Mid-South in June: 2015

Happy June, everyone!

Yesterday we starting getting a major rain train that's supposed to last all week.  But all-in-all, it should be a pretty good month.

According to Gardenate.com, here's what we can plant this month.  I'm hoping to get out there today or tomorrow to get beans & cowpeas in the garden!

Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Celery	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Chilli peppers (also Hot peppers)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Cowpeas (also Black eye peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Endive	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Marrow	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November.
Pumpkin	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Savory - summer savory (also 'Bean Herb')	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Savory - winter savory (also Savory)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Strawberries (from seeds)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 12 months.
Strawberry Plants	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Sweet corn (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from October.
Sweet Marjoram (also Knotted marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Tomato	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.

Old Farmer's Almanac sent me a bunch of YouTube video links on a variety of subjects - dealing with harvest gluts, how to attract bees, how to make biodegradable pots, myth-busters, canning, etc.  If you'd like this email, send me a PM & I'll forward it to you.

If you're wondering what might be the best planting dates for your garden, you might try this link.  Just put in your zip code:

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/GA/Buford

Have fun!  Be safe.

Thanks, Sanderson.

The link will come up to Buford, GA, but you can just change the zip code...

That is AWESOME!  And so true...!

I moved to GA when I was 3.  My DH still considers me a "d*** yankee."  Even though 2 weeks after we moved here, I had already acquired a good southern accent.

AtlantaMarie wrote:That is AWESOME!  And so true...!

I moved to GA when I was 3.  My DH still considers me a "d*** yankee."  Even though 2 weeks after we moved here, I had already acquired a good southern accent.

Anyone above I 20 is a yankee to me.  Way back in time, that seemed to be where all the northerners migrated to.  They then started down here on the south side but I tend to still think they are all up north.  Peachtree City attracted too many down here.

Thanks a lot, Yolos... 

Got a really nice rain late yesterday evening!  Everything got a good soaking.

It has rained down here everyday the last 4 days.  Supposed to rain again today.  Since I do not have drip irrigation or soaker hoses this year, the rain is saving me a lot of work.  BUT, it is also causing problems with early blight on my tomatoes and potatoes.  The plants just don't have enough time to dry off and I am not suckering them this year.

yolos wrote:It has rained down here everyday the last 4 days.  Supposed to rain again today.  Since I do not have drip irrigation or soaker hoses this year, the rain is saving me a lot of work.  BUT, it is also causing problems with early blight on my tomatoes and potatoes.  The plants just don't have enough time to dry off and I am not suckering them this year.

Hmm ... denser foliage means happier times for disease organisms.

Yeah...  I'm trying hard to keep ahead of that...

It rained here three different times yesterday.  Not long, just a summer sprinkle, but it still kept things wet all day.  I think early summer weather may have arrived.  The forecast, for the next 6 days, shows highs 91 - 93*F, lows 72*F, humidity 92%, and no rain.

Don't know about y'all, Yolos & Windmere (and Scruffy and the others around here!), but...

The Annual Blueberry Race has begun between me & the birds.

Even got some more snakes to try to keep them out of the bushes!  They go out today.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Don't know about y'all, Yolos & Windmere (and Scruffy and the others around here!), but...

The Annual Blueberry Race has begun between me & the birds.

Even got some more snakes to try to keep them out of the bushes!  They go out today.

Just remember that you have to move the rubber snakes every few days to make the birds think they are real!

Oh, yeah...  Here, I need to move them daily...

Where do you get those snakes??? Found a cat bird under the bird netting enjoying my strawberries this morning. They must have little hands under those wings.

CC

I was getting them at Wally-world, but can't find them now...  Just dinos and lizards...  So we found some on Amazon.  Got a doz for about $6.

Silly catbird...  Strawberries are for people!

sanderson wrote:Just came across this:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/smart-living/45-things-only-people-who-grew-up-in-the-south-will-understand/ar-BBkS6Ef

Wow... our family was just talking about how our ways of expressing ourselves have changed now that we've lived in GA for ten years.   It had been a "minute" since my wife had gone to the store.  It took her a long time to empty her "buggy" when she loaded the car.  Then she put everything "up" when she got home. 

Ma'am and Sir are integral parts of my speech.

And don't even get me started on the "bless his heart" thing.

It was a huge adjustment when we moved here from Los Angeles.  Now... it would be a huge adjustment to move back.

By the way... my tomatoes are getting fungus!!!!  The tigerella and the tiger blush are the worst (note to self).  How are y'all doing with your tomatoes?

Windmere wrote:

By the way... my tomatoes are getting fungus!!!!  The tigerella and the tiger blush are the worst (note to self).  How are y'all doing with your tomatoes?

You are getting into the lingo pretty good Windmere. 

About two weeks ago I did the worst garden chore.  Cutting off the diseased/spotted leaves, spraying the clippers with bleach solution, clipping off the next leaf, etc.  I go around the house and collect every set of scissors and clippers and take them out to the garden.  Last time I ended up with 8 pairs of scissors/clippers to help speed up the process.  I then sprayed with (shhh) daconil.  That held off the onslaught for a while.  I see it coming back again.  This time clip, clip spray copper fungicide.  I hate this chore.  But this year I have held off the demise of my tomatoes for longer than usual so maybe it is working.

