Last 90 day corn planted
Hi all,
The summer planting process is now complete with the planting of 90 day corn patch 6 on July 12. This is about a week later than I wanted but personal schedule dictated that date. I was able to remove all the onions. Some of them wanted to be in the ground a couple of weeks longer but they will continue to mature in storage. When I harvest onions, I leave the plant attached until it completely dries. They are stored in this manner under a large avacado tree. The onion bulbs will continue to grow and harden by sucking water and nutrients from the plant itself. This isn't quite as good as letting them dry in the field but cuts off three to four weeks of valuable ground time. The picture below is of patch six one day after planting. Notice the dark rows where the darkness is caused by wetness from the drippers and a thin layer of compost.
Notice the giant patty pan squash on the right. It partially blocks two rows. The plant is incredibly productive. I can't tear it out. So the corn goes around it. This is the largest yellow patty pan squash I have ever grown. I am surprised how happy it is in a year when I have been plagued with summer squash crown rot elsewhere in the yard. The corn at the back of the plot is planting 5 which I wrote about last time. It is about 1ft. tall now and growing rapidly.
I finished harvesting the first batch of corn which was the 60 day first planting in early April. That piece of land is now owned by purple bush beans and a few purple pole beans which were companion planted with it. In the picture below you will notice a few stalks of corn stripped of leaves but wrapped in pole beans. Also notice the bush beans which cover the ground. They look stressed now due to them being physically abused when I took out most of the corn stalks and due to lack of sunshine over the past few weeks. But they will bounce back in a few days and produce a good harvest of beans within a month. To the right, is the corner of plot 2 which is 8 ft. tall candycorn. It will be ready for harvest in about two weeks.
I just picked a five gallon bucket full of pole beans from plots 2 and 3. This is the most pole beans I have ever harvested this early in the season. The reason is that there have no sparrows around this year. Usually they strip at least half of the leaves from the beans. This year the beans are growing freely in the corn and loaded with beans. This is way too many beans for us and our neighbors. I will give most to a food charity.
Just one more note on beans. For the first time this year, I have planted the purple pole bean sold by Pinetree Garden Nursery. It produces a six inch long very sweet bean. The plants are highly productive and physically beautiful to look at. I am impressed. It almost ranks with Musica pole bean which is my favorite of all time. The yellow Goldmare is also a great bean. All are in full production now in the garden.
Aside from still setting out a few leeks in the leek patch and maybe setting out one more hill of summer squash in the brocolli patch, I am now finished with summer planting. However, one could continue to transplant peppers and eggplant through August. But my yard is full. The next planting event for me will be starting the first of the fall cauliflower in August in the greenhouse.
The winter squash is now vining onto the sidewalks and throughout corn patches four and five. I have, however, found a lot of squash bug this year and am somewhat worried that they will spoil much of the crop like they did three years ago. The gray aphid which I was worrying about in the last post has disappeared. The brocolli is now free of them. Let's give a hurrah to beneficials! I continue to harvest a small bag of brocolli a week as I expect to do so through Christmas.
That's it for now. Happy gardening.
danh
The summer planting process is now complete with the planting of 90 day corn patch 6 on July 12. This is about a week later than I wanted but personal schedule dictated that date. I was able to remove all the onions. Some of them wanted to be in the ground a couple of weeks longer but they will continue to mature in storage. When I harvest onions, I leave the plant attached until it completely dries. They are stored in this manner under a large avacado tree. The onion bulbs will continue to grow and harden by sucking water and nutrients from the plant itself. This isn't quite as good as letting them dry in the field but cuts off three to four weeks of valuable ground time. The picture below is of patch six one day after planting. Notice the dark rows where the darkness is caused by wetness from the drippers and a thin layer of compost.
Notice the giant patty pan squash on the right. It partially blocks two rows. The plant is incredibly productive. I can't tear it out. So the corn goes around it. This is the largest yellow patty pan squash I have ever grown. I am surprised how happy it is in a year when I have been plagued with summer squash crown rot elsewhere in the yard. The corn at the back of the plot is planting 5 which I wrote about last time. It is about 1ft. tall now and growing rapidly.
I finished harvesting the first batch of corn which was the 60 day first planting in early April. That piece of land is now owned by purple bush beans and a few purple pole beans which were companion planted with it. In the picture below you will notice a few stalks of corn stripped of leaves but wrapped in pole beans. Also notice the bush beans which cover the ground. They look stressed now due to them being physically abused when I took out most of the corn stalks and due to lack of sunshine over the past few weeks. But they will bounce back in a few days and produce a good harvest of beans within a month. To the right, is the corner of plot 2 which is 8 ft. tall candycorn. It will be ready for harvest in about two weeks.
I just picked a five gallon bucket full of pole beans from plots 2 and 3. This is the most pole beans I have ever harvested this early in the season. The reason is that there have no sparrows around this year. Usually they strip at least half of the leaves from the beans. This year the beans are growing freely in the corn and loaded with beans. This is way too many beans for us and our neighbors. I will give most to a food charity.
Just one more note on beans. For the first time this year, I have planted the purple pole bean sold by Pinetree Garden Nursery. It produces a six inch long very sweet bean. The plants are highly productive and physically beautiful to look at. I am impressed. It almost ranks with Musica pole bean which is my favorite of all time. The yellow Goldmare is also a great bean. All are in full production now in the garden.
Aside from still setting out a few leeks in the leek patch and maybe setting out one more hill of summer squash in the brocolli patch, I am now finished with summer planting. However, one could continue to transplant peppers and eggplant through August. But my yard is full. The next planting event for me will be starting the first of the fall cauliflower in August in the greenhouse.
The winter squash is now vining onto the sidewalks and throughout corn patches four and five. I have, however, found a lot of squash bug this year and am somewhat worried that they will spoil much of the crop like they did three years ago. The gray aphid which I was worrying about in the last post has disappeared. The brocolli is now free of them. Let's give a hurrah to beneficials! I continue to harvest a small bag of brocolli a week as I expect to do so through Christmas.
That's it for now. Happy gardening.
danh
posted by danh at
6:37 PM
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