Late June Garden Status

After a rather cool spring, things are finally warming up. There are small green tomatoes on all the plants. No peppers or aubergines yet. After the snap peas fell over in a strong wind, I removed them yesterday. There were lots that were huge and fat, so I shelled them and froze them. Next year I think I'll try short ones. And now the cucumbers will be happy because they've been living in the shadow of the peas.

The potatoes are blooming. We've had some strawberries, but now they're taking a break. We've been picking blueberries for about two weeks, but most of them are still coming. I guess they liked the fertilizer I gave them, because they're huge. Even the new one that I just planted this spring to replace the Chandler has a nice crop. After we found a couple of stink bugs on the raspberries, I've pulled them all out. We haven't seen any since. In their place I planted some melons. They should like the heat against the house.

Both pear trees have a modest crop. The peaches are a washout again. Maybe it's time to give up on it.

The broccoli and cauliflower were a disappointment, but the cabbage is nice. I've cut one head and will cut another soon for sauerkraut. I will try them all again in the fall.

I've been doing a lot of interplanting. I've planted lots of dry beans among the roses and tomatoes, and lettuce as well. I've also just sowed some bok choi in shady spots to see if they'll work in the summer.

I pulled most of the chard, since I was spending a lot of time patrolling them for leaf miners. I have one of each color, much more manageable.

Midsummer

The garden is nearing its peak.  We haven't had any beans yet, but just about everything else is producing.  We've had some small tomatoes and peppers. The garlic is ready to come out, and the onions are close.

The side has never looked better, thanks to lots of volunteers.

 The front is really looking good. 

 

Even the new bed is taking off.  The skimmia has been moved to the back yard for more shade.  It was getting fried in the front.  

 

And not a stinkbug in sight!!

A Stench of Stinkbugs

We've decided that an appropriate collective noun for stinkbugs is 'stench.' So we have a stench.  Having gone all summer without seeing any, it seems that they have returned, like salmon, to spawn in the place they were born. We've been killing many, mostly on the back wall of the house.  I'm not sure what triggers the hibernation instinct.  We've had several days of upper 80s temperatures, and that was when it started.  But we still have had none on any vegetables, so we're trying not to stress about them.  They're just an really disgusting annoyance.

Off and Running

We've had two nice days in a row, so I was able to get most of the vegetable garden started. 

I planted Yukon Gold potatoes, and one bed with spinach, a few beets, and chard.  I immediately covered that bed with netting to keep the leaf miners out (I hope!).

I also sowed one bed with kale, lettuce, and arugula.  I also sowed some basil in that bed.  And I started carrots in the bed that still has some leeks and chard from last year. 

I transplanted the seedling leeks into the herb bed, although they seem really tiny.

Just about everything has started to bloom or leaf out.  The early blueberries are in full bloom, as are the peach and nectarine.  The apples and pears are a little behind, but coming. 

We're seeing several stink bugs a day, including in the house.  I even saw a young light green one. Sigh.

Winter Greens

I've sown some winter greens in the holes in the garden beds.  In the bed where the squash was, I planted parsnips, kale, lettuce, and spinach on September 26.  All but the parsnips are up.

 Lettuce:

Kale:

On September 29, I sowed arugula in another bed. It is also up.

I've started taking out the asparagus bed, but the roots of the plants are huge.  There's no way to get the plants out in one piece.  I'll just have to chop them out in pieces.

On another note, the stink bugs have gone into hibernation mode big time.  We're killing many dozen on the house every day. 

The End of the Asparagus

Yesterday we cut all the asparagus down.  It's a little early, but it was harboring hundreds of stink bugs, so it had to go.  We were able to kill the vast majority of the bugs.

Rain!

Today we had .22 inches of rain, the first since the first week in June.  We have a chance of showers for the next several days, so we're hoping for a lot more.  The rain barrel in the front is about 80% full, and the first one on the back corner is full and spilling into the second one. 

In the stink bug department, they have started appearing on the front wall of the house.  It's a month earlier than last year.  About the only thing left that they seem to be interested in is the asparagus.  I was hoping they'd run out of food before hibernation time and would leave for greener pastures.

Raspberries are Gone

I've finished trimming all the cane berries.  The raspberries have been cut down. 

I've now found stink bugs in the chard.  I guess they're getting desperate.  But I really feel like we have them on the run.

We're still getting a handful of blueberries, mostly Elliot but a few Chandlers as well.  The strawberries are picking up production. 

