Gardening 2020...

[NKBJ]

The yearlings around here eat everything. Stuff deer wouldn't normally eat get tried and or ate all the way by the young ones closer to the ground. I don't know whether they are learning or if it's the drought conditions we are experiencing? The deer normally leave the rhubarb alone. Not this year.

I've been pruning a lot of blighted (powdery mildew?) stalks/leaves out of the zucchini. The plants seem to be taking it in stride, just starting to get some blossoms.

I killed a couple more squash bugs recently, but they were not in the immediate area of the zucchini. I was hoping that I'd ended their cycle for this year? I'm trying to watch closely for eggs on the leaves...

Guarded optimism this year for the fall garden. I have a lot of stuff planted with mixed results on late season germination.

More standing green than ever before at this time of year. Looking like my water bill might triple, trying to keep it all alive.

Yeah, the young'uns trimmed all the tomato limbs and leaves sticking through the fence. And once the barriers were removed a week ago they turned the poblanos into chop sticks.

 

[dprimm]

I would not mind the deer that eat the beans if they would hang around once season starts. (I live inside the 267 part of the Indianapolis reduction zone). They eat my beans ... I eat them.

Went and got a 1/2 bushel of tomato 2nds at Anderson's orchard to experiement with. Did 1/2 a batch of ketchup. Ok. Going to try a different one with the other half of the tomatoes.

A friend loaned me a pressure canner. Don't have nearly enough jars, but am pleased with how easy canning the different tomato sauces have been. Got lots of beans to finally try canning tomorrow.

 

[NKBJ]

Anybody have experience with sun chokes / Jerusalem artichokes?

 

[COOPADUP]

Anybody have experience with sun chokes / Jerusalem artichokes?

First time hearing about these. Sunflower tuber.
Look a little like ginger root from what I saw on a quick search.

 

[Phase2]

Anybody have experience with sun chokes / Jerusalem artichokes?

I haven't grown any, but have heard a lot about them. Here is what I "know":

• Easy to grow and native to Indiana
• look a lot like sunflowers, but you don't get the same edible seeds
• Can be prolific in terms of tuber production
• Tubers are more knobbly, so not as easy to peel as potatoes
• Spreading can be a problem if uncontrolled- may want to grow in a raised bed or containers
• Tubers are comparatively low carb because most of the carbs are in the form of inulin which is indigestible. This means that you may get gassy if you eat a lot and aren't used to them. Nickname: fartichokes.

 

[NKBJ]

Have read that prolonged cooking is needed to break down the inulin.

I'm planting some today, to get them going before the big freeze. I'm told that's the thing to do so here I go.

 

[Jaybird1980]

Where are you located? I believe you can only grow during winter in warm climates, otherwise you may want to hold off on planting until a few weeks before May.

 

[bwframe]

I noticed frost snuk in this morning on the grass in some shady spots just at sunrise. Phone shows it's 38 degrees out?

I quickly hooked a sprinkler up to spray the beans and most of the peppers.

 

[spencer rifle]

The okra is still producing. Damnit, what does it take to kill that stuff!
Have white potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots in the ground. At present getting beans and hazelnuts. Took in all the basil before the freeze.
Collected burr oak acorns for future use. It's easier with a Nut Weasel - filled a 5 gallon bucket in 1/2 hour. Right now waiting for all the acorn weevil larvae to drop out and feeding them to the chickens.

 

[NKBJ]

About the sunchokes / Jerusalem artichokes, the info gleaned so far says good to Zone 3. Got some and got them in the ground. Will see if they stick their heads up come spring.

Got the yard longs (Asian beans) vines cut off the trellises and piled, ready for composting. Same for the tomato vines. Got half of the deer barriers erected for spring. Need to build another composter. Ready to design the layout, finish planning, build more planters for taters, carrots and salsify and bury buckets for next years melons and squash. Not real sure yet what we'll do for herbs next year.

