Category: Interacting with nature

See pic above – when walking in the woods you need to watch where you walk – not only to avoid a copperhead but also to see what is going on down there – the different fungi and this small guy for whom my misstep would have been fatal.

My last post was Aug 28 and since then I unfortunately had to focus on other matters.  The garden has transitioned with the approach of Fall.

What little time I had for growing I tried to spend wisely.  I pulled the fading squash plants which had done an excellent job shading with their large leaves the raised beds they inhabited.  So, once they were out minimal weeding was required.  I seeded with mixtures of late season greens (collard, kale, mustard, lettuce, chard) – when I say mixture I mean I loaded the different seeds into the hopper of the seed spreader and expelled them all together whereas in the past I seeded different types in straight rows.  My new approach means that if a particular variety does not do well it will be superseded by another green rather than by a weed.  A negative is they will be on top of each other and not realize full growth.  But we will snip frequently for the kitchen and they will cover the beds well and dissuade weeds.

Some 4 weeks later the beds had really taken off.

Some of the beds did not do as well and I surmise 2 reasons – they were planted a few days after the others and missed the rains; and I seeded them with Austrian winter peas and several other peas and I have a rabbit population which preyed on my peas throughout the season and probably nailed these as well.

A favorite all rounder is chard – it grows well in spring, somehow survives our summers and comes back strongly in fall.

I previously mentioned a volunteer butternut squash plant which took up residence on the compost head and has done magnificently.  A week ago we picked from this plant 5 butternut and have subsequently picked more.

I have 2 varieties of persimmon – American and Asian and I planted them 4 years ago and they are still not producing.  However at the gate to the woods I noticed some cherry looking fruit on a tree and I think these are self grown American persimmon.  Impossibly bitter to eat until they have matured.

Eight years ago when I purchased the woods I decided to grow black walnut.  I ordered 25 at a very reasonable price from the Georgia Forestry Commission and gave some to neighbors in Atlanta and planted 3 at our Atlanta house.  I thought shading from larger trees would be an issue and it sure was.  None of the trees in the woods did well and at the Atlanta house the one which did the very best, unsurprisingly got the most light.  One of my sons visiting from the west coast decided it would be great to eat a black walnut.  The first step is dehusking.

Here they are with their husks removed.

Finally, goldenrod has flowered to the delight of the bees.

After several days in the 90’s this morning was overcast and I began working at 6.30am, so it was pleasant.  With all the recent rains I have 8,000 gallons stored rainwater and can be liberal with its use.

As I stepped outside I heard loud buzzing.  M. had lamented we had not trimmed the Rose of Sharon hibiscus, which overtowers our deck, and it would have fewer flowers this year.  But not this morning – there were flowers enough and many pollinators.

The bumblebee and also the carpenter bee are so industrious and look so cuddly.

This year I have been lucky with pattypan squash.  The vine borer which usually fells the plant before the first squash has emerged is absent, so far.  Who should I thank – our multivoiced Georgia thrasher which I see so often among the plantings?  So I have lots of squash and it tastes delicious when slow grilled, with a sprinkling of olive oil, until it is tender.

The nice thing about the squash and other large plants is they completely take over the bed and block weeds and retain soil moisture. 

 A natural solution for the hot summer months in the south.  First you notice the yellow flowers and this morning they are filled with yellow jackets, bumble bees and honey bees.

And then, a few days later the white saucers appear and expand.

Often when vegetables get large they become vibrous but our experience is this squash, even large, retains its tenderness.  So we allow them to grow a bit.

And now, at last, okra is stepping out and we shall grill today our first okra of the season.

We filled the basket with some corn (very sweet), white cucumbers and the ongoing supply of tomatoes.

And we selected apples from several different trees all with distinct different tastes to be sliced and added to our breakfast of old fashioned 100% whole raw oats, mixed with sunflower seed, brown flax seed, yogurt and sweetened with our honey.

