GA: Peppers are doing badly

Several of the NW peppers are really yellow and haven't grown at all.  

The rest just haven't done much.  I've harvested a couple of hot/banana peppers but that's it.  Neighbour's are gorgeous and big with peppers.

I always thought my yard's lack of sun was the blame for never having success in the past, but no, must be something else I'm doing wrong with peppers...

Saskatoon/service berries!!!!

I was today years old when I found out we have some around here and got to try them out!

Found the ones behind Redeemer Alliance Church.

The ones at the mini island are blocked off due to construction work re: the pond which looks like it may be ongoing for a few more years.

Next I'd like to check out Hiawatha!

The next day I made jam with them!  2 cups of berries, using this recipe:  https://www.peelwithzeal.com/serviceberry-jam/

GA: Insect update

GA insect update notes:

Colorado potato beetles:  Finding larva in the potato patch that I covered late; removing by hand.  Haven't found any at all in the other potato patch that I covered from day one.  Haven't found any on tomatoes yet but neighbours have.

Cucumber beetles:  Most of my squash is still tulled, but for the untulled ones they are definitely there.  And one of the tulled ones wasn't secure and had a bunch.

Squash bugs:  Found a pair mating on the outside of tulle over a squash!  Other than than haven't seen any, nor eggs yet on the two uncovered.

Three-lined potato beetle:  Surprisingly I've found hardly any eggs on the ground cherries so far, so stopped looking and will instead just look for larvae.

I think that's it so far.  No sign of the japanese beetle yet, but I'm sure it won't be long now...

So, so far it's been very manageable, nothing scary yet.  The scary part will come when more/all of the squash is uncovered......

Indoor stevia flopped due to many small flying insects! Moved outside

Yikes, tons of small flying insects!!  I had noticed one a week or two ago, didn't think anything of it.  Came back from camping and now there are so many!

So, moved all three indoor stevia outside permanently.

I wonder if they came in on the stevia that I bought -- that's my theory.  (Two of the indoors stevia were mine, one was from the store.)

The plants look happy, but no way in heck do I want to risk insects for the winter, so putting a stop to this now.

Potatoes starting to show yellowing of lower leaves

Wow, right on par with when I started noticing it last year (June 17th 2023).  Last year the yellowing took over and killed the plants, but still got a very decent harvest.

So far it's more advanced on the north patch, but it's starting in the south patch too.

(Haven't noticed it at GA yet.)

Several plants died in pots -- maybe the mix wasn't to their liking?

Writing this note late, but gradually over a period of a few weeks, several of the latest starts died in their pots.  Primarily watermelon, 8-ball zucchini, green zucchini, pink banana squash.  Golden Glory, cushaw, and butternut seemed fine.

Fishing line to repair tulle holes! Tried this today -- seems to work well

A $4.99 roll of fishing line from Home Hardware.  It was the second lowest "strength" -- 6 pounds I think? -- and seems plenty strong for this purpose.  Used a sewing needle to just tie together some larger holes in the allotment tulles.  Will do this in the backyard tulles as well, soon.

This allows me to remove the floating clothespins, which worried me as a great way for wind to catch hold and tear bigger holes.

GA: Final (likely) seeds sowed: A few pre-sprouted watermelon, butternut, and watermelon; and buckwheat throughout the squash patch

^^^

GA: Here's what's tulled/"tulled": All of the squash, watermelon, cantalope, potatoes, leeks, cucumbers, most of the onions

I will use "tulle" loosely, to refer to any of the various netting I have, which now includes not only tulle but also shear curtains from the thfit store, and Proteknet from William Dam Seeds (the piece I bought was 14' by 25').

Of course, eventually the squash and cucumbers will need to be untulled -- goodness help me when that terrifying day comes!!!

GA: Finished transplanting -- including leeks!; almost finished sowing -- including corn!!

The last several days have been BUSY!  Busy busy BUSY!  Got so much done.

In terms of sowing seeds, here's what I sowed today -- all of them straight out of the packet, not soaked, not pre-sprouted:

- A block of corn!  Peaches and cream.  6" apart.  Mixed in lots of the condo soil, plus my usual four things (alfalfa, kelp, mrp, and az).  Didn't pre-soak them or anything.  Plopped them in about 2" deep.  Covered the bed with a piece of tulle laid on the ground, as a bit of a deterrent to birds etc. (hopefully).  The block is -- I can't remember -- something like 4 by 5?

- Watermelon -- because all of the ones I had started inside died in the pots.  A scattering of them in one area, covered with tulle for now.

- Dill -- in a couple of spots.

Transplanted leeks gifted by a plot neighbour.  They are small and the roots were mega-jumbled together, we'll see how they do.  They're sort of covered with tulle -- "sort of" because there are several holes but I clothespinned the biggest ones.

Anyway lots, lots, lots has been done.  I'm not documenting everything because it's just too much.

GA: OMG -- INSECTS ON DAY 1! Colorado Potato Beetle, and Three Lined Potato Beetle! Adults and eggs! On potatoes and ground cherries!

OMG!  Within like 30 minutes of transplanting the ground cherries, there were adults on them!  Some of them mating, no less!

AND -- fortunately I happened to notice bright orange eggs on one of the potato patches -- and saw several adult Colorado Potato Beetles.  Removed the eggs that I could find.

Here's a good page about CPBs, with suggestions for how to deal with them:  https://wholefedhomestead.com/organic-potato-bug-control-get-rid-of-potato-beetles-naturally/

And this article mentions some varieties that are resistant:  https://www.planetnatural.com/pest-problem-solver/garden-pests/colorado-potato-beetle-control/ -- "Yukon Gold, Russet Burbank, Caribe, and Norland, which are specifically designed to be less vulnerable to the beetle’s attacks"

I predict that a few months from now, I will look back and see that this was the day I realized that not drought, not weeds, not theft, not vandalism, not disease, but INSECTS will be far and away the biggest pressure at the allotment.

GA: Big planting-out day -- part 1 (to be continued tomorrow)

The cool nights (<~12) seem to be over now, so planted out a bunch of things today.  Ran out of time, so will do the rest tomorrow.

Tonight these went in:

- Tomatoes (Damsel, Mortgate Lifter, Beefsteak, Big Beef Plus) (~10 plants)

- Ground cherries (~11 plants)

- Peppers (The ones I started at home, and the ones I bought at the store)

- Summer squash part one (more to be done tomorrow)

- Basil

Big planting-out day in the backyard

The cool nights (<~12) look to be over, so planted everything except the basil which will go in tomorrow.