Late season tomatoes

Andrew's Reclaimed - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

There's a reason that i've never really grown tomatoes past the month of August - it's because many of the ripe fruit look just awful, because of disease. Like the one in the picture below, for instance. Who in their right mind would want to put some of that on a sandwich?

Photo below - Still, each tomato in the garden is allowed to reach "blush" stage, then is brought into the house to ripen. I guess about 25% of them end up in the trash, but the others actually look really good!

Photo below - here's a nice Neves Azorean Red that appears to be pretty much disease-free. I'll most likely grow this one again next year, just for it's sheer size. However, the taste isn't anything to write home about....

Photo below - this is a brandywine that is growing on the late season sucker that was rooted earlier. It's a really nice size, and should end up being a good quality tomato later. Brandywine is something that everyone should try at least once, because they're really good.....

Lastly, I wanted to show you some of my okra that is being allowed to go to seed. This variety is Clemson Spineless, and I also have burgundy to share seed from later - if anyone wants any. EG will be sharing lots of seed this winter - especially tomatoes!

In other news, The weather on Sunday was just perfect for working outside, and you can bet that I took full advantage of it. The finished compost piles were consolidated to make one humongus pile that can be covered with plastic sheeting throughout the winter. I guess it's at least 5 feet tall at the peak....

I also finished another small building project that was on the list - but it wasn't the squirrel trap. Oh, I worked on it too, but still haven't got the trigger mechanism finished. I'll eventually get it...

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

September 25th, broccoli is in place

Naturallycomfy - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

The month-long absence of any rain has sure made things dry and crispy around here, and a simple job of mowing the lawn causes most people around here to wear a dust mask - due to the dust flying around. However, this morning brought with it a long, soaking rain finally - the kind that's really good for plants and trees. It sure is welcomed....

Everything that was growing in swc's has been removed now, and the only tomatoes left are the ones growing in the main raised bed. Oh, and they're still setting fruit like crazy, too!
Anyway, I wanted to show you some of the newest things in the garden right now - as i've certainly been pretty busy.

Photo below - here's the rhubarb growing in the really large homemade container that is filled with homemade compost. It's still hanging in there, but i've really had to water the thing over the past 2 weeks. I really hope that it makes it through the winter, because we should be able to harvest some stalks next spring.

Photo below - here's some lettuce that is being kept on the worktable out back. A daily watering was necessary last week, because the searing heat dried the seed-starting mix out, if not done so. They really need to be thinned out soon, then potted up into something bigger.

Photo below - Here's nine 4-gallon swp's with "premium crop" broccoli planted in them. Since the broccoli started from seed a while back is still really tiny, I resorted to purchasing transplants. Nine plants @ $2.98 is really cheap, though. This cultivar of broccoli is advertised to produce heads between 10-12" in diameter.

Photo below - here's one of the transplants in its' swp that uses the lid as mulch. About half of the swp's are covered - the others not. It's just a little experiment I wanted to try during the cooler months, to see if mulch is actually necessary during cool weather conditions...

Photo below - after planting any swc's/swp's, the soil moisture level is measured the following day - to see if any capillary action is taking place. For the record, I usually don't wet my growing medium as the swp is being filled - just fill the water reservoir afterward, then the allow the capillary action to do it for me. This is usually accomplished in less than 24 hours (contrary to what one "expert" says). Anyway, this reading of 7 was measured about 8" down into the mix, and is right on target for broccoli....

In other news, there's still okra, green beans, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes growing from the spring planting. I'm harvesting a gallon bucket of green beans once per week, and the tomatoes are slowly being harvested, too. The okra is being left to go to seed, so if anyone wants any later - just let me know. The remaining sweet potatoes will be harvested on October 2nd, and of course i'll video it, too. Maybe I can get Jude to behave this time. Hehe...I seriously doubt it......
Oh, progress is being made on the live squirrel trap too, and I hope to have it ready in a couple of weeks. Surprisingly, the trigger mechanism has been really difficult to design, and probably the most challenging obstacle i've been faced with in a long time on a project. I sure hope it works! Heh.

Well, that's about it for now,

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

The first of two sweet potato harvests for 2010

Sue and ryea - welcome, and thanks for following the blog!

