SD'S GOING OFF TOPIC - GARDEN VENTURES & other pursuits '22

[sd]

8-2-2022
LEAF SPOT HAS ALMOST DESTROYED MY PEPPERS

AND IS SPREADING THROUGH OTHER PLANTS IN THE GARDEN!

Youtube is my go-to for finding out what others have tried- While preventative sprays on a regular basis may be the best approach, I haven't done much of that as a regular regimen. Once the leaf spot takes hold- spraying with a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide - is recommended by several youtubers as a means of cleaning and disinfecting the plant- but it must be done with a "trial" starting with a light solution initially on some of the plant's leaves- not all- and giving it a 2 day window to see if any bad results occur-
It is recommended to do the spraying in the evening when the sun is going down, so the solution will not be magnified by the rays of the sun and burn the plants.
I didn't follow that recommendation- I was anxious to get started ; and initially sprayed yesterday morning as it was initially cloudy, but the cloudiness gave way to sunny skies for most of the day until a 5 pm rain .
some 36 hours later, the leaves don't look damaged by the 1st spray, so I proceed with spray session #2....

I used a combination spray- 6 TBS of H202, with 1 0z of copper spray - I have been using the copper spray for several weeks. but the issue persists.
I sprayed the entire pepper bed- and did partial sprays on some of the Hardy Kiwi and Fuzzy Kiwi- including on the new growth leaves from this season.
I marked out with survey ribbon the partial areas I sprayed, so I can properly spray the same sections again - which I did this pm.
Tonight I sprayed with an increased solution of 8 oz and none of the copper anti fungicide- The copper spray should have some residue on the plants- particularly on the undersides of the leaves- and not diluted by the rain. The H202 mzakes a relatively quick initial reaction as it encounters unhealthy infected areas of the plant- should potentially do some bubbling, as the Oxygen molecule is released as a gas, and the solution then dissolves into just water-H20 as the extra oxygen molecule - making peroxide H202 .

I have removed the majority of the infected leaves on the Peppers over 2 weeks- and have a few fruits and a few flowers and a small amount of new leaves....



GOT ME ONE!
The spring loaded impalement trap got a Mole today! 1st time it has brought results- Mole is 5" long and Fat!- about 2-1/2" in diameter




There are several new Mole tunnels across the grass area between the mulched grape vines-that have just recently occurred- I set this trap yesterday in the middle of a tunnel section and had results this am!
I have more new tunnel sections a bit further into the grapevines, and I've reset the spring trap at one of the new tunnels, and 2 cinch traps in a 2nd tunnel-
As I was trying to demonstrate how the trap works while holding it in my hand- DUH! I loaded the spring mechanism and tripped the plate with the point of the plastic trowel- holding the mechanism in my left hand- fortunately, my hand was not in front of the 6 impalement prongs at that time-
The finger was cut by the expansion of the spring- section-

[sd]

Thesis: "Apical Dominance" - the plant's natural tendency to put growth hormones into growing the tip of the plant and inhibit side shoots, will also cause rooting on air layers to take much longer-
By 'pinching' the leading stem tip, the growth hormones will flow down the stem, encouraging side branching-
Premise - pinch the leading stem growth to also encorage faster rooting.

Testing: on the same plant, take equal numbers of air layers, also taken at the same number of nodes below the tip in partially green (hardened wood).

on 50% allow the tip growth to remain- On the other 50%, pinch the stem growth immediately.

Use the exact same batch of rooting media, use same rooting gel or powder.

I will test on the number of sucker shoots I have coming from the base of some figs-

[sd]

8-4-2022
Leaf spot fungus's are evident on many of the plants in the yard- and perhaps these are different fungal variations- but as I start to inspect plants more closely, I see that some form of a leaf spot/mildew is affecting many plants,- vegetables, (melons, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers) even the muscadine grapes,kiwi, magnolia,
AND APPEARS TO BE SPREADING ......

