Compost test

markqz 2/24/2024, 11:25 pm

Can you tell which plants are in city compost and which are in my compost? (Hint: Would I be posting this if my plants were stunted?)

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**sanderson** 2/25/2024, 1:36 am

Great test.

markqz 3/2/2024, 10:45 pm

This is likely the last full-sized Cherokee tomato from 2023.

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Used to make fried tofu and tomato sandwiches -- was delicious.

**sanderson** 3/5/2024, 10:55 pm

markqz 3/21/2024, 11:13 pm

You could be forgiven for thinking that "the flying zucchinis" are an Italian acrobatics team.

In my case, I didn't have the heart to tear out the last zucchini, still growing, with small fruit, since summer 2023. But I needed to set up the box for this year. So I suspended the zucchini and 5 foot stem. I'll have to rip it out eventually -- the base of the root is what finally goes. But for the moment, the zucchinis have a lift off!

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**sanderson** 3/22/2024, 11:43 am

Oh my gosh, zucchini all winter! You could have tried staking that puppy if you had known it was going to try to race the walking stick kale.

markqz 4/29/2024, 12:29 pm

The flying zucchinis are still producing, though tiny little fruits. This picture just before doing a purge.

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**sanderson** 5/1/2024, 1:58 am

Do you think it is putting its energy into climbing and not fruit production?

markqz 5/1/2024, 11:23 am

sanderson wrote:Do you think it is putting its energy into climbing and not fruit production?

It's trying very hard at fruit production. But I think the stem -- the hose it's drinking out of -- is too small and narrow for the fruits. I've trimmed all but one of the fruits. Meanwhile, it's still producing leaves. But they tend to become yellow fast (not mildew). So I'm thinking they're not actually getting enough water or nutrients from the roots.

I've got to end the experiment some time, but it has been interesting.

markqz 5/4/2024, 12:08 am

I pruned all but the one fruit in back just two days before this picture.

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markqz 5/30/2024, 12:45 am

So my first SFG has not been doing well. There are a variety of possible reasons, but on a whim I decided to dig into one of the empty squares. What I found was that about 4 inches in the soil became very compact, partially because it was riddled with roots. Roots from what? Some of it must have been nearby trees, but others could be bermuda grass or even the plants that had grown there for more than 2 or three years.

I don't want to tear out everything that is currently growing, so I'm instead digging up several squares, sifting the debris out, putting in some additional vermiculite, and refilling. I'll add compost mixture as I put in plants and see if this reboots growth.

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**sanderson** 5/30/2024, 4:13 pm

Just my thoughts. If they are live roots, they are competing with the veggies. Dead roots break down, and your beds are old enough I think for any dead roots to have decomposed. I would did up the empty squares, sift out the roots, and add more compost along with the vermiculite as you do them.

A year plus into SFG, I noticed a lot of roots coming up through the weed cloth into the MM. That's when I changed all the beds to table tops with an air gap underneath.

markqz 6/3/2024, 12:39 am

This picture makes my garden look almost successful, or at least busy. 11 different plant types.

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markqz 6/12/2024, 1:52 pm

The wasabi radishes in the lower left in the de-rooted, re-booted square were planted some weeks after the radishes on the middle right. Removing roots makes a difference to the plants seeded on the surface too, so I guess the water extraction went all the way down. I think I'm going to need to reboot several more squares, and maybe do all the boxes this fall.

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markqz 6/22/2024, 11:52 pm

Some harvestables today. The yellow pickle hid from me. It's not mushy or bad, it's just yellow. I'm wondering if it would be ok to pickle. I think I pickled some last year that had a little yellow in them and it was ok ... just a cosmetic issue, or an expectation issue. I mean, other members of the cucurbitaceae family we only harvested afer they've changed color.

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**Scorpio Rising** 6/23/2024, 5:43 pm

I get those, too. I am chicken as far as preserving them….I either eat them or compost.

markqz 7/6/2024, 11:47 pm

First cherokee tomatoes of 2024 that were actually started in 2024.

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markqz 7/8/2024, 12:35 pm

So I've been using OG's baking soda and castile soap recipe. Doing some sort of quick spraying maybe twice a week. Not always a thorough spray because I would have to take down the netting. In general, the plants don't seem to be getting mildew as much. But they do turn yellow. This may be unrelated -- it could just be aging or a slight lack of water.

Possibly I should start a thread about the overall experience.

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OhioGardener 7/8/2024, 5:09 pm

markqz wrote:So I've been using OG's baking soda and castile soap recipe. Doing some sort of quick spraying maybe twice a week. Not always a thorough spray because I would have to take down the netting. In general, the plants don't seem to be getting mildew as much. But they do turn yellow. This may be unrelated -- it could just be aging or a slight lack of water.

Interesting. I have not had any leaves turning yellow with this spray, so it would be interesting to know if it is related.

**sanderson** 7/9/2024, 2:23 pm

Mark, My cucurbits get colorful leaves also. What a Face

I have sprayed for white flies twice so far.

markqz 10/29/2024, 11:11 pm

Between the heat, medical, and travel, my garden has been somewhat neglected this summer. But the drip water keeps it alive, and it is still managing to put out some vegetables. The Eggplant is doing better than it was all summer, probably because it is in the back row and is finally getting light as the front rows die out. It was planted in the back row, because I'm hoping it will run 3 years like my prior eggplant.

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Mark's first SFG

Compost test

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Last large-sized Cherokee from 2023?

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SFG #2 - with flying zucchinis

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Flying zucchinis. April 2024

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Rebooting my first SFG.

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SFG #5, 2024. 11 species. Catch them all!

Comparison after rebooted squares

Yellow pickles?

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First Cherokees 2024

No mildew, but ...

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