2021 SFG in Brooks, Ga

so beautiful....

Thanks jimmy cee.

Beautiful as usual.

Harvested a few large Broccoli heads yesterday and had one for dinner last night and the other will be mixed in a Stir Fry tonight.  So far I have given away 9 heads of Broccoli and only eaten two.  But I really enjoy working in the garden even if I give a lot away.


Just harvested some Maxibel Bush Beans.  Boy I hate growing bush beans or peas.  There are a lot more that should be harvested but I am tired of leaning over and reaching into the middle of the planting to harvest the beans.  So I will harvest a few more this evening after the sun goes behind the trees.


Still harvesting and freezing my Strike Bush Peas.  I now have 9 cups of shelled peas frozen in the freezer.  I saw some powdery mildew on the peas yesterday so I sprayed with milk/water this AM.  This happens every year but I don't usually treat for the mildew.  So I am trying to see if I can extend the life of the pea plants but it is getting hot (low 90's F) so I dont know how long I can keep picking.

Yesterday I planted my annual planting of Rattlesnake Bush Beans but they will take quite a while before ready to harvest (if the Japanese beetles don't get them first).

Fruits of your plants look wonderful..Thank you for posting them.

I'm marveling that you harvested cool weather broccoli and peas at the same time you harvested hot weather beans.

sanderson wrote:I'm marveling that you harvested cool weather broccoli and peas at the same time you harvested hot weather beans.

I know.  I planted bush beans early.  I covered them when the temps went low.  Peas are just now contracting powdery mildew.  Broccoli just finished up - much later than normal due to longer than normal cool weather.  Today I harvested my final peas, broccoli and my third picking of beans Maxibel Bush Bean).

Looks gorgeous!

Potato update - 
Planted Russet Norkotah potatoes on 2/23.  I covered them whenever the temps went below freezing.  I harvested a few of smaller potatoes on 5/18.  I harvested all the rest of the potatoes today (6/17/21).  This year I planted earlier than before, planted potatoes farther apart than in the past, planted them in a new bed that was 12 inches deep.  I had the best crop I have ever had.  I actually got some big ole taters.  We are told not to plant Russet Potatoes here in Georgia because they take too long to reach maturity.  I have planted them every year and this year was great.

They are beautiful looking. If one was to plant them in a 5-gallon bucket with a piece with 1 eye, would that work? I'm at latitude 37N.

sanderson wrote:They are beautiful looking.  If one was to plant them in a 5-gallon bucket with a piece with 1 eye, would that work?    I'm at latitude 37N.

Sorry, I don't have any idea.  I would think that you could put more than one eye in a 5 gallon bucket.  Doesn't Mr. Booker grow in pots now.  He might know.

I do grow small reds in 50-gallon buckets, usually 3 or 4 sprouting pieces. I was wondering if I could grow larger russets at one per bucket. I just don't have room for any more beds in my tiny backyard.

50-gallon! Yellow Yukon, I'll try those next year. I was afraid that Russets would be impossible in the buckets.

I think I made a mistake planting too many cucumber plants.  They are all parthenocarpic so they produce like crazy.
I picked all of these cucumbers today.  Total of 33.  I don't make pickles and my daughter and her family are going on vacation so I have no idea what to do with theses.  Maybe some blender cucumbers frozen for drinks later. ????????  Maybe cucumber ice cubes to put in water during a hot Georgia day. ????

Looks great!  I like cucumber chips.  Slice 1/4" or so.  I prefer plain.  Can sprinkle with ranch dressing mix (the dry stuff) or salt & vinegar, whatever.  Then dehydrate at 125F till crispy.

First Brandywine this season.  The Chipmunks got the first two.  Yum Yum.

I just read up on dehydrating cucumbers! Sounds doable. Maybe with a light sprinkle of salt?

Yellow Sedge has heavily invaded one of my 4 x 8 beds.  Some recent research stated that the Sedge Weeds are "ONE OF THE MOST PERNICIOUS WEEDS". 

I have had this weed appear a little in another 4 x 8 bed for a few years.  I divided this previously infected bed into 2 parts.  One part I weeded and then sprayed roundup every time one new weed sprouted.  Now I only get a couple of new weeds each week.  Because I used roundup, I will not be using this bed for a year or two.  

In the other half of the older infected bed, I pulled the weeds.  Then covered the entire area with new compost materials and then topped with wheat straw.  Every time a new weed popped up, I used a garden fork to lift up the soil and remove the roots.  This is working but it is still mildly infected with the weeds.  What I did not know was that at the end of each root was a Tuber (a small round nut about the size of a peewee marble) that remains in the soil if you try to pull the weed up.  The only way to eradicate the weeds permanently is to make sure this nut is also dug up.