Beckyberries and Boysenberries Trimmed

I've now trimmed all the Beckyberries and Boysenberries down to the ground.  There are no leaves, which means no stinkbugs, but it may also mean no more berry bushes.  There is a chance they may not come back.  It's drastic, but it seems like the only way to get a handle on the stinkbugs.  As soon as the yard waste can is empty I'll do the same with the raspberries.

Little Green Apples

The Golden Sentinel apples have been falling for about a week.  They're small, but some look ripe.  I think I'll make a tart.  Also, the first North Pole apples fell today.  They are much larger.

Today I picked the first Aunt Ruby's tomato.  It's hard to tell, but I think it's ripe.  We've had Cherokee Purples for about a week now.

I continue to patrol for stink bugs.  I've now removed the cucumber vines, as well as some of the blackberry vines.  I'll finish that job next week.  My hope is that if we remove all their favorite plants, they'll move on.

The Battle Continues...

I've now taken out the pole beans.  They were being badly damaged and there was no way to reach the upper vines.  The last stand seems to be the cucumbers, which we have been patrolling religiously. 

The bean bed has been planted with more kohlrabi, a row of beets, and a row of spinach.  I've removed the largest planting of basil (I had delusions of making pesto) and planted a short row of chard in the space.  I found stink bugs in the basil. 

I've found an occasional stink bug under the netting in the tomatoes and the peppers, but so far the damage is minimal. 

Lots of Happenings

The battle of the stink bugs continues.  They have started in on the beans, so I've pulled out the bush beans a bit early.  The pole beans are still there, although we haven't picked any yet.  I'm trying to keep them clear of the little beasts.  Here is where the bush beans were.  I've now sown some kohlrabi.

And here is where the bush beans are, along with lots of stink bugs.  I'm hoping they'll all bake, and then in a few days I can dump them into the yard waste.

My plan for next year is to grow only bush beans, maybe three small plantings, and cover them with netting. 

The black zucchini is not looking good.  The leaves are turning yellow and drying.  I would say maybe they aren't getting enough water, but the yellow squash is very healthy.

In the last couple of days I've started rutabagas and parsnips in the bed where I harvested the garlic.  I've also started several more rows of carrots and four six packs of kohlrabi.  I've finally picked some ripe tomatoes (Stupice) and there are lots of peppers.  There are also a couple of Japanese aubergines that look ready. 

The Beckyberries and boysenberries are finished, and the blueberries are winding down.  They all ripened earlier than usual with the heat we've had. 

More Stink Bugs

Today I made a cover of nylon netting to cover the tomatoes.

 I made one for the new Sun Gold tomato, too.


 

We've been finding stink bugs on our corn, which has been looking good.  So far we have seven ears.  We're doing patrols several times a day.  Now that we know what to look for, we've found them in all stages, including hatching eggs.  

Stink Bugs

Today I noticed a couple of stink bugs on the nectarines.  I looked at others, and it seems they have all been damaged.  Every one has tiny strands of sticky stuff oozing out of them.  I'm leaving them for now, but I suspect we won't have any nectarines this year.

I did some research and found a website that lists all the crops that are at high risk of stink bug damage.  It's pretty much everything I grow.  Maybe not greens and carrots, and there was no mention of squash or peas.  So my plan now is to protect the tomatoes with netting.  The beans will have to be on their own.  I haven't seen any stink bugs on either the tomatoes or beans, but I have seen them on the corn.  By the way, so far we have seven ears coming. 

Garlic Time

Today I planted a row of garlic, after fertilizing the whole bed.  Later there will also be onions and leeks.

I've also planted some Olympia spinach in the old green bean bed.  It's pretty late, but with the weather still being warm (83 today!) I decided to give it a try.

The stink bugs are out in force again.  I've mentioned them to several other gardeners, and I'm beginning to think that they have been drawn to my vegetables. 

Pepper Harvest

I've picked a lot of peppers, but I hardly made a dent.  Unfortunately, the stink bugs have gotten to a lot of the peppers and really made a mess of them.  Most are still useable, but some are not.  Good thing I planted lots.

This is what the stink bug damage looks like.

Next year I plan to grow fewer peppers and cover them with netting. 

Stinkbug Invasion

Yesterday was sunny and 72 degrees.  Perfect conditions for all the stink bugs to come out.  We had hundreds of them on the house and sidewalk.  Everywhere we looked they were flying around, I guess looking for the perfect spot to hide over the winter.

This one is particularly nasty.  It's the brown marmorated stinkbug and has become a major agricultural pest. We did our best to squish as many as we could.  Very satisfying.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

I've been hearing about this nasty guy for about a year, and looking at the stink bugs that I occasionally find.  Today I found one.  He's now in the freezer.  Now that I know we have them, I'll keep watching.  Reports are that they are very destructive.