I may be seeing different leaf fungal diseases- For example- the magnolia has white spots on the older leaves-
While the tulip magnolia has dark areas on it's leaves, and the Hydrangea and even the muwscadine appear to be seeing a purplish spot disease, the peppers and the
Kiwi appear to have a similar disease- and we still have a month of hot weather in August- and potentially more humidity and rainfall that will tend to spread the infections....

[sd]

8-6-2022

Still trying to get a handle on a best method to try to combat the various forms of leaf-spot that I am finding on different plants-
I am applying H2o2 -Hydrogen peroxide- every 2 days- On the Kiwis- both fuzzy and Hardy, I just started to spray the entire plants yesterday pm with 8 tbs/gallon-
after doing some test spraying on limited areas of the plants for several days without any ill effects-
I increased the pepper sprays to 10 tbs/gallon- in yesterday's application. and went to 12 tbs this am - with 3 hours before the sun will clear the pines and that should be adequate time for the spray and h202 to dry off-

It seems to take several days to see the effects on some of the plants leaf spots- with the peroxide killing just some of the spots -
increased the spray on some plants to 12 tbs after testing lower dosages without ill effects-
Hydrangea:Date is 8-6 not 8-7



GRAPE: Bunch -



Peppers

keeping a written record of the spray application in a sandwich bag taped to the pepper bed...


KIWI leaf spot increasing, just started full spraying this week



Tulip magnolia:



Mahonia: slight infection



Magnolia- Mildew? the newest leaves on the ends are relatively clean:

[sd]

Sunday pm- 8-7-22

Busy family weekend with a sleep over- but i decided I would up the spray game tonight as the sun started to go down-

The increased H2o2 spray does not appear to harm any of the plants- even with the incresed dosage-

I decided I would combine 12 TBS/gal H202 with the recommended 3 oz Organocide- together- The incresed H202 would help clean the leaves, and the organocide applied after sundown with the correct 3 oz dosage should not harm the plants- is the assumption-
Previously, I applied the organocide many weeks ago during the early am hours, and saw some severe burning - particularly on some Cala lillies- That showed a severe burn 2 days later- prior to learning about the H202....as a possible way to curb infections....

Tonight, I sprayed the Peppers, Kiwi, Magnolia, and Hydrangea with the full combination- 12 TBS H202; combined with the 3 oz Organocide- that has an insect repellant as well as fungicides ..... This was done after the Sun had gone lower, and the solution will have all night to evaporate....
I'll watch for the next 48 hours to see if there are any adverse effects.

There are a number of good resources to be found on YouTube-
Millenial Gardener in Wilmington ....https://www.youtube.com/c/TheMillennialGardener, produces a lot of videos- with some good science behind them...

Gary Pilarchik (The Rusted Garden)- Lots of videos- just ordered his book from Amazon
www.amazon.com/Modern-Homestead-Garden-Self-sufficiency-Backyard/dp/0760368171/
His channel: Good instruction- and i'm following his different videos on using aspirin, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide to both prevent disease, and then to treat disease- He has over 1500 videos going back some 6+ years...!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKpigOD-41w

8-9-2022 update
I've been applying progressively stronger applications of the H202 but with unimpressive results on my peppers-
We had a very heavy 2" torrent come down last n ight- and when I walked out into the garden, the leaves that had been knocked off my peppers and were laying on the mulch beneath told me that those leaves were clearly weakened from the leaf spot-


As i went to clean them up, I realized a lot of the remaining top leaves still showed signs of the disease- and I was tempted to just pull everyone out to the burn pile...But there are a lot of blossoms forming, and we actually have a couple of peppers- So, I figured I'll give it another go- and decided I would start by removing virtually all but the very youngest top leaves on each branch- thinking that these came out after i started the H202 spraying, and may not be infected- unless the infection is actually internal within the plant....(virus?).

