(Arlo & Janis via GoComics.com)
Spent some time yesterday harvesting what will probably be the last full-sized tomatoes of the year, although I’m hoping to eke out a few more weeks with a trickle of cherry tomatoes. On an up note, one of the ‘volunteer’ vines I transplanted from last year’s discarded soil turned out to be a White Currant so I got a nice handful of sweetness right off the vine.
Less happy garden-related news, from the NYTimes:
… First patented by Monsanto as a herbicide in 1974, glyphosate [Roundup] has helped revolutionize farming by making it easier and cheaper to grow crops. The use of the herbicide has grown exponentially, along with biotech crops….
“Because glyphosate moves into the soil from the plant, it seems to affect the rhizosphere, the ecology around the root zone, which in turn can affect plant health,” said Robert Kremer, a scientist at the United States Agriculture Department, who has studied the impact of glyphosate on soybeans for more than a decade and has warned of the herbicide’s impact on soil health.
Like the human microbiome, the plants’ roots systems rely on a complex system of bacteria, fungi and minerals in the soil. The combination, in the right balance, helps protect the crops from diseases and improves photosynthesis.
In some studies, scientists have found that a big selling point for the pesticide — that it binds tightly to minerals in the soil, like calcium, boron and manganese, thus preventing runoff — also means it competes with plants for those nutrients. Other research indicates that glyphosate can alter the mix of bacteria and fungi that interact with plant root systems, making them more susceptible to parasites and pathogens….
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What’s going on in your gardens this week?
OzarkHillbilly
F’n M6ns6nt6… Been reading Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal Vegetable Miracle” and recommend it highly, but watch your blood pressure.
Linda Featheringill
Cabbage plants came! I now have 12 plants in a 4 x 3 bed and they’re looking good.
This is an experiment. I’ve never tried to grow cabbage before. So we’ll see.
ETA: I still have green tomatoes.
OzarkHillbilly
The weather here in Ozarkistan is beautiful. Sunny and mid ’70s. I STILL have a few tomatoes ripening even tho the vines are completely withered… the weirdest thing. The peppers are still producing and the B sprouts actually look pretty good, but everything else is done. No fall garden this year. Just gonna till in a bunch of compost and plant some red clover and call it good.
Surprising what a good year I had for tomatoes, once that fungal infection moved in I thought I was done for. Despite it, I have at least 12 qts of sauce, 20+ pints of diced tomatoes, some with garlic, some with jalapenos, 6 qts whole tomas, 6+ pts of salsa, and 150+lbs of frozen. Gonna make some tomato soup from the stragglers today. The wife won’t eat any of it so it’s all for me.
Cleaning out the herb garden too. Took in the parsley, sage, and rosemary last wkend and set it to drying. Tarragon and thyme this wkend. Oregano went to seed on me in the August heat, and once again the basil was a bust for me. I’m gonna try planting it in a place with less sun next year. Maybe that will do the trick.
JPL
The squirrels devastated my cherry tomatoes and green zebra tomato plants but have left me some plum tomatoes. Picky squirrels.
@OzarkHillbilly: Most of my herbs will last throughout the winter. The only one that needs to be pulled is the basil.
Raven, If you are around, let us know how the pup is doing.
OzarkHillbilly
My basil bolted in June…. maybe May. 3rd year in a row, something just not quite right with the location. As to the rest, I only harvest half for drying and herb butters. The rosemary, thyme, and sage all do well, oregano and parsley not so much.
OzarkHillbilly
@OzarkHillbilly: Correction:
The rosemary, thyme, and sage all do well thru the winter, oregano and parsley not so much.
raven
Finally got some rain again but not much happening. Called the Emergency Vet at 1:30 and talked to someone an hour later. They felt that since he is eating, drinking and all functions are ok that Bohdi’s yelping is not life threatening. I just walked him and, while slow, he did ok. I guess we’ll stay with him and take him to our regular vet tomorrow.
JPL
@raven: Poor puppy. Did you get any sleep?
