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amyinowasso

October 2023, 4th week

I looked outside this morning and Ron had the greens covered with frost cloth. We're going to have to talk about it. He's trying to keep the worms off, but he already told me the butterflies were out there, so now the worms are protected. I know, I've been there before. But he must learn for himself. He says there are green tomatoes out there. I'll get some yet.
I guess Jennifer is in Oregon. Everyone is busy.
Have a good week.

Comments (14)

  • 2 years ago

    Amy, thanks for starting the thread.


    Congratulations on the nice worm shelter, maybe I need one of those. I just came in from watering, and I noticed a wheel bug on the end of one of my turnip rows. Every one of my green row are buggy. I cant get down low enough to see what is eating the greens, but I plan on spraying them anyway. When I hit the rows with a stream of water a cloud of something flies away, and I have somethings that look like very small butterflies.


    I got more ground torn up to plant more greens. I already have more than we can eat, but I need to cover the ground with something. I will check the shop to see if I have any Elbon rye seed left from last year, if so, that would be my first choice for a cover crop, but if not I know that I have plenty of turnip seeds.


    I noticed when I was out working in the south garden this morning that I already have garlic coming up. It is about time that I normally plant garlic, but I don't remember having it come up this quick. I have not even planted my Elephant garlic yet. I seldom grow regular garlic, and maybe it comes up quicker that Elephant garlic.. My onion sets have not come up yet either, but I already have plenty of bunching and walking onions that we are using, so I don't keep a close eye on the onions.


    Amy, I have green tomatoes also. I am hoping Madge will pickle a few of them, she does fry them often. I like fried green tomatoes almost as well as I like ripe tomatoes

  • 2 years ago

    Amy, you mentioned sweet potatoes making a pretty house plant. I noticed this morning when I was working in the south garden all the sweet potato vines growing over the wood chip berm that I have on the south side of my south garden to help protect from erosion. I left the vines there hoping to also protect the berm. Most of the sweet potato vines still look pretty good, and I might be able to find a vine that I could pot up and put in our house.



    Many of the runners are covered with buds and blooms. If I can find a healthy root system on one of these vines, I might be able to pot up the runner and train it to be a nice house plant.

    This vine is tied up on a rake handle. I am hoping the vines will help hold the berm in place. The past two years we have had a flash flood, and the water ran off the mountain to the west of us, and over flowed the highway and took a lot of my garden soil with it

  • 2 years ago

    Hi Friends.

    Yes, I was in Oregon. It was hard to leave him there again. It was worse this time, I think. He's doing well. Finished the school but didn't get his assignment yet, so is getting antsy, I think.

    We went to a pumpkin patch on Sauvie Island. What an absolutely beautiful place. The pumpkin patch is also a "you pick" it farm at certain times of the year and they also have a store where they sell their food and other stuff.


    I came home and looked up property for sale on Sauvie Island.

    It was a really good trip.


    Here, the garden needs water and it seems like it will get that soon. It's sprinkling and drizzly right now.


    Rick picked a good bucket of green beans yesterday. I picked another quart or so tonight. And okra on both nights. Tomato plants are loaded, but not many are turning.

    We have a new player in the garden. Hibiscus Scentless Plant Bug. It is covering the okra.

    Fall plantings are doing okay.


    I didn't get my garlic planted tonight like I wanted.

    I came back to a mess at work. I won't go into all the boring details. I was getting calls/messages while on my trip, that I mostly chose to ignore.

    Tonight, I had to shop for the event that is coming up this week. Garlic will have to wait.

    Maybe if there is some break in the rain tomorrow, I'll go out and plant it. It's doubtful that it will rain non-stop.


    It's been a good few days and a hard few days and I am full of emotions for a lot of reasons.

    Hope everyone else is having a good week so far.


  • 2 years ago

    I planted some spinach but it has not come up. Brand new package too. I might try some of the old stuff.

  • 2 years ago

    Kim, I don't do well with spinach either, the first I planted this year was back when it was hot, so I planted it in the shade. I got fair germination, but nearly all of it slowly died. The second planting was in cooler weather and it came up pretty quickly in full sun, but is growing very slowly. I have a nice 40 or 50 foot row, which I tossed a little 13-13-13 on yesterday in hope that it will grow, but it we don't get some rain it still will not get any growth.


    Jennifer, I am glad you are home safely.


    I planted some Elephant garlic today, and, replanted some onions. I am just not able to grow and cure enough onions and garlic to last a year, so I am working hard to find a way to get the walking and bunching onions to fill in the gap, or, to replace the bulbing onions altogether. I bought 50 sets of a "new to me" bunching onion to try, but have not made up my mind on where to plant them. The 400 onions and garlic I planted last week already has a mole or gopher digging under them, I have no idea if any are being eaten.

  • 2 years ago

    Larry, my frugal mom took a sprouting sweet potatoe, put it in a vase so half was in the water and half above (supported by toothpicks). The top half grows vines. It never would have occurred to her that she could also eat it. I would think you could root one of your vines in water.

