I've been harvesting collar greens for a couple of weeks. Nicest plants that I have grown.
Started digging potatoes last week. Had some hash browns and likely potato salad tomorrow. Red Norland and Yukon Gold plants are turning brown, and getting some nice potatoes.
Some of the slicer onions are bending over. I've dug some of those for use fairly quickly. Tasty in all colors, red, white, yellow.
The absolute largest of the onions are the Ailsa Craig, that I started from seeds. Those are huge, but not falling over yet.
Based on my results this year, planting as early as possible is giving the largest onions, but even the later ones are sizing up. Just not as huge. Seedlings started indoors are as big or bigger than those started from sets or plants bought at the nursery.
Nice time of year in the kitchen garden.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Persimmon Progress. 7.10.17
Developing Yates American Persimmon. 7.10.17 |
Developing Nikita's Gift Hybrid Asian:American Persimmon. 7.10.17 |
Nikita's Gift and Saijo have a couple of dozen fruits each, fine for 5 year old trees.
Developing Saijo Persimmons. 7.10 17 |
I'm excited to see persimmons forming. I'm trying to decide if some need thinning, due to several fruits on the same twigs. They might do better if they are further apart.
I've tried tying some persimmon branches to guide them, but they are so brittle they break off. One of the Chocolate Persimmon grafts also did that. I had tied the little branch to another one to guide it, and the wind broke it. Fortunately, there is a second Chocolate persimmon graft that is OK.
Prairie Star Persimmon Sapling. 7.10.17 |
Kitchen Garden. 7.10.17
Georgia Collard Greens and Squashes. 7.10.17 |
Chili Peppers and Scallions. 7.10.17 |
Chili pepper plants are small, but starting to take off. Some are blooming.
Vates Collard Greens. 7.10.17 |
Squashes. 7.10.17 |
Ripening Onions. 7.10.17 |
Sweet corn seems further behind this year. The first two batches had poor germination, and I transplanted seedlings together in groups. The later ones did better, even with rabbits eating off many of the plants. There is still a good chance for some nice sweet corn later this year.
Both potatoes and onions are almost ready for harvest. I dug some potatoes yesterday, and there are some nice ones. I have also been using some of the onions, on an as-needed basis.
Tomatoes and beans are making good progress. There are small tomatoes on some of the plants. The pole beans are starting to climb. I gave them some bamboo poles to climb on.
Sweet Corn, Various Start Times and Sizes. 7.10.17 |
Labels:
chilis,
collards,
onion,
summer squash,
Sweet Corn
Overwintered Geraniums. 7.10.17
I don't buy geranium starts any more. I grow them in containers. In the fall, I move the containers to dry locations where they won't get rain. and let them dry out. Them I move them to the garage for the winter. No water, no added light, just dry and frost-free. These are 3 or 4 years old. They get better each year.
The one disadvantage is the plants don't get growing as fast as new starts. But when they do, they are much bigger and more floriferous.
When there is one with nice form and color, it is worth keeping it going.
I have a couple that don't look as good, and will not keep them this winter.
The one disadvantage is the plants don't get growing as fast as new starts. But when they do, they are much bigger and more floriferous.
When there is one with nice form and color, it is worth keeping it going.
I have a couple that don't look as good, and will not keep them this winter.
Container Lilies. 7.10.17
Late this Spring, I dug up these lilies from the old place, but didn't have a spot for them in the new place. So I put them in a big plant container, gave some attention, and they bloomed the best they've ever done.
I don't know what I will do with them during the winter. Maybe put the container in a shed.
I don't know what I will do with them during the winter. Maybe put the container in a shed.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Blackberry Update. 6.29.17
Fenced Apples and Blackberries. 6.29.17 |
Ebony King Blackberries. Year 2. 6.29.17 |
Blackberry Columbia Star. One year. 6.29.17 |
The varieties are:
Ebony King - old variety, probably diploid, some thorns.
Prime Ark Freedom - new variety, tetraploid, thornless.
Columbia Star - trailing, thornless. I'm guessing this is tetraploid but I don't know yet.
Arapaho - tetraploid, thornless.
Triple Crown - I think tetraploid, thornless.
Blackberry Prime Ark Freedom. 6.29.17 |
I expect to taste some Ebony King in a few weeks, from the one plant, of three, that is producing this year. All of the Ebony King are producing primocanes now, more vigorous than last year, and I hope my enclosure prevent loss of growth this time. There may be a taste of a couple of Columbia Star blackberries, although only a couple from canes that survived the trauma and winter. Prime Ark Freedom is primocane bearing, so there is a chance to sample those in a few months.