Anya
Newsmax headline: Peggy Noonan: WH Staffers Call President ‘Obam-Me’
What does that mean? And why does Noonan think anyone would believe that she has access to WH Staffers? Also, too, didn’t the pundit tell us that the problem with WH staffers is that they’re too loyal in awe of Obama but now we’re supposed to believe they’re dissing POTUS.
Raven
Couple oh hours, I got ready to come to the bakery and he obviously wanted to go so here we are.
Ultraviolet Thunder
Dear gardeners; I’m getting conflicting answers on this shrub question so I’ll throw it out there for you. I have several yew bushes that have grown too tall. I cut them back about 85% 7 years ago and they filled in nicely but still too much height. I know that yews will readily regenerate from trunks if the limbs are removed. I just can’t decide what time of year is best for this drastic operation.
TIA.
Cheers
UVT
Ramalama
I’m all for the mass slaughter of bugs that dare venture into my drive-by gardens (as in: finally planted some tomatoes here in Quebecistan and yielded a total of 11 and now we’re close to a killing frost), but it seems to me the Monsanto solution fights along the same lines as antibiotics. Killing works but has some faulty limits, like human error. Not everyone taking antibiotics takes their full dose, so the virus that is able to survive antibiotics, makes note of what almost killed them, and then passes along this info to other bugs.
But then a scientist friend of mine told me that if even 1 major group of microbes dies off, we’re done for. The planet won’t survive. There are all kinds of studies being funded on gut-health as in studying the role of microbes in one’s gut and how they cultivate or harm one’s health.
So as long as there are more good bugs than bad ones, we can just let them fight it out amongst themselves.
I don’t know if some chemical plant is trying to emulate the behaviors of the good bugs, the ones we want around, but it would sure seem to be a better thing.
Also, I yielded 20 basil leaves the size of my thumbnail. Thanks Canada.
R-Jud
I did all my trimming and harvesting last week, and am basically just enjoying sitting on the patio while the sunflowers and nasturtiums smile at me. Occasionally there’s a soft thud when one of the apples falls to the ground.
JPL
Tyler Hicks, a NYTimes photographer, was near the Westgate mall in Nairobi and was allowed to enter the area. If you can access the Times, read his interview. The slide show is graphic. link
Elizabelle
@raven:
Here’s hoping Bohdi feels like himself soon. Poor little pup.
geg6
Our apple and pear trees are producing at an alarming rate. We found a great applesauce recipe and have put up about thirty jars so far. Looking for something similar to do with the pears, rather than just the usual sliced pears. We’ve made three pear pies and gave one to my John’s brother and one to his daughter. Apple pies are next. Making a roast turkey breast (using up part of the herb garden) for dinner, featuring our fall produce on the side. A squash gratin, using some of our butternut and kabocha squash, and roasting some of our beets. John made a carrot cake yesterday, so dessert is also from our garden’s bounty. Gonna dry the rest of our basil and parsley, but I’m bringing the thyme, rosemary and chives inside to the sunroom to see how long I can keep them going.
geg6
@raven:
What happened to Bhodi? I missed it! Is puppeh okay, I hope?
Schlemizel
@JPL:
Wifey read that if you leave a dish of water out in the garden the squirrels will leave your tomatoes alone. Personally, I don’t believe it but if you can’t think of anything else its worth a shot. We get hit by them & deer so we have to cover the tomatoes with bird nettting in order to be left any at all
MomSense
@Raven:
I hope Bhodi is feeling much better.
SiubhanDuinne
@R-Jud:
Worked for Newton.
@Raven:
That sounds promising. Sure hope it’s nothing serious and that the Bodhi is back to his usual self very soon.
Chyron HR
@Anya:
Obviously they should behave in a professional manner and just call him “boy”.
normal liberal
@Schlemizel:
The water supply trick does work – at least it has on the chipmunks and squirrels that were devouring my cherry tomatoes.
