatoes
and peppers now, but not enough to
put up. At least I have enough fresh
for a while.
Maybe the killing frost will hold off
for a while