Early October Update

A week into October, the harvest keeps on trucking. Here's a tiny Better Boy surrounded by two dozen or so Yellow Pear tomatoes and one or two Sungolds.

The past several weeks have been an extension of summer with high temperatures and very little rain. Boston experienced its second sunniest September in recorded history, and yet we can still fault the weather as we struggle with a mini-drought.

The pepper plant recently set two good-sized peppers while the fall crop of snap peas struggles with the heat. The Kentucky Wonder green beans recent closed up shop, apparently having given up on waiting for me to water. The summer squash, with one last gasp, set fruit this past week.

After weeks of permissive neglect, the garden is moving back to center stage as the threat of frost looms heavy in forthcoming weeks of October. Last year, frost hit on October 15th.

Like a parent who's realized that he's spent a few too many hours in the office while little Rickey spent his time with an increasingly-impatient day care staff, I hope to atone for my weeks of inattention. (We were hoping to make you a strong and independent garden! Is that really such a crime? Who knew you needed water everyday or every third day for that matter? If I'm guilty of anything, it's loving you too much.)

But fear not, Champ. It's nothing but pony rides, moon pies, and blood meal from here on out -- at least for the next week or two until the frost silently swoops down from a clear cold night and squeezes the life out of you. But, in the meantime, have another Cherry Coke. You deserve it!

Brandywine Tomato

Brandywine Tomato, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Late-Summer/Early-Fall Salvia

Salvia, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Summer's Last Hurrah

Duck Inn, originally uploaded by tpl108.

It hasn't rained more than an inch or so over the past seven weeks and temperatures are supposed to soar into the 90s this week. My fall pea harvest is surely going to be a disappointment, but my pepper harvest, if not spectacular, should be decent. This recent bout of warm weather has goaded the plant into setting several new peppers. It'll be a mad dash to the first frost, which should be coming any week now. We'll see if we just might be able to sneak a few peppers in under the wire before the season closes.

Pictured: Aquinnah, Martha's Vineyard. No, this isn't my garden. I only wish it were.

Late-Summer Sunrise

Late-Summer Sunrise, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Hunnewell Forest, Natick, Mass. Autumn is on its way.

One Day's Harvest

Harvest, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Fall now leans heavily upon summer, with noticeably chilly night and cooler days. It hasn't stopped the harvest however. Here's a mixture of Brandywines, Yellow Pears, Sun Golds and Better Boys, along with some Swiss Chard.

The garden is now down right haggard. The plants have made their stand against several months of wind, rain, and now drought. Having brought forth a wealth of food, they look a little worse for wear.

It's Been a While . . . About that . . .

St. Peter's Church, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Nothing kills a blog faster than a vacation. Spend a week without an internet connection, and suddenly you start wondering why you're running a low-rent blog about fruits and vegetables in the first place.

Then, toss in a new job and suddenly your little hobby starts feeling like work and you feel like calling in sick.

Since we've last spoke, my tomatoes have come in, but one squash plant died. You're riveted. Dying for more. You asked for it. I also replanted a huge chunk of my back yard. Okay, now you're hooked again.

Bee in Squash Flower

Bee in Squash Flower, originally uploaded by tpl108.

To my subscribers, (all three of you)

Updates coming soon. Lack of internet connection and stint in French Foreign Legion negatively affected the Backyard Granger.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of a bee pollinating a squash flower.

Photo Proves Brandywine Tomatoes Look Green When Not Ripe

After an agonizingly slow start, the Brandywine tomatoes are coming into their own, setting fruit, kicking butt, and taking names. They aren't the fastest growing, nor do they yield a lot of fruit, but they sure is purty like a Thursday morning.

Weekly Update: Storms Batter Grange (GDD 1455)

More than two inches of rain fell in less than two hours, upsetting the delicate balance of the grange. High winds knocked over three tomato plants and twisted up the peas something fierce.

Weather channel fodder aside, it was a good week actually. The first ripe tomato of the season appeared while the squash plant finally set fruit. The peas set an incredible number of pods enabling the largest harvest of the season.