Picture of this newly infected bed.  It must have gotten these little nuts either from the purchased transplanted broccoli or purchased compost.  You can see the sedge weeds lined up along the very edge of the bed.  They are all through out the garden bed but you can see them best along the front.


Here is one weed pulled out.


Here is a picture of the little Tubers (nuts)  on the end of the Rhizones (roots).  They are pretty small.  After pulling the weeds out I realized that all these nuts were left in the soil.  So I used a 1/8 inch sifter to sift these out.  It took forever to do the whole bed.  These are brown in color and the color matched my small clay clods so I had to sift the whole bed.  That took about a week.


Here is a picture of the bed after the soil was removed and a small section that shows all the roots in one small area.




And then I dug up the clay that was beneath the bed to help with draining water.  Apparently, Sedge Weeds love a wet area.  Look at those clay clods in the very bottom of the bed.  Had to get my grandson to help me wield that heavy mattock to break up the clay in the bottom.


As I sifted the soil, I put the soil in large black plastic trash bags.  These bags (about 15 bags) are lying beside the bed, in the sun.  The temperature inside the bags has only gotten up to 110 degrees.  They have been sitting out in the sun for 1 week.  I hope the combination of  the high heat and the fact that the soil is dry, will kill any roots that may have gotten through the sifter.  The empty bed is covered with plastic to keep the bed dry to kill any of the tubers that I may have missed.

I could not use solarization to  kill off these weeds because they were so deep and would not have killed the nuts on the bottom of the bed.  

SO MY QUESTION IS - how long should I leave the soil in the garbage bags to make sure any roots that may have made it through the sifter are dead. ??????

FALL UPDATE 10/31/21

Update on my Nut Sedge Weeds.  After letting the bed sit for a couple of weeks after removing and sifting all of the soil, I found that 6 nut sedge weeds had sprouted.  They were all right next to the edge at the beginning of the bed and a few at the end.  I carefully removed these and the nuts at the end of the roots.  Filled the bed with the soil in the black bags and added a lot of bagged compost.  Planted a few left over broccoli.  I did not want a lot of things planted there so I could watch it like a hawk to make sure no more nut sedge weeds sprout.  There are a few wheat seeds sprouting but I can easily remove these.  Nut Sedge bed -


I just finished cleaning, adding compost and planting in all the beds that are still operable.  I also built up the long 4 x 32 foot bed that had sides of 6 inches only.  I broke up the 32 foot bed into smaller beds and put 12 inch tall pine boards around the sides.  I was about a month late planting (due to the work on the nut sedge bed) so I do not know if I will be able to harvest anything.  

Carrots planted in a 2 x 4 bed on 10/08/21.


FAVA beans planted in a 4 x 10 foot bed on 09/28/21 for Green Manure crop.


Daikon Radish planted in a 4 x 4 foot bed on 09/??/21 (with a volunteer potato growing inside).  For green manure crop.


Rape seeds planted in a 4 x 4 bed on 10/08/21 for Green Manure


Annual Rye Grass seed planted in a 4 x 4 bed on 10/24/21


And at the end of the 4 x 32 foot area (in the Shade of the Dogwood trees, a Sandbox so my grandson will stay occupied while I work in the garden.


Pepper plants planted  last spring - still harvesting


Strike peas planted in a 4 x 8 bed on 9/24/21


Broccoli and Brussel Sprouts planted in a 4 x 8 bed on 9/22/21


Voluntary Juliet Tomato


Hairy Vetch waiting to germinate in a 2 x 8 bed planted 10/25/21


Rolling Planter on my Screened in Porch that has a cover and can be kept heated and growing all winter.  Planted with lettuce and Snapdragons on 10/7/21


Thats all folks.  Hope this long post does not crash when I Send it.

Yolos, I have said this before, but I want to be a gardener like you when I grow up.

In your spare time, could you create a new post all about your "battle with sedge". ?? Others may also be battling this noxious weed. I have it in a front flower spot. The "nut" is probably why we can't get rid of it.

sanderson wrote:Yolos, I have said this before, but I want to be a gardener like you when I grow up.

In your spare time, could you create a new post all about your "battle with sedge".  ??  Others may also be battling this noxious weed.  I have it in a front flower spot.  The "nut" is probably why we can't get rid of it.

Thanks Sanderson.  I will try and do some cutting and pasting when I get the chance.  Hopefully I recorded some links describing Nut Weed problems.

Thank you. Hugs