Fall garden, etc.

[jOhN]

The missus had me spending Saturday trying for a better crop of tomatoes
than we had this blow torch of a summer. Maybe the global warming will
make maters a winter crop around here ;-)

Selection of starters was pretty sparse - I bumped into a guy at Home
Depot that said the Natural Gardener had little to offer. HD had about
6-7 types from Bonnie Nursery - a few bush varieties, Early Girl,
Carnival, Goliath. They all had 60-70 day maturation dates so I got all
three and a Husky cherry. The problem with Bonnie is that just about
everyone carries them so that limits the number of varieties you can
expect to find.

Next spring I'm going to start my own. Anyone have a favorite [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] store?

Oh yeah, the 5 okra I did plant from seed are producing about 2-3 pods
each per day. After that rain last week I missed a couple of days and
got a half dozen 8 inch monsters.

My potted herbs and single strawberry plant are doing very well. The
string of pots are home to a plethora of baby anoles that scamper all
about when I water. The strawberry has some big long branching stems
that I'll get rooted pretty soon.

I had a bunch of purslane pop up this year from volunteer seed. Since it
has been a couple of years since I grew any on purpose it was a nice
surprise. Two red ones came up in between the pavers on my patio.
Nothing special there except the pavers sit on solid [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. Talk
about hardy. The others, white, yellow and another red, preferred dirt
and it shows in their prolific growth.

Was surprised this morning when I cam across an althea that was
harboring about 1 billion white flies! I blasted the crap out of them
with a high pressure wash but they filled the air like smoke. Since we
have a couple of semi-vegetarian dogs I shy way from toxins.

I remember once at my parents house in the Rio Grande Valley the white
flies were so numerous that they actually looked like real smoke
drifting down the street. My dad said early morning joggers would wear
those mosquito hats so the flies wouldn't get inhaled. Yuk! To top it
off, when I stopped for gas in Falfurrias on the way back to Austin a
bunch flew out of the engine compartment when I lifted the hood. That
was about my creepiest insect moment.

Any body else with gardening news?

jOhN

[cat daddy]

"jOhN" <us271934SPAMNYET@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ECXuk.18608$LG4.9905@nlpi065.nbdc.sbc.com...

Thanks for the info on the tomato plants. I promised myself to try fall
tomatoes for the first time. I didn't want to shop HD, but ended up there
this Spring, very late and grew some wonderful plants, that didn't make but
a handful on one Early Girl plant because of the heat.
So now, it's already September and I haven't started yet, so thanks for
the motivation to go get some now.

I've been worried about the anoles during this heat and drought. I've
seen a few around, but not as many as usual as my vines and other cover they
like just wasn't as lush as normal.

I've never bought seeds online, but if I did, I think I'd buy from these
people.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[jOhN]

cat daddy wrote:
I've heard of those folks from a friend at work. Time to go shopping :-)

[malcolm]

why is it town water does not do some [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] much good you canit beat water
from storms specialywhen lighting helps plants allso
regards malcolm smith
"jOhN" <us271934SPAMNYET@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:ECXuk.18608$LG4.9905@nlpi065.nbdc.sbc.com...

[cinquefoil_5@yahoo.com]

I am tossing the idea back and forth for a fall/winter [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] myself.
My poor loose leaf lettuce died in the heat.
The tomatoes are doing well, but the squash which had started out
lovely is suffering in the heat.

For a fall crop I had thought of cooler loving plants such as
spinach , loose leaf lettuce or even brussel sprouts.

I think if I start in late August beginning of September the plants
should be fine as far as heat.
And supossedely we will be off the water restrictions by the 1st of
September.

As far as online seeds I have had good luck with them. I have used two
companies.
Thompson & (I can't remember the second name) but they have a huge
variety of seeds.

And Heirloom Seeds they have very interesting seeds avialable.

good luck,
Anita

[Omelet]

In article
<915a2a16-f693-4399-8fb5-2f509f00025a@q14g2000vbn.googlegroups.com>,
"cinquefoil_5@yahoo.com" <cinquefoil_5@yahoo.com> wrote:


I did chard and broccoli one year with great success. :-)
--
Peace! Om

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.
It's about learning to dance in the rain.
-- Anon.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Subscribe: [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Rich R.]

Whole foods in Houston sells heirloom organic tomatoes. I use the seeds
from them to plant. It takes about a week to dry the seeds properly and
you get to taste the tomato before you plant it to see if you like it.

Drying procedures.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[cinquefoil_5@yahoo.com]

I have given up on vegetable gardening for a while after this
miserable attempt this year.
I had loose leaf lettuce in the shade (started from seeds) that wilted
in the first heat.
I had bell pepper plants that never did more then give a few leaves,
and the tomato plants grew pretty gave me very small tomatoes
initially and very few and then died as the summer progressed.

I have been concentrating more on my front yard, as I have been for
the past two years, as I have started brand new there.
I had dug out all the [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and replaced it in some areas with Woolly
Thyme and Elfin Thyme. Some with a varieties of Ajuga and planted
vines along the fence. Irises, Daylilies and hostas also (under a
large fruitless Mulberry tree).

Its been a learning experience with much reading and then seeing what
I have read applied to reality. Reality is a great teacher.

I have also started working on a small side yard in the front by
building a small path by a gate, and starting a few ice plants and
some succulents.

On another side yard in the front I planted many sun [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] as
this side gets a lot of sun. They have done well .

I actually love planting in the fall because of the cooler weather. I
have found the plants seem to do quite well and are less strained by
the weather. The Ajuga I planted last year in the fall has done
beautifully and is spreading slowly as a ground cover. I have bought
some more Ajuga and planted more this last week. And went to Great
Outdoors (they have a lot of new plants there) yesterday and bought
some fall [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (pansies along with some kind of daisy plant) and
some more Ajuga.

Thursday will be planting day, whether it rains or not.

Have a super
Anita