sirdoofus

Well it definitely works. In my experience gardens that are irrigated with sprinklers are usually a constant weed battle.......but then maybe my experience is more limited than I realize

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

edwmax

Where is something most of you have never seen:





This is a potato plant that I planted in April. The small berry is a potato berry and it looks just like a 'cherry tomato" even when cut into. About half of my potato plants have these. Normally when the potato plant blooms it is too hot to set fruit and the blooms just fall off. These were planted a little early and May had cool nights and mild days. So now I got 'cherry' potatoes. .... Hey, don't get anxious to eat one .... they are poisonous. You'll get a belly ache so bad you will quite eating McDonald's Fries and your Mama's mash potatoes.

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edwmax

This morning I set out about 200 onion sets which were discounted at Tractor Supply. It is a little late in the year, but still doable for a late fall harvest.


Also, I pulled up the garlic that was planted last fall. 5 or 6 garlic bulbs were as big as elephant garlic bulbs. A few bulbs were large and most were normal size bulbs. There were about 115 garlic bulbs harvested. .... These now need to cure for 5 or 6 weeks to develop flavor. ... I don't have a 'garlic barn' for drying ... so I'll string these and hang under the back porch.







These are some pics of the garden from the past week.








The corn has tasseled out and is making. I'm having to water it every day to keep the corn from burning up in the sun. We need some rain soon.



In the back you can see the other corn patch. It is about knee high now. ... Tomatoes & peppers are in the center 2 rows and loaded.




It was foretasted to rain Thursday night and all next week. Not a drop yet. ...

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Snarkie

Potatoes and tomatoes are both in the nightshade family, so I am not surprised. I did not know, however, about potato fruits. That is awesome, thanks!

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

cincinnana

You are 3months ahead of the Ohio valley.

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sirdoofus

Very cool, haven't ever heard of those either.

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

edwmax

That is correct. ... Did you know a tomato can be graphed onto the potato plant. Then bear tomatoes on top and potatoes in the ground.

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Akula

When the potato was first introduced to Russia the peasants called it the Devil's Fruit because it made them sick. The rich guys that brought it over who had acteually eaten potatoes had never seen how it was grown and harvested! Later they learned to only eat the root part.

sirdoofus

I have seen those, never grown one but looks pretty cool, especially for the space conscious.

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

sirdoofus

Yeah I heard a story like that. I think the way I heard it, don't know how much truth there is to it, is that because it was something new and basically unavailable, a cook in a royal household wanted to impress the family. So in his/her ignorance and effort to impress, the foliage was served at a large banquet, which of course resulted in everyone getting sick. And I think I heard the plant was actually outlawed after that incident.

Again, I don't know if it's true or not, but if it is, I would hate to know the fate of the cook after that fiasco.

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

edwmax

I believe it is only a novelty type plant as neither the tomato or the potato preforms well. So don't waste your money buying one.

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edwmax

The problem now is the heat. ... I see now that I need cabbage and the broccoli planted in January. I don't think the broccoli will make nice heads at this point. But I might get a few small ones. .... I will be checking Florida's planting guides for next years garden.

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sirdoofus

Luckily I have enough space to grow potatoes and tomatoes separately, so I don't really feel the need....but if that changes I will heed your advice

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

edwmax

In the above photos of the tomatoes and the cucumbers, I put down stakes every 5th plant. Then ran a tight string above and placed a drop down to the central stem of the tomato plants to hold the plant up-right. As the plant grows another drop is made it needed and another tight horizontal string is added. .... The drop is a double string and the plant stem is zig-zaged as needed within the drop. Then where needed, I ran a loop around the plant to act as a cage and keep the plant together.


This is working great! The tomato plants are not sprawling out into the row middle and I can just push back on the string when tilling. Individual cages or stakes is just too much work or costly. .... The cucumbers are mostly training them selves to the string trellis and again the vines are not in the row middle allowing tilling to keep weeds out.


This is just flat out cheap and easy.

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sirdoofus

Cheap and easy sounds like just my style. Can you post a pic of an individual plant and how it is set up with the drops?

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

edwmax

The drop is a single peace of string doubled; then connected to the horizontal with a half hatch (loop & pull through). Tie the drop to the lower part of the main stem or stem; then tighten to stand the stem up. .... If the top part of the stem leans, pull it back through the double drop (zig-zag) or as needed when the stem grows. Add more drop as needed and/or use loop around the plant to gather other branches as needed. .... Additional horizontal lines can be added when needed as the plants grow taller and/or use to pickup extra weight from the lower line.



Clear as mud ?????? ahaha .... I'm doing/learning this as I go.









The commercial growers use 3 inch post and zig-zag lines horizontally between the plants. .... For me this is easier and I don't have to do all the plants at the same time; just when needed.

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Akula

I've seen that type of tomato support in an indoor commercial operation for indeterminate tomato plants. They wrap the plant as it grows vertically around a wire/string. As the plant grows verticall they remove the older lower leaves. They keep the plant pruned to the main vertical growing point and remove all suckers. Grows just like a vine.

sirdoofus

That's great, and it does look easy. I am definitely going to do that with my indeterminates. Thanks for sharing!!

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Who keeps calling me nuts??

Snarkie

Your corn is definitely looking much better than mine, Max! I will NOT be planting it in the lawn next year! Experiment over!

What are you using or doing to combat the cucumber beetles? The traps I put out are catching everything but! I'm having to search them out visually and kill them myself. Interestingly, I had one bugger that learned to ball up and drop as I approached it. I held a container full of water underneath and PLOP! That was the end of her!

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

edwmax

hahaha .... too much work to chase bugs .... Malathion spray and Seven dust ... and copper sulfate as a fungicide.



I recently added a 5 gallon bucket to the sprayer tailer and piped it to the pump. I also added two 50 ft X 5/8" garden hose (100 ft) fitted with a spray wand. .... It take just over 4 gal of spray for the corn. The last spray for the corn was just before ears started showing and when the stalks were tasseling.

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