In several of the videos- he demonstrates using baking soda along with an aspirin as a preventive solution- The baking soda works by changing the ph on the leaf so that the fungal infection cannot survive- The aspirin provides asyllic acid (sp) so the plant gears up it's natural defenses- He has a number of videos on tomatoes benefitting from this- but since tomatoes and peppers are both in the same nightshade family, it stands to reason that if it works for tomatoes, it will also work for peppers-

Since I have little to lose at this point with the peppers- I will experiment a bit- I have dissolved 5 -500 mg aspirin tab lets into a 5 gallon solution,
and I will drench 1/2 of the pepper bed with this aspirin solution so the roots of the plants can uptake the aspirin solution internally- I will also fertilize the entire bed with a solution of the miracle grow "bloom booster" fertilizer - not the high MG nitrogen fertilizer.
This evening, once the sun is low, I will spray the leaves and stems- as well as the surface of the grow bed (I removed the straw mulch on top of the weedblock fabric because it likely harbors the disease fungi) Using the 1 tbs/gallon baking soda + 1 500 mg aspirin /gallon + 12 tbs H2O2 over all of those plants- The H2o2 should attack any live fungi, the baking soda will change the PH of the leaves, and the aspirin will kick up the plant's defenses.
I will also apply this same solution to just a few leaves on some of the other plants

[sd]

8-8-2022
As we get into the 1st week in August, weather has cooled just slightly- and we are getting some rains periodically-
A number of the different fig plants are starting to ripen-
The Okidata and Celeste have been producing ripe figs over the prior week-
Okidata is a very large flattish yellow-green fig that is quite large- 3" diameter - hint of honey- tight eye- that gets progrssively sweeter and will weep a drop of juice from the eye...
Celeste is a small 1" diameter brown fig that gets very sweet....when fully ripe-

Some of the Okidata figs were picked a day early- still shiny green- the most flavorful are riper with a change in the skin color- getting darker,more yellowish....a very large fig - subtle -taste- honey like-
Seen here the dark small Celeste Fig with the Okidata together....



Here's the Pepper plants after giving them all a BUZZ cut!


5 ea 500 mg aspirin applied to the soil at the base of 1/2 the peppers--Tonight will do the additional aspirin, baking soda, H2O2 over all the peppers and will spot test this on the other plants I have been applying the H2O2 on..

[sd]

The Organza bags with drawstrings- seen in the last photo on the left side of the bowl- are perfect for protecting ripening figs- and other fruits- from the many garden predators- Ants, bees, hornets, and fruit flies- I had to order the larger 4 x 6 size for the Okidata figs seen here- as well as for the Texas fig- fruits can exceed 2-1/2" diameter-

Picked my 1st texas fig yesterday- very large- very sweet-

And -on what I think is a black Italian fig- it turned a dark solid purple- and was also extremely sweet-
Using these bags allows the fruit to get fully ripened on the tree- at least so far- with just 1 hornet puncturing through 1 bag to get at the fig inside-


I'm continuing to use H2O2 - Hydrogen Peroxide- as a cleanser- anti fungal spray- Recently getting a lot of rain, T storms- generally in the pm- and so I'm heading out early- before the sun gets above the pines on the East side of the yard- To spray - adding some Schults 10-15-10 drops of fertilizer for a foliar feed.
There are some products- Daconil- that should only be applied to ornamentals-that may be more effective- Since I will not be getting any kiwi fruits this year, I may look to use Daconil on those plants that are not going to be bearing any fruits-
Organocide may work if used before the infection becomes wide spread- I previously burned a number of plants leaves by applying Organocide early in the day- instead of in the pm....reportedly it is bee safe-

and Fig-roll-ups-

[sd]

8-12-2022
Collected another large bowl of figs- about 5 pounds worth-
Organza larger bags arrived, and they are the easy way to go on the bigger fig varieties!
Rains this am and this afternoon! Will make it difficult for the anti-fungal sprays to be effective.