Like it is . . . The Week that Was
7/26 - Phlox blooms
7/27 - First tomato harvested. Sungold 60 Days
7/28 - First squash appears

Pholx Paniculata, "Orange Perfection" Blooms

First Tomato of the Season, Day 60

Sucker MCs, back up. The first tomato of the season, a Sungold, has arrived.

Jealous? Hate the game, not the gardener.

Weekly Update: Water, Weed, Pick, Eat, Repeat (GDD 1298)

It's been seasonably warm, but not too hot. Rudbeckia, echinacea, and astilbe are nearly in full bloom. The beans and peas keep producing while the squash plant continues growing by leaps and bounds.

Like it Is . . . The Week that Was
7/16 - Pholx buds appear
7/19 - Rudbeckia blooms, pepper blooms in 52 days
7/20 - All spring-planted beets harvested. If the beets themselves were small, the leaves were quite tasty. More lettuce planted by seed.
7/21 - Sungold tomatoes begin to turn a shade of yellow 54 days after being transplanted.

Black-Eyed Susan Blooms

Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii "Goldstrum"

Despite battling an early-season bought of septoria leaf spot, these black-eyed susans began blooming this week. Transplanted a little less than two months ago, it was a slow-grower initially, but began quickly filling out over the past two weeks.

Better Belle Pepper Flowers in 52 Days

Getting what is perhaps too much shade as four tomato plants tower around it, the pepper plant bloomed today.

Having never grown peppers before and nearly resigned to writing off this year's pepper crop, a post last week on The Compost Bin heralding the arrival of his peppers' first bloom gave hope that my pepper was right on track.

Can big peppers really come from such a relatively small plant? Shouldn't this plant belch fire and spread like kudzu?

Yellow Pear Tomato, Day 48

After a few weeks of trailing the other tomato plants, the yellow pear tomato surged this week, putting out lots of flowers and setting lots of fruit.

An heirloom variety, yellow pear tomatoes have been grown since the late 1800s. They take about 70-80 days to mature, which seems about right as these guys have been taking what seems like forever to ripen.

Sources: Cornell, Iowa State

Weekly Update; Sun Shines, Plants Grow, First Green Bean Harvested (GDD 1155)

Mild temperatures have given the garden a real boost this week. Remarkably, the peas keep on producing. Last week's mini-heatwave really prevented them from setting flowers and fruit. However, with the onset of relatively mild temperatures this week, the pea plant is once again flowering and setting peas, although it is starting to look a little worse for wear.

A few feet to stage right, the bean plant has reached the top of the trellis and provided the first green bean of the season. Tasted like . . . victory.

Like It Is... This Week in the Garden
7/10 - Beets sprout
7/11 - Lettuce sprouts, merit applied to lawn
7/13 - Savlia "Victoria Blue" planted
7/14 - Cleome planted, astilbe blooms
7/15 - First green bean harvested

All Flowers and No Fruit, Squash Plant Slow Out of Gate

Like any expectant gardener, it's hard not to worry about the lack of fruit set on my summer squash. Oh, sure, give it time they say. She's just a late bloomer. Well, there might be something to that.

As Mr. Miodownik informed a bunch of sleepy-eyed 9th graders during biology, plants, just like mammals, reptiles, and celebrities, need both sexes to produce fruit. (ed. note: apologies to any readers with a background in the hard sciences for the extreme simplification. Yes, celebrities can, and often do, hatch from eggs, much like the lovable Mork did before meeting Mindy.)

Squash plants, being no exception to my generalization, often fail to bear fruit early on because its flowers tend to be of one sex. As the season progresses, male and female flowers appear, the lights go out, and a few glasses of Drambuie later, a vegetable is born.

Writes, Hunter Johnson, Jr. of UC Davis' Extension, "Gardeners often become concerned when many flowers appear early, but fruits fail to set. The reason for this is that all of the early flowers are males. Female flowers develop somewhat later and can be identified by the miniature fruit at the flower base. In hybrid varieties of summer squash, however, the first flowers to appear are usually females, and these will fail to develop unless there are male squash flowers -- and bees -- in the nearby area." Source: UC Davis, "Summer Squash"

Echinacea Blooms

Transplanted right before Memorial Day, the echinacea bloomed this week. In addition to attracting bees, butterflies and hobos are likewise drawn to the flowers.

