My 2012 Spring/Summer Garden – Post 2

Since I was starting most everything from seeds, my wonderful husband built me a grow stand w/lights:

I elected to start the herbs, cabbage, peppers, squash, zucchini & tomatoes & sowed the rest directly in ground when the time came. Everything did really well and the seedlings and transplants looked great. I hardened them off and put in the cold frame and started some more seeds.

I only needed 3 or 4 of each plant to grow in our limited space but of course I had 10 – 20 of each plant. So, I gave plants to friends, relatives & co-workers. Also, the company I work for contributes $$ & labor to various charities/causes & this year, we elected one to be a local elementary school that was putting in a garden. So, I gave them tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, sage & thyme.

Besides a boatload of acorns accumulating in my raised beds, they seemed to be in good shape. I got compost from FIL & spread over beds & worked it in with the top couple of inches of straw & soil.

I planted most everything the weekend of March 24/25. Depending on the size of the seedling, I put about 1- 2 tablespoons of worm castings with each plant. Or, I mixed the castings into the soil where I was putting seeds.

I thought everything was growing slower than in years past but decided to just keep an eye on things.

It’s now been nine weeks and it’s pretty disappointing:

Red Potatoes - I noticed some worms and they had done quite a bit of damage. I picked off what I saw and sprayed with homemade insecticide (1 t. dish soap, 1 T cayenne & 1 cap of rubbing alcohol into a quart spray bottle). It seemed to do the trick for a while. Now they are all withering.

Sweet Potatoes seem to be doing ok. At least the vines are running. Just a little bit of grasshopper/worm damage.

Arugula, chives, hot peppers & strawberries are doing well.

1st & 2nd try at basil (from D. Landreth) didn't make it. Restarted (Baker Seed seed) and those seedlings are doing well. Also, sage & thyme (D. Landreth) are doing good. Just need to get them in a planter.

Backyard bed 3 - The squash & zucchini didn’t make it (just withered & died within a few days). The okra is struggling (very small plants). I thought maybe something was in the soil in that particular bed but the lettuces are doing well (after I covered them w/toile to keep the grasshoppers off).

Backyard bed 2 - The eggplant and peppers are just now looking strong but not very tall. My first cucumbers looked more like limes (in fact that is what husband thought they were - lol). The last few I picked are more cucumber shaped but only about 3-4” long. but at least they are producing. Guess what we like the least of everything we've planted? You guessed it - cucumbers. The plants are very small. However, the onions in this bed are doing great!

Backyard bed 1 – Tomatoes (3 of each kind) are all doing different things. Some are doing well, others losing bottom leaves, others bloom but the blossoms fall off w/o bearing any fruit, grasshoppers eating a couple, etc. Note: 2 of the Mystery are doing well. And, 2 of the purchased plants are doing the best of all (Park’s Whopper & Celebrity) – Go figure. I did find out what my Mystery was – some sort of cherry, I’ve picked 3 – woo hoo!

Celebrity

Marglobe - You can't see it well but the sticks, upper left, are where the blooms fell off.

Mystery

Mystery (cherry)

Park's Whopper

 Buckets of Cabbage – Were doing great at first but now have black spots on them. Maybe some sort of fungus? But they seem to continue to be growing. This is my 1st time at growing cabbage.

So, I will continue to keep an eye on things and contemplate what went right or wrong.