[sd]

been sidetracked past weeks- Put the trading hat back on periodically, and still spending time in the garden-Actually getting ready to plant some seeds for a fall crop-
Have a few canteloupes and baby watermelons still on the vine- Cuc's have run their course-
Have some red cabbages sprouting, and lettuce-
Been doing some additional air layers- and considering planting some peas, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, Dicon radish-- the fall weather may bypass the insects that so plague the garden in the spring- and I'll have to try the organocide spray treatment as insurance against the moths laying their eggs in the cabbage & brussel sprouts.
The leaf spot problem continues to spread- and is into the kiwis- I've gone through and removed the diseased leaves, because once infected, littlechance they will recover- even with the application of fungicide- We've been getting too much rain recently- The pomegranates have all broken wide open- and I think the figs that are ripening are a lot more flavorful when the weather is a bit drier and the plant doesn't take up as much water- similar to the way wine growers want the grape harvest to occur- A period of drier weather concentrates the sugars in the grapes versus diluting it with too much rainfall.

I'll be spraying with fungicide again today- early am to allow it to dry before the rays of the sun get into the garden- usually about 9 am....
The Peppers seem to be leafing back out well- and not much new leaf spot disease on the new growth- but the new growth is also very dense- leaves close to one another- so I will give them a good soaking- and hope to see some peppers yet- there are flowers, and we'll have to see.
Sweet potato vines are going wild! hopefully they will be productive with developing plenty of potatoes-
My spring experiment with regular white seed potatoes in the blue Ikea bags- had plenty of plant growth but the potatoes were only 6 small-tubers-

I was trying to wrap up an air layer on the fuzzy kiwi and broke off the stem- -It was a stem section I had pinched the lead growth on a few weeks earlier- I took that broke section and cut the 2 leafs with a piece of stem- I read that they will root in water- I'm also trying to air layer some of the tender growth that is near the end of the Kiwi vines- but have to be careful- the foil wrap needs to be covered to not reflect too much sun on the tender growth- caused some burning on a few air layers.

Lolo's been full bore with the dehydrating, cooking down tomato paste, and getting ready to get into canning- Dehydrated figs are good, fig jam is also good, and she's experimenting with other spices and herbs- Planning to have a good supply of dried , canned, and frozen foods- Winter spaghetti squash are still hanging in there- with very little stink bug pressures- Japanese beetles are gone, Moles are reactivated it seems with the rains.

Been feeding a feral cat- or so we think- we've seen it a few times- a calico -in the woods outside the fence- and food disappears every evening - could be we're just fattening up a possum though!
The Chicago Hardy fig is now 5' high at the tallest stem, and loaded with figs- Should be ripening in late September-
The Black Italian has lots of growth-4-5' branches developed , but perhaps I had pruned it back too far last year as there are no figs developing.
When I prune this fall , I need to retain about 12" of the new growth for next year.


The indeterminite tomatoes- I allowed them to get away without keeping them pruned to a single main stem- and they are still producing- over 12' of growth, over the top of the bamboo and then overflowing the fence- Next year I may train them up to a 7' height and then a trellis- to run on ....and -will have to try them in a new section in the yard -

The Organza bags prevent this from happening- But i allow a few fruits to go unbagged- so the critters have an easy meal to focus on-
Easy to overlook some of those ripening- And, if i fail to harvest the fig once it's ripe in the bag, it will drop off to the ground , but by then it's likely overripe and fermenting- Just need to make that part of the daily routine-

[sd]

Getting away from stocks for a bit (Presently all-in Long- Risk on) and back into the garden today-
Got some Daconil fungicide to use on the plants to combat the leaf spot fungus that has become common - affecting almost every crop to a greater or lesser extent-
I used the last of an organic fungicide I had purchased at Walmart- but since it is 8-25-2022, I will apply the daconil to the majority of the growing plants that are not fruiting- I may try the organocide again on the peppers- It seems that the approach of spraying with fungicide but also removing all infected leaves is slowing the progression - but does not "cure" leaves where the infection is present.
Getting ready to plant some fall crops.....Have to clean up the garden planters though, refertilize- etc- and continue to harvest figs....
muscadines are coming in and ripening-

[sd]

