Gardeners: how's it looking?

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Our fava beans have been going nuts, which is funny since it's really been warming up over here. They were planted at the end of the fall semester (last year).

We also have things like swiss chard, lettuce, radishes and carrots growing. Blueberries have also formed, but are not blue yet. Pepper plants are flowering, but I have no idea what kind of pepper they are since the students didn't label them. :)

[Parasaurolophus]

The back garden has sprouted some potatoes, a sunflower, one corn, some raspberries, and a mystery plant.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

The back garden has sprouted some potatoes, a sunflower, one corn, some raspberries, and a mystery plant.

Oooooo! A mystery plant. What do you think it could be?

[AmLitHist]

My hollyhock that was growing so huge and beautiful and deep green has rust.  Recommendations for a good commercial anti-fungal spray?

[Parasaurolophus]

The back garden has sprouted some potatoes, a sunflower, one corn, some raspberries, and a mystery plant.

Oooooo! A mystery plant. What do you think it could be?

Transient geraniums? No clue!


A slug is eating one of my front-garden sunflowers. Oh well.

[Puget]

We are having an interval of July weather this weekend. I sort of pushed it working outside in the heat yesterday so today I'm resisting the temptation to go out and weed. I may spend some quality time in the hammock however.

Things are really taking off-- Tomatoes and tomatillos have flowers on them, zuchs have tons of buds, bush beans are coming up (I swear none were up yesterday and today several are an inch + high!), peas are getting tall and should flower soon, lots of green strawberries and more flowers. The arugula needs thinning and the thinnings will be big enough to eat, so that will be the first real harvest (besides herbs).  On the flower side, the first iris opened today, rose is just starting to open too, and rhody is almost in full bloom.

My hollyhock that was growing so huge and beautiful and deep green has rust.  Recommendations for a good commercial anti-fungal spray?

For an organic option, try Safer 3-in-1 Spray

[AmLitHist]

Thanks, Puget.  I'll look for that spray!

[mamselle]

For slugs, anyone who had Dr. Sweet for paleontology at Ohio State will recall the answer.

Put out a good-sized Mayo lid full of beer.

The get drunk and die happy.

M.

[apl68]

My gardenias have burst into bloom like I've never seen before over the weekend.  This morning I was able to pick enough to put in several places at home, and have some to take to work.  Now I have gardenia scent to combat the lingering mustiness from the wet spring.

[Harlow2]

Newly planted tomatoes and peppers weathered the uncharacteristic heat this weekend and are enjoying temp 30* lower. Hoping beans will be up soon. 

[mamselle]

I have to tell this story...every time I see someone mention "beans" it comes to mind.

A staff assistant at one of the churches in GA where the N/P I have worked for in the past has its annual meeting told me about how her son (now 21) got his family nickname.

Her husband's a caterer and they grow a lot of their own produce, including corn, beans, peas, etc. Apparently, when her son was a very tiny baby, she called him "her little butter bean" and the nickname stuck as an affectionate one.

After awhile, though, she thought maybe he'd outgrown it, and, when he'd reached the manly age of 5, she started using other endearing terms instead.

But one night, he crawled into her arms and said, "Mama, will you please call me 'your little butter bean' again?"

So she did.

M.

[Harlow2]

Awww.  That's lovely.

[Stockmann]

I'm neither particularly talented nor particularly knowledgeable about gardening, but I've been doing a fair bit of gardening since moving, partly for practical and aesthetic reasons but also because it helps me de-stress. This includes:

-Creating a path in the front garden. Much of the front garden is covered with ivy rather than grass, so a path was kind of necessary to ensure access to the whole thing without squishing the ivy. I made it with dark marble pebbles, clearing it by pushing as much as possible of the ivy to either side. I'm very pleased with how it looks. I have leftover pebbles so I've been putting them as decoration in multiple places.
-Planting lavender. This was mainly for scorpion-repelling purposes (along with putting pieces of cedar wood in strategic locations) but it reputedly also repels mosquitoes and flies.
-Removing some kind of parasite from a pine tree - it's a sort of waxy balls. I've also been using potassium-based soap solution for it.

[mamselle]

Any news on the mystery plant?

             ......Inquiring minds....

                                                         want....

   to know.......

M.

[AmLitHist]

I cut the last of one row of leaf lettuce this morning before the storms.  The other row will need to get used over the weekend.  It all sat and sat, until the warm weather came in, then it all shot up at once!

All else is growing nicely, except the watermelon seeds (only one had sprouted, and I didn't find it today) and the okra, which is probably just late coming up because it's been so cool. Tomatoes and peppers are blooming; kale and spinach and peas and beans are all growing, as are the cantaloupe and cucumbers.  Herbs and onions are nice, too. I'll need to thin/transplant beets over the weekend, and plant another row of beans.  The zucchini and yellow squash are growing like weeds.  I might need to put some of the plants on FB marketplace; I hate to just toss them.

Flower seeds have sprouted and are growing well, even the nasturtiums (which can be slow to start when direct-seeded).