Re: New England, May 2016

**sanderson** 5/9/2016, 6:52 pm

One of the great things about SFG is that if you didn't plant a seed there, it's probably a weed.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/9/2016, 8:39 pm

Looks like a beet at this point? Or red Swiss chard?

bigdogrock 5/9/2016, 8:51 pm

I put the beets in over two weeks ago, I thought they were compost by now. All the beautiful little purple plants are coming up in the line where I planted the beet seeds. If it looks like a dog, barks like a dog, its a dog... These just gotta be my beets!
After looking at the charts Sanderson gave out, I can see how the cooler temps slowed them down. Not many are up yet, but now I am hopeful.

**sanderson** 5/10/2016, 1:01 am

Good, they are beets. It was Camp who posted the useful charts.

CapeCoddess 5/10/2016, 4:32 pm

bigdogrock wrote: Second, I have pictures of little tiny plants, and I want to share them with everybody and see if somebody can tell what they are at this early, just sprouting, barely above ground time in plant life.

I am not interested in the green plant in the first pic, but the purple one in pic one and two. I have a good idea what they are but it doesn't seem possible. Rock

I've never had red leafed beets, and my beets usually come up in multiples rather than one plant since the seeds are usually a ball o' seeds. I would have guessed these were a red lettuce, like Red Sails or Lolla Rosa or some such. What variety of beets did you plant?

bigdogrock 5/10/2016, 5:16 pm

BIG MISTAKE on MY PART, Camprn, thank you for the schedule, I was thinking of you when I was typing about it but I put Sanderson by accident.

Today even more of those little plants popped up! CC, I think they are Detroits, but I am not sure, and they were old seeds as well. but they are coming up now. A neighbor gave them to me, he cleaned out all his old seeds that he didn't want to deal with this year.

Last night it only got to 32.2 F, so the frost danger is still a possibility, but not last night. I have to reset my hi/lo, not sure what tonight brings. They say the lo is 41, but frost is possible in sheltered locations, whatever that means. But I will cover everything again to be safe, and btw, the rain gauge is still dry Very Happy

.

I also compared my temps with the one on all of my posts, my actual temp is 64.1F compared to their 70F, just an observation on my part. Rock

bigdogrock 5/10/2016, 5:57 pm

Today I braved the dreaded Black flies and went into the fiddle head fern patch! They are perfect for tonight's dinner. Wish I had a bigger patch, I love pickled fiddle head ferns!

**Scorpio Rising** 5/10/2016, 7:03 pm

Beets. That is what mine look! Cotyledons are red, green leaves eventually!

lyndeeloo 5/10/2016, 7:20 pm

bigdogrock wrote: First, yes, I did empty my rain gauge out, so another day it will last. The guy at the hardware store called and said he is getting in some new gauges, just in case I was interested. The guy must really care about me.

Too funny Rock

The weather forecast said chance of freeze last night so I covered the garden just in case. Thankfully didn't need to but no sense in taking chances.

Hated to do it but I sprayed the grapes for fungus this morning. Its the only thing I use that's not organic and it pains me to do it. Its been so cold and wet, they are sure to get black rot. Have to get ahead of it or it destroys all the grapes.

**camprn** 5/10/2016, 7:29 pm

We got down to 28F. Again.
Shocked

lyndeeloo 5/10/2016, 7:40 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:I got so many pears my 2 trees the 2nd year - 18 I think it was. Only thing is they get those little hard stones on the skin. It's some kind of bug bite so I'll be soaping them up as soon as they start forming. Hope it works.

CC, can't believe you got pears the second year. Wow! Well now you've got me feeling hopeful. What mixture do you spray them with? This is what they look like now. So exciting.

New England, May 2016 - Page 3 Img_2010

lyndeeloo 5/10/2016, 7:43 pm

Oh Camprn that's too bad. You must be sick of covering and uncovering everything.

Sorry the picture is so big, having trouble trying to post pictures. This is the first one that actually went through.

bigdogrock 5/10/2016, 7:49 pm

I got lucky last night Camprn, maybe the elevation had something to do with it. I am not taking any chances tonight, everything gets covered. The blk fllies are murder! Mad

I feel for you Lyndeeloo, I have grapes that I have had very few good seasons. I don't use the "cides" because the grapes are 50 feet from my Bee hives (but this year I am taking a break from the Bees). What a quandary, I hope you have success.

Thank you Scorpio Rising for confirming what I have coming up. I have to get out there and get them covered.