More information on growing echinacea: Taunton Press, Greenbeam, Sooner Plant Farm, Ohio State.

Better Boy, Day 43

Absolutely mammoth, the Better Boy tomato plant is loaded with tomatoes. Here are two of the older fruits. It takes 72-82 days for fruit to ripen, which gives us a target date of August 8 to the 18th. This was already quite big as a transplant, so it might very well come in ahead of time.

The other varieties of tomatoes are also doing well. The Sungolds have loads of fruit at this point, but the Brandywine is lagging behind a bit with only three or four emerging tomatoes.

More information and reviews from Cornell.

Weekly Update; Busy Week (GDD 992)

Somewhat surprisingly, it was a busy week. The peas keep producing, the tomatoes keep growing, and my fascination with Man vs. Wild deepens. Did he really eat a sheep's eyeball?

July 2 - Front hosta in full bloom; green beans begin bloom
July 3 - Echinacea begins bloom; Garden lightly fertilized with Colorburst 15-30-15
July 4 - Alpine strawberry; oregano, sedum, and mint planted.
July 6 - First green bean emerges; oxalis blooms; first beet harvested (big letdown); more beets planted
July 7 - Romaine lettuce Paris Island Cos and Grand Rapids leaf lettuce planted
July 8 - Spirea blooms begin to fade; daylilies planted, hydrangea macrophyla endless summer planted; hosta moved

Squash Flowers While Neighbors Check Locks on Doors

Started as a late-season transplant only 19 days ago, the squash plant has done its thing despite the cramped quarters and relative shade of the Grange.

Meanwhile, neighbors, fearful of an onslaught of squash, are beginning preparations that will quickly enable them to douse all the lights, lest they give the appearance that anyone's home when I come a-knockin' with a wagon of squash.

Shine on, you crazy diamond.

First Green Bean (Kentucky Wonder), Day 65

While it might be a little late, perhaps because it was planted several weeks before the last frost, it's finally bearing fruit.

Interesting history about Kentucky Wonder: first introduced back in 1864 as "Old Homestead," it's been one of the most popular varieties of heirloom vegetables.



Interesting history from Halcyon; Sweet Pea's Louisiana Vegetable Garden, Iserv

Fertilizing Tomatoes

Vigorous and fast growing, tomatoes are heavy feeders and require fertilization from time to time during the season. There seems to be some conflicting information on just what type of fertilizer a tomato plant needs. How much nitrogen? How much phosphorus? How much, whatever that third number is? Potash? Potassium?

What Type of Fertilizer?
Assuming you're haven't gone completely organic, a trip to Home Depot or Lowe's presents several options: Vigoro's Tomato and Vegetable Plant Food (12-10-5), Miracle Grow for Tomatoes (18-18-21), Tomato Tone (4-7-10). They all offer differing N-P-K. So, which one's right?

A round up of the authorities suggests that a balanced fertilizer where all three numbers are equal or a fertilizer high in phosphorus, like a 5-10-5 is the way to go. While there is some variation between the extension services, all seem to point the home gardener away from high nitrogen, which makes sense. Nitrogen is typically associated with leafy growth. While tomatoes plants are among some of my closest companions, I like them for their fruit and not their wispy, whimsical foliage. Looks like my Vigoro 12-10-5 is going to be returned.

What the Experts Say . . .
Cornell University suggests, "On most soils, you can sidedress about 1/2 cup of 5-10-5 per plant and work shallowly into the top inch of soil when fruits are about 1 inch in diameter and again when harvest begins."

NC State calls for a balanced fertilizer: "For home gardens not soil tested, apply 5 pints of 8-8-8 per 100 ft of row and work it thoroughly into the top 8 inches of soil." Moreover, they suggest, "Sidedress tomato plants with 2 to 3 Tbsp. per plant of a complete fertilizer such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 after the plants have started to set fruit and 4 to 6 weeks thereafter throughout the growing season. Keep the sidedressing material 4 to 6 inches from the plant's stem to avoid fertilizer burn." (emphasis in original)

Similar to Cornell's advice, Ohio State tells us that, "Tomatoes respond well to fertilizer applications, especially phosphorus. Excess nitrogen fertilizer can result in plants with extremely vigorous vine growth but little fruit production. Apply 2-1/2 to 3 pounds of a complete fertilizer, such as 5-10-10, 5-20-20, or 8-16-16 per 100 square feet of garden area. Work the fertilizer into the soil about 2 weeks before planting. An additional sidedressing of a nitrogen fertilizer may be desirable after the first cluster of flowers have set fruit."

