C&T South up date us on what is happing now

Hello folks,
Things are heating up and I'm getting ready for the June update (my first one). What's on your mind and how are your gardens are doing? Do you have a special interest, or project? If you have the time please share it with the rest of us.

Hi Shannon1! While making my first visit of the day to my garden this morning, I just was so happy to see that my garden is growing green and lush. The plants all just look so healthy and...well, HAPPY! Hooray for sfgs and Mel's Mix!!!

I had my first harvests this week - 3 zucchini and two cucumbers. I found a third half-grown cucumber that I didn't realize was there this morning. I have tons of tiny cucumbers still coming on. The vines are growing to the top of my trellis, so I don't know what I'm going to do to make more room for them!

My zucchini have more small veggies coming on and are still blooming profusely. The zucchini plants are so big, though, I think I'll make smaller boxes for squash before next spring. My eggplants are blooming, also - don't see any tiny eggplants as yet, but expect to soon. I only have 5 tomato plants this year, but have plenty of tomatoes growing and am very much looking forward to a successful harvest. I have honey dew melons that are blooming lots, also. I've planted two successive plantings of pinkeye purple hull cowpeas that are doing well, though not ready for harvest yet.

My snap beans are the only plants that aren't doing as well as I would hope. They have yellowish leaves and while they've not lost the small beans that have been growing, the beans just don't seem to be growing as long as they should. The largest one, which is still smallish, appears to have the beans filling out in them, which isn't what you want with snap beans. So I guess that's the one crop that doesn't look as though it's going to do too well. I guess maybe I'll try a bean innoculant next time to see if that helps.

As far as projects, I very much hope to be able to add 3 more boxes for a fall garden! There are so many things I want to try that I've never grown. I'm especially looking forward to trying lettuce.

I'd love to see a topic in the Friday Rookie Topic every once in a while on veggies that are heat resistant and might grow in our forum members' hot climates - or maybe just a mention in the regular topics sometimes as to which varieties of that week's vegetable might grow well in hot climates! I love the Rookie Topic feature of the forum and always enjoy reading the article each week. I'm so glad that you've agreed to be our forum leader and look forward to seeing our regional forum be more active!

Sherry,
It sounds like a beautiful garden. Can you post some pics? I tasted my first home grow cuc this year and could not believe how much better it tasted. I'm so glad you are starting to reap the rewards of your labor.
I had the same problems with my bush beans that you are having with your snap beans. I ended up pulling and replanting a different breed so far so good with the them. Thank you for your support. Hosting is all new to me but I do have some ideas. I love the friday rookie posts too. It has inspired me to do a weekly tropical vegitable thread and see if our peeps are interested. Right now I am working on the June update but after that it will be the tropical vegies. If you have any ideas please let me know. I am still learning what you guys are most interested in.
I hope some of the folks here can help with the zuc trellis. Have you seen the ones that look like an "A" frame? Plants grow up one side and down the other. That may be something you could add to yours.

sherryeo wrote:My snap beans are the only plants that aren't doing as well as I would hope. They have yellowish leaves and while they've not lost the small beans that have been growing, the beans just don't seem to be growing as long as they should. The largest one, which is still smallish, appears to have the beans filling out in them, which isn't what you want with snap beans. So I guess that's the one crop that doesn't look as though it's going to do too well. I guess maybe I'll try a bean innoculant next time to see if that helps.

I just have a quick minute, but I wanted to respond regarding your beans. I also had problems with my snap beans, peas and butter beans having yellow leaves. I added a little extra compost and blood meal to those squares, and now they're all a healthy green and growing like crazy. I'm new to gardening and SFG, so you may already have tried this, but I wanted to share my results just in case. =)

Your garden sounds wonderful! I too would like to see some pictures. I'll try to post an update and pix this evening.

Ok, guys, you asked for it, so I'm posting new pics of my 2 4X4 sfgs! It's a bit of a jungle, plants are growing and mingling together, but seem happy as can be for it. Not as impressive as some of the more elaborate setups I've seen here on the forum, but then I am a newbie and took Mel's advice to start small. It is without doubt the healthiest looking garden I've ever grown.



Above, Boston Pickling Cucumber topping the trellis, Black Beauty Zucchini on the right, with a couple of empty squares around it. There is an eggplant, doing quite well in the center of the garden. Southern Pink-eye Purple Hull peas (aka cowpeas, field peas) in front row, first planting is the tallest and two other squares planted later beside it. I had no idea they'd get that big - probably shouldn't have planted 9 per square! What looks like an empty square, front right, is my Carrot Week square. I think it's too hot for them, was supposed to reach 93 here today, don't expect them to do much. Two Better Boy tomatoes planted on trellis row, too, being a bit overshadowed by the cucumbers and zucchini. If they look like they start to struggle, I will cut some of the cuke vines and zucchini leaves. Pepper plants also in front of tomatoes. Cilantro going to seed, left center, to try to attract good bugs.



Honey dew melons on back left, starting up the trellis. Two Marion tomatoes and one Better Boy also on trellis row, not very visible amongst the greenery, but loaded with tomatoes. Another zucchini determined to take over the box. I have 5 zucchini awaiting me in the kitchen at present. Another eggplant pretty much in center, doing well. Can't see very well because of sun reflecting, but parsley at center left. Bottom row left and second from right, more Southern peas planted at different times. Pepper plants not really very visible in front of tomatoes, they're being a bit slow to grow.

The yellow looking plants in both squares are my bush snap beans. As mentioned in my first post on this thread, they are just not doing well. Oh, and that's a mint plant growing in the pot.

