Following on from master gardener / correspondent OpieJeanne‘s post last week:
We built a trellis to grow pumpkins vertically, and now the bigger ones are stylishly clothed in pantyhose.
CanteloupeCanteloupe in pantyhoseMusque de ProvenceCinderella pumpkinMarina di Chioggia
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What’s going on in your garden(s), this week?
mrmoshpotato
Pantyhose pumpkins!
Baud
Very pretty.
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone???
rikyrah
Beautiful pictures?
Lapassionara
Love this idea! Great photos!
Baud
@rikyrah: Good morning.
OzarkHillbilly
I’ve tried a couple different trellises for various winter squashes and was never really happy with any of them. This one is far more open. I’m tempted to give it a try next year.
satby
What a brilliant idea to support and protect them! I never would have thought of that. Haven’t with pantyhose in probably 20 years either ?
Paul in St. Augustine
I’ll ask. Why pantyhose?
raven
Sweet!
satby
@Paul in St. Augustine: Assuming because they stretch so don’t impede the growth of the squash, and because they’re strong, so when tied to the trellis can hold the heavier squash up.
satby
I just want to thank everyone who kicked in on last night’s thread to help our rescue’s kitten Sammy. He’s not out of the woods, but if he doesn’t develop an infection he should make it. And we’ll be very sure his life will be filled with nothing but love from here on. Thank you all!
OzarkHillbilly
@satby: Yes. I’ve used mesh bags and fishing nets in the past too.
Digger
@OzarkHillbilly: Gives new meaning to the term support hose. ;-)
OzarkHillbilly
@Digger: Heh.
MazeDancer
Inventive and pretty. Hard to beat.
Jeffery
I have one pumpkin this year. I didn’t plant it. Either the squirrels or bluejays took the seeds from the compost pile last fall and planted them around the yard. I mowed down a number of them in the grass. Left one that was not in the way next to the patio.
germy
We were glad to see Soul Fire Farm get some national recognition:
I highly recommend Leah Penniman’s book, in the link below:
https://www.soulfirefarm.org/
MomSense
Very cool!
OzarkHillbilly
@Jeffery: I’ve got the same thing going in one of the flower beds along side the walkway. I figure it came in with the compost.
debbie
Does the pantyhose keep the hungry critters away?
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: No.
Immanentize
Melons. It is time for melons. Yum.
My tomatoes are still coming in, but the critters have prevented all my peppers from growing. And most of my tomatillo. I just didn’t have time to put up proper fencing. Ah well, next year!
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: I’ve been eating a melon every morn for about a week now. Yesterday’s was a little off, not bad but not good. Sigh… Speaking of which, time for breakfast!
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: No melon for me ?
But it is breakfast time if my cat ever moves off my chest.
satby
Not garden related, but Banksy’s latest project is very cool.
germy
Our vegetable garden is mostly an all you can eat buffet for rabbits and squirrels. They visit and then they return with their friends.
But we’ve got some vegetables in hanging pots they can’t reach. And a tall climbing string bean bush they haven’t touched. And callaloo which doesn’t seem to interest them.
This has been a good growing season overall for us. Heavy downpours followed by intense bright sun.
OzarkHillbilly
The veggie garden is closing in on the end here. Tomatoes are done, it was an OK year for them. A very disappointing year for sweet peppers. I only planted 3 types of hot peppers, jalapeno, poblano, and 2 New Mexico that were new to me. Got enough to satisfy my jonesing for stuffed jalapenos, plenty of poblanos to fill my ancho needs, and nothing from the NewMex. I’ll try them again next year. Still getting eggplant but I can tell the end is near. Picked a bunch of dried tiger’s eye pinto beans for shelling and there are more to come.
The one unalloyed good news is the return of squash to the veggie garden. I mentioned last week that I didn’t plant them until the first week of July to avoid the curse of squash bugs and it worked like a charm. The plants are thriving and bug free. After 2 years without Romanesco zukes I couldn’t be happier. Next year I will once again dedicate a fair amount of the garden to a crop of winter squashes. I am not sure how they will do with such a late start but we will see.