Lastly, Texas A&M offers this. "It is necessary to fertilize the garden before planting tomatoes. Apply the fertilizer again when fruit first sets. From that point on, an additional fertilization (sidedress) every week to 10 days is recommended. Plants grown on sandy soils should be fertilized more frequently than those grown on heavy, clay soils. A general sidedress fertilizer recommendation is one to two tablespoons of a complete fertilizer scattered around the plant and worked into the soil. If using a fertilizer high in nitrogen such as ammonium nitrate or sulfate, reduce the rate to one tablespoon per plant."

When to Fertilize?
In case you didn't get it from the passages above, fertilize before you first set out your tomatoes. This is probably critical. After that, give some more fertilizer when the first fruit sets and every few weeks after that.

Sugar Snap Peas, Day 62

Sugar Snap Peas, Day 62, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Peas galore! As to when to pick them, from my limited experience, don't wait too long. Really fat peas kind of taste like dirt. Smaller peas seem to taste a lot better. However, no matter what I do, a good bunch of peas seem to get lost on the way back to the kitchen.

More pea related entries here.

Weekly Update: Heat Arrives (GDD 866)

The peas are plentiful while the last of the lettuce was harvested.

June 26

• Rudbeckia treated with fungicide for septoria leaf spot.
• Daylillies bloom.
• First tomato appears on the Better boy.
• First sugar snap pea harvested

June 27

• All tomatoes set fruit.
• Cilantro planted.
• High temperature of 96.1

June 28

• Remaining Red Sails lettuce harvested

July 1

• Last heads of bibb lettuce harvested.
  

Daylilly in Bloom

Daylilly, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Hemerocallis

So great, they gave it its own website, so pretty, I gave it a piece of my heart. Aw...

The Daylillies bloomed this week. Super-rugged plants they are, these daylillies have received nary a second of my time this season or last, and they are still doing well. (Maybe that's why they are doing well.)

More information on daylillies. American Hemerocallis Society's FAQ and U. Minn.

First Sugar Snap Pea of the Season A Winner

As temperatures hit the mid-90s this week, the peas will begin to slow down. The first test harvest was very promising. Eaten raw, they had a nice snap and were as sweet as a Kit-Kat bar dipped in honey. Well, not quite, but they were still pretty honking good in the taste category.

When are peas ready? Beats me, but according to the University of Illinois' extension service, "Sugar snaps are at their best when the pods first start to fatten but before the seeds grow very large. At this point, the pods snap like green beans and the whole pod can be eaten."

More information about growing and harvesting peas: The Ohio State Univ., Tony Tantillo, Veggie Gardening Tips

Clover: An Indicator of Lawn Health?

Trifolium species, originally uploaded by Eric in SF.

Here's an interesting article from the Boston Globe about clover as a socially-accepted component of the suburban lawn way back in the days (like, 1940s way back). However, everything changed when agent orange came along, men landed on the moon and, gosh-darnit, the moon men did not want to set their hoofs upon clover anymore, so, a grateful nation obeyed and clover fell way out of favor.

Actually, it looks like clover is a sign of nitrogen deficiency and an unhealthy lawn. As a nitrogen-fixer - like my beloved peas - clover dwells where no healthy lawn dares tread.

Boston Bibb Lettuce, Day 57

Bibb Lettuce, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Weekly Update: Dills and Pruning (GDD 705)

June 19

• Colorburst, a slow-release fertilizer, applied to perennials.

June 23

• Rhody and Forsythia radically pruned. One-third of branches cut back to ground. You could imagine how flipping sweet they look now.
  
• Last of romaine lettuce harvested and removed.

June 24

• Dill planted where the last of the romaine roamed.
  

