Re: [gardeners] Saturday in the garden
George Shirley (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sat, 03 Jun 2000 21:28:35 -0500
They're day bloomers with white flowers and I, also, believe it is a lack of
pollination. I haven't seen a bee of any kind in about a month. Usually they
will come to my bird bath for water and none have shown. The efforts of mosquito
control have either killed them, although they fog about 10:30 each night, or
they're just gone.
Tomorrow, bright and early, I'm going to rip out two of the vines and then
pollinate the other vines flowers by hand. These vines have covered almost a
hundred square feet and are still going. In the future I'm only going to plant
one seed.
I dug up some chafer grubs and june beetle grubs today that were dying. I guess
the beneficial nematodes are working. Got to mix up some Bt and spray the corn
tomorrow, something is eating on the stalks and leaves and the stuff is just
tassling out.
Last time my daughter was here she brought me half a dozen seedling purple
hyacinth bean plants. Reckon I'd better get some of them in the ground tomorrow.
Think I will plant some where we took out the Seven Sisters roses that never
bloomed, that way they can grow on the fence.
Don't know if I mentioned it or not but put up 5 quarts of caponata yesterday.
Caponata is made with eggplant, tomatoes, onion, chopped green olives, and
capers and is about the only way I like frozen eggplant. Froze another 4 quarts
of tomatoes today, wash, dry, toss in the bag and vacuum seal, put in freezer.
Easiest way in the world to put up 'maters for later cooking.
Margaret, the Burbank and Early Large Red are really producing. The Burbank
fruit is even bigger than the Early Large Red, some run upwards of one pound.
The Hungarian Paste are starting to come along now and have a really good
flavor.
I have 6 quarts of chiles in the freezer at the moment and when I hit 10 quarts
will start processing them for hot sauce. Makes it easier to do if I big batch
them. The amazing thing is that all of the ripe chiles I'm getting at the moment
are from plants started in January 1999 and over wintered. The ones started this
year are full of fruit but none has ripened as yet. I may have to buy another
crock when all this stuff comes in.
Got the front yard mowed this afternoon and will do the back tomorrow. Took my
time and stopped and rested when I felt an angina pain coming on. Sleepy helped
by sleeping in the shade nearby. Now I've got to dump some dirt in a hole that
is appearing in the front yard. Probing with my 6 foot steel rod tells me that
the builder buried a tree stump 26 years ago and it has finally rotted and
collapsed. Has already taken 4 40 lb bags of dirt and will probably take 4 or 5
more to fill completely.
Gotta go make my bed if I want to sleep in it. Washed everything in sight today
and finally got it all folded and put away. Anyone up for doing some ironing?
Life is good.
George
Allen Merten wrote:
>
> Margaret and George,
> I was going to suggest lack of pollination, also. George are these night
> blooming w/white flowers or day blooming w/yellow or white flowers?
> Night blooming of course is pollinated by moths. Day blooming, by bees.
> I had the same problems with Dipper Gourds 2 years ago in the middle of
> the drought. My Gourd list people told me it was lack of pollination, not
> water. I think that the heat had a little to do with it. There was a
> shortage of bees. The drought had killed a bunch of them.
> Allen
> Bastrop Co., SE Central TX
> Zone 8