September 2013, New England

Fresh strawberries in September!



Calendula

Oh yum!!  My strawberries did not come back this year!

Yes, yum. I had a few nice ones in the early summer but 90% have been deformed. They are all in hanging tiered planters to keep away from snails, etc.

Camp, those calendula are beautiful! How did you do that? And what variety of berries are those? 

martha wrote:Camp, those calendula are beautiful! How did you do that? And what variety of berries are those? 

Martha, the calendula are just free grown and self sown from last year in a bare spot of dirt. I can send you seeds if you want.

The strawberries I got from you, whatever type of everbearing you gave me..... I lost the tag last year.

I would love some calendula seeds. Thank you!

The everbearing variety was Mara des Bois. For some reason, mine have had almost no berries this year. Extra weird, since this was a banner year for my strawberries. All of my other new-last-year varieties performed very well, in my opinion, for first full year plants.

How do they taste?

martha wrote:I would love some calendula seeds. Thank you!

The everbearing variety was Mara des Bois. For some reason, mine have had almost no berries this year. Extra weird, since this was a banner year for my strawberries. All of my other new-last-year varieties performed very well, in my opinion, for first full year plants.

How do they taste?

OMG! Ambrosia! The fruits are fully formed and lots of blooms. I think having the bees around helps. The June berries were under performers this year.

Raspberries did very well this year, though I am not, I think I am supposed to prune back this year's fruiting canes...... do you know Martha, is that correct?

Camp, that calendula is spectacular! Do you use it medicinally?

I have one strawberry right now. Last year there were a few at this time but I don't know the name of them.

Looks like my heirloom & cherry toms are getting blight. I keep cutting it off hoping I can get some more ripe fruit before they give up the ghost. Weird thing is it's on the leaves at the top half of most of the plants and not the bottom half. The Supersonics don't have any problems...yet.

And I've given up fighting the PM...again.

Is it really time for this? Already?

CC

Blight is spreading through my gilbertie foliage right now; I'm pruning daily.

cheyannarach wrote:Oh yum!!  My strawberries did not come back this year!

Mine came back and I had a bed solid FULL of plants, but not one berry.

I thinned out the plants a few days ago and planted another bed. Hoping for next year.

Kay

She's at it again...and on her birthday taboot!  I plants em & she takes em down:  
       

Todays harvest without the big tomatoes:

Heading out to plant lettuce babies >>>>

CC

So she's at it again,  Ha!  Lucky You, enjoy your Mom!

Happy Birthday to CapeCoddess' Mommy!!   

Thanks, LM.  She was thrilled when I showed her your post!

Can anyone identify this snake?  Some say garter, some say grass...


Whatever it is I love him and he's very welcome.  

CC

I have late blight in my garden.  My poor tomato plants and getting naked whilst I try to keep ahead of the infection.  Will be spraying with copper.

Yes, that's a garter snake.  Grass snakes are green.

Blight took all my SFG tomatoes so I'm just waiting on my flower garden tomatoes now.  I have been fighting hornworm for those.  Still not ripe but like I've said, in a partial shady spot.  I have some changes to make next year.  Lots of them actually.  The raised beds that are difficult to get to will be mostly in flowers next year except for Brussels sprouts, and some root crops, I think.
I'm going to convert my worm condo to raised beds in my side yard in the sunshine next year.  I'll have 3 round ones that are 6" deep with drain holes already.

These are some of Bushy cukes.  Short and fat, but oh, so tasty.  I love them.
My Quickie corn is a small variety, but I was amazed at how small.  I call them stumpies.  Nice kernels and bright yellow.

I didn't get much of a harvest even tho I was out there a couple times a week shaking the tassels for pollination.  I'm still waiting on the purple-podded beans that are growing up the stalks.
For those that mentioned strawberries, mine this year were a bust.  I cleaned out one whole side last year to make room for new growth.  I must have removed the wrong ones.  Harvest was very small this year.  I have Sequoia and Quinalts.

I gave away my hula hoops that I bought to use as frost cloth supports, to a bunch of little kids at the lake who had a ball with them.  A fall garden would be too much for me in that location up the steep hill.  I'm going to re-plan a smaller version next year and easier.

Stumples???   Too funny!  My corn, planted July 4th, has something coming up out of the middles.  They don't look silky or corny.  It's probably those end tassel things.  Oh, and I found and squished a worm down inside one plant.  

Camp, yesterday I watered my blighted cherry tomatoes with baby aspirin in water like Mel suggested in the answer book.  It worked on the early blight on the same plants so I've got my fingers crossed. 1 aspirin to 1 qt water I think is how it went.  Or maybe it was a pint of water.  I used 3 in a gallon.

I planted a bunch more lettuce seedlings as I was walking out to the car to go to work this morning since it's supposed to cloud over and sprinkle.  I also watered the carrot, pea, bush bean (last succession planting) & lettuce seeds I put in yesterday.

I'm actually staying ahead of the PM from the bkg soda spraying I did earlier and will harvest some cucumbers of weird shapes & another butternut squash soon.  The tomatoes keep coming.  I was wondering this morning if it's time to lop off the tops of of them now...?  First frost is Nov 10th here but it sure seems like it'll be a lot earlier this year.  Has anyone heard anything about that?

Sorry you folks are having a bad time this year.  What do you attribute that to?  Lots of rain?

CC

Camp, Nourse Farms says to prune any canes that bore fruit in late winter or early spring, dead canes as soon as possible. I'm glad you asked, since I was going to prune as soon as I could get out there with "extra" time.

However, to find the "why" I found this:

http://www.fruit.cornell.edu/berry/production/pdfs/rasppruning.pdf

The timing of cane cutting is also important. Carbohydrates move from plant leaves into the crown in autumn, and from the crown to the buds in early spring. If canes are cut before all the carbohydrates reach the crown in autumn, the new canes may not be as vigorous the following year. Canes can also be cut too late, after carbohydrates have moved into the buds. From December through February, most carbohydrates are in the crown, so this is the ideal time to cut canes. 

Hey thanks for the great info Martha!!!! I really have to get the raspberry bed under control, canes everywhere. I need to rig some supports for them too.

You and me both!

Seaweed time again!   After that cold front went through the other night there are gobs of it on the beach now:

This mix is a bit different in that instead of being only the green stuff this one has a fine purple weed mixed in with it:

There were also a lot of horseshoe crab shells mixed in, mostly in pieces.  But I found a few whole ones to show folks who may have never seen a horseshoe crab before.  The juveniles molt & this is what they leave behind:  
The shells are dark brown while being lived in.

What a beautiful day!  Just finished lunch so I'd better get back out there...compost to mix, seeds to plant, watering to be done...it's PLAY TIME!

CC

Lucky you and nice haul! You ARE rinsing it all before putting it into the compost bin...... right?  

camprn wrote:Lucky you and nice haul! You ARE rinsing it all before putting it into the compost bin...... right?  

No, I don't rinse since I always collect right after it gets rained on. That's sand in the photo. It was blowing hard enuff to take your skin off down at the beach.

CC

That's a great addition to your compost. Your garden will be very happy.

CG,  Nice score!  Your seaweed is different from what I collected on the California coast.  Plus, yours has shells!  Does it completely break down as unrecognizable compost?

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16067-has-anyone-made-dried-kelp-meal?highlight=Kelp