Dorothy A. Winsor
It’s a beautiful morning. Sunny with temperature around 60.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: Were the New Mexico supposed to be basically Hatch peppers?
I got two or three hatch peppers from the organic guy at the market – where I always get my veggie starter plants – but they accidentally gave me two cayenne pepper plants. Boo. I grew those one year and decided not to grow cayenne peppers again.
Like you, high hopes for the hatch peppers next year!
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly: Mmmmm….. stuffed jalapenos.
StringOnAStick
I can tell the end of season is coming just by how the cucumbers are looking even though the days are still hot. Yesterday was the first obvious hint of fall.
Planting in self watering planters means I can plant earlier but it’s just not as good as in the ground with the complexity true soil gives with the soil microbes; potting soil/container mix ain’t real soil no matter what they claim. There’s no other way to grow veggies at this house; I’m hoping our moving plans mean we’ll find a place with better options.
Immanentize
@OzarkHillbilly: @WaterGirl:
I really recommend Anaheim Chilis. Less fussy than actual NM Chili’s especially in non&New Mexico climates (like everywhere but the high desert).
Not quite so hot as Hatch (which is more a place than a variety, but people gotta make cash!) But hot enough and just large enough for relleno use. I am not really a poblano relleno fan, I like the Anaheims better.
Immanentize
ugh!! My washing machine is not working!!!! Glad this happened after the Immp launched
OzarkHillbilly
@WaterGirl: I looked it up: NuMex Joe E Parker from Renee’s.
@mrmoshpotato: Cream cheese mixed with shredded cheddar to fill the half, then wrapped with bacon. Mmmm, mmmm!
OzarkHillbilly
@Immanentize: I’ve grown Anaheims before. Just wanted to try something new, like I do every year.
Spanky
@Immanentize: Our dishwasher crapped out on August 3. Earliest a repair guy could get here was August 10. Diagnosis was to replace the pump unit in the bottom. Basically the whole unit for about $400. Part is still on backorder.
Now for washing machines, ours crap out after 4 or 5 years when the control electronics go. Had any close lightning strikes lately?
More on topic, I used panty hose to cradle melons back in the 80s. Not inside the hose, but more as a sling. Worked ok, but the cutworms made the experiment moot.
MomSense
We had an interesting thing happen with our community garden this past week. I was so busy I missed the email discussion until after it was resolved. Apparently some kids in the next neighborhood picked some pumpkins and squash and other veggies from our garden and brought them home. Mom was mortified so she contacted the leader of our group and told him what happened, that the kids would return the veggies and she expected us to do something to punish the kids. So Doug asked her to send them over. He reported that the kids saw the community garden sign and thought that meant it was for everyone. Doug asked them if they enjoyed being in the garden and they said they did. So he asked them if they would like to spend some time in the garden, help with some weeding and maybe turn the compost with him. They said they would love to help. So he emailed the garden group and explained the situation. Well these beautiful people asked Doug to offer the kids a raised bed for next summer and decided we would cover the cost, buy the supplies, and help them learn about gardening. The kids were really happy about this and have continued to help weed and care for the garden areas. Our little garden is a very happy and peaceful place.
Immanentize
@Spanky: No close strike for a couple of months (when the daughter board of my receiver was blown out). But the machine — which we have loved — is about 6 years old. It does what it was built to do — washes clothes. Even if it has fancy pants settings.
I’ll call the repair people tomorrow. Cost of visit alone? 85 balloons.
Immanentize
@MomSense: That made me year up a bit. Amazing what asking questions does versus yelling.
MagdaInBlack
@MomSense:
That story just made my morning. Thank You !
Spanky
@Immanentize: A bargain. Cost of showing up here was $99. Waived once we were on the hook for $$$$ part.
FelonyGovt
@MomSense: That’s wonderful. I hope the kids’ parents were satisfied with the resolution.