Finally we lathered our 14 year old Trudy with medicated shampoo for her mild  skin infection and walked in the woods and, as we approached the water hole which is fed by a natural intermittent spring ….

We noticed a turtle heading up from the pond

and then another more inquisitive turtle

And on our return we hosed Trudy thoroughly.

We have had lots of rain and in the woods interesting fungi appear such as above or this unusual specimen below.

The puffballs attract little attention while growing.

But when it matures a hole appears at the top.

In addition to the regular looking fungi there are other varieties, here is another one.

But enough with the fungi, what’s edible that’s growing?  The blueberries and blackberries are done for the season.  And the jujube, such a stellar producer in previous years, has no fruit at all – probably the late freeze.  Although the fig trees were also tripped by the late freeze, there are small figs on a couple of trees which grew back strongly, so figs for the plate later.   The apple trees are producing steadily – the early season is in full production and mid- and late-season species look good.  The one peach tree as always is afflicted by pests and disease, but the little snippet we had was delightful.  Can peach trees be grown organically?  My pears should soon be ready apart from one tree that lost all its blossoms in the late freeze.

The vegetable area is humming with activity.  Too hot for the greens but the squash looks good.

The yellow jackets have not been a problem.  I try to walk carefully in the growth looking out for yellow jacket activity – stand on their underground hive and they will chase.  I also prod ahead with a long stick not wanting to surprise a snake.

Cucumbers too are flowering and attracting bumblebees.

I do have a problem with this insect which started on the blueberries and then relocated down the hill to the vegetable patch and the tomatoes.  Yesterday there were parties (10-20) of them gathered on clutches of cherry tomatoes.  Instead of my regular standby neem spray, I dowsed them with diatomaceous earth powder, which they do not like.  From >100 yesterday, today there were about 20.

I apply directly on the insects either trickle onto them from above (they seem not to notice) or with my fingers flick the dust onto them.

I planted giant sunflowers among my tomatoes, not a good idea, but they sure are striking.

I was paging through “Botany in a Day” by TJ Elpel.  I knew that the tassel of corn contains pollen powder.

But I was fascinated to learn that corn silk conveys the pollen sperm along its length to impregnate each kernel of corn – therefore every single seed/kernel produced on the cob results from separate impregnation.

It’s difficult to keep rabbits out and they love young bean plants.

I surrounded a raised bed with surplus shelving and it denies access to rabbits, so far.

And finally a smaller visitor among fallen apples.

 

 

 

 

My last growing update was June 2.  Since then ripe tomatoes, blackberries and blueberries have come on stream.  And wild plants such as the pokeweed above, compete for attention.  Yesterday’s basket provided a delicious salad – tasty tomatoes, cucumber, beans plus onions and garlic (not shown).  All freshly picked.

I inter-sprinkled some seeds for large sunflowers in the growing area and the sunflowers are now between 9ft and 10ft tall.

I also added color to a cucumber area by sowing wild flower seed behind the support on which the cucumbers are growing.

Last year my blueberry leaves were sickly yellow – chlorosis resulting from too high ph, and I added sulphur powder.  This year the leaves look much better.

A couple of the weaker blueberry plants had insects on some of the branches.  Initially I sprayed with neem oil but it gives the berries a distinctive smell.  Since their presence is limited, I now gently cut the stem on which they are gathered, lower it onto the ground and grind it (and them) into the soil with my boot.

The 6ft mullein is still bearing its lovely yellow flowers and keeping bumble bees busy.

And now the Rose of Sharon which invades our deck area and provides cover for birds at the feeder, has begun producing its distinctive flower – perhaps we will again be visited by hummingbirds.

I am gathering in the garlic and onion.  Because of plentiful spring rains, garlic is larger than prior years.

Finally, a friend had to have an oak tree brought down and I visited and collected some firewood – all from the branches.