Wag
In the past week my tomatoes have finally ripened. It’s been a weird summer. I planted three varieties. The Black Zkrim are large, nearly black, and amazing. The orange cherries are tasty, but only a tiny number of fruit. The Yellow Boys have innumerable flowers, and have had for 2 months, and haven’t produced a single fruit.
Very strange. Good thing I love the Krims.
MomSense
Been making tomato sauce this weekend and it is so delicious. The weather has been cool enough that it isn’t unpleasant to have lots of steam in the kitchen. My friends gave me some hot pepper plants they started from seeds they brought back from their home in India. They warned me to eat them green and I discovered that this was good advice. Goodness gracious great balls of fire those are some spicy little devils.
O/T Carole King is on the MSNBC morning show and is making a lot more sense than the pundits.
WereBear
Wrapping up my last day of Staycation. Fighting the flu off the whole time. But on the good side, it seems to have been beaten down (my voice is back) and the bedrest (and couchrest) was marvy.
Naturally, all the projects I was supposed to do were not even touched. But I did get a few things done.
We watched the Anthony Hopkins’ Hitchcock this morning; Bravo!
WereBear
@WereBear: So then I had to buy the nonfiction book the Hitchcock movie was based on, and I’ll read that today because I do want a bit of fun, and I bought it through BJ’s Amazon link to help support the blog.
I try to do that with all my Kindle purchases.
Elizabelle
@WereBear:
Watching a bit of “The Skin Game” (Hitchcock, 1931) on TCM, although about to venture outside because it’s a sparkling sunny morning in DC area.
I’d like to learn more about Alma Reville. And their daughter is still living, in Solvang, CA, apparently.
Did not know that daughter Pat had a small role in Psycho (she’s Janet Leigh’s office mate, Caroline); will have to catch that next viewing.
Glad you are feeling better.
PS: What precisely is the book you ordered?
Elizabelle
@WereBear:
Was it this book? From a NYTimes article. ‘Hitchcock’ and ‘The Girl’ remember Alma Reville
WereBear
@Elizabelle: No, though that sounds fascinating!
The one I just got is Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, first published in 1990.
Elizabelle
@WereBear:
Thank you. Do chat about the book once you’ve finished.
Gretchen
@Ultraviolet Thunder: I’m glad to hear that yews will grow back if you cut them down. My husband had some guys cut ours down to the ground when I wasn’t home and I was just sick when I saw the stumps remaining. There are some sprigs coming out, but it will probably be a couple of years before they look like bushes again. I think spring is better than fall for pruning, though. It encourages active growth, and you don’t want that when it’s time for them to go dormant for winter.
Frankensteinbeck
@Anya:
Obama’s presidency has been one long stream of insider exclusives that turned out to come from inside the reporter’s ass.
@Ramalama:
True, but it’s not going to happen. It’s hard to even explain how unlikely this is. We have as good a chance of killing ourselves by removing all the calcium from the ecosystem. By dint of incredible worldwide effort we managed to kill one single species of microbe that only infects humans and in a really obvious way.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
@raven:
Call the emergency vet back and ask them if you can give him half a Tylenol so he’ll be more comfortable. It’s horrible poison at any dose for cats but you can sometimes give it to dogs under a vet’s instruction depending on the dog’s weight.
CaseyL
I just (mostly) finished my very first real garden ever. I live in a townhouse complex, with some long-neglected landscaping. The HOA Board (of which I am a member) has decided this is the year to pretty the place up, by encouraging each resident to do the area around their unit however they want.
I bought a bunch of hedges, groundcover, a few perennials. Arranged them around the area I decided to work on until the layout looked good.
Then I started digging.
We have the worst soil ever. I shouldn’t even call it “soil”: under a quarter-inch layer of recognizable dirt, it’s all clay and rocks. This being a cat-friendly complex, there’s also a lot of kitty shits, from very-old-fossilized to fresh-and-aromatic. (I can’t complain about that; my own kitties have certainly contributed.)