Need Pruning Advice? With the price of pruning going through the roof, who doesn't? Here are a few links that should put you on the right track.
Virginia Tech's Guide to Sucessful Pruning
University of Tennessee's "Pruning Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Ground Covers"

Tale of the Tape (last week's measurement)

• Rudbeckia - 12" (11-12")
  
• Phlox -16.5" (16")
• Echinacea - 19-30.5" (18-25")

• Pepper 9" (8")
• Brandywine 16.5" (13")
  
• Yellow Pear 17" (13")
• Sungold 17.5" (13")
• Better Boy 23" (23")
  

Spirea

Spirea, originally uploaded by tpl108.

July 8th Target Date Set for Pea Harvest (Peas, Day 53)

Disregard my earlier posts about a disappointing pea harvest. Just a case a new-gardener jitters. Nothing a little Xanax and reruns of the Deadliest Catch won't control.

According to the seed packet, these sugar snap peas are ready 70 days from sprouting, giving an anticipated harvest date of July 8.

I'm so happy, I could plotz.

The Solstice. It's All Downhill until December

As nature-types celebrate the celestial significance of the day and hippies banter about how it's "the longest day of the year," (it's still 24 hours long in my book, Moonbeam), the Grange takes the contrarian view on the summer solstice. Here, it's just one long downhill slide without long pants into winter.

Hang in there, pal. The days will start getting longer again in December, at which point you'll probably be dead.

I'm kidding. You'll probably be frozen.

Pelargonium

Pelargonium, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Weekly Update; Heat Builds, Lettuce Out, Squash, Basil, Marigolds In (GDD 593)

A relatively slow week on the grange. Spring flowers are giving way to the heat of the summer. Perennials are starting to set flower buds while the lawn's growth begins to flag.

6/15

• Peony and Mountain Laurel blooms all but faded.
  

6/16

• Septoria leaf spot battle wears on. Infected foliage removed and a broad spectrum fungicide containing chlorothanil applied.

6/17

• 3 heads of red sails and romaine lettuce removed after one final harvest, leaving 5 heads of Boston bibb and 2 heads each of red sails and romaine.
  
• Squash plant added to the garden where the red sails and romaine once treaded.
• Marigolds interspersed throughout the raised bed.
• Two types of basil planted in containers.
  

Tale of the Tape

• Rudbeckia - 11-12"
• Phlox - 16"
• Echinacea - 18-25"
• Sedum - 24"

• Pepper - 8"
• Sungold - 13"
• Yellow Pear - 13"
• Brandywine - 13"
• Better Boy - 23"
• Peas - 46"
  

Pea Flower, Day 48

Pea Flower, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Septoria Leaf Spot; Oh, How they Were Warned

Call it Cupid's disease, indiscretion, or perhaps a case of flying a wee bit too close to the sun, but my rubeckia (Black-Eyed Susans) have contracted Septoria Leaf Spot: small, dark brown or purplish lesions peppered across its leaves.

Most likely caused by the fungus Septoria rudbeckiae, the damage is primarily cosmetic. The fungus overwinters on dead leaves and can remain viable for two or three years in the soil. By late spring or early summer -- right about now -- the fungus emerges and works its way up the plant from bottom to top. Moisture is essential to spread the creeping crud, so overhead watering is strongly discouraged. (Mutter-Natur take notice. Enough with the overhead watering already.)

Prevention is the only real treatment option. Remove infected leaves at the end of a growing season, consider spraying a fungicide early in the season, and have a candid and frank dialog about the dangers of running with a fast crowd.

UPDATE -- (6/24/07) A week ago, all infected leaves were removed and each plant was sprayed with broad spectrum fungicide containing chlorothanil. So far, so good. There are only a very small number of spots on the leaves and each plant appears to be doing well despite the loss of foliage. All other things being equal, the weather has turned much warmer and drier, so it's tough to pinpoint just what caused the spot to go away. At the least, removal of infected leaves was likely a major component of any turnaround.

Sources & More Information: U. of Minn., Plant & Pest Digital Library, Purdue U., New England Greenhouse, Walters Gardens, U. of Ill.

Lettuce Harvest, Day 50

As the weather warms up, lettuce tends to become bitter. So far, only the romaine lettuce has been affected, and only just slightly.

