What's Growing in the Garden

[sprucegum]

This is kinda out of the gardening theme but not by much . My grandson with help from his dad and I is growing some sweet corn for their farm stand. It's getting close to ripe so I got tasked with helping him put electric fence around it for racoons and bear. After stringing half a mile of wire with the spool on a crooked piece of rebar I began to think there might be a better way. I was also worried about the prospect of reeling it all back up again. Yesterday afternoon I welded up this contraption, I loosely copied some that I found for sale online. I bought a couple feet of 3/4' round stock and a rattle can of red paint, the rest I got from the scrap iron stash

 

[Nature Man]

This is kinda out of the gardening theme but not by much . My grandson with help from his dad and I is growing some sweet corn for their farm stand. It's getting close to ripe so I got tasked with helping him put electric fence around it for racoons and bear. After stringing half a mile of wire with the spool on a crooked piece of rebar I began to think there might be a better way. I was also worried about the prospect of reeling it all back up again. Yesterday afternoon I welded up this contraption, I loosely copied some that I found for sale online. I bought a couple feet of 3/4' round stock and a rattle can of red paint, the rest I got from the scrap iron stash








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That will help immensely!

 

[djg]

At least in northern areas, Blue Lake is a standard for "stringless" beans. Nearly all the commercially grown beans are a Bush Blue Lake (BBL) type. Used to always grow bush, but as I get older it's so much easier to harvest climbers. Not to mention the beans stay cleaner and have fewer disease problems.

Fordhook are what I used to grow as a bush lima, wish there were more choices for climbing lima beans. The King of the Garden is a much larger bean than I prefer, but can't beat it's production. We harvest them all green, don't do any dry beans of any variety.

I am SO glad I switched to BL Pole beans for that same reason. Also space saving? Two rows of pole beans on one trellis (front & back) probably produce more than a 50 foot row of bush beans.

 

[djg]

I could use some advice (again). I've got a leak on the water supply line to the house. The guy is coming tomorrow and is going to try and pull a cable through the old pipe so he won't have to dig up the front yard except at the meter.

If for some reason that doesn't work, he will have to trench to the house. Which means digging up the front flower bed. Last time I had a break many years ago, he dug approximately 8-10' from the house and spliced the old copper with new plastic and the running that into the house. He dug up a bush for me to try and save it, but wasn't successful.

In the event I do have to dig up the flower bed again, I want to be prepared. I have a old rose bush that was my Dad's favorite at his house, that I transplanted into this bed. It is very dear to me and I would like to save it. It's only 2' high right now. I'm guessing cut back to about 6" and dig as big a root ball as possible with a sharp trenching shovel. Then place a layer of that old mulched I've mentioned on a canvas tarp, and place the ball on that. Water generously and keep out of the sun. That's about all I can think of. Do I really need to cut back since it's so short already?

 

[Firewood Potter]

more choices for climbing lima beans

Are Christmas Limas suitable for your area. I’ve only planted them once and with two harvests of dried beans I got way more than I needed and gave away several pounds. These stay really firm when cooked and don’t get mushy like I have seen some dried Limas tend to do.

 

[Nature Man]

I could use some advice (again). I've got a leak on the water supply line to the house. The guy is coming tomorrow and is going to try and pull a cable through the old pipe so he won't have to dig up the front yard except at the meter.

If for some reason that doesn't work, he will have to trench to the house. Which means digging up the front flower bed. Last time I had a break many years ago, he dug approximately 8-10' from the house and spliced the old copper with new plastic and the running that into the house. He dug up a bush for me to try and save it, but wasn't successful.

In the event I do have to dig up the flower bed again, I want to be prepared. I have a old rose bush that was my Dad's favorite at his house, that I transplanted into this bed. It is very dear to me and I would like to save it. It's only 2' high right now. I'm guessing cut back to about 6" and dig as big a root ball as possible with a sharp trenching shovel. Then place a layer of that old mulched I've mentioned on a canvas tarp, and place the ball on that. Water generously and keep out of the sun. That's about all I can think of. Do I really need to cut back since it's so short already?