Wow that looks great.

I love your trellis, it looks like an old head board. I have often wanted to stop at some of those junk yards and pick up an old head board or two to make some interesting "beds" in my garden!!! Your garden looks great.

Thanks, Shannon and Valerie! I can't take credit for the design of the headboard, though, it was one of those ready to assemble kits. Paid too much for it, even though it was on sale, but my dh isn't very construction-oriented and neither am I, so he just wanted to take the easy way out. I just wish the trellis was higher, my cukes are already over the top and probably my tomatoes will be, too, later in the season.

We will still let you take the credit, after all you picked it out. When I finaly get over to my bro's house and post my pics you will see the hardscape of my garden is not so pretty. It is kind of funky, made from scavenged and recycled things but I love it and have no HOA to deal with.

Hi
i am new to SFG and to this forum and have just built one bed and planted some seedlings from Home Depot/Lowes. I am about to build some more beds to be ready for the fall season and my questions is when do i start sowing seeds and do I use the seed sowing kit things? I also wondered if there was anyone in zone 10?
I love this forum and had read so much good stuff.

Things So Far

The romas were the first to show fruit, followed by the cherry tomatoes. I've already eaten 2 cucumbers. I could probably pick 1 ear of corn right now and perhaps about 4 bean pods(though I have to be honest, I haven't read up on harvesting kidney beans yet). I'd say I've eaten some marigolds, but I'm not sure that technically counts!

My peppers are going slowly, though I expect they will be ready in about a month. I really should be diligent with a planting log. Maybe next season(riiiiight).

New Projects

Since the first SFG wicking box is doing so well, I think I've decided to make a lot of 4' x 2' wicking boxes. 4'x2' seems to be a better size for me since I plant a lot of tall veggies(tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, beans, corn) and not a lot of the shorter varieties. And 4'x2' might be a more manageable size for wicking boxes(at least for me personally). I might even redo all my other SFG beds into wicking boxes. This isn't to say that SFG does not work by itself, but with the dryness of the last 2 years, wicking boxes seems to be the best way to incorporate rainwater collection with a watering system(I don't like the appearance of a large rainwater barrel system for drip irrigation). Since I have off this week, I might grab some pine lumber and work on the design basics.

After that I need to design some fancy attachments to these beds such as trellises, hoops, cold frames and the like. I would love to make it modular, but I think I might be biting off more than I can chew.

Lastly, new veggies outside of the normal stuff that's known to grow well down here, and move more towards heirloom varieties instead of hybrids. Also, planting perennial veggies for my area. I haven't even begun to research what veggies are perennial in my area or what veggies I can make perennial with the use of a cold frame during the winter.

I have too much thinking time on my hands...

I would love to see your plans for wicking boxes, or even just hear some ramblings on how you're thinking of doing it. I have to completely redo my garden as we are moving and I almost forgot (until reading your post) how much I wanted to incorporate some kind of automatic watering system.

My tomatoes look done for - but I'm pleased that I did get a nice crop without blossom end rot- first time that ever happened! I think something got into them - found some tiny little worms that I couldn't identify. Sprayed with BT, but probably too late. I don't think they're going to make a comeback. Might try some for a fall garden.

I've harvested 3 Black Beauty eggplants and have one more small one on one of my 2 eggplant bushes. They have really become nice and bushy and are blooming again, so I think I might be able to harvest more!

My Pinkeye Purple Hull Southern Peas have given me a small harvest, but I have more, planted after the first planting, that are beginning to put on baby peas. The first planted ones seemed to take a short breather, but are also blooming again and putting on small peas. I am a bit worried, though, because I am getting some brown leaves that die off and some pods that seem to dry up before turning purple.

My peppers - Big Early, Tam Jalapeno and Cayene - really aren't doing well. I do have peppers on my bells, but they're a bit odd shaped and pale. Jalapenos and cayenne haven't put on any fruit. I really have never had a real bumper crop of peppers, including my two attempts at row gardening (back in the terrible old pre-sfg days).

My zuchinni are still producing, though there was a time they looked a bit peaked. One plant has pretty much sent out a whole new crop of leaves after the older ones turned yellow one by one and I trimmed them off. I guess that's pretty normal?

My cukes also seemed to go through a brief slow spell, with most of the little cukes turning yellow, but it seems to have become revitalized and is currently giving me a fresh, good new crop. I plan to do some refrigerator pickles.

Carrots, radishes and bush snap beans were pretty much a wash. I just think the heat got to them. I'll try again for a fall garden.

Some successes, some failures, but that's life! And gardening. I'm still a newbie and am learning as I go, from both my successes and my failures. But I rarely have to pull any weeds or grass from my gardens and am firmly convinced that sfg is the only way to go!

elliephant wrote:I would love to see your plans for wicking boxes, or even just hear some ramblings on how you're thinking of doing it.

I'll have to sit down and put everything into words/drawings. There are already a couple of threads elsewhere on these forums(boffer will show the way!). Give me a couple of weeks and I'll see what I can get out of my brain and on to paper.

Just ate my first Sun King today and am happy to report it was delicious. They stopped setting fruit but I think that is due to the fact they are just covered with tomatoes. I heard a heavy fruit load will cause that.
My edamame just started to produce tiny bean pods. The flowers just began to fall off yesterday I was happy to see it had set.
The asian eggplant is still going strong and the black beauty looks as if I may get one or two more of those.
My okra is about a foot high and starting to branch.
The passion fruit vine is over the fence and growing up the trees behind. It takes 2 years to start yeilding a crop so I have high hopes for next summer if winter does not set it back too much.