This picture was taken before a large harvest. We've been regular ever since.

Compare what it looked like 50 days ago.

Sugar Snap Peas, Day 42

A shady garden and failure to inoculate seeds with helper bacteria, a good crop of peas do not make.
It's the first attempt at growing peas on the grange, but it seems that the unexpected shade and failure to inoculate the peas with rhizobia bacteria have harmed flower production. As a "nitrogen-fixer," a pea plant supplies its own nitrogen by plucking it out of the air with the help of rhizobia bacteria. According to some studies, pea inoculant boosts crop yield by over 75%. Never will the words, "rhizobia's for suckers," cross my lips, at least not in the backyard.

It's been said that knowing is half the battle, so next year bodes well for peas.

Sources: Oregon State, U. Idaho, You Grow Girl

Weekly Update: Weeds, Shrubs, Peonies, & Gardening Ego in Bloom (GDD 500)

6/4 - Mountain Laurel blooms, white clover blooms
6/7 - Fertilizer applied to lawn
6/8 - Peony "Sarah Bernhardt" blooms
6/9 - Snap peas set flower buds, 41 days after sprouting
6/10 - Hydrangea layering propagation started.

Peony Blooms in 49 Days

Peony, originally uploaded by tpl108.

Emerging back on April 20th, it finally bloomed yesterday, about a week or two after most peonies in the area. Unfortunately not labeled when planted, this is most likely the "Sarah Bernhardt" variety, taking its name from a famous Victorian-era actress prominent when this variety was hybridized in 1906.

Weekly Update - Tomatoes and Peppers (GDD 418)

5/28

• 4 types of tomatoes, sun gold, brandywine, yellow pear tomato, and best boy, along with a green pepper were planted in the vegetable garden.
  
• The test spinach seedlings, having never grown more than an inch or so high, were cleared out to make room for the tomatoes and peppers.
  
• Boxwoods treated for psyllids.
• Big rhododendron begins bloom.
  

6/1

• paeonia lactiflora "Shirley Temple," impulsively purchased at Wal-Mart in April, was planted in a one-gallon pot awaiting creation of space in some as yet undesignated part of the garden.
• Despite application of pre-emergent crabgrass control in late April, a few patches of crabgrass were spotted.

6/3

• Chives dead-headed
  

Yellow Pear Tomato, Day 5

Overestimating the amount of sun the edge of the yard receives, it appears that the garden only gets 5 hours of direct sun. This probably explains why the leaf vegetables look relatively good while the other crops -- especially the beans -- look anemic.

My fingers are crossed, hoping for the best for this little guy, but, in all likelihood the bed will need to be moved next spring in order to escape the shade.

Chard, Day 42

Chives

Chives, originally uploaded by tpl108.

You've Got Lice! Boxwood Psyllid Control

Dusty in appearance, underhanded in action, the boxwood psyllid, also known as jumping plant lice, starts out looking like some sort of powdery fungus (or lice on that dude sitting next to you on your morning commute). Fortunately, the damage it causes is mostly cosmetic, short-lived, and, as any second-grader with lice will tell you, primarily focused on social ostracism and exclusion from birthday parties.

Of course, finding this out before an insecticide was applied would have been good, but my spraying should at least prevent these guys from laying next year's generation of super psyllids in my boxwoods.

What You Need to Know
1) Eggs hatch at around 80 growing degree days and adults appear at around 300.
2) They cause the leaves to cup, which is mostly an aesthetic issue.
3) No treatment is necessary as they'll soon die off but not before laying next year's eggs in the leaves.
4) If you do spray, they appear to be relatively easy to conquer with permethrin. However, permethrin can cause all sorts of nasty stuff, so maybe it'd be better to to accept your new identity as the kid with jumping plant lice.

Sources: University of Massachusetts Extension

Update: Lost Hosta Makes It

Planted three weeks ago, this puppy was in sorry shape. It quickly turned the corner and today it suavely conceals its lowly origins.

Red Sails & Romaine Lettuce, Day 39

Both types of lettuce are growing quite well and practically trouble free, enough so to allow us the first harvest of the red sails. Kind of tasted like chicken.

(l to r: harvest, romaine, red sails lettuce)