So we brought in about a “yard” of compost. Every hole I dug (with pick-ax, shovel and spade – amazing exercise) I lined and filled with compost, so every poor little plant has its own little biosphere. The rest of the compost is spread out around the area in the hopes it will seep in and the entire project won’t be a deathtrap for hedges.
I’m actually not quite done: there are still a few groundcover plants for the other big tree, and then I want more compost brought in. After than I don’t know if I want to put down beauty bark, or some ornamental stones, or just leave it.
But I have to say I like looking at the part I’ve finished. It was a big empty area between two trees. Now it has aromatic hedges, ornamental hedges, and some flowers.
Nothing edible, though. I don’t know if veggies would even grow in this, and I sure as hell wouldn’t eat them even if they did!
WereBear
@CaseyL: That first garden patch is heady stuff. Be careful.
I wound up with over 80 rosebushes.
CaseyL
@WereBear: I know! I’ve already started thinking about how to add stuff next spring! Plus there’s another area right by my porch, where a tree grows out of a bed covered in river rocks, now missing half the rocks and looking pretty sad. I’m thinking about redoing that now. Oy.
The exercise is amazing, too. I don’t go to a gym anymore (exercise for its own sake bores me) but digging those holes was quite a workout.
Roses, though… no way. Roses are high-maintenance. I know my limits, and my plants better be pretty self-sustaining after the initial cosseting. I’m also trying to be aware of location limits – soil quality, how much sun and rain the area gets, and how well it drains. Everything I bought is supposed to be shade- and drought-tolerant.
How big is your yard? How many varieties and colors do you have? Pictures, please?
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@CaseyL: Roses don’t have to be high maintenance. I had a gorgeous purple floribunda rose for years that got very little attention other than trimming off the dead blooms. Sadly, it never recovered from an invasion of four o’clocks.
Ramalama
@Frankensteinbeck: Well, that’s a relief. It’s hard talking to scientists – and I’ve done plenty – because everything’s super qualified. As it should be. Except for those of us who are alarmists and part of the general population where we (meaning I) need more black and more white.
So we should start marches and protest to save the humpbacked calcium?
WereBear
@CaseyL: It WAS a third of an acre, but that was several years ago, and I’m in an apartment in Zone 3 instead of seven. So I cannot provide pics or anything. I fenced the back for the kids & dogs and the front was all roses and companion plants. With soaker hoses, deep mulch, and compost, it wasn’t that much trouble. I was organic, too!
Is that shade from deciduous trees? I would suggest exploring bulbs if you have enough of a winter for them to “set.” Bury & forget, for the most part, color at times when you really need it (spring and fall) and under trees who shed their leaves and regrow them from tiny buds, they get plenty of sun at the times they need it.
WereBear
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: I agree, roses come in tons of varieties, and some are quite unfussy. For instance, I love minis, and they go almost anywhere.
Gretchen
@CaseyL: @CaseyL: I’d go with organic mulch rather than stones if the soil is that bad. it will break down over time, so it will add to the soil, and you can change your mind later. if you go with stones, you’ll have to pick them all up and dispose of them later if you decided you don’t like them.
We have a 3-layer worm composting system in our garage. you put vegetable scraps and newspaper in it,the worms eat it and make compost,then you put some in the next level, and the worms move up to the new scraps, leaving compost in the lower level you can feed to your plants.
currants
@Ultraviolet Thunder: probably too late and I should read all the comments first, but living dangerously here: prune whenever they’re dormant where you live. I ‘pruned’ some out on Block Island (RI) last winter, a really serious pruning (no branches left, just stumps) because they’d been let go too long, and much of the lower growth gets eaten off by the deer. We took them down below the top level of the deck, and they’re filling out both at the bottoms and the tops now (also middles). And…of course, put deer netting over them to let them fill back in. Might take them down another 18 inches this year, after seeing what the first 2 feet did for the view. And this time, they have enough growth on the lower halves that it should be a little easier on them.
I have been told, however, that yews are as tough as nails. These yews were planted in the 60s, and have been moved–as in with a backhoe moved–twice, so a mere pruning is nothing, compared to the indignities they’ve seen.