Calcium Spray to Prevent Tomato Blossom End Rot. 6.2.2021

 Since the tomatoes are blooming, I want to try calcium supplement to prevent blossom end tot.  That happens mainly with sauce tomatoes.  I really don't know if it helps.  Internet sites are all over the place on that, as is research on google scholar.  It seems like the bottom line is, they just don't know and have not really done the work - spray some and don't spray others, and see what happens, and report on it.   Some sites say, absolutely, use the calcium.  Others say it's useless.  The joke is on me since I didn't think of that until I sprayed them all.

The instructions say, spray in early am or evening, during periods of rapid growth.  Spray to point of run-off.  Apply every 5 to 7 days.  It's just calcium chloride so I don't think it will hurt anything.  For the rest of the sprays, I'll spray all but one of the hybrid Romas and also leave a nonhybrid Roma unsprayed to see if there is a difference.

Alstroemeria. 6.2.3021

 These are looking nice.  They seem to be a dwarf type.  I read that Alstroemeria can be invasive in warm climates.   These are in containers so probably ok there.

Germinating Home Saved Bean Seeds. 5.30.2012

 These are seeds from a bean cultivar that I've been saving for two decades.  Some times I miss a year and have to use an older batch.  I saved this batch in 2019.  These are a pole beN, making very large, meaty wide green beans.  Apparently they are traditional in Northeast China, Jilin Province.  I'm soaking them for a day before planting.  That seems to encourage germination.  I hope they grow.

Squash Update. 5.30.2021

 Most of the squashes are looking pretty good.  There are some leaf irregularities on some.  I wonder if that is slug damage, so put out slug bait.  The plants in one of the Galeux d'Eysines  hills seem to have yellowish, pale leaves.  I don't know why.  Too much rain last week?  The others look OK.

Top to bottom, Galeux, Pink Banana, Red Kuri, Fordham Zucchini. 

Garlic Scapes. 5.30.2021

 Most of the garlic is producing scapes now.  These are the "flower" heads.  I put "flower" in quotes because they don't actually bloom.  Instead, they make clusters of tiny bulbs instead of an actual flower.  I think these rob the bulb of some nutrition, and the cloves will be smaller as a result.  So I cut the scapes almost as soon as they appear.

These are actually quite tasty, stir fried.  I think they would also be good in a soup.  They need thorough cooking for best tenderness, then they are a bit like a bean in texture but with mild garlic flavor.