WaterGirl
@OzarkHillbilly: The pictures look great! Too bad we can’t eat the photos. :-)
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: I do have two Anaheim pepper plants that I got from a friend who grew them from seed – I was hedging my bets because I wasn’t sure whether there would be a way to buy from the organic guy because of covid.
Those are not as far along as the ones I got from the organic guy, but hopefully I will be eating them soon. There are about 10 peppers in various stages. Do you pick your annaheim’s when they are green or red?
Immanentize
@Immanentize: year = tear. Bad phone typing morning.
ETA. Off to mow the yard.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl:
Yes. Both.
The green ones tend to be a bit meatier and better for stuffing. The red ones for sauces (a little sweeter, but they don’t lose too much heat).
Immanentize
@Spanky: That’s the trick. Here the cost of the call sticks.
debbie
@MomSense:
Lovely!
WaterGirl
@MomSense: I got goosebumps about halfway through reading your story. How wonderful.
MazeDancer
@OzarkHillbilly: Growing Hatch Chile outside NM can’t be done. Certainly, if anyone can do it, you can.
Have asked farmer’s at Farmer’s Markets if possible with greenhouses creating big heat all Summer. Or something. Nope.
Apparently, one needs the relentless sun and cool nights of NM.
But best of luck.
WereBear
@MomSense: That’s what I call Handling Things like a Democrat should :)
mrmoshpotato
@OzarkHillbilly:
Yes!
mrmoshpotato
@WaterGirl:
Technically if you print them…
Dorothy A. Winsor
@MomSense: Great story. People acting well all the way around.
Juice Box
Nice trellis!
I live in a cool summer climate and I’ve never been able to grow melons. This year, despite a foggy summer, I got melons! They were good too and the vine was powdery mildew-free when I pulled it up yesterday. I may need to build my own trellis next year.
mrmoshpotato
@WereBear:
We’re still having Nuremberg trials for others. Don’t mess with our garden of democracy, you Soviet shitpile mobster crime family.
Geminid
@OzarkHillbilly: Thanks for your garden report. I read your “Woofmeister” post, and I gotta say that was some fine writing. A good story, well told.
MomSense
Thanks, everyone. Doug is a really special person. I can’t wait for the kids to find out he builds an igloo every winter.
catclub
stockings need a garter belt. duh
WaterGirl
@Geminid: It really was!
Here’s a link in case you missed Ozark’s wonderful post about the Woofmeister and friends.
https://balloon-juice.com/2020/08/25/furry-friends-ozarkhillbilly/
Plus, you can find all the Furry Friends posts in the sidebar under Featuring.
WaterGirl
@catclub: Actually, a garter belt would be perfect for hanging on that trellis!
catclub
@WaterGirl: I surrender
WaterGirl
@catclub: I would love to see a photo of that trellis with stockings and garter belts. Next year!
BigJimSlade
Regarding the pantyhose, are they sheer or control top? ;-)
SiubhanDuinne
@MomSense:
I love this story. Humanity isn’t doomed after all, not by a long shot.
cain
I’m embarrassed to show my garden. I planted my tomato plants but didn’t put a trellis in time and it’s all over the place. Now it looks like a nest of snarls and vines. Meh.
debbie
@SiubhanDuinne:
I am contrasting Momsense’s story with the battle raging on a FB community group I belong to. One mother of bi-racial children (one of whom was caught spraying graffiti on a local’s patio) begged everyone to call the police if it happened again rather than posting a photo on FB and trying to find her that way. Needless to say, you can imagine the reactions of the other parents of bi-racial and African-American children. Just as it starts calming down, someone else sets someone off all over again
Some community, huh?
zhena gogolia
We’re so sad. We just said goodbye to our incredible minister on Zoom. We feel adrift. We won’t see another one like her.
CaseyL
@MomSense: Thank you! – what a lovey, hopeful story to start the day with. Truly putting “community” into community garden.
zhena gogolia
Okay, now I’m getting the “duplicate” message, like satby
ETA: Chrome, macbook pro.
scav
@cain: Well here. I didn’t cage my tomatoes (the little gold ones) either, nor did I trim them back, so they’re entirely flopping about and somehow producing my best crop so far. Which must be attributed entirely to the weather as my watering efforts are unchanged, Tomatoes — at least some of them — seem to be whimsical and entirely indifferent to our efforts (except when they deign to play with our little minds).
