Today i planted okra. I used a grub hoe to clear grass from an area along a chainlink fence, then I laid down newspaper and put a vegetable soil mix on top. Then I mounded it a bit, wet it, and planted the seeds 1/2" deep, about 2-3" apart. I plan to thin to about 6-8".
Tomorrow I plan to plant squash (zucchini) and watermelon. For these, I am buildiing hills - I'm digging holes more than a foot wide and maybe 8" deep, filling it with the soil mix and making a mound. For the watermelon, I'll put horse manure in the bottom half of the hole. Squash seeds about 1" down, watermelon 1/2"; I'll plant about 5-6 seeds per mound and thin to about 3-4 plants.
Mirlitons are vining up the chain link nicely. They aren't growing vigorously, but they are growing.
The last of the pomegranate tree's blossoms are falling, but don't see any fruit. Yet?
The citrus seem fine except the blood orange has some spots I need to investigate. The loquat tree had some bad aphid infestation - I hosed it harshly with water a few times and it seems better.
I am pulling up clear plastic I'd put down to solarize. In some places, it seemed to work pretty well, and in other places not so much. My biggest issues were with holding it down and with the weeds all growing out from the edges.
Yesterday a friend went with me to get some horse manure - now I have a good source. "Please, take all you want! Our horses make 100 pounds per day!" It's in a big mound in the front of my house, where I plan to leave it for a few months, hoping it just breaks down on its own without much work on my behalf. I may go get another load in the next few weeks, to have a good amount ready for fall planting.
I'm wondering if I need to get floating row covers. I have struggled with insects a lot when gardening in New Orleans. I guess that answers my question. Just need to pay close attention to pollination needs. (Which makes me want honeybees sooner than later.)
Tomorrow I plan to plant squash (zucchini) and watermelon. For these, I am buildiing hills - I'm digging holes more than a foot wide and maybe 8" deep, filling it with the soil mix and making a mound. For the watermelon, I'll put horse manure in the bottom half of the hole. Squash seeds about 1" down, watermelon 1/2"; I'll plant about 5-6 seeds per mound and thin to about 3-4 plants.
Mirlitons are vining up the chain link nicely. They aren't growing vigorously, but they are growing.
The last of the pomegranate tree's blossoms are falling, but don't see any fruit. Yet?
The citrus seem fine except the blood orange has some spots I need to investigate. The loquat tree had some bad aphid infestation - I hosed it harshly with water a few times and it seems better.
I am pulling up clear plastic I'd put down to solarize. In some places, it seemed to work pretty well, and in other places not so much. My biggest issues were with holding it down and with the weeds all growing out from the edges.
Yesterday a friend went with me to get some horse manure - now I have a good source. "Please, take all you want! Our horses make 100 pounds per day!" It's in a big mound in the front of my house, where I plan to leave it for a few months, hoping it just breaks down on its own without much work on my behalf. I may go get another load in the next few weeks, to have a good amount ready for fall planting.
I'm wondering if I need to get floating row covers. I have struggled with insects a lot when gardening in New Orleans. I guess that answers my question. Just need to pay close attention to pollination needs. (Which makes me want honeybees sooner than later.)
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