Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Tuesday in the garden

It was another nice morning in the garden. The corn wasn't too dry, but I went ahead and gave it a little water. I'm a little concerned about my potatoes. They're kinda withering up, but the potatoes are barely even golf ball sized. As the plant tops have withered and died, I generally dig up the potatoes. Today I saw a withered one, and when I dug up the potato it was half rotten. Is there anything that smells worse than a rotten potato??? I have seriously thought about digging them all up even though they are teeny weeny. Better teeny than dead. Is it too hot for them?

I picked my dried sugar snap peas. Not sure how well they'll do as this is my first attempt at seed saving. Guess we'll find out in the spring. Or can sugar snaps be planted in the fall garden?

I tried my best to extricate the skeletal remains of my sugar snap pea vines from the American Edisto melon that's growing on them. I think it worked out okay. AND as I was tugging and pulling I noticed that there is a FEMALE melon flower on the vine. It's not open, but I'll keep an eye on it, and hand pollinate that sucker as soon as I can. As I continued to clean out the trellis I saw another female flower that was withered. I hope she got pollinated. I saw a bee briefly light on the melon vine, so I'm hopeful.

A female bloom - I think. See how it's grabbed on to the old pea vine

A spent female bloom. I sure hope she got pollinated!
Before removing the sugar snap pea vine

After removing the old vine the trellis looks a little better now. Please disregard the Tupperware

I did not follow Mel's advice re: 1 melon per 2 squares. I just couldn't pull up that precious little melon plant. On the plus side I had an empty square beside one of the melon plants, and the sugar snaps are now gone, so I'm trying to train the melon over to the right hand side of the trellis (see picture above) hopefully so I can give the other melon more room to grow. So far it's going okay, I guess. The melon vine between the tomatoes and the other melon vine isn't growing quite as fast as the outside vine, and that may be due to overcrowding. I may regret my decision not to thin before this season is over.

Still no silks on the corn. I'm feeling pretty pessimistic about the whole corn situation. What did I do wrong? No silks on 5 different types of corn??? sheesh

My other eggplant has decided to bloom - 3 blossom on that plant. It's been more of a scraggler than my other eggplant. Maybe it'll perk up and be okay.

3 blooms on the smaller eggplant

My watermelon is doing better. It apparently likes these warmer temps. It even has a bloom about to emerge. I'm not sure if it's getting enough sun. The tomato plant tower over it and probably cast quite a shadow on it.
Sugar baby water melon. Man that quick pick in the background looks yummy!

My Fooled You jalapeno continues to do well and produce blooms and fruit. Not sure how the Horn Worm ravaged plant will do. It is growing new leaves, so I guess it'll be a while before it's ready to put off new blooms.


And my blackeyed peas are still blooming and producing peas. No blooms on the sugar cream peas yet. Hopefully they'll come along when the blackeyed peas are finishing up.

A lovely blackeyed pea blossom

I think I could retire and play in the garden. Only about 30 years to go....

3 comments:

  1. OK what do you mean by thinning your garden? Are you talking about cutting back on the tomato leaves or cutting the watermelon back? I haven't heard about cutting the watermelon back. I want to do all I can to get watermelons and cantelopes too. If that means that they grow better with less blooms, then I am all for it. I have just heard about it with strawberries and berry bushes.

    I am with ya on retiring. That would be awesome to just worry about the garden. 30 years for me too. That or a rich husband. Anyone volunteering???

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  2. "Or can sugar snaps be planted in the fall garden?"

    YES!

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  3. My nieces will be delighted to know sugar snaps are a fall crop, Granny. They grazed on a great deal of my peas, and I don't think their dad has been able to bring any peas in for cooking.

    Jen, I meant I probably should have thinned the Am Edisto melons down to one plant per two squares per Mel's suggestion. Or I should have at least left 1 square in between them. I'm also regretting only putting my trellises at 5 feet. I'm beginning to think I should have done 7 feet, but I'm learning as I'm growing. Next year I'll know it all, right? :)

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