Garden Update – June 2010

Chamomile Plant

Texas Terragon

Patchouli Plant

Catnip Plant

Sweet Marjoram Plant

Cilantro Plant - flowering.

Last Years' Sole Surviving Rosemary

Cindy M thought I was crazy when I asked to use her truck to get these hog panels home – she couldn’t figure out why I wanted all that metal in my garden – well isn’t it obvious? Rot proof trellising baby! I’ve combined all my plantings so that I’ve got a Vine (or at least viney plant that needs support) going up the trellis staggered with a lower growing bush plant. This way the vines go up and the bushes go out! I’ve got Sunflowers going down the entire right hand border now – need to plant the ones on the left side but I haven’t gotten that far.

I originally had Italian heirloom tomatoes planted in the space pictured below – but I apparently suck at starting tomatoes and… lets just say they failed to thrive. So $10 and a trip to Rural King later and I’ve got 30 Beefsteak Tomato plants!

Beefsteak Toms - Fooled You Jalapenos - Sunflowers - May 2010

Fooled You Jalapeno

Beefsteak Tom

Beefsteak Tom 2

Crookneck Yellow Squash

Amaranth

Sugar Snap Peas

 I stopped by Lowes one night and checked their clearance racks – as I’m wont to do this time of year – and low I found strawberry plants for a $1! (Originally $3) – So I bought 20.  When I went back 2 days later the 30 that I had left behind were gone, darn it, but at least I got my 20! It’s past their fruiting cycle but their perennial so all I have to do is wait! They’re already producing runners and I swear the doubled in size overnight once I got them into the ground. They wound up in the spot I was going to plant cabbage in but it’s the most acidic spot in the yard (presumably) since it’s under a pine tree and it’s semishaded (which all the wild strawberries seem to like). Keep your fingers crossed that they make it through the winter.

Strawberry Plants

Strawberry Plants Planted

 The cucumbers have decided this is their garden and they are going to take it over dang it! I think you can almost watch them grow. They sprouted faster than anything else in the garden and are growing just as fast. They’ve already got fruit started! I direct seeded some basil in between the cucumber (don’t know how well that’ll do – apparently cucumbers don’t like aromatic herbs, which I didn’t know) – only about six sprouted which I suppose is pretty darn good considering I was supposed to start them indoors.

Cucumbers

Baby Cucumber

 I had to replace my Amish Canner Tomato seedlings and my Chinese Bell Pepper seedlings – none of them did well. Another trip to Rural King and I’ve got 20 Roma Tomatoes and about 34 California Wonder Green Bell Peppers.

These and the Cucumbers are interplanted with Marigolds and Nasturtiums for (hopefully) pest control.  Also the Nasturtiums are edible.

Roma Toms - Bell Peppers - Marigolds - Nasturtiums

 I’ve got Butternut Squash and Tetsukabuto Squash (Japanese Pumpkins) interplanted with Striped Toga Egglants – the Eggplants are pretty shimpy right now – not sure how well they’ll do.  The Tetsu’s have really pretty leaves with the white marks (which distinguishes them from the Butternuts) – apparently the Butternuts are required to pollinate the Tetsu’s.

Tetsukabuto Plants (Japanese Pumpkin)

 I’m having a battle with the pests this year – which is new for me.  The only real problem I had last year (that I knew about) were Squash Bugs (which suck).  This year I’ve got Bean Beetles (which I had last year I’m sure – I just didn’t recognize it), Vine Borers (which are so gross! They’re basically big maggots! ICK! The Ortho Pest book says to slit open the vine, find the maggot and pull out – then bury that part of the vine and hope it heals itself – well here’s hoping! I pulled out alot of those things! 

Bean Beetle

Vine Borer Damage

More Vine Borer Damage

 I actually think the ants killed these 2 vine borers – go ANTS! There were a bunch of ants at the base of the plant and these guys were very, very dead.

Dead Vine Borers

 I’ve already found 2 Squash bugs and some eggs.