Since the sweet potatoes in 2 of the containers were getting too big, I decided to go ahead and harvest them a week earlier than scheduled. A potato the size of a football wouldn't be a good thing - can you imagine trying to bake one that size? Anyway, here's a video of the first harvest as promised.

The homemade 50 cent stick welder

Lirpa and Tripper - welcome, and thanks for following the blog!

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Garden related news

Since the stinkbugs have completely gotten out of control in the garden, I resorted to a little "shock and awe" campaign by using some Spectracide mixed at double strength. I really hated to do it, but nothing left in the garden requires pollination from bees - so at least I know they won't be harmed. Anyway, there wasn't an insect to be seen the following day, as was expected. Sevin doesn't even compare to this stuff....

The green beans have really kicked into high gear now, and a gallon was picked the other day. Yeehaw! The okra are being allowed to go to seed, and any new blooms that form are being pinched off.
Also, most of the soil that was in swc's has been put into storage for the winter, and my back is sure glad of it! I wear a brace while doing any lifting, due to the chronic back problem and all.

Fall seedlings of lettuce, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower are still doing well, and will be exposed to more sunlight from here on out. The little greenhouse and coldframes will be put into place very soon, but not until a few weeks still.
Although some summer veggies are still growing pretty good, all focus has been put onto the upcoming composting cycle, the winter planting, and also the various projects lined up. Speaking of projects, I've got one finished already......Yeah, I work pretty quick.

Now for the unveiling of the welder

A link has been placed on the right side of this page that will lead you to the post about the homemade welder, or you can click HERE, and it will take you to the page, too. I hope you enjoy it!

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

For anyone that enjoys my building projects....

You're in for a treat!

*For anyone not familiar with my construction/building projects, I feel that you should know something - I build things, lots of things.....Some are kinda crazy, but work most of the time. Ha! Quite honestly, I probably get more enjoyment out of "tinkering" with stuff than the garden itself. Oh, it's true! There's nothing like taking some useless item laying around, then converting it into something that will somehow enrich our lives on the property (most of which are gardening related), but I always try to add a few signature twists to each to make them more interesting.

Anyway, now that things are cooling down a bit, you can bet that there's plans for all kinds of projects to take place over the next few months. The colder, the better - because I can always remove layers of clothing if I start sweating too bad. Yeah...i'll be outside when it's 15 degrees and loving every minute of it. Hehe...So, here's the list of things that will be accomplished throughout the cold months:

1. The 4ft x 4ft greenhouse will be completed, and put into action sometime around the end of October. I'm pretty sure of the control scheme i'll use to automatically ventilate it on sunny days, of which will consist of a couple of wheelchair batteries, a small power supply, 1 or 2 miniature motors out of a printer for a computer, some type of thermostat, and maybe a small cooling fan from an old computer. Yeah, it'll be pretty weird....the greenhouse itself will be utilized to overwinter the japanese maple trees growing in pots, and possibly some cole crops as well. It's according to what all can be put in it, I guess.

2. An access ramp for my parents' electric wheelchair will be constructed on the front of their house - which will require alot of hard work, but will allow them to enjoy the outdoors even though their legs want no part of it.

3. I've still got to build a new load bearing wall for their carport, and will of course use my 12 ton jack to lift the entire section of roof while the studs are put into place. This will be a piece of cake.....

4. Since there's an occasional need for a stick welder around here, i'm gonna build one from scratch. I'll take a couple of high voltage transformers from some microwave ovens that have been placed next to the street for garbage pickup, rewire the secondary winding of each, mount them in a plastic case that an old skilsaw came in, and add some cooling fans to the case that will keep the transformers from overheating due to the excessive current draw while welding. It'll be compact, easy to carry, and allow me to perform some lightweight welding from time to time. A homemade welding helmet will be constructed from a cardboard box too, which should be pretty funny looking when finished. Hehe...

5. Of course the coldframes will be put into action too, and I may just have to create an automatic opener for the second one. However, a cordless drill won't be used for the opener this time. Hehe....yeah, there's a different power tool intended for this one. It's gonna be pretty sick......

6. I'll be adding more landscaping timbers to the 4x8 box so that the finished depth will be 15". Also, at least 1 more 4x8 box will be constructed underneath the 24 ft. long trellis at the end of the property - at a finished depth of 15" also. This whole area will become the "happy melon" location in next year's garden, especially since the trellises are already there.