The least diseased plant is the Mountain Merit.  Nary a diseased leaf.  We finally got a mostly red tomato and are letting it finish ripening on the counter and then we will give it the old taste test to see if we want to grow it again.  It is the only determinate I have ever grown.  It is kind of nice not having the tomato trying to grow to the sky.

yolos wrote:

Windmere wrote:

By the way... my tomatoes are getting fungus!!!!  The tigerella and the tiger blush are the worst (note to self).  How are y'all doing with your tomatoes?

You are getting into the lingo pretty good Windmere. 

About two weeks ago I did the worst garden chore.  Cutting off the diseased/spotted leaves, spraying the clippers with bleach solution, clipping off the next leaf, etc.  I go around the house and collect every set of scissors and clippers and take them out to the garden.  Last time I ended up with 8 pairs of scissors/clippers to help speed up the process.  I then sprayed with (shhh) daconil.  That held off the onslaught for a while.  I see it coming back again.  This time clip, clip spray copper fungicide.  I hate this chore.  But this year I have held off the demise of my tomatoes for longer than usual so maybe it is working.

The least diseased plant is the Mountain Merit.  Nary a diseased leaf.  We finally got a mostly red tomato and are letting it finish ripening on the counter and then we will give it the old taste test to see if we want to grow it again.  It is the only determinate I have ever grown.  It is kind of nice not having the tomato trying to grow to the sky.

I really like your idea about the multiple scissors.  That sounds like a great time saver.  I might look into (shh) daconil (ha ha).  This chore is indeed tedious.  Right now, it seems like I only have about six out of about 18 (?) plants affected.  Most definitely some have been hit harder than others.  Some are completely unscathed (One of those is Mountain Magic... I think ... since all my signs finally faded... I'm going the the colors and my memory of what those colors meant).

The two tomatoes belonging to my daughter are fine. I caught that one leaf that was getting a spot and none have occurred since.

In any case, I have lots of fruit setting, so I'm still hopeful.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Don't know about y'all, Yolos & Windmere (and Scruffy and the others around here!), but...

The Annual Blueberry Race has begun between me & the birds.

Us too. Let the games begin!!!

Windmere wrote: Then she put everything "up" when she got home. 

  Wow. I guess I have been in the south a long time. I had to sit and think a "minute" how else one would describe putting groceries "up."
Put them... away!
Can't believe I admitted that.

FeedMeSeeMore wrote:

Windmere wrote: Then she put everything "up" when she got home. 

  Wow. I guess I have been in the south a long time. I had to sit and think a "minute" how else one would describe putting groceries "up."
Put them... away!
Can't believe I admitted that.

+1 FeedMe.  When I saw the reference to putting things "up", I wondered what was wrong/southern about that.  I thought everybody said that.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Don't know about y'all, Yolos & Windmere (and Scruffy and the others around here!), but...

The Annual Blueberry Race has begun between me & the birds.

Even got some more snakes to try to keep them out of the bushes!  They go out today.

No blueberries yet Marie.  I only have a few transplants from some very young ones given to us by a friend.  Hope to some day join the race though!

Boy, I'd LOVE to join that blueberry race, especially since they grow wild here. But, 7 dead plants later, I've given up.
CC

yolos wrote:

Windmere wrote:

By the way... my tomatoes are getting fungus!!!!  The tigerella and the tiger blush are the worst (note to self).  How are y'all doing with your tomatoes?

You are getting into the lingo pretty good Windmere. 

About two weeks ago I did the worst garden chore.  Cutting off the diseased/spotted leaves, spraying the clippers with bleach solution, clipping off the next leaf, etc.  I go around the house and collect every set of scissors and clippers and take them out to the garden.  Last time I ended up with 8 pairs of scissors/clippers to help speed up the process.  I then sprayed with (shhh) daconil.  That held off the onslaught for a while.  I see it coming back again.  This time clip, clip spray copper fungicide.  I hate this chore.  But this year I have held off the demise of my tomatoes for longer than usual so maybe it is working.

The least diseased plant is the Mountain Merit.  Nary a diseased leaf.  We finally got a mostly red tomato and are letting it finish ripening on the counter and then we will give it the old taste test to see if we want to grow it again.  It is the only determinate I have ever grown.  It is kind of nice not having the tomato trying to grow to the sky.

You are very careful, but that usually pays off. The only way I kept my tomatoes from going under last year was by daily pruning, and I wound up clipping out huge percentages of the plants in the long run. Luckily tomatoes are so darn tough that they somehow handled it and kept producing. I like your idea of multiple scissors, and the dollar store carries 'em cheap.

Re determinate tomatoes, I thought everything about that sounded wrong-headed, and that I would never grow one, but here I am highly recommending "Better Bush." It was very prolific, giving us multiple flushes of around a dozen baseball sized tomatoes at a time, and was extremely disease resistant, more so than any other tomato I've grown. Fruit was tasty too. Spreads wide though and even though it's an indeterminate, it benefits from staking. Parks Seeds and Botanical Interests are two companies that sell them. Well, just in case you thought you might be willing to explore some more determinate types.