# What's being harvested?



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

July is the month of variety for my garden. Lots of harvesting every day. 

Samples of today's pickings as follows:

1.Two types of melons: whatamelon and cantaloupe
2. Two types of peppers: jalapeno and bells
3. Three types of tomatoes: whopper, roma, and cherry
4. Second planting of sweet corn
5. Two types of okra: red velvet and clemson spineless
6. Two types of peas: crowders and purple hulls
7. Asparagus beans


----------



## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

Still getting plenty of tomatoes, jalapenos & green peppers. Picked up the first 2 cantaloupes this morning. Still waiting on the watermelons...


----------



## MichaelW (Jun 16, 2010)

Looks like yours is still producing well.Mine is about finished. Only a couple tomatoes left. Started squash again but a couple weeks away.

Question for you about corn. Picked the last of mine about 2 weeks ago. Most of it was crisp and sweet but about 15% of the ears were mushy and bland. All from the same seed, all planted the same time. Why does some corn turn out mushy.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Jimmy Nardello peppers. Saving the seeds on the last few. Going to double my planting of those, they are really tasty. Bell, jalapeÃ±os, Fresno, lunchbox orange, gypsy, all still productive. Getting lots of Asian eggplant, enough to give some away. Just a few celebrity and Roma tomatoes remain. Rest of the tomatoes I removed and I put in purple hull peas in their place. 

Single Mad hatter pepper has five peppers on the plant but none have turned red yet. 

Lemon grass has gone bonkers, but I havenâ€™t yet harvested any. Picking spearmint, purple and sweet basil. Thai basil is huge, but Iâ€™ve yet to use it.


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Been pickin lots of Radishes for a couple of weeks now, as well as different kinds lettuce and arugula. Also picked my 1st group of White Cucumbers 2 days ago. The green varieties will be read in a week to 10 days. 

My 1st Cherry tomato is 60% red. Any full sized tomatoes are probable still 2 weeks before being ripe. It's a very late year for tomatoes for me. I think that I'll still have more than enough to can, but the fresh eating season will be short this year.

Pumpkins and Blue Hubbard Squash are so far behind, I don't know if they will ripen before the 1st frost here. I'll need a late frost to get a crop this year. 

Everything else is coming along great. Potatoes are blooming, onions are bulbing, and I have have a BUNCH of different varieties of peppers sizing up nicely.

All of the summer squash plants are just starting to form little ones. Turnips are bulbing already. Parsnips, carrots, and beets got a late start, but they are looking good and should make a good crop in 3 to 4 weeks.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

MichaelW said:


> ...
> Question for you about corn. Picked the last of mine about 2 weeks ago. Most of it was crisp and sweet but about 15% of the ears were mushy and bland. All from the same seed, all planted the same time. Why does some corn turn out mushy.


If all the mushy/bland ears came from pretty much the same area, I'd guess too much water and/or standing water in that area during the time the ears were maturing. Corn has to have good drainage and too much water can really dilute the sweetness and make 'em mushy.

I've had some bug problems with my second planting....but you would be able to see that if it was the cause. Other than water, scratching my head and getting no answers. Sounds like you got some of good quality ears to enjoy and that's great cause corn is so tasty from the garden.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

karstopo said:


> ...Rest of the tomatoes I removed and I put in purple hull peas in their place.
> 
> ...


That's a good move to rebuild/replenish that soil...plus get a bonus of peas to eat.


----------



## driftwood (May 22, 2005)

I need some lessons from you farmers. The only thing that I have that is doing well is okra. I have one baseball size cantaloupe and slow growing Swiss chard that's not getting very tall. Got two cucumbers before disease took them and three zucchini. Yellow squash kept getting blossom end rot. The cherry and pear tomatoes quit producing when temperatures got over 92 everyday and the radishes and turnips gave up long ago in April.

First year on raised bed with mixture of builders/native soil and compost.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

driftwood said:


> I need some lessons from you farmers. ...


Notice the varieties mentioned in above threads...except for Dick Hanks who is gardening in a much cooler climate. Radishes and turnips are cool weather crops...as is Swiss Chard. Those cool weather crops can be started again successfully in September and produce until we get a freeze.

Squash doesn't do well in our summer heat either. Cucumbers aren't doing well for most in late July and August heat.

Variety selection is critical in Texas in July and August...go with suitable varieties and July and August can be very productive months. Otherwise, it can be very frustrating.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I wonder what all does best in Texas full summer heat? 
Iâ€™ve grown okra, eggplant, and purple hull peas successfully in the height of summer. Hot peppers seem to hang there in a little better than the sweet peppers. Meadowlark has mentioned the Asian type beans like asparagus beans and yard long and other types. Iâ€™ve heard Malabar spinach is one to look at for summer heat. Some varieties seem to set fruit in hotter conditions than others and weather heat better than others. 