Other update? I’m drying storage onions,
SiubhanDuinne
@zhena gogolia:
You’re not in Collingwood, Ontario, are you? Because a friend there is feeling bereft, saying farewell to his incredible minister (also a woman).
scav
@scav: O Those little #&$@$%s!! Just remembered I couldn’t even plant them in good soil because of lockdown. It was just year old cheap standard potting stuff!
zhena gogolia
@SiubhanDuinne:
No, Connecticut.
SiubhanDuinne
@zhena gogolia:
Was pretty sure you weren’t Canadian, but just enough of a coincidence that I had to check.
KSinMA
@MomSense: Wow!
Paul in St. Augustine
@satby:
Thanks, makes sense.
cain
@scav:
I’m not trying to let them touch the ground because it’s rotting the tomato when it touches the earth. :(
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: That is sad. Where is your minister going? Why leaving?
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Hmmm. Your comment posted, though, right?
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Yes, it posted after telling me it was a duplicate.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Going to Madison, WI. She got together with another minister and they couldn’t both find jobs near here.
zhena gogolia
@SiubhanDuinne:
The conference minister came to our Zoom after seeing another minister off, so I think this is a big time for them to make their moves.
MomSense
@zhena gogolia:
My son’s fiancée is the music director at a small church in CT. Her hours were reduced and last time we talked she said she wasn’t sure what would happen with the minister. The church’s funding has been affected significantly.
zhena gogolia
@MomSense:
Yes, this is very concerning. We just did a capital campaign, so I think we’re still floating on that. But now without our charismatic minister, I’m not sure what’s going to happen. The UCC has this outmoded system where you have to coast with an interim minister for 1.5-2 years — it causes stagnation and loss of membership, even without Covid. After 352 years, I’m not sure we’ll survive it.
opiejeanne
@OzarkHillbilly:
We should have built the trellis first and then planted the pumpkins, and next year we will do that, and plant them on the outside of the trellis. We are adding horizontal bars where needed to add platforms instead of the pantyhose.
I had to assist the plants in twining by tying string to the upper bars and draping them around the vines while holding them off the ground. I did the same with the tomato I decided to grow inside the greenhouse. The thing is a 10 foot monster covered with green tomatoes.
opiejeanne
@mrmoshpotato: All of the larger pumpkins have been freed of their pantyhose and are resting comfortably on shelves. The little melons are still wearing parts of the stockings. I started wondering if they would interfere with ripening.
opiejeanne
@satby: I had to order some cheap ones on Amazon. I think I spent $4 for 4.
opiejeanne
@Paul in St. Augustine: Why pantyhose? Because I didn’t have any fishnet stockings. That’s a serious answer.
also, I started with one of those mesh bags you buy lemons in but it became brittle and tore after a couple of weeks in the sun.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Hmm. Trying to understand the order of things…
You pressed Post Comment, and then it came up with the duplicate message error, correct? But the comment you posted was already there? Or did you have to refresh the page to see your comment?
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: That is hard, and sad.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I pressed “Post” and got the duplicate message and a lot of pinwheeling. Then I reopened the page and my comment was there. It’s happened before, on and off.
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
I think the job she got is better than this one — two ministers rather than one. Our church just won’t pony up to pay for two. It’s hard on the minister to be the only one. We had two when I joined this church, and it was much better for them.
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Good for her, then. I get why so many churches do the interim thing – many churches are a cesspool of feuding petty resentments and I guess they figure the interim situation will let that stuff get sorted out before someone permanent comes in. but yeah, it’s not always a good thing. especially in these times when so much is in limbo, you don’t want that at church, too.
Jay Noble
Being good old Missouri Synod Lutherans, we never had more than one minister at a time. Much of the time the minister had 2 church to attend to. May be why they have a nice smattering of female ministers these days.