The growing season is beginning to wind down and although this makes me a little sad, I've learned plenty that will make next year's garden even more successful.
Tomato plants need loads of room to grow. Each year I've allowed more space between the plants than the year prior, but it never seems to be enough. When the wee seedlings are transferred to the garden bed, the space between each plant seems so vast. Yet, inevitably, a tomato jungle forms and surrounding plants are swallowed by the jungle or shaded to the point that their growth is stunted.
The plan for next year is to give the tomatoes their own beds. This strategy worked out very well for the two melon and two squash varieties grown in Wright Gardens, so why not for the tomatoes? Having their own bed will guarantee that the plants will get proper air circulation and sunlight. It will be much easier to pick the tomatoes as well when there is one plant per bed.
Watermelon and butternut squash have been coming off the vine left and right. Both will continue to be grown in Wright Gardens each year.
Our first pie pumpkin was picked on Monday. It will soon be transformed into pie. Pumpkin ice cream is a distinct possibility as well.
After picking the ripe pumpkin in the above photo, I checked on the other two pumpkins to see how they were doing. When I neared the smallest pumpkin, this is what I found. Imagine a wild creatures face all sticky with pumpkin. I did and it makes losing this pumpkin less painful.
The butternut squash and pumpkin vines were infected with what appeared to be white mildew on the leaves. In an attempt to prevent whatever it was from spreading, I cut off the affected leaves and discarded them. This didn't work, however, as each leaf soon became infected. Whatever the substance is, thankfully, it did not seem to affect the plants ability to produce fruit.
The watermelon vine, although a vigorous grower, struggled, too. Perhaps the soil lacked, or contained too much of something, as the vine nearer to the main stem yellowed rather than remaining green. This happened when the plant was still young, too, and only one tiny green egg-sized watermelon was present on the vine.
Research over the winter months will be to learn what caused these vines to react this way and, hopefully, prevent the same thing from happening during future growing seasons.
When I was deciding whether or not to grow okra, the selling point was the plants flowers. They're gorgeous! As you can see, they resemble hibiscus flowers. The Burgundy okra is delicious, too.
Two new flower beds have been added to the yard. The first, technically, isn't new, but the bed is now more substantial. Four tall bearded iris rhizomes have been planted in the bed. Two named Tour de France, one Blueberry Bliss, and one named Hello Darkness.
With our order we received a free tall bearded bonus iris named All Night Long, which we planted in one of the flower beds in the front yard.
While clearing out the hostas originally growing where the iris' above are now planted, I discovered a praying mantis! Seeing her head turn to look up at me as I took her picture made me grin. Still does.
The second flower bed was added along the south side of the garage. Planted there is a common purple variety of the tall bearded iris. The contrast of the flowers soft organic shape against the brick wall should be striking. The colors should be complimentary, too.
Chet relaxing.
Chet chomping on grass. This picture cracks me up.
http://wrightgardenchronicles.blogspot.com
http://wrightgardenrecipes.blogspot.com
Tomato plants need loads of room to grow. Each year I've allowed more space between the plants than the year prior, but it never seems to be enough. When the wee seedlings are transferred to the garden bed, the space between each plant seems so vast. Yet, inevitably, a tomato jungle forms and surrounding plants are swallowed by the jungle or shaded to the point that their growth is stunted.
The plan for next year is to give the tomatoes their own beds. This strategy worked out very well for the two melon and two squash varieties grown in Wright Gardens, so why not for the tomatoes? Having their own bed will guarantee that the plants will get proper air circulation and sunlight. It will be much easier to pick the tomatoes as well when there is one plant per bed.
Watermelon and butternut squash have been coming off the vine left and right. Both will continue to be grown in Wright Gardens each year.
After picking the ripe pumpkin in the above photo, I checked on the other two pumpkins to see how they were doing. When I neared the smallest pumpkin, this is what I found. Imagine a wild creatures face all sticky with pumpkin. I did and it makes losing this pumpkin less painful.
The watermelon vine, although a vigorous grower, struggled, too. Perhaps the soil lacked, or contained too much of something, as the vine nearer to the main stem yellowed rather than remaining green. This happened when the plant was still young, too, and only one tiny green egg-sized watermelon was present on the vine.
Research over the winter months will be to learn what caused these vines to react this way and, hopefully, prevent the same thing from happening during future growing seasons.
"To be a successful farmer one must first know the nature of the soil."
-- Xenophon, Oeconomicus, (400 B.C.)
When I was deciding whether or not to grow okra, the selling point was the plants flowers. They're gorgeous! As you can see, they resemble hibiscus flowers. The Burgundy okra is delicious, too.
Two new flower beds have been added to the yard. The first, technically, isn't new, but the bed is now more substantial. Four tall bearded iris rhizomes have been planted in the bed. Two named Tour de France, one Blueberry Bliss, and one named Hello Darkness.
With our order we received a free tall bearded bonus iris named All Night Long, which we planted in one of the flower beds in the front yard.
While clearing out the hostas originally growing where the iris' above are now planted, I discovered a praying mantis! Seeing her head turn to look up at me as I took her picture made me grin. Still does.
The second flower bed was added along the south side of the garage. Planted there is a common purple variety of the tall bearded iris. The contrast of the flowers soft organic shape against the brick wall should be striking. The colors should be complimentary, too.
"Plowed ground smells of earthworms and empires." --Justin Isherwood
Chet chomping on grass. This picture cracks me up.
"Dirt is a lot more fun when you add water!" -- Dennis the Menace
http://wrightgardenchronicles.blogspot.com
http://wrightgardenrecipes.blogspot.com
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