What's Growing in the Garden

[Mike Hill]

It’s that time of year again, when Lil Mikey’s head is so filled with floral intrigue, that it seems to want to explode – so many emotions, so many memories, so many unrealized daydreams. Languishing in the gentle heat of early summer, swishing on gentle breezes comes trouble marching in. The Sultry, Stilettoed-wearing Sirens of Summer slink in for a full-frontal assault of the five senses!!! Lil Mikey is powerless – he just has to sit there and smile sometimes! He is tempted to taste of their nectar, but is content to just sit there with his tail wagging. The sweet sensuous murmur of the gentle summer breezes wafting through their silky petals leaves him unable to talk.



What do they hide beneath those long velvety petals hugging them as if they were part of their being – concealing much of their beauty yet not hiding the unbeautiful! Like the lovely pearl, the best things dwell out of sight, undeniably mysterious and deeply misunderstood! Perhaps the best comes in the evening. In the stilling of the evening hours, the lily sheds her perfume and take her gentle way, unheard and unseen. Heady and drowning the senses, it beckons, pulling you in closer and closer. A sophisticated feminine seduction with the goal of touch. Wafting on the gentle breeze, the cunning manipulation is calculated to entice you in close enough to touch. You reach out to touch, to caress, anticipating the emotion felt once in youth when touching silk for the first time – when POOF – You are pollenated! Oh the guile!



Throughout human history there are characters that appear that pop up in myth, folklore, literature, film, and yes, in reality that embody instincts, universal patterns, and form images that are burned into our human collective unconsciousness. These are sometimes called archetypes – entities who are capable of triggering deep, primal, neurological responses that completely bypass conscious thought! These bewitching creatures come to life and command our unabridged reflection, but at the same time we feel like we have known them on an emotional level.

Lilies, like women, are a hybrid of some, if not all of the various archetypes. The common denominator is that they radiate a mesmerizing, magnetizing energy; a powerful creative force that causes mere mortals and deities to fall in love. They attract out or the mere fullness of their being, and represent the power of pleasure and the full sweetness of life. It is with a creative energy – a life force energy, that they compel us to channel our passion into the manifestation of breathtaking realities – light’s victory over darkness!

 

[Mike Hill]

They are weeds. Asiatic (Japanese) day flower. They are pretty, but blooms last only a day, and eventually they will spread and take over an area. The foliage is kind of unsightly and leggy when they really get going.

Actually, just because of the more erect stems, this might be erectus rather than communis. But certainly not fer shur. Actually, was attempting to gin up some discussion of "what is a weed". Yesterday, pulled up a ton of weeds - some of which I bought and planted. Nice, but not where I wanted them to be. Some were blue lobelia - they have become rather lazy and seem to lay down rather than stand upright. Plus the flowers aren't all that impressive. So pulled them - should they be classified as weeds because I pulled them? Five years ago, I decided I wanted to collect Jack-in-the-pulpits. I had some native, and decided I wanted one particular asian strain. Ordered and planted it and wish I had never seen it. Well, did not receive the correct plant. But this one plant has spread throughout the yard and is difficult to eradicate. It has a corm and unless you get it, it will regrow. Even if you get the major corm, little cormlets will do the same. And if that is not bad enough the seeds are apparently spread easily somehow and are very fertile (they look very much like ant eggs - wonder if ants spread them- never seen a bird or other animal feeding on them and they are too heavy for wind-borne). And they have a sap that causes a rash on tender areas. These are definitely classified as weeds in my book now. 42 years ago, when we bought the house, I cut down a mature mimosa. To this day, I still have seedling sprouts every year - with no other mimosa in sight. Also definitely a weed. Then the dayflower pops up this year and the blue is so beguiling - tempted to keep it in the ground.

 

[trc65]

I would say not a weed then. It only becomes a weed when it starts to annoy/cause problems. Leave it and enjoy it!

The classic definition of a weed is a "plant out of place". "Out of place" has many different meanings, even more so when discussing an urban landscape vs agriculture vs native areas.

My education/training is in "Integrated Pest Management /weed science" in agronomic/horticultural crops so there is a definite bent to my way of thinking when it comes to weeds and weed management.

 

[djg]

Stuffed peppers tonight! Just add some meat and rice.

View attachment 245176

My bean cave experiment is progressing nicely. The beans are growing fast and most of them will be easily picked in the shade from inside.

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You might be on to something there. Do any beans grow on top that you can't reach? Mine on the trellis are doing well but get buried in the foliage and are hard to see when picking.