7. If time permits, i'll construct some removable (but sturdy) trellis extensions for the main raised bed. Trying to facilitate the endless growth of the tomatoes this year got pretty interesting, and i'll be more prepared next time around.

8. Lastly, the squirrel trap will be finished. The frame is already built, but I haven't settled on a door/trigger mechanism yet. Sure, a copy could be made from the various designs on the internet - but mine has to be unique. I know....kinda silly, but I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I copied someone else's design....

9. A trebuchet? (modified catapult) - it's possible, but only if I get bored. The other things are way more important right now.

Well, that's the list of things to be done around here over the next several months, and I hope you enjoy them.

Take care, and happy building!

EG

Removing several plants

Sophie and Vanessa - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

I feel the need to explain my absence from blogging for the past 2 weeks - which was due to work being extraordinarily hectic, unrelenting allergy problems, and also a need for some time to just relax....I'm sure you understand.

Anyway, the garden is on its last legs now, and several things have been removed for the year. Just 2 weeks ago, this 4x9 box in the picture below was full of foliage, and showed promise of new butternut squash forming. However, now it's just a box of plant death - except for the biggest squash that is already mature.

Photo below - the clock ran out on the little watermelons growing in the 18 gallon swc, because the vines shriveled up and died. Since the cherokee purple tomatoes weren't doing much either - they were removed as well. Even though nothing will be planted in this area until next spring, I really like to get things cleaned up pretty quick. All plant foliage is transported to a spot in the woods, then is sprayed very well with Spectracide mixed at double strength. This will hopefully help keep the bugs down next year. Anyway, only melons will be grown in this location next season, which should be quite interesting.

Photo below - These 2 swc's were emptied too, and the soil was put into storage for the winter. This little makeshift trellis will be disassembled for storage in a few days, and I have to say that it performed rather nicely for the cucumbers grown on it.

Photo below - The 4x8 box was cleaned up really good , and will receive some modifications during the off season. More on that in a later post....Oh! see those pieces of cloth on the corner? That's how many ties were used to keep the cherokee purple tomato plants against the trellis throughout the year. It was alot!

Photo below - now that temperatures have cooled a bit, the green beans have started producing like crazy again. It's quite welcomed - because production earlier in the season wasn't that impressive....

Lastly, here's the sweet potatoes growing in containers. Since harvest was coming up soon, I went ahead and removed at least 1/3 of the foliage. It was really getting out of hand, and caused all kinds of problems while mowing the yard. Grasshoppers are really doing some damage to the leaves, but isn't a concern at this stage of the grow cycle. As stated earlier, the first 2 containers will be harvested on the 25th of this month, with video included. The remaining 2 will likely be harvested the following weekend.....

Other things are doing well in the garden too - especially the okra and some of the tomato plants. Even though I don't have any harvest pictures, a handful of tomatoes are gathered each day. Grapes are still coming in, and I guess at least 10 gallons have been picked so far. Jelly was made with some the other day, and although it didn't gel as well as I wanted - it tastes excellent.
All of the cool season plantings have germinated now, and will be moved out into swp's in a few weeks. I plan on growing things all winter-long in the 4x4 greenhouse and also the coldframes, in hopes of having a few things to "tinker" with during the slow months. Maybe it'll perform "ok", but i'm not expecting much.

Anyway, that's about it for now.

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

The garden that keeps on giving

sl9w4 - welcome, and thanks for following my little ol' blog!

Man...this garden just keeps on producing new fruit. I'm pretty sure this is the latest time of year that tomatoes and cucumbers have been grown in my garden, and I really don't see an end in sight yet. As the browning of the plant leaves continues to move upward, the new growth emerging from the top looks fantastic still. I'll just let them continue to grow, I guess - because I really don't have any plans for the space in the fall, anyway. So, here's a few photos of tomatoes awaiting to ripen in the garden....

Photos below - the cucumbers growing in 3 gallon pots by the swp's continue to do well, and I couldn't begin to tell you how many have been harvested from this location. They've done surprisingly well...

However, powdery mildew is in abundance, and will probably take its toll on the plants over the next couple of weeks. That's ok, i've been giving them away for the last month or so, anyway....

