2016 SFG in Brooks, Ga

yolos wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:That tomato looks like something I'd like to try. What is the name of it?

Sorry, I forgot to put the name in the post.  New Big Dwarf.  It is not much of a dwarf.  Right now it is 5 feet tall.

  I'll put it on my wish list.

yolos wrote:  New Big Dwarf.  It is not much of a dwarf.  Right now it is 5 feet tall.

Beautiful! How's it taste?
CC

CapeCoddess wrote:

yolos wrote:  New Big Dwarf.  It is not much of a dwarf.  Right now it is 5 feet tall.

Beautiful!  How's it taste?
CC

Mid range of taste.  Favorites are in order of favorite.
1) Brandywine 
2) Brandy Boy
3) Gilbertie
4) New Big Dwarf
Everybody likes different tastes in tomatoes, but these are my favorites.

About 4 days harvest of White Acre Cowpeas.  Harvested while they are still considered green just prior to them becoming dried.  4 cups just blanched ready to freeze.

Wow!

yolos wrote:About 4 days harvest of White Acre Cowpeas.  Harvested while they are still considered green just prior to them becoming dried.  4 cups just blanched ready to freeze.

I second Sanderson's wow!
I have a very tiny test block (4 squares) of Pinkeye purple hull cowpeas, even though I'm rather northerly, because I got free seeds. They seem like pokey growers compared with my other beans, so I doubt I'll have enough to preserve... but I curious to know, in case they suddenly become hugely productive :

Do you harvest green and freeze - rather than drying - because of
better preservation (no risk of mildew etc from improper drying)
or because they cook up faster vs dried
or better flavor...
or...? 

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

yolos wrote:About 4 days harvest of White Acre Cowpeas.  Harvested while they are still considered green just prior to them becoming dried.  4 cups just blanched ready to freeze.

I second Sanderson's wow!
I have a very tiny test block (4 squares) of Pinkeye purple hull cowpeas, even though I'm rather northerly, because I got free seeds. They seem like pokey growers compared with my other beans, so I doubt I'll have enough to preserve... but I curious to know, in case they suddenly become hugely productive :

Do you harvest green and freeze - rather than drying - because of
better preservation (no risk of mildew etc from improper drying)
or because they cook up faster vs dried
or better flavor...
or...? 

If you are going to pick them at the green pea stage, you need to make sure what the pod looks like to determine the appropriate time to pick the Pinkeye Purple Hull Pea.  Watch this very short video to determine when to harvest at the fresh stage.  The terminology I used above "green" is inaccurate of the color of the pod or the pea.  Fresh would have been better terminology.  Watch this video.  This dude has quite a few videos on planting, harvesting and canning the peas.  I love the way he harvests his peas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZuefnKOu9Y

I have never eaten the peas that are dried so I can't help you there.  On one forum there was a discussion from an old time southern gardener who said they were much better fresh and so I have always done that.

Excellent video, thanks, Yolos!
"Better fresh" works. I'll certainly try some that way, assuming they get to that point.

+1. Certainly helpful!

More Silver Queen Corn harvested today.

Oh Yolos...I grew Silver Queen one year and it was the best dang corn I ever put in my mouth! Even as deformed and unfinished as they were.

Yours are GORGEOUS!

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:Oh Yolos...I grew Silver Queen one year and it was the best dang corn I ever put in my mouth!  Even as deformed and unfinished as they were.

Yours are GORGEOUS!

CC

Ditto

Yolos ... That has made me hungry for corn. Looks absolutely delicious.

There is a lot of corn grown here for animals and people. What they sell at the roadside stands and outdoor markets is mostly "Peaches and Cream" (at least that is what they call it).

trolleydriver wrote:Yolos ... That has made me hungry for corn. Looks absolutely delicious.

There is a lot of corn grown here for animals and people. What they sell at the roadside stands and outdoor markets is mostly "Peaches and Cream" (at least that is what they call it).