Rock

**camprn** 5/10/2016, 8:40 pm

lyndeeloo wrote:Oh Camprn that's too bad. You must be sick of covering and uncovering everything.

Nope, I'm not doing that dance. I've not planted anything tender yet.

**Scorpio Rising** 5/10/2016, 8:57 pm

Me neither. Weather too schizophrenic.

CapeCoddess 5/11/2016, 11:31 am

lyndeeloo wrote:
CapeCoddess wrote:I got so many pears my 2 trees the 2nd year - 18 I think it was. Only thing is they get those little hard stones on the skin. It's some kind of bug bite so I'll be soaping them up as soon as they start forming. Hope it works.

CC, can't believe you got pears the second year. Wow! Well now you've got me feeling hopeful. What mixture do you spray them with? This is what they look like now. So exciting.

Mine are not that far along yet. I'm probably a week or two behind you. I'm going to spray them with dish soap and water. There is some kind of oil that you're supposed to use but I'm not ready to start purchasing things yet. Although I just read that Rock sprays his grapes with something. That's a bummer. I don't want to have to do that so I think I'll let this season go by without spraying the grapes and see what happens. Or maybe I'll spray them with the soapy water too. I just used that Miracle-Gro container that screws onto the hose end when I spray my fruit trees and rose bushes. A dollop of dish soap and then fill it with water.

Wonder why my Detroit Reds and all my other beats come up green, some with red veins, and everybody else's comes up red...?

lyndeeloo 5/11/2016, 11:48 am

Thanks CC, I will try the dishsoap on the pear trees. I did use dormant oil on all the friut trees in early, early spring. It says it is safe for organic gardens. As for my grapes, my Concord grapes seem to be particularly susceptible to black rot. I finally broke down and started spraying them with a copper fungicide 2 years ago. If we have 2 or 3 rainy days in a row with temps below 60 degrees guaranteed all the grapes will end up with black rot. I use it sparingly and only on the grapes. Sigh...Can't bear to lose all those beautiful grapes, not to mention no grape jelly.

CapeCoddess 5/11/2016, 12:06 pm

Dormant oil, that's the oil I was trying to think of. You should probably use that, Lyndeeloo. I'm not sure the soap will keep whatever insect makes those rocks from biting them.

This is how far along my pears are.
New England, May 2016 - Page 3 Img_2026

This is my Detroit Red.
New England, May 2016 - Page 3 Img_2027

CapeCoddess 5/11/2016, 1:35 pm

It's so nice out that all my summer kids (except pepper) have gone outside to play for the first time:
New England, May 2016 - Page 3 Img_2028

Oh, and white butterfly is out in droves today! First time I'm seeing her. Not only that, there are green worms on my broccoli. I can't believe she was out during, and maybe prior to, that week of cold and rain we just finished up with but I guess she was.
Mad

**Scorpio Rising** 5/11/2016, 7:11 pm

My babies are camping outside tonight! Because they are going in this weekend....hardening off.

First campout for the babies here!

CapeCoddess 5/11/2016, 7:20 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:My babies are camping outside tonight! Because they are going in this weekend....hardening off.

First campout for the babies here!

Well that's exciting, SR. Are you worried? Feeling a little helicopter ish?
Wink

**Scorpio Rising** 5/11/2016, 8:30 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:
Scorpio Rising wrote:My babies are camping outside tonight! Because they are going in this weekend....hardening off.

First campout for the babies here!
Well that's exciting, SR. Are you worried? Feeling a little helicopter ish?

YES! Unbelievable. I am so nervous!?!? cyclops

bigdogrock 5/11/2016, 9:55 pm

I know it is kind of late to plant seeds, but it couldn't be helped, a very nice person made sure I had some heirloom tomato seeds that I got into the planting tray. Now if I could only find my heating mat, where did I put it? I'll probably find it in June.
No frost advisory tonight! It will probably stay in the Mid 40's and tomorrow is supposed to be a postcard picture day.
I wish I had tomorrow off, but it is not to be. The black flies are horrendous this evening, so at least I won't be bug food tomorrow. I think it is time for bed, the Red Sox are winning, no frost to worry about, and at least most of Saturday is supposed to be great. Rock

**Scorpio Rising** 5/11/2016, 10:23 pm

BDR, all is well in the universe! cheers

landarch 5/12/2016, 11:48 am

my best tomatoes last year were after thoughts planted late

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