The 4 gallon swp's in this area really need to be emptied, cleaned, and prepped for the upcoming fall crop of broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce, but I just hate to rip out plants that are still producing. Speaking of fall veggies, the cauliflower and broccoli started from seed a while back didn't make it. The temperature outside was just too hot for them, and they withered away to nothing. Now that cooler temps have arrived, i've planted them again, and hopefully they'll do better this time around.

The 4ft x 4ft greenhouse will be put into action for the first time once freezing weather arrives, and will allow me to overwinter all kinds of stuff. Shoot....I may even put some carrots in there just for the fun of it. For the record, i've never had luck growing carrots...Anyway, the automatic temperature control system for it has yet to be finished, and it seems that i'm still in the design stage. As usual, several design options come to mind, and it's just not easy deciding which one to use. I'm sure something will rise above the others very soon, because i'm not called "the mad scientist gardener" for nothing.....heh.

Lastly, i'll be juicing about 5 gallons of grapes tomorrow - which will be used for making grape jelly later, of course. There should be enough for around 25-30 pints, I guess, but i'll likely only make 12 or so. It will also be a day filled with college football! Yeehaw!

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

Putting #1 compost bin into action again

Since the tomato plants growing in the pile of leaves have been removed, it was finally time to add the remaining leaves to the compost bin that was started at the beginning of the summer. That particular pile is about 1/2 finished already, and is certainly teaming with microbes - of course.
Anyway, I wanted to show you how I deal with the bags of grass clippings that are acquired from the rich neighborhood by my place of work. I remove them from the bag, then spread them out into a 2" layer in the bottom of any empty bins - as well as on top of the bin(s) currently being utilized so they can completely dry out. This usually takes about a week, and is usually ready for the pile unless wet from rainfall, of course.

Photo below - what once was a pretty big pile of leaves with 3 tomato plants growing in it, is now a place for bagged leaves to be kept. I'll likely try to collect at least 100 bags of leaves this fall, and consistently add them to the empty bins throughout the next year. As they slowly decompose on their own, more will be added. A few sources of nitrogen will be added along the way too, but not until at least 3 months or so have gone by. This will allow the ingredients to settle pretty good, so that biomass compression is optimal when nitrogen sources are introduced. (The bagged leaves most likely won't be shredded when collected.)

Photo below - after the grass clippings had finished drying, bin #1 was then layered and watered generously to get things cooking again. With 50 cubic feet of ingredients in it now, it will most likely be reduced to around 17 cubic feet when completely finished. The temperature of the core registered 151 degrees only 3 days later, and now it will be left to work for about 4 weeks. At that time, more grass clippings will be added, and the pile turned/watered again. Once the ingredients have broken down in size, UCG's will then be added. For the record, I never add UCG's to a newly built pile. Reason? I don't want them to just fall through the crevices between the leaves, and down to the bottom of the pile......

Finally, I wanted to show you a daily ritual between Jude and my 76 year-old father. He usually sits on the planter bench each evening and tries to get the frisbee away from her with his walking cane. It's also our time to share opinions about life, politics, college football, and current world events. Oh yeah - we discuss the garden a little bit, too, but football is usually the dominant subject. He's an Alabama fan (blech!), and i'm an Auburn fan (yay!), so it gets pretty interesting at times....Of course when my BIL Michael is over, things get even more interesting! (Tennessee fan.) Yeah...the gloves are off then....

Even though the upcoming composting cycle will be quite a relaxing one, I can't help but anticipate the arrival of the fall leaf-drop. The initial building of each pile is probably my favorite time, because once completely filled - a person can just stand back and look at the immense piles of ingredients. Then of course, the probing for core temperature measurement begins. Ah...composting is fun stuff! Especially when you make 300 cubic feet of it. Hehe....yeah, I want to make enough to last for at least 10 years...

In gardening news, a few of the plants have been removed already - mainly the cucumbers growing in the 34 gallon swc, and also the watermelon vines growing in the main raised bed. Tomatoes, other cucumbers located on the property, okra, and the watermelons growing in the 18 gallon swc continue to produce pretty well, and will be left to do their thing for as long as they can. The main thing right now is the sweet potatoes, and the first 2 containers will be harvested on September 25th. Oh, you'll see the video of it....

Take care, and happy composting!

EG