What else that hasnâ€™t been mentioned have people had some success with in the blistering heat of summer?


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

karstopo said:


> ...
> 
> What else that hasnâ€™t been mentioned have people had some success with in the blistering heat of summer?


1. Corn...we are currently harvesting my second planting of corn. My third planting has formed ears and will be ready to begin harvesting about Aug. 1. Fantastic eating all summer.

2. Heat resistant tomatoes...Heatmaster is one variety and there are others. If you plant in a location that has afternoon shade...from about 3 pm on, it will greatly increase your chances. We've had several days of cloudy cool(er) weather lately due to the tropical storm and my remaining tomatoes have lots and lots of blooms.

All kinds of cow peas thrive now purple hulls, blackeyes, crowders, zipper, cream, etc. etc. I use them mainly as soil builders/crop rotations until first freeze...adding depleted N2 and other nutrients to soils that produced spring crops. I have about 60% of my garden in peas right now using them primarily as cover crop to suppress weeds and replenish soils for fall garden.

Of course okra, the "bestest" hot weather veggie going...can easily grow enough to feed entire community on little space.

I'm trying a new to me variety of veggie plant this year called "cucamelon" a cross between cucumber and watermelon. So far, it has stood up to the heat very well, but the fruit is small and "danity". Haven't tasted it yet but will soon.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Seems like summer conditions really exposes some weaknesses in my garden. I've added more compost and organic matter as compared to last year and that has seemingly paid off. I see where a layer of leafy mulch has been good for the crops. Paying close attention to the moisture in the soil adds benefits. 


Tomatoes might be a good example. You have to make some of the right choices to have the season extend well into the heart of summer. The right varieties, good horticultural practices, a good site, and maybe a little luck from the weather. 


I've enjoyed trying to make little incremental improvements to the things I do and the choices I make with the garden. This sub forum has been good for picking up tips on what to do when.


----------



## Wado (May 15, 2011)

Cream peas. They waited until it got blistering hot I guess. I started to mow them down but they suddenly bloomed and next thing I knew they were loaded. We have frozen close to thirty two cup bags so far. I might get one more picking and I have already shelled some dried peas for seed next year and sent some back to my cousin in San Antonio. I got the seeds for these from him back in 2014 and they all came up when I planted this spring. Been sitting in the fridge for five years.


----------



## 98aggie77566 (Jul 7, 2009)

My spring garden pretty much burned up by mid-June.

I ripped everything out (raised garden in cattle protein tubs) and replanted on July 8th.

Squash, cucumbers and okra are going NUTS....they are as big after 9 days as they were after 4 weeks in the spring.

I just gotta keep the water up and make it through August and hoping they produce a ton through the fall.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Mad hatter pepper. Iâ€™m anxious to try this. Taking forever to turn red.


















Jimmy nardellos. Three peppers remain. Such a tasty pepper. About all the leaves are gone. It appears some sort of disease, virus, defoliating the plants. Seems like all the peppers in the garden have a little, but some are worse than others, especially the jimmy nardellos.


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

In your 2nd picture some of those Pepper leaves have yellow circles with a brown spot center. That looks a lot like how Early Blight forms, in the early stages, on tomato leaves. Tomatoes and peppers are both in the Nightshade family and both can get Early Blight. As the yellow spots get bigger, the leaves will often fall of. It's difficult to get rid of, but you can slow it down.

Maybe do a search on Early Blight and see if you think that's it.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

I think thatâ€™s it, based on the link.

https://harvesttotable.com/early-blight-fungus-disease/


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Daconil will slow it down. Don't buy the pre-mixed sprayer though. That sprayer tends to plug up immediately. Buy the conc., mix it, and put it in your own sprayer. Follow directions.


----------



## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

Sounds good on the recommendation for daconil. I did pest control and mixed up chemicals from concentrate for a living for a number of years, but so far, Iâ€™ve avoided spraying or applying anything of that nature in the garden. I think next spring Iâ€™ll do less of the nightshade types like peppers and do something different, just to change up the plant mix and discourage the current line up of pests, including fungi. 

Those peppers that lost their leaves are now putting on new ones off the stems. I might leave some of the peppers through the rest of the summer and into the fall just to see how they do. Iâ€™m adding some extra chicken manure to the bases to help the peppers fight off fungi.


----------



## fishingtwo (Feb 23, 2009)

The Malabar spinach I have is really starting to grow now it loves the heat.

I bought the seeds online since I could not find any already started. I also got some 

baby watermelon seeds and they are doing ok. They are just starting to produce and should have some to eat soon.
Don't have much else but a few jalapeno and some other peppers that don't have long.

I pulled all the tomatoes and debating what to do next.


----------