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From my experience, Roses are pretty hardy, and can be transplanted fairly successfully. I would not trim back too excessively prior to transplanting in the Summer months. Capturing a large root ball is a good idea. Best of luck, and hope the plumbing problem is not too extensive. Chuck

 

[djg]

From my experience, Roses are pretty hardy, and can be transplanted fairly successfully. I would not trim back too excessively prior to transplanting in the Summer months. Capturing a large root ball is a good idea. Best of luck, and hope the plumbing problem is not too extensive. Chuck

He gave me a ball park figure today, and let's just say, it's way more than I expected. It is what it is. I used the same guy last time so I went with him. Wish I had gotten a quote from the other reputable plumber in town. That guy is small and would probably not have a cable puller, so the yard would get torn up. Hopefully the guy I got can pull cable and not mess up the yard.

 

[trc65]

I could use some advice (again). I've got a leak on the water supply line to the house. The guy is coming tomorrow and is going to try and pull a cable through the old pipe so he won't have to dig up the front yard except at the meter.

If for some reason that doesn't work, he will have to trench to the house. Which means digging up the front flower bed. Last time I had a break many years ago, he dug approximately 8-10' from the house and spliced the old copper with new plastic and the running that into the house. He dug up a bush for me to try and save it, but wasn't successful.

In the event I do have to dig up the flower bed again, I want to be prepared. I have a old rose bush that was my Dad's favorite at his house, that I transplanted into this bed. It is very dear to me and I would like to save it. It's only 2' high right now. I'm guessing cut back to about 6" and dig as big a root ball as possible with a sharp trenching shovel. Then place a layer of that old mulched I've mentioned on a canvas tarp, and place the ball on that. Water generously and keep out of the sun. That's about all I can think of. Do I really need to cut back since it's so short already?

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I would cut it back, otherwise, the cut roots won't be able to supply enough water to stems and leaves. Besides keeping it in the shade, drape some burlap, or an old sheet or something else over the top of the root ball, that will help keep a moist atmosphere around any exposed roots.

Hope they can get your line fixed without any digging near the house.

 

[trc65]

Are Christmas Limas suitable for your area. I’ve only planted them once and with two harvests of dried beans I got way more than I needed and gave away several pounds. These stay really firm when cooked and don’t get mushy like I have seen some dried Limas tend to do.

They are, and reading about them, going to give them a try next year. Sounds like a much more interesting flavor and texture.

I've never done much with dried beans as we get so many foliar diseases, and by the time beans dry, they have been infected/discolored to the point it's not worth keeping them. Having said that, we can't be much worse than what you have in the south, so I'll give it a go next year and maybe use a timely fungicide spray or two.

 

[Firewood Potter]

maybe use a timely fungicide spray or two.

Believe it or not I don’t use spray or dust on my my garden. I would think the temps and high humidity would be a big problem with fungi here in the sunny south. The only pests I had a problem with this season was squash vine borers on zucchini . I did try neem oil spray on them, to no avail.They waited until a few finger sized fruits had set, then robbed me of harvest. I plant a row marigolds along one side of the garden and jap beetles attacked one of them. They never bothered anything more than that one plant, marigold or vegetable.
I will be planting several greens soon. Kale, mustard, beets, turnips, collards. Most of these are susceptible to aphids. Usually soapy water spray will take care of them , if I catch them early.

 

[trc65]

I wish I could get away with using fewer pesticides. We are in the country and have soybeans from 50 to 100 yards away every year. Where the garden is now used to one of our fields. We have probably 3.5 acres of grass and every field near us has grass waterways and fence rows, so the Japanese beetles have overwintering sites I could never treat.

If a field near us has a herbicide resistant weed population, we have it within a year or two. Never had any waterhemp growing up, but is now a major weed problem and is glyphosate resistant.

I keep a pretty good inventory of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides just for the garden. I'm not using near what a commercial operation would use, and by the end of the season, weeds, insects and diseases have pretty much devastated everything. By that time though, have already harvested enough to last the year + so let nature reclaim everything.

 

[DLJeffs]

I flushed a bright green praying mantis out of an Alberta spruce this afternoon while I was spraying it down to flush out spider mites. Nice size little guy. I rescued her and put her in my wife's flowers.

 

[sprucegum]

The high point of my day this time of year is going to the garden just after daylight to see what I can harvest. The broccoli side shoots are at peak production. I will harvest them about every other day until they get or my wife says we have enough to last until next July.