TD - Silver Queen Corn has a days to maturity of 92 days and Peaches and Cream Corn has a days to maturity of 70 days.  The DTM for the Silver Queen Corn is probably why you don't get it up north.  It is the most popular down here in the south.

I have a second planting of Silver Queen Corn which should be ready to harvest around the middle of Sept if the bugs don't eat the leaves and the heat and drought don't stress it so bad.  I just put a soaker hose in the bed so maybe it won't get too stressed.  If it gets too stressed, the tassels come out and drop their pollen before the ears and silks come out.   If that happens, the corn will not be pollinated, I know this from previous experience.

I see fruit trees and berries in my future.  Ison's Nursery is less than 5 miles from my house so we went to visit them today.  They recommended various varieties of trees and berries that would do well in our environment.  So here is their suggestions.  Anyone have experience with any of these.  

Grapes - $ 8.95 (2 year)
(we did not want muscadines) - Concord, Jupiter, Neptune

Blackberries - (bears in 2 yrs)  $4.95
(thornless) - Apache, Ouachita and Kiowa (thorny)

Rasperries - $ 4.95 (bears in 2 yrs)
Heritage, Dorma Red

Blueberries - $ 9.95 (bears in 2 years)
Powderblue, Premier

Strawberry - (plugs - plant in fall, pick in spring) 50 plugs for $35
Chandler 

Apples - 2 years $22.95 or Instant Orchard (1 year) $54.95
Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Pink Lady

Pears -  2 years $22.95 or Instant Orchard (1 year) $54.95
Pineapple, Seckel

Plums - 2 years $22.95 or Instant Orchard (1 year) $54.95
Bearty, Methley, Santa Rosa

Peaches - 2 years $22.95 or Instant Orchard (1 year) $54.95
Harvester, Red Globe, Redskin

Hardy Kiwi - $19.95 bears in 3 - 4 years
Male, Anna, Kens Red

They said to plant them in Oct.  Now, where to plant them and what size to purchase.  And where to get the money to buy the Instant Orchard size.

For those of you with horses, how far from the fence that is holding horses do I plant them.  I don't want horses eating any of my fruits or trees.

They look BEAUTIFUL!

Did you oil them or something...? So shiny....

I am worn out.  Between the insects, diseases, heat, drought etc. I have started ripping out about half of my garden.  Southern Blight on beans and tomatoes.  Spider Mites all over the beans.  Ants all over the Okra.  White Flies on some tomatoes.  Some kind of caterpillar on beans.  Blossom End Rot on my one surviving Gilbertie Tomato.  Cucumber Beetles and Downy Mildew on the cucumbers.  One Butternut Squash plant is showing signs of SVB.  I already pulled 4 summer squash because of SVB.  Squash bugs on my Butterbush squash.   Ants all over the cowpeas but only one small outbreak of aphids which I took care of real quick before they became a big problem.
 
But on the bright side.  Pickle worms have only gotten one cucumber fruit.  I don't know why they haven't attacked all my cucumbers this year.  First time they haven't decimated the crop by this time in the season.  I also had a bumper crop of cucumbers.  Those Baby Persian Cucumbers are so prolific this year and the large pots up near the house are still producing bags of cucumbers.  Every time I turn around there is another one I find that I missed and has grown huge fruit.  But I did have to remove all the cucs in the SFG garden.  Just too intensely planted I can't find the pickling cucs before they get too big. 
 
I have gotten a bumper crop of tomatoes.  Those Juliet Grape tomatoes just keep on growing and showing less disease than all my other tomatoes.  There are still about 6 plants of various varieties that have survived.  We had spaghetti last night with my home made marinara sauce.  Fed a party of 10 people who raved about the sauce.
 
The Lady Cowpeas and the White Acre Cowpeas seem to be producing very slowly.  I get a handful of pea pods everyday.  They just are not maturing enough at the same time.  Takes about 4 - 5 days to get enough to blanch and freeze.  The Pinkeye Purple Hull Cowpeas are just now setting on.  
 