 

[djg]

As I stated beans are doing well. I picked my second gallon today and quit when the pail was full.

I don't have a pressure canner (just missed one on CL) and my freezer is full. I'll probably make room and just freeze them. Blanch first?

Still, I don't understand why you can't can them in a hot (boiling) water bath. Just extend the cook time from 20 minutes(?) to one hour. A 10 psig increase raises the boiling point to approximately 240 F which supposedly reduces the cook time to a third.

"Google" says you can't because of low acidity. Says you have to pickle them. I don't see what acidity has to do with it. Bacteria is killed at 170(?)F and longer processing time would be no big deal for 6 - 10 quarts.

 

[trc65]

You might be on to something there. Do any beans grow on top that you can't reach? Mine on the trellis are doing well but get buried in the foliage and are hard to see when picking.

Just picked the first few for supper tonight. I can reach everything on top, but eventually, they will build up layers on top I can't reach. By then I'll have canned everything and more than I'll need.

The beans are much easier to pick on the arch. Right now it's just a single layer of foliage and relatively easy to find the beans. Easier picking than in previous years where the beans grew up and down the panels in a thick mat.

 

[trc65]

As I stated beans are doing well. I picked my second gallon today and quit when the pail was full.

I don't have a pressure canner (just missed one on CL) and my freezer is full. I'll probably make room and just freeze them. Blanch first?

Still, I don't understand why you can't can them in a hot (boiling) water bath. Just extend the cook time from 20 minutes(?) to one hour. A 10 psig increase raises the boiling point to approximately 240 F which supposedly reduces the cook time to a third.

"Google" says you can't because of low acidity. Says you have to pickle them. I don't see what acidity has to do with it. Bacteria is killed at 170(?)F and longer processing time would be no big deal for 6 - 10 quarts.

Temps of 240-250° are needed to kill botulism spores. Boiling water will deactivate the toxin produced by the bacteria, but it will not kill the spores. Any spores present after a BWB will grow and produce the deadly toxin in foods that have too high a pH.

A pH of 4.6 or lower will prevent botulism from growing. Pickling them with vinegar provides the needed acidity.

Canning a low acid food like green beans in a BWB is dangerous.

I know pressure canners are expensive, but they will literally last a lifetime if you buy a quality one. Still using one that my mother got for a wedding gift in 1957. Replace the seal every few years as needed and replace the gauge every 10 years or so.

You can freeze them, and should blanch them first for 2-4 minutes.

 

[djg]

I did pick another gallon of beans today. A couple meals will be held back and the rest blanched and frozen as the previous gallon.

I had to make freezer space for the beans and blackberries. I have an older friend who gave me my strawberry starts. He use to have rows of blackberries and sold them to a local store. He's down to one healthy row and makes wine from them. I'll pool my frozen berries with his and he's going to teach me how to make wine. His kid aren't interested.

As mentioned, the bean trellis is a solid mass. Not complaining. I've missed some and am setting aside older pods to dry on the vine with the end being seed saving. I've never saved bean seeds before. Leave them on the vine until late Fall, pick, shell, dry on a platter for a month and then refrigerate them?
My purple Hulled Peas (Crowder Peas) are really producing. Never grew them before. My understanding is to let them dry on the vine and harvest like the bean seed descibed above?? "They" say to let them turn purple before picking, but mine are only white. A few may have a faint purple color.

Potato vines have died back and I think I need to dig them. If it ever stops raining. First the excessive heat, now the daily rain. Can't get out in the garden without muck boots. Weeds are starting to take over.

Tomatoes are way behind. Still green. I did get one Brandywine. Softball sized. I got the plant from my Sister who got the seed from a friend. Sister starts another heirloom I gave her. I like my variety better. Not as runny as the Brandywine.

As said, I had to make freezer space for the beans. Pulled out gallons of berry and tomato juice from previous years and cooked down and canned.

Now all I have to do is find shelf space in the basement.

 

[Fencemender]

Beans can be left to mature on the plant. When the pods start to lose color and turn brown they will dry. Leave them there until dry, but if you wait too long the pods can shatter and you will lose the seeds.
If they are close but not quite dry, you can pick, shell them and leave them spread on a plate in a dry room till they dry and a then save them. I just keep mine in a mason jar in the basement.
Now, if you have a hybrid bean, they will not be the same plant next year. But if it’s a true breeding bean then then they should be. There is a chance of cross pollination if you had other varieties near by, but I’ve not had many problems with beans. Easy to tell if you had different color seeds.
If you had two varieties both with white seeds, it would be hard to tell if cross pollination occurred.

