It’s been a mixed bag sort of a week, but the two constants have been rain and the garden is growing. Since Thursday night a week ago, we’ve had over 3 inches of rain. I have the largest eggplants ever ... one Ichiban & one Black Beauty. I did not know that eggplants could get so huge! All mine in the past have been infested with flea beetles & spindly - as for produce, maybe 2 or 3 Ichibans & zero (that would be a “0”) off of Black Beauty plants. This year,both plants are loaded with blooms & no flea beetles so I am hopeful.
The tomatoes are all blooming & one plant is loaded - I didn’t read the label & had in my mind it was a determinate & it’s not ... it’s outpaced the old cone-shaped cage so I’m going to have to get some help & install a cylinder-shaped cage .... I got concrete reinforcing wire panels this year & made cylinder cages for my other 4 determinates & REALLY love them - plants came through 70 mph winds and have plenty of room and support. I should be able to bend a panel around the plant that needs help & zip tie it together, but I’ll need someone strong to hold it while I do the zip ties. I could put it together & try to lower it over the plant, but I’m afraid I’ll break off some large branches with tomatoes. It will be an interesting experiment to see if I can get the cage on. Next year, all of my tomatoes will be in the cylinder cages ... did I mention I love them? :-)
The saga of the two new raised beds as come to a close. The last one was finally filled with dirt/compost & I’ve planted two tomatoes in it - one in each end. Since it’s ‘late’ in the season, I got lazy and just put down two packages of zinnia seeds. I cannot wait for them to come up - the colors should be gorgeous. Next year, that bed will be loaded with veggies so I’ll enjoy the flowers this year.
Last night, I picked 3 yellow crookneck squash, one zucchini and 8 cucumbers. Two nights ago, I had a cuke & a zucchini. The cukes this year are “Boston” & they are for pickling. They do not get too big and I am loving these smaller cukes. I make freezer pickles so these will be perfect. They’re still good in salads & you use the whole thing up without having half a huge cuke to save in the fridge. The last two years, I’ve had one Sun Sugar cherry tomato in the garden. It grows at a ‘Jack in the Beanstalk’ rate & takes over everything. This year, the plant is isolated in an area where it can grow on wire (it is!) and not take over everything else. Crazy growing plant problem solved - whew! ... ruh roh! spoke too soon as the Boston cuke is now taking over as the problem plant. It has outgrown the climbing area & is reaching out & grabbing tomato plants. This weekend, I am going to figure out how to raise a panel above the structure the Boston is now climbing on that will give it lots more room. I have some ideas ..... :-)
Some links, if you’re interested:
Using Wire Mesh in the Garden (Concrete-reinforcing wire )
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/using-wire-mesh-in-the-garden-zmaz02jjzgoe.aspx
A 24-inch diameter requires 6 feet of mesh, while 5 feet will do for an 18-inch diameter tower. The wire comes in panels or a roll - I used panels this year (3.5 ‘ high, 7’ wide with ‘blocks’ 6” square for easy access to tomatoes). Next year, I might bite the bullet & get a roll & make cages for my SIL & mom, too. To construct, I overlapped the last row of ‘blocks’ on each side & zip tied - no wire cutting required. The diameter is not quite 25” & working well. In the fall, the zip ties can be cut & the panels easily stored. The cylinders normally do not need to be fastened down; however, with 70 mph winds predicted, I did buy some cheapie (48 cents each) tent stakes & used 2 per cage - they didn’t budge during the storm.
Next year, I am using this wire for my climbing plants to grow on (like peas, cukes, squash). The panel size will work & if I buy a roll, I can custom cut it.
Boston Pickling Cucumber
https://bonnieplants.com/product/boston-pickling-cucumber/
Thanks for the links. We have some of those cone shaped wire cages, Hubby used them last year in the 5 gallon buckets he had tomatoes planted in. Likely won’t need them this year.
I transplanted 2 cherry tomatoes is all, and his tomatoes aren’t turning out. I have a folding cage that makes a triangular tower, but I can also unfold it and use it as a back drop for cukes to climb.
I bought a Boston cuke at Walmart, and will figure out where to plant it this weekend. I have netting that I use attached to metal frame work at the back of 2 of my beds, except this year, they are not in the rotation for plants that climb.
Several of the other beds have a fence behind them. I always thought that I would grow peas there, but peas always die before producing anything. I don’t like peas anyway, but just a handful in soup, and I can eat them that way without gagging.