August 2016 State of the Garden

Lantana Blooms

Vegetable Garden Remnants

In my North Carolina vegetable garden, August is a month of cleaning up dead plants and cutting back weeds plus fighting bugs so the few remaining plants can survive.

Hornworm with Parasitic Eggs Attached

Tobacco Hornworm

Another Hornworm!

Vegetables

Squash production slowed to a crawl and plants died off two at a time. Tomatoes ripened so slowly that worms and stink bugs enjoyed them before I could. Hornworms appeared on the Green Pepper plants on a regular basis. Left unchecked, these voracious eaters will completely defoliate a plant. I always spotted the waste material before spotting the well-camouflaged caterpillars.

Spaghetti Squash

I harvested a spaghetti squash gourd in late July. Growing from seed to harvest took about 90 days. Two other gourds had to be pulled since the vines were dried up and weakened by Squash Vine Borers. Regular squash grows rapidly but spaghetti squash takes much longer. The challenge is that the vines have to stay healthy weeks longer to grow the spaghetti gourds.

Sunflower

Flowers

I can't say enough about the beautiful sunflowers. they continue to amaze. I grew them in circles hoping large stalks would fall towards each other for support. That didn't happen. The circles filled up with tall grass and weeds. Next year I'll go back to single rows.

Mexican Petunia

A new addition to my perennial flowers is a Mexican Petunia. I brought a plant back from Georgia last Thanksgiving. I babied it in a Mason jar over the winter and planted it in late Spring. It was slow to flower, but was worth the wait.

Rain has been sparse for the last 2 weeks and that has given me a breather from grass cutting. With regular rains, this month has required lots of mower time.

How's your August/ September garden doing? I would love to hear about it. I'm already planning next year's vegetable garden with severe cuts in the number of plants. What about you?


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State of the Garden July 2016

A Cute Fawn Visitor While Gardening - Garden Lady Blog

Vegetables

This year's vegetable garden was started in April. Particularly with the squashes, this gave everything a head start on growth before the insects started cycling through. I've had to pull some plants because of Squash Vine Borer, but, by now, I've had my fill of Crook Neck, Straight Neck, and Zucchini squash. The Spaghetti Squash is growing beautifully up a trellis ( and across to neighboring tomato cages). One vine has borer damage, but it is entangled with healthier plants so I'll have to leave it for now.

Spaghetti Squash gourd on a trellis - Garden Lady Blog

This was my first time growing Bush Beans. They were easy to grow with no insect worries. Simple to cook: prep and wash, cover with water, add salt and boil then simmer for 30 minutes.

Front View of Vegetable Garden - Garden Lady Blog

Cherry Tomatoes have been producing for well over a month. The regular tomatoes are just now turning red at a quick pace. A few plants have wilted, but some of those continue to produce fruit. At this late date, I found my first Hornworm on a green pepper plant. The green peppers have been trouble-free.

Hornworm on Pepper Plant - Garden Lady Blog

Flowers

The Sunflowers are a sight to see! There is always a new bloom to admire. Frequent rains have knocked down some stalks so I'm tying them up. To discourage squirrels, I remove the flower after blooming.

Sunflower Bloom - Garden Lady Blog

The Loofah is a running plant like spaghetti squash. It produces beautiful flat yellow flowers. As of yet I haven't seen anything capable of exfoliating on the vine.

Loofah Flower - Garden Lady Blog

The Red Okra produced gorgeous flowers and shiny red fruit. I admired the flowers and gave away the fruit.

Red Okra Flower - Garden Lady Blog

July is a hot month in North Carolina. Fortunately, this year we've been blessed with frequent showers so dragging a sprinkler around trying to save plants is unnecessary. I look forward to winding down the squash harvests and a resurrection of the eggplant. One can hope, right?

I would love to hear your comments about vegetable gardening.

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State of the Garden June 2016

Front View of Vegetable Garden - Garden Lady Blog

Back View of Vegetable Garden - Garden Lady Blog

Vegetables
Garden planting started much earlier this year. In March I planted snow peas and Brussels sprout seeds. In April we started a bed of blueberry plants. Later that month I planted squash and sunflower seeds. Bush Blue Lake and Harvester beans followed a few days later. The snow peas have been abundant and tasty while ripe blueberries are scarce.

Snow Peas - Garden Lady Blog

Plantings purchased from a nursery included green peppers, jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. Flowering is well underway and peppers and tomatoes are developing. The eggplant has been ravaged by flea beetles so it may be a bad year for them.

Zucchini Squash and Tomatoes - Garden Lady Blog

Green Beans and Tomatoes - Garden Lady Blog

Spaghetti squash was started indoors and transplanted in March. Since it grew over tomato cages one year, I'm training it to climb a trellis. In this way I hope to contain this plant that tends to run all over the garden. It is flowering and small fruit is visible.