 

[Cameramonkey]

OK, a question about fertilizer ratios/substitutions.

I understand how to read the x-x-x numbers. the number is a percentage of the overall content of the material. After having a soil sample tested, they prescribed Ammonium Nitrate 20-0-0 @ 2lbs/100sq. Im finding that hard to locate, but ureas @60-0-0 are easy.

So If I read that right, the prescribed mix would have 20 parts, and the available mix would have 60 parts, so since the available mix is 3x the amount of active ingredient, I'd simply divide the amount by 3? Is that right? Or if I applied the 60 at the same rate I'm applying 3x the amount prescribed? Do I have that right?

 

[Phase2]

OK, a question about fertilizer ratios/substitutions.

I understand how to read the x-x-x numbers. the number is a percentage of the overall content of the material. After having a soil sample tested, they prescribed Ammonium Nitrate 20-0-0 @ 2lbs/100sq. Im finding that hard to locate, but ureas @60-0-0 are easy.

So If I read that right, the prescribed mix would have 20 parts, and the available mix would have 60 parts, so since the available mix is 3x the amount, I'd simply divide the amount by 3? Is that right? Or if I applied the 60 at the same rate I'm applying 3x the amount prescribed? Do I have that right?

Yes, that is correct, but not the full story. Be sure you are measuring by weight and not by volume which might vary between the two fertilizers.

Also, urea must be pushed down into the soil to avoid losing much of the nitrogen:

When urea is placed on the surface of the soil, a chemical reaction takes place that changes the urea to ammonium bicarbonate. The ammonium will convert into a gas, which is then lost if not protected. This means that urea should be mixed in with the soil for maximum effectiveness. This may be done either by broadcasting the urea then plowing it into the soil immediately or by injecting the urea into the soil. This may also be done by broadcasting urea then irrigating heavily to push dissolved urea into the soil.

 

[patience0830]

Anybody have experience with sun chokes / Jerusalem artichokes?

They are invasive and hard to kill. Grow them in a container.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Yes, that is correct. Be sure you are measuring by weight and not by volume which might vary between the two fertilizers.

Thanks. Yes I will be using weight as that is how they prescribed it.

 

[Cameramonkey]

Thanks for the update Phase. Looks like that is out and will need to find the AN. They prescribed tilling 1/2 of it into the soil into the spring (no big deal) then spreading the other half on the surface after the plants are growing well. That 2nd step looks like Urea isnt going to work.

 

[bwframe]

Gotta look hard to see it, but the sprinkler made a rainbow. Looking at the icicles on the electric fence wire, it dosn't look like the water will save the beans, zuchini and peppers though?

 

[spencer rifle]

Hard freeze last night. Maybe FINALLY the okra will be dead. Dug up the remaining potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. A few extra large radishes found. More rhubarb harvested and pied. Pumpkins processed but we're out of freezer space. Might have to pressure can.

 

[Trigger Time]

It's all dead here. Time to prep for winter

 

[JettaKnight]

I covered my chilies - they survived. I transplanted my basil to a pot; it might survive.

 

[bwframe]

Everything fragile is dead here. Spinach, opinions and a variety of brassicas should be fine, hopefully. Chard kinda looks 50/50?

Peter piper pick a peck...

Pulled pork "pepper steak" on the menu for dinner.

I pulled and picked ~25% of beans, hoping the rest will be good until tomorrow.

I have never built or used the clear plastic/PVC hoop type crop covers for fear of being overrun with the weeds they germinate. I'm thinking with the woven fabric ground cover this year, that needs to be revisited? Maybe prolong some late season plants this year and get a jump on next year?

Anyone have links to the best practices for constructing those hoop/tunnel crop covers?
Wonder if sand in the PVC is enough weight to keep them from sailing around?
Looking for the best way to secure the plastic tightly to the PVC also?
While I can possibly make room for inside unheated storage, it'd great to leave the covers in the garden through the winter.