The 4 x 8 corn patch of Silver Queen corn produced some nice ears.  BUT - the cobs on the corn in the middle of the patch were not fully pollinated and have a lot of kernels missing.  But great kernel fill on the plants around the outside of the bed.  I still have another bed with corn which won't be ready until sometime in Sept.
 
Winter Squash (Butternut, Butterbush and Tromboncino) are still growing.  The Tromboncino leaves look rugged but still alive.  One Butternut plant was attacked by SVB.  I have been battling squash bugs on my butterbush squash.  I have been searching and finding squash bug eggs everyday.
 
I have to figure out a strategy for ridding my garden of the Southern Blight.

Wow, your garden always looks so pretty. I had no idea you were battling all those insects and diseases. May I ask which tomatoes, besides Juliet grape, are doing well?

sanderson wrote:  Wow, your garden always looks so pretty.  I had no idea you were battling all those insects and diseases.  May I ask which tomatoes, besides Juliet grape, are doing well?

I wouldn't say that all the tomato varieties still growing are doing well.  In the SFG, all are gone except the Juliet and it is doing well.  Outside my SFG, in the shade of an old oak tree, I planted 6 varieties.  The Big Beef, Brandy Boy, and Goliath have died.  The Brandywine, Gilbertie, and another Juliet are surviving but not really in good condition.  Up next to the house are two New Big Dwarfs that are doing real well.  But they are far away from my regular garden and flanked on two sides by the house so maybe they are not getting spores drifting in on the wind like the regular garden.  They do have White Flies but I think I am winning that battle.  I have been spraying every other day with Bonide Insecticidal Soap.

Some things are still growing and producing even though the heat/disease/insects are stressing some of the veggies.

Sweet Potatoes (Beauregard) planted 5/22.  The vines reached the top of the 8 foot trellis and are now growing down.  This is a 2 foot x 8 foot bed.


Lady Cowpeas are still producing slowly.


My Juliet Grape Tomato has a few splotchy leaves but is still pumping out the fruit.


A healthy bean bed which I planted for a late crop of beans.  The Rattlesnake Beans are on the 8 foot trellis and the shorter plants are Henderson Lima Beans.


Winter Squash - Butternut, Butterbush, Tromboncino.  The leaves on the Tromboncino squash are a little ragged but still alive.


I still have a 4 x 4 of Silver Queen corn, a 4 x 4 of White Acre Cowpeas, a 6 x 4 of Pinkeye Purple Hull Cowpeas, a few surviving tomatoes, a few Baby Persian Cucumber plants, some bell peppers, Okra, a 3x6 bed of Flamingo Pole Beans, and Edamame growing.

After looking at your beautiful green plants, see if I ever post photos of my ugly plants! Looking good, Yolos.

sanderson wrote:After looking at your beautiful green plants, see if I ever post photos of my ugly plants!    Looking good, Yolos.

Agreed. Your garden is excellent Yolos and those squash are amazing.

yolos wrote:

Winter Squash - Butternut, Butterbush, Tromboncino.  The leaves on the Tromboncino squash are a little ragged but still alive.

Wait...are the long tan ones Tromboncino?  I thought they were supposed to be yellow, or was it green?  After 2 years of trying I've yet to see one.   Which one is Butterbush?

CC

The Tromboncino squash start out greenish.  At the early stage they can be eaten like a zucchini.  Then they start turning tan and become a winter squash and can be eaten like a Butternut (I think).  This is the first year I have grown anything other than summer squash and zucchini.  

The Butterbush squash is just behind the Tromboncino.  See the small squash hanging off the edge of the pot.  Those are small and are advertised as single serving butternut type squash.  It is a bush style plant.  I planted it in a pot between the Tromboncino and the Butternut squash.  That allowed the Butternut and Tromboncino to share the trellis and the vines could run the width of the trellis without getting in the way of the Butterbush plant.