    Hugs to you Jennifer.

  • 2 years ago

    Amy, I have rooted vines many times in water, but I do better with potting soil, I have plastic rain gutters that I use for rooting sweet potato vines. I have often taken the vine end of the sweet potatoes that Madge is using for the Thanksgiving or Christmas meal, and just potting the end of the potato, using the larger end for food.


    I had another Dr. appoint in Poteau Oklahoma this morning, so I had to stop by the Farmers Co-op to see if they had anything I could not live without, I bought (4) 1 oz packs of radish seeds, and I don't even care that much for radishes, but the kids and grand kids do.

  • 2 years ago

    Sweet potato vines...one year I had someone tell me you could root ornamental sweet potatoes, so I got a bunch of clippings from a local business, stuck them in water, and a few weeks later had dozens of free plants. But I'm also great at beginner luck when it comes to propagation. If I don't know what I'm doing it works, but any time I intentionally TRY and root something it fails.


    I noticed a couple of my "dead" tomato plants have come back to life and have small green fruits. Hoping I'll get a few more fresh tomatoes before the frost does them in.


    HJ, sometimes you just have to not answer the phone. That's something I struggle with; usually when I'm on vacation I have to check in a couple times "just in case". I always use the excuse I need to know what I'm walking into when I go back, but it's more like I can't help but feel obligated to check. Sounds like you had a much needed vacation.


    I planted garlic a week or so ago and some has started to sprout up. I need to get another layer of mulch over that bed soon. Also have some peas that are just starting to sprout, and some beans have started producing.


    Been sick all last week and still trying to get over the last of it, so I'm hibernating at home. First time I've been sick since the whole lockdown nonsense, so I got hit hard. I'd forgotten how miserable fall colds can make me feel. I had to get out Sat to do groceries, but skipped church. Our company's fall fest is tomorrow and I'm skipping it too; I don't think anyone wants to be around me. I'm pretty sure I'm past the contagious stage, but I still sound horrible.

  • 2 years ago
    last modified: 2 years ago

    Welll... we're getting some good rains statewide.

    Next thing to worry about.... the 1st freeze next week , right after Halloween , right on cue.

    Need to pick whatever is ready to pick for the last time ...green tomatoes , peppers , okra and say bye bye to those.

    I just got green beans to produce over at Jennifers . Need to cover those for sure.

    Got green shelling peas starting to load up too.

    Guess I need to cover the greens too . 25* might be a little hard on them all of a sudden

    (talk about flicking on/or off a light switch):


    Brassicas too. Guess I'll start putting up the low tunnels if I have time to do it all ( if I don't have to wade in the mud to do it).

    Here's a link about winter/ overwintering garden for those interested:

    https://www.southernexposure.com/southern-exposure-s-fall-winter-gardening-guide

    I'm probably about the only one interested.

    Lonely are the brave ( as the north wind howls through the night).



    Rick

  • 2 years ago

    We are getting rain now, and looks like a pretty good chance for rain for then next 3 days, then it looks like a good chance for freeze/frost for a few days, then again about a week later.


    I got some garlic up also, and some cut worm activity also, and no mulch down yet.


    I would like to plant more collards, mustard and turnips, but I really think I have enough onions, garlic, and greens to do me this winter. It would be much nicer if I could toss up a hoop house, but I doubt that will happen, but I really should plant some cover crop.


    Jen, last year Madge had 3 pale green ornamental sweet potatoes produce some potatoes, so she replanted the potatoes this spring, she now has them in a pot in the utility room trying to save them till next spring.





  • 2 years ago

    Finally looked at the garden this morning briefly while picking some lettuce and other veggies for my lunch salad. I didn't really look at it though. I haven't been home before dark for the past couple of days.


    It's chilly out there. We got 2 and half inches of rain over the past few days.


    There's not much garden stuff to talk about right now. I already mentioned my frost covering plans above.


    Ethan got his call yesterday and now has a job. It's in Vancouver. Very exciting for him.


    Just thought I would check in. The day is about to get crazy so I'm taking a quiet moment.

  • 2 years ago

    It has been raining on and off since Monday. I think we’re probably up to 5 inches because of the way my driveway flooded. That rain hit my spinach seed in the spinach popped right out. I covered it with rope cover to keep the grasshoppers off but they will be gone soon as our forecast is Below 30° next week. My grapevine appeared dead since before I had surgery has come back it’s got a few little leaves here and there and with this rain it should be very happy. I hope to pop up anything that has survived this summer if anything and give it fresh soil

  • 2 years ago

    The weather has been nice here. So far most of the rain has missed us, but we have had plenty for the garden now. and more on the way. I just planted some lettuce seeds and got a few drops of rain no me. I have also planted another row of mustard and collards, along with about 50 bunching onion sets. The other onion sets that I planted several days ago are not up yet. About 90% of the 196 garlic cloves are up now, I tried to take a picture but it did not turn out so well. I think that I planted them about 10 or 12 days ago.