8-28-2022
Yesterday am Applied Daconil fungicide to the Peppers, Kiwi, and tulip magnolia, Hydrangea, and Persimmon-
I also included a dose of the Schultz liquid drops to combine in the spray and provide some foliar feeding.
Got another gully washer T-storm last night- and of course I'm concerned that the fungicide will have been washed off on the upper leaves before able to work on the fungal spoores effectively. I had sprayed both the top of the leaves as well as the underside- I may spray the top growth again today...early-give it time to dry before the sun can get to it. I'm starting to think that once the infection starts, it is not easily cured- and -as a few of the pepper stems snapped off in the recent heavy wind and rain - wonder if the infection is not also internal as well as spreading externally- It typically starts on older leaves - lower on the plant- but I also see it on new growth now in the kiwis...
I may give the peppers another dose of the aspirin solution to see if it can boost reselience.

Going to redo the A frame and the containers with fresh organic fertilizer-
Planting peas- soaked them overnight in a bowl of water and they germinated the very next day! We had bought a $7 large packet- and I ended up with too many seed- Added Espoma organic fertilizer inthe one garden container, 2 rows of peas 6" apart on one side-
Previously, we had some carrots there that had gone to seed- Well, there were 2 4" clumps of germinating carrots when I cleaned out the bed-
They had just sprouted recently, seed roots about 2" long on some- but I was able to gently separate and plant the sprouts in 4 rows along with the peas--However, it is not recommended to transplant carrots as the roots will likely not be straight and the fruits will be twisted-
I've a packet of fresh seeds, I will interplant in another bed-/
Eggplant is still producing, Jalapeno and Cayenne and indeterminite tomatoes (overgrown due to lack of pruning) all producing-
The Bell peppers are flushing out with new growth- Red cabbage seeds -sprouted in the peat jiffy containers along with some leaf lettuce- will get those planted today- Perhaps late in in some fall seed starting-

Not only will the heavy rains affect tomatoes, causing splitting of the fruits, it also has affected the pomegranate fruits- breaking wide open...



Sweet potato vines are absolutely growing fast! Plenty of rain favors them- Seen some yellowing of the leaves, so I had also sprayed them ---

Reseeded both the back yard and the upper portion of the front yard- Put up a fabric filter- at the gate to slow the water that comes from the driveways down- The liriope berms are working and not washing out- I will add more liriope to the areas that see the biggest collection of water ponding - I particulary like the varigated - but the solid green grows much quicker-


Lolo is adding a rose hibiscus and another tea plant- from Atlantic gardens- The Hibiscus needs some fresh fertilizing- and both were transplanted as they were root bound- Tea plant into the bacy yard next to another, and the Hibiscus into a larger container- using MG potting mix-
Everythings getting pricey- Peat moss bale went from $10.58 to over $14 at HD- Potting mix is $17 for the large contain er.


PM- Spent the day removing the tired plants-and refertilized and replanted for a fall crop- Peas, cabbage, broccoli,cauliflower, spinach, kale, lettuce - Potentially 2 months before a hard frost- so, we'll see-
I'll do some final airlayers this week- expecting 6-8 weeks for root development-

Picked up a yard of landscape mix in Fuquay as we visited our youngest daughter's 10 year anniversary celebration for her store- She has amazing persistence, and virtually raised her 2 daughters in the store with her working 6 and sometimes 7 days a week--
With a boy on the way- and an increased Family - the store hours will be reduced to 6 days a week- and she has a capable assistant - also a mother with a toddler at the store..... Boy, we sure have come a long way from the days of "Father Knows Best"- 1960 era. When the man of the house was the breadwinner and the wife stayed home to look the part and to raise the children. I'm sure if those old shows would be aired today, there would be quite an uproar over the ignorance of the chauvanism (sp?) of that era....But that was seen as the ideal at the time....
Unless you are 70 + years old, likely not in your memory....