Blackberry "Arapaho" . Two Months. 6.29.17 |
Blackberry Triple Crown. One Month. 6.29.17 |
Of the new plants that I started this spring, Arapaho is getting off to a good start, and both plants have nice primocanes emerging. They are in protected cages. I may rearrange the beds this summer or fall, for better access and neatness. The Triple Crown was blooming in the nursery pot, at only a foot tall. There is a nice primocane emerging from that one as well. I will leave the berries on the plant, to get a taste, if they develop.
If all goes well, there should be a taste of 4 varieties this year, maybe a few bowls of berries in 2018, and a good sized crop in 2019. That is a big "if", but life makes no promises. Gardening is always a bit of a guess, a bit of a gamble, some promises, some science and information, some work and some luck.
Hot weather. Ginkgo. Persimmons. Watering with bucket / hole method. 6.30.17
Ginkgo Tree, 19 years from seed. 6.29.17 |
Persimmon "Nikita's Gift". Planted 2013. 6.29.17 |
I found that with my water pressure, two quarter-inch holes work OK.
Top photo is a ginkgo tree that I moved here in 2012 from the seedlings that I started in 1998. It had a slow start due to initial bad location but has taken off and is becoming handsome.
The rest are persimmons. Saijo is done blooming. I can see the start of fruits forming in the flowers. Nikita's gift is just a little behind Saijo. With a few 100 degree, dry, days, the flowers are brown. I don't know if that matters for parthenocarpic (bear fruit without pollination) persimmons. Yates is the third to bloom, and is an American Persimmon. Yates was smaller and I planted a year or two later compared to the others, but has caught up in size. There are a few flowers, just blooming, also petals looking singed from the heat. Yates is sold as parthenocarpic as well.
At this time of year, new persimmon branches are very droopy. That puts them in range of deer browsing. I widened the deer cages. The ultimate goal is, trees tall enough that I can eliminate the cages for easier care and mowing. Picking might need a ladder and good health insurance, or a fruit picking device on a pole, but maintenance will be easier.
Persimmon "Saijo". Planted 2013. 6.29.17 |
Deer browsing has been significant this year, but so far these persimmon cages are helping. I expect to see a little damage at some point, but hoping it's minimal.
Yates Persimmon Flower. 6.29.17 |
Yates American Persimmon. Planted 2014? 6.29.17 |
Labels:
American persimmon,
Asian Persimmon,
Bucket,
deer,
Nikita's Gift,
Persimmon,
Saijo,
Watering
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) Transplanting Update. 6.28.17
Last fall, in September, I transplanted two milkweed plants to the front border. At the time, these had just finished their second summer, and had bloomed for the first time, after I started them from seeds. I had read that Asclepius syriaca cannot be transplanted, but I had also read that they are hard to kill. These had nice rhizomes and roots, and soil fell readily from them, without much apparent damage. I transplanted, watered them in, and tiied to a stake to prevent wind from uprooting them.
This milkweed species is very slow to emerge from dormancy in the Spring. I tried not to disturb them, and weeds more or less took over that spot. I gave up on them, thinking they died. This week I cleaned up the area, and noted new growth for both plants. That's nice, since I did want them to grow there. They are behind the others in size, and a bit scrawny due to weed competition, but now I think they will establish and mature nicely in their new home.
This milkweed species is very slow to emerge from dormancy in the Spring. I tried not to disturb them, and weeds more or less took over that spot. I gave up on them, thinking they died. This week I cleaned up the area, and noted new growth for both plants. That's nice, since I did want them to grow there. They are behind the others in size, and a bit scrawny due to weed competition, but now I think they will establish and mature nicely in their new home.
Regenerating Milkweed Plants. 6.28.17 |
This is the root mass for the transplanted milkweed, Sept, 2016. |
Daylily Update. 6.28.17
Daylily "Carefree Peach" 6.28.17 |
Home made Daylily Hybrid, 1st Blossom. 6.28.17 |
Another hybrid daylily, that I made by transferring pollen from one variety, to a flower of a different variety, has bloomed for the first time. This one is a nice apricot color. Small plant, somewhat ruffled petals. Since the labels got messed up last year, I don't know the parents. Guessing, one mislabeled but floriforous yellow with similar size and shape, crossed with pink Luxury Lace. Then again, it could be any of them.
The first of my hybrids to bloom, was a very pale pink. Almost white. This one is quite different.
I may move this new one into the flower border. Nice flower, and I'm not as likely to miss watering them in the border.
Daylily "Luxury Lace". 6.28.17 |
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Apple Grafting Update. 6.17.17
Jonathan on Jonared. 6.17.17 |
Dolgo Crab on Jonared. 6.17.17 |
Grafts on Winecrisp. 6.17.17 |
Grenadine on multigraft. 6.17.17 |
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