Prior to my west coast trip I considered how best protect my plantings.  In my April 12 post I described planting out 33 tomato plants and my concern for frost damage.  There was no frost and my new concern was whether the plants would survive without irrigation for 8 days.   I deposited wood chips round the base of each tomato and watered deeply.  The 12 surplus tomato plants in the greenhouse I moved to the shade of the carport.  And I planted out 8 sweet pepper plants.  And hoped they would survive till my return.

My first greeting as I approached the carport was this long rat snake (see pic above), or at least that’s what I think it is.  M. thought it was a copperhead but I thought not and let it be.  And it was quickly gone.

I noted from upturned containers there must have been at least 3 inches rain during my absence.  Great.  Vegetation was lush and the young planted tomato plants looked vigorous and already had some flowers. 

The reserve plant supply under the carport also looked fine. 

Not surprising they had grown fast and leggy and when I transplant them I shall have to be careful.  But they still had water in the tray in which their pots were placed – water level down from say 3.5″ to 0.75″.

I had planted out potatoes in a trench some while back and  had filled in the trench with soil to the height of the leaves before I left.  During the week there was much more growth. 

And the greens had filled out.

And my 2 bee hives seem ok, more activity at one.  I should open them and take a look.

 

I affectionately refer to the large non venomous snakes around our place.  But out here good goes with bad and the copperhead in the header photo, thick of body and (to me) ugly and close to the house, was an unwelcome sight.

In north Georgia it is hot and dry.  Blackberry and blueberry season is over and now it’s time for fruit and crops such as squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.  And this year my apples and squash are great yet many of my tomatoes have blossom rot.  Usually my tomatoes excel and the squash and apples underperform.  I wonder why?

The Pristine apple is the first to ripen, it is yellow skinned and tastes great.  Purchased in March 2007.  I grow organically and this year there was minimal pest invasion.  Although I could attribute this to running my chickens in the orchard where they dug up and ate hibernators around the tree trunk areas; or the increased presence of the brown Thrasher, our state bird, which loves insects; I believe the main reason is my first time use of kaolin clay as a spray applied when the fruit had first formed.  Our dehydrator is running non stop (almost), our neighbors are happy, and it’s a pleasure to eat tasty apples without concern for what may have been sprayed.

Equally intriguing is the success of the the pattypan squash.  I have never been successful with squash – the plants would grow vigorously and then as the first squash appeared the leaves would wilt and examination revealed vine borer tunnels through the stalk where it emerged from the soil.  Not this year (yet).  What is different?  This is my first year with pattypan squash and maybe it is less attractive to vine borers.  Other possibilities are patrols by the brown Thrasher, a new planting area with more disciplined weeding and watering, or my compost tea which looks vile and may be offensive to pests.  The main ingredient is comfrey leaves which decompose and produce an unattractive bloom in the 35 gals brew tank to which is added coffee grounds and a supplement of liquid human fertilizer.  Or it may be an off year for the borers?

The disappointment is the tomatoes.  I previously rarely had blossom rot, this year it is a problem.

Why?  Prior years I used newspapers and woodchips as mulch, this year black plastic.  A theory is the black plastic channels the water to the area at the base of the plant and the rest of the soil dries out, so the roots congregate around the central area and cannot access other nutrients (calcium) which they need.  But then I noticed a planting which had no plastic and also had blossom rot and a tomato plant given by a neighbor which is producing large healthy tomatoes yet was planted through black plastic.  Were my seedlings prior to planting under nourished or defective?

With growing and life in general it is often difficult to determine cause & effect unlike say electronics where components conform rigidly to their specs and the reason for aberrations can be easily identified.

My conclusion is that I didn’t water adequately and this was exacerbated by the channeling effect of the black plastic.  I have now removed the plastic altogether from some plants and rolled it back for others and am irrigating a larger base area.

And why did I not water adequately?  We have a drought in north Georgia and all my irrigation is from harvested rainwater.  My storage capacity is around 6,000 gals and when levels run low I become frugal.  With hindsight it would have been better to plant half the plants with double the irrigation.