I was surprised as i turned in the soil in the containers that below 4" the soils were relatively dry- despite all of the rain we've been receiving and the drip irrigation-

A couple rows of snap sugar peas and the remainder carrot transplants:



Muscadine grapes starting to ripen:



GOJI BERRIES- GOT TO BE A BETTER WAY TO GET aNTIOXIDENTS!


pRUNING THE CENTER OUT OF A FIG ALLOWS YOU TO GET "iNSIDE" AS WELL AS BETTER AIR CIRCULATION & SUNLIGHT.



Several vigorous lateral shoots are developing at the top of the trellis on the Male vine- Thick -1/4" stems but I will train this one to go in the other direction. I made it bend into a U-Turn and am tying it off to the string line below- Have to visit the kiwis almost daily to guide the vines- or they are liable to become a contortionist and twist back around themselves!
The goal here is to develop a primary Male stem (cordon) on a separate wire from the trellis for ease in future prunings and identifying-
However, the difference in leaf size and shape is the obvious 1st difference....

One very curious question- that may yet take several years to prove themselves- I know I have female kiwis that have been growing for 7 or so years- but apparently did not include the ncessary Male vine -or- it may have died- but i think I likely planted several plants that initially were not properly identified- At some point i also had purchased- and planted - an Issai- self fertile Hardy Kiwi- but it looks identical in leaf structure to the female kiwis I believe are the fuzzy Kiwi- Something to look forward to finding out ---Just another reason to Buy established plants from a quality nursery-
Although this year, I spent $75.00 on what was supposed to be a combination of Issai female (self fertile) but that also was supposed to have a Male vine- from Monrovia- I purchased from Atlantic nursery in Raleigh- and found that the other plants they had for sale appeared to only have female flowers and also contained a dead stem- I assumed to be a Male that had died...i notified the garden that sold the plants, and the manager responded to me at the time- and -as we visited the garden center last week to get a few other plants, she confirmed that she remembered my purchase and my e-mail- and - although the garden center only normally holds a 6 mos warranty- due to the unusual condition of the plant i purchased, she will extend the warranty period until next year to see if i actually purchased a viable male along with the Issai-
That was very decent of her- Pat- apologetic knowing that Monrovia had shipped her plants that only contained the single female- and willing to extend me a partial credit if the plant i purchased does not contain a Male-
Since i cannot determine a male without flower confirmation, i told pat I would let her know in the spring- However- does the leaf structure significantly differ between Male and Females as perhaps is the case in the Fuzzy Kiwi,,,-

[sd]

Harvesting Figs, planted some Fall seeds- and still dealing with the leaf spot - The Peppers are trying to flower, but I decided i would cut back the majority of the stems to encourage lower branching. The disease appears to be inside the plant- as I've been rigorously spraying with fungicied- and we've had a week + without rain- just got a shower this am.

Reviewing JSacadura's videos on air layering and grafting- and what I have been doing wrong on the air layering is that I left a portiuon odf the bark between the upper and lower section of the branch- This is not how it's supposed to be done! The entire ring of bark should be removed. The cambium layer scraped down to the wood- and then rooting hormone applied- It's late in the season, but I'll do some more air layers on figs trying that method-
I also air layered the 4 different varieties of Raspberries I have growing in the A frame lowest planter- and may do some additional blackberries-

I will also go back to the beginning of this thread - Page 1 - and by Editing the 1st post there , will insert some links that I've found useful for propogation, grafting etc - at least that's the intention to start that should the rain chase me out of the yard.