Spaghetti Squash Climbing Trellis - Garden Lady Blog

By the way, you may recognize recycled material in use for the 3 trellises. I used railings from old cribs and toddler beds. ( Hey the kids are in college now so why not?)

Sunflower Hybrid Mix - Garden Lady Blog

Flowers

This year's garden includes a wide row of sunflowers: hybrid mix and Mammoths. Another row has seeds from pollinator packets and harvested sunflower seeds from last year. The squirrels had their way with some of the latter, but a whole bunch are sprouting.

Sunflower from Hybrid Mix - Garden Lady Blog

As an experiment, I started Loofah seeds indoors. The transplants are frail so I've lowered my expectations. I think it's good to experiment on one thing in the garden every year, don't you agree? Speaking of experiments, a friend gave me a seed pod from Red Okra. I'm not an okra-lover, but I've heard the flowers are Hibiscus-like and gorgeous so I've have 8 of these seedlings struggling at various locations.

Well that's a summary of activities in the vegetable garden. It hard to believe that I've been writing these State of the Garden articles for 3 years. Last year's can be found here.

With weekly grass cutting and vegetable harvesting, it's going to be a busy summer. I would be interested in hearing about your vegetable gardens. Please comment below!

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State of the Garden July 2015

Tomato Plants in July - Garden Lady

There are so many changes in the garden since my last post, here's an update. 

Black Beauty Eggplant - Garden Lady

The Black Beauty Eggplant started ripening last week and it's thrilling to give this away as well as prepare my favorite eggplant dishes. (See Eggplant with Garlic Sauce here: recipe and video)

In my last post, I was concerned about some shriveling of the leaves on the green and jalapeno pepper plants. Despite the damaged appearance, these plants are producing just fine. I came across a North Carolina Extension article on tobacco leaf shriveling due to inadequate calcium uptake. Since tobacco shares the Nightshade family, this could be the issue with the pepper plants as well. We like jalapeno poppers (click here for recipe) and sausage served with sauteed onions and peppers.

Tomato on the Vine - Garden Lady

Just this week, tomatoes have turned to a light orange and I've started to pick. If left on the vine too long, there are issues with squirrel and insect predation.

Spaghetti Squash 10 weeks from seed - Garden Lady

Spaghetti squash was planted from seeds and is now in it's 10th week. No gourds yet, but the bees are busy pollinating. The yellow and crookneck squashes are still producing although a week-long drought while I was on vacation slowed them down a bit. That is fine as I have plenty of garden produce right now. There's some powdery mildew on some of the leaves.

1st Mammoth Sunflower to Bloom - Garden Lady

The special thrill in this year's garden is the Sunflowers. I planted Burpee Hybrid Mix and it's a surprise to see the color and size when each flower blooms. The larger Mammoth variety is reaching to the sky. I will need a ladder just to photograph the flowers. The tallest is 10 feet and growing. The rest are at 8 feet. I encourage everyone to plant sunflower seeds as they have brought me so much enjoyment. As mentioned in my previous post, the deer are an issue, and these plants are inside an 8 foot electrified fence.

Row of Mammoth Sunflowers - Garden Lady

I've learned a few things this season that I'll incorporate in next year's garden. For one, I let the tomato plants get too tall, and they are falling over the tomato cages. Next year, I'll top them off. I would also like to try mulching next year. We stopped using leaf mulch because it seemed to increase the bug population. This year, we have had lots of stink and squash bugs, and use Sevin Bug Killer to keep them under control. How do you feel about leaf and grass mulch contributing to insects in the vegetable garden?

I hope my readers are enjoying their gardens and nature as much as I am. I would love to hear from other gardeners in the comment section below.

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State of the Garden July 2014

Vegetable Garden
Garden Lady Blog

Vegetable Garden

The vegetable garden is producing zucchini and yellow crookneck squash. With a crop of 12 plants, I'm picking every other day. The tomato plants are loaded, but green. I've started taking a few tomatoes for ripening in the house. I've lost a few tomatoes as they got mushy and fell off the vine. Research indicates that temperatures above 90 F can be the cause. I've lost a few to caterpillars, and am pulling Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs off the plants. (Click hyperlink for my previous post on this pest.)

Jalapeno Peppers are abundant. With 6 plants, I can pick every day. I've made 3 batches of Jalapeno Poppers - a family favorite. (Click for recipe video.)

Since Spaghetti Squash is a creeping vine, it's crawling up some tomato cages and over other vegetable plants. There are different sizes of gourds so I'll be able to stagger picking and not have to harvest all at once. (Check out my new book on Spaghetti Squash-growing and cooking-a link to Amazon page is below.)