 

[trc65]

Must have been the day/weekend to do beans.

My output from today.



Ditto storing beans in a jar, make sure they are dry, put in a jar and store in cool basement corner.

Tomatoes are getting to numerous to consume in a day, so will probably start dehydrating some. Not quite enough to start with juice and sauce yet.

We are very wet also. 3.25" Friday night. Another inch so far today with heavy rain predicted overnight. First planting of sweet corn was blown over after Friday's rain. It will stand back up a little if we can get some sunny weather for a couple days.

 

[Wildthings]

Haven't seen any rain at the house in over three weeks. Ouch

 

[trc65]

Our May/June and July/August weather has flipped. Hot and dry in M/J and now very wet in J/A. Less than 3" for all of May/June and over 11" since the first of July.

 

[trc65]

Haven't seen any rain at the house in over three weeks. Ouch

What's the tropical storm season outlook? Seems like there hasn't been much mention of storms, at least nothing that has reached our media outlets.

 

[djg]

I wish I hadn't missed out on that pressure canner I saw on CL. I like canned beans better than frozen. I forgot to mention, I got 4-1/2 pints of peach syrup from those peaches posted earlier and some juice I found in the freezer.

 

[Wildthings]

Hadn't thought about it but you're right. Only 3 named storms formed in the Atlantic / Caribbean basin in June and none became hurricanes.

Haven't seen any rain at the house in over three weeks. Ouch

What's the tropical storm season outlook? Seems like there hasn't been much mention of storms, at least nothing that has reached our media outlets.

That's the deal!! With this high-pressure ridge sitting on top of us, it is shielding us from tropical activity. Creates a hostile enviroment for tropical weather due to high atmosphere shear winds.

I stand corrected on the three weeks with no rain. It's been almost 12 weeks. Back in May since we've had any measurable amount of rain. I remember one Thursday in late July a huge thunderstorm built up. Boomed, crackled, winds started blowing hard, it got darker. All my neighbors were outside dancing a sort of rain dance. It worked!! The rain poured down!! For about 60 seconds, stopped and everything cleared on out.

Houston is forecasted to tie or break its all-time high of 109 today. They're thinking this ridge may move to the west next week and get back to normal hot weather. Which opens up the percentage of rain chances along with tropical activity. Goody just in time, historically, for the peak of hurricane activity. GO ASTROS!!

 

[trc65]

Started a small test batch fermenting. This is Calabrian peppers with a couple cloves of garlic. Plan to use the peppers when I make a batch of soppressata salami this fall.

 

[djg]

Excuse the weeds! Rain every day for a while and no chance to get in there. Tomorrow is dry and my roof is finally being installed. So I'll spend the day out of their way in the garden.
This year, my vine crops are going crazy. I usually plant 4 or 5 squash seeds in a hill inside a water dike made from a 10" section ring of a barrel. I was taught to always plant in a hill. Anyway, 2-4 plants of Butternut squash are spreading and taking over the garden. Probably 25 foot of spread.

Follow the path to see the spread. Something like 20 squash on them already. I picked one already am going to see if it's ripe enough to eat. Thought they were to be harvested late Fall. Normally bugs get to the plants way early and the plants die. Need to spray tomorrow because it looks like something is getting to them.

The cucumbers growing on a tripod are growing into the tomato cages. The Zuchetta squash (Zucchnino Rampicante) Have spread into the cucumbers also. a friend of my Father gave him a squash and some seed years ago when I was a kid. Slice and eat raw with dip. Very good.
We tried to plant the seeds but they didn't grow. I purchased some seeds years ago, planted them and same thing. Nothing. This year I tried a different supplier and wow!


In the background, you can see the Hubert squash spreading into the Asparagus patch and into the yard. I've got to come up with a better plan for next year.

 

[djg]

On another note, my pecans trees are loaded this year. I need a squirrel plan.

 

[trc65]

Definitely need to plan for vine crops. I used to try and grow some with the rest of the row crops, but like yours they will take over. Now all the pumpkins, squash and gourds ger their own area and can grow into lawn without causing problem.

Butternut are typically a late season squash, can't remember what the maturity indicators are for them.

 

[djg]

That's why I asked earlier about growing squash on a trellis. I'm now thinking about maybe on a 45 degree angle.