On 06/15/2017 09:57 AM, songbird wrote:
T wrote:
...
I learned that when the seed company puts "overfilled
do to low germination", they really mean it.

i've not had a real problem with that. i
seem to get seed packets from random places
and perhaps for $0.10 each or less. i may
not even plant them for many years until i
realize they are taking up too much space.
some of them may still be viable. and the
rabbits might like them for food if i can use
them as a decoy crop.


"Decoy crop". Boy I got about 20 years of things
to learn before I get there!

I am looking at a bumper crop of garlic, shallots,
and radishes.

all those radishes can generate a lot of
organic material to use as compost or top
mulch.

I am wondering if the smell of them will keep
bugs away!


The tomatoes are still struggling. I have one tine cherry
tomatoes the size of a lentil.

My Chimayo and Sandia peppers have finally spouted.

sounds a bit late, i hope you have a long
enough season for those to get a decent crop.
do you have containers for them or are they
going into the ground?

Indeed. We have had a cool three weeks or so and
these peppers like it hot to germinate, or so the
label stated. We are calling it "Junuary". But
it has finally turned hot. I will be luck if I
get any peppers from them this year.

On the bright side, the three nursery Poblanos
and booking right along. So maybe I will get
some peppers from them.

And the earwigs are few and are not attacking anything
this season. I still kill them when I find them.

don't kill all of them, if you want a
natural system you want to make sure some
are left that the predators have food.

They are not in danger of extinction. I can only get
at a few percent. :'(


Next stop, wait for the over winter squash bugs to fly
in, catch them copulating, kill them and their eggs.
Then I will be done with them for the season.

there are so many around here we see them
all the time during the season. i've not
noticed them killing the squash completely
and only a few seem to even get in the fruits
so i largely ignore them as much as possible.

The over winter stage is where you want to whack them.
The are larger and have red spots on their sides.
If you don't manage to nail them and you miss their
initial eggs, they are a pain in the ass to get rid of.

Spray the stem of the plant with a water wand, the bugs
hate this and will wander out on the stems where you
can nail them. Spray under their tummies. Their backs
are armor plated. Don't squash them with anything dear
to you, like your favorite gloves, thye are stink bugs!

we're scaling back the squash this year to
one patch instead of three. i sure don't need
three wheelbarrows full of squash and the
freezer still has quite a bit in there from
last summer's crop.

Definition of a small town: when you visit your neighbors,
you have to lock your car doors, or you will find your
back seat filled with zucchini.

Thank you again for all the help! I wait stories of
your harvest!

just starting to get a decent number of
strawberries to ripen. chippies, birds,
rabbits, deer, etc. all getting their fair
share too.

Garden strawberries. What a treat!

beans sprouting, everything else growing
pretty well. not enough rains. last night
was hoping again the forecasted storm would
make it here, but it faded right on the edge.
and we only had a few drops. so i get up
and water in the morning and then work on
weeding until it gets too hot. siesta for
a while and then back out for whatever i can
do until i get too hot/tired. then that is it
for the day.


songbird

Death to Weeds!

-T

p.s. an organic farmer said he deals with his
bug problem with chickens and guinea fowl. You
ever do this? Guinea fowl are so atrociously noisy.
But I have seen them annihilate a red ant mound.