The Organza bags work well to keep the critters at Bay- I set a bag around the ripening figs, and as the fig ripens and is harvested, take the bag off and put it over the next unprotected fig on that branch-

[sd]

9-11 Sad memorial day we will never forget nor ever Forgive.
We must always be prepared to Defend and protect from radical terrorism- that seeks to undermine our values, our Freedom, our way of Life-


Lots of Rain overnight, and more scheduled for today- Weather is getting cooler- in the 80's for highs.
I checked a few of the recent air layers done on Figs-
Did i already mention I had been doing my air layering somewhat incorrectly, as I was leaving a narrow bridge of bark intact, instead of entirely removing the entire ring--Even though it is late in the season, I will try to do that on a few other plants - to see if it can promote faster rooting-
The Fuzzy Kiwi air layers have been slow to root-if at all- likely due to leavving the bridge..... but cuttings are supposed to root relatively easily.
I may have a commercial outlet for many of my rooted plants- so this hobby can continue-

These figs were airlayered just a month ago-

Some of the plants in the yard are appreciating this cooler weather-




Along the entire length of my driveway and yard beyond, I have planted Nandina's about every 5' - can barely seem them on the right side of the driveway with a bit of red mulch & weedblock around each plant- These are transplanted sprouts that came up in the mulch under 1 bush- Potentially, these will survive and thrive- and can get too tall-and lanky if not pruned to be kept lower- Retains it's leaves year round and has large clusters of red berries-
I have also transplanted nandinas along the perimeter fence line- and most have survived- The seeds I spread from the berries have not sprouted -yet- perhaps they simply needed stratification- a month or two in the fridge - or perhaps i removed them too soon this past spring from the bush?


Nandinas planted below the thinning Leyland Cyprus - drive continues to the right

This Celeste fig has simply gotten too large- and so I will radically prune it even lower- The main branches were 5-6' and the plant puts on 8' of new growth-In a 2 year process, I will cut down (50% ) - the East facing branches to be just 3' above the ground- and then train next year's growth to stay more horizontal. I likely will not get any figs from those branch sections next year. The branch sections to the back will be pruned down, leaving some of this year's fruiting growth to provide fruits next year, and the following year, those will also be lowered- Unfortunately, The trees from the neighbor's yard have overhung several of the figs planted too close to the fence line , reducing the amount of sun available for fruiting- I will trim those trees this fall- Bought a 28' Aluminum fireman's extension ladder from craigslist this year- that, along with a Dewalt pole saw electric trimmer should do the job!


The Dwarf Mulberry reached 12' in one season and really filled out!
Possibly will provide fruits next year?


air layering a few ornamentals to plant in the drive area as well


Muscadine grapes are ripening- I did a significant rework of those vines last year- and those new vines have all grown well- just starting to provide some fruits -




The Organza bags work well- protecting the fruits-
Just leave one or two of the ripe fruits to share with the insect life, and they seem to leave those in the bags alone.


Fall container- just fertilized, Garlic, red cabbage, carrolts, and peas on the far backside

Despite repeated spraying, the peppers seem to stay infected with the leaf spot- I removed the straw mulc, also sprayed the soil, and finally just decided to prune down the majority of the stems, to see if they would be able to branch out and possibly deliver some fruits before frost-late October-
Somewhat discouraging- and yet, it seems the disease has been somewhat halted on the other plants with a aggressive spraying program following the rains.
The lesson to be learned here, is to take preventive action quickly if any sign of disease presents itself-


The A frame - One side is filled with with strawberries and 4 different varieties of Raspberry cuttings were set in the lowest container this spring- They are now up 4' and multiple branching, shoots- and i'm air and cup layering them as well -Have to take some pics-


Sweet potatoes are in the same family as morning Glory- and their leaves look very similar- morning glory here was allowed to grow-on the fence
We actually have seen a very few rare flowers on the sweet potato vines-The Deer are appreciating the leaves of the sweet potato as they grow through the fence

[sd]

FEB 16- 2023- LOLO and i anniversary- 41 years ? was Feb 14 .
Spring is early with an unusual warm Feb in NC- OK, give it up for Climate change!
Plants are budding out, and we have yet to receive the winter chill - much less the snow or later frosts that we likely will get.
Air layered figs have sprouted and are starting to leaf out- Kept them in the closed off section- delaying spring- but they are leafing out already.
My eldest daughter had presented me with a raised bed metal frame garden section, and we've filled that with compost- and just fertilized everything with a dose of 10-10-10 to get things off to a goodearly start.