End of Summer 2014

The horizontal tomato cages are definitely a good idea, but my execution had a few problems.  

First, the initial level was only 12" off the ground, which turned out to be pointless.  A 12" plant does not have any fruit on it, so there is little extra support needed.  What little support is needed should be provided by the initial stake.    The first level should be at 24"

Second, Dr. Hooker used metal fencing for support.  I tried to get away with a nylon mesh.  That created two problems:  (1) The mesh actually cut into heavy tomatoes that rested upon them.  (2) Once the weight started piling on the mesh, it sagged drastically.    You can see the sag in the right hand side of this picture.

In addition to the sagging nylon mesh, the picture also shows the bird netting I put over the whole bed about mid-July to keep out the damn tree rats.  Squirrels . . . damn, damn, damn those squirrels.  We hates them - forever!    The netting did work, but it was put on in a way that made it difficult for me to uncover, get a few fruits, then recover.   And late in the season vines started growing through the netting, making it damn near impossible to use effectively.   I need to put the netting on movable frames, then guide late season vines up and over the top so as not to interfere with the frames.

Tomato Summary:

-- Build metal wire frames and position them at 2' / 3' / 4'   Frames should be 5' x 47"
-- Build frames to surround the bed.  Frames will have netting mounted on them.
-- Use 7' metal stakes.  5 footers were not quite tall enough.


On the subject of support, the bell peppers need some.  One of the frames being built for tomatoes should be used for the peppers at 24" high.  Also, Carmen is still the be performer around.  The yellow bells had all sorts of problem with rot once it started raining all the time in late July.  Carmen sailed through without a hitch. 

The rain also put a hurting on the Basil.  It looked fantastic through July, but in early August the mildew set in and wiped out 90% of it.    I might want to provide a plastic cover next time the rain kicks in that hard. 

Horizontal tomato supports

During the planning of Garden 3.0, I wanted to come up with a different support system for my tomatoes that was a bit more elegant -- or less ugly, depending on how high your standards are. 

I wondered whether I could put multiple layers of a horizontal grid over the tomatoes instead of cages.  This would be less obvious than a cage, and  allow easier picking to boot.   Then last Summer I saw an episode of Bryce Lane's In the Garden where he went to the home of fellow NCSU hort professor Will Hooker.   Hooker was successfully using horizontal support for his tomatoes, so I decided to give it a try.   Here's a picture of in from June 15.  I used nylon mesh with 6" openings.  There are four layers, each about a foot apart:  

As of June 29 the tomatoes are all the way through the top layer and I have picked my first ripe ones of the season (the wonderfully reliable Juliet, a grape variety): 

Now is the time on Sprockets when we plant

A couple of weeks ago I completed bed #2.  Last weekend Dieter and I got busy with the shovels, compost, hoses, and appropriate support structures.  I think the results are lovely . . .

And that means I finally got to put in the maters . .  .

Now add a reemay blanket to prevent sun scald . . .

Now just wait a few months and enjoy.

Are they ready yet?
Are they ready yet?
Are they ready yet?

Garden 3.0 (prototype)

We have been in the new house for a year now, and after much planning, nashing of teeth upon discovering a sewer easment, then replanning, Garden 3.0  (prototype) has arrived.   Let's take a tour of its bones . . .

The bed in the background against the fence is 12 X 6 and will will eventually have blackberries.  In the foreground is a  4 X 10 bed that will be the Standard Bed to be repeated down the fence line.     I have a fair amount of slope (about 6" of slope running right to left over the 4' width)  making raised beds the obvious solution.  The landscape cloth will eventually be covered in pea gravel.

The white 3" PVC running the length of the bed is protection for a series of 1/2" irrigation hoses.  They start at the front right corner of the 12 X 6  bed, run through the PVC and will pop up at the front of each bed.   Here's an overhead shot of the bed.

And here's where they all come together.

As you might be able to tell from the overhead shot of the bed, the soil does not look impressive.  Sadly, it looked worse after I turned it.   Frankly, it looked more like subsoil masquerading as soil, with 1/2" of topsoil laid on top like a coating of chocolate icing.  It is a testament to the toughness (aka weediness) of grass that it was doing so well.  While turning the ground I pulled out 2-five gallon buckets of rocks from the 10 X 4 area and managed to find only one live worm.   Evidently he was lost.

Luckily, the appropriate amount of lime and 6 inches of compost will cure most of what ails this combination of red and yellow clay.   Add in a soaker hose and now we have something a bit more likely to grow something:

Now just a little more compost to bring everything even with the soaker hoses and it's time to plant!

God said "let there be Maters!"

. . . and I am forever grateful

Behold!  12 tomato plants of three varieties (Juliet, Estiva, Parks CR improved) planted April 28 in a lovely 20' x 4' raised bed with recently tilled in compost and lime, staked in 40" tall wire cages holding 75% translucent cloth to prevent sun scald, with drip irrigation and "green plastic" to suppress weeds and warm the soil.  

Spring has Sprung

April 15 is the average last frost date here, but our most recent hard frost was early March I think.  We had a frost-on-the-cars-but-nowhere-else morning on April 10, but I didn't find any frost thing on any blooms.   The mild Winter seems to have put everything ahead of schedule. The crossvine is already in full bloom now -- a good week to ten days early.  Now all it needs are hummingbirds to adorn it.

The greenhouse is full of seedlings ready to go.  The tomato/pepper beds are prepped  and I'll probably get plants in them the last week of April.  I've got "green mulch plastic" for warm season plants this year.  It's supposed to suppress weeds as well as black plastic, but warm the ground more than black (though not as much as clear).   We'll see how that goes.


The oddest thing so far has been the germination of my peppers.  I planted Marconi seeds (2012) and  Yum Yum Gold seeds (2009).  I expected lower germination rates from the older Yum Yum Gold, but I didn't expect the huge range of germination times.   Eight of the Marconi came up in about two weeks.  The first YumYum did not appear until three weeks after seeding.  Another two came up 24 days after seeding, and another four came up five weeks after seeding.  I assume they are done germinating now, but who knows.

Meanwhile, my Golden Star Hybrid seeds (2012) have done nothing in three weeks.    Doh!

 

Midwinter update

Well, not much of a Winter frankly.  We had a handful of days in the lower 20's in mid-December, but aside for that is has been remarkably mild.

The carrots, lettuce and spinach have been great success.   The beats and brocolli have not done well, but think that is because I planted both too late (mid Sept) and did not thin the beets enough (see previous post on thinning).

Lessons:   (1) Plant Fall crops by mid Aug at the latest  (2) Space them wide enough to avoid thinning.