Spaghetti Squash in Tomato Cage
Garden Lady Blog

Green Peppers are not producing yet. The eggplant has fruit, but it is green and not the usual black for the Black Beauty variety. I'm not panicking yet. Eggplant is one of my favorite garden vegetables. Our county extension agent thinks they will gradually turn black. I've fertilized just in case the cause is a Nitrogen deficiency. Click here for a delicious Eggplant and Garlic Sauce Recipe.

Vegetable Garden
Garden Lady Blog

Until today, the vegetables were pesticide free. An invasion of Squash Bug Nymphs was treated with powder Sevin. We also had our first Tobacco Hornworm (see video here) on a tomato plant. No chemicals were necessary to dispatch this gigantic specimen. The photo shows the Hornworm eating the tomato. To detect the worms before too much damage occurs, look for the following: waste material sitting on leaves and branches missing leaves.

Flowers

Video of Swallowtail Butterfly enjoying Butterfly Bush

Garden Lady Blog

The Butterfly Bushes are finally blooming. I have baby plants sprouting everywhere including in the mortar of my front steps.

Brown-eyed Susan
Garden Lady Blog

The Brown-eyed Susans look wonderful especially since I don't remember planting them. The Goldfinches are enjoying the seeds.

Most of my flowers are perennials, but an exception are the Cleome. I bought a pack of seeds 10 years ago, and the flowers are still reseeding themselves. In addition, my neighbors took some seeds and the whole neighborhood has stunning displays of Cleome.

Cleome
Garden Lady Blog

Many of my perennial bushes are overgrown and need severe pruning. Forsythia, azalea and camellia fall into this category. Over the years, the Forsythia and Camellias have provided great cover and nesting sites for birds.

Enjoy!

Garden upkeep seems endless this time of year. If you're like me, being outdoors working beats indoor chores anytime. Just remember, eventually the weather will change and then we'll be missing the hot days of summer.

Please check this post again as I plan on adding more photos and videos. Thanks for reading my blog.

New book to come: How to Cook Spaghetti Squash(And Grow It Too!)

I am behind on my blog posts because I am finishing my book, How to Cook Spaghetti Squash (And Grow It Too!). It will be offered in paperback and e-book formats at Amazon.com. I will add a link to the Amazon page soon. Book Link: http://amzn.to/1fIftj8

Harvesting and Cooking Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is ready for harvest when the color is predominantly yellow. The stem may have a dried appearance. Cut the stem and avoid touching it as it’s very prickly.

Store in a cool, dry place. Spaghetti squash will keep for months.

Preparation:

Wash the outside of the squash.

Cut the stem end off.

Pierce the skin several times with a fork.

Cook in the microwave for 5 minutes. The skin should give slightly to pressure.

Depending on the size of the squash and power of the microwave, additional or less time may be required.

I cooked a 12 inch long squash (large) for 8 minutes in a 1200 watt microwave.

The squash should be cooled before handling further. I usually microwave the squash one day, refrigerate it, and prepare it further another day. 

Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the pulp and seeds out of the squash.

With a fork, scrape the meat, and it will release from the skin in spaghetti strands.

Sauté the spaghetti strands in olive oil and margarine for about 10 minutes. Serve.

Alternately, add spaghetti sauce. Serve.

Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti Squash is fun to grow. I started my squash from seeds in late March and planted in the garden in May. Presently I have beautiful plants with hard-to-see green fruits. Last year, the spaghetti traveled like a pumpkin vine around the garden. This year, the fruits are directly under the plants. No fragile vines. I can only assume this is a different variety. 

The squash will be harvested when the color changes to yellow. I’ll post a recipe or two then.

Squash Times 2012

I picked the first squash today. It’s hard to believe the plants were put in the ground a mere 3 ½ weeks ago. 

The first squash bug made its appearance last week. Squash bugs will affect the xylem or water transporting part of the plant and lay eggs under the leaves. The plant will wilt and collapse. The best solution is a generous treatment with Sevin spray.

Refrain from harvesting for 3 days after the Sevin treatment. 

Squash Bug

Squash Bug eggs on underside of leaf

More on the attributes of squash…

All varieties are fast-growing and easy to cook. I started spaghetti and yellow squash seeds in a cold frame in late March (it was unseasonably warm). I can confess now that the yellow squash seeds were leftovers that I found in the potting shed. The spaghetti seeds were recently purchased.

An easy way to prepare yellow squash:

Slice into bite- size pieces, mix with diced onion, toss generously with olive oil, season,  and bake at 400 F for 30 minutes.