Comments for Karl's Garden Blog

Comment on News Flash by home wall art

home wall art — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:47:00 +0000

I remember the topsy turvy planted on our garden when i was five.It’s fun to see it hanging and i’m planning to set up a new topsy turvy on my garden.

Comment on News Flash by garcialove10

garcialove10 — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 03:06:29 +0000

Topsy turvy tomatoes is made to plant tomatoes more easy.Also,the nutrients and water you will put directly go to the hanging tomato plant so this is more good.

Comment on Droughts: Posting, Rain by David in Kansas

David in Kansas — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:32:25 +0000

It seems your garden went pretty much the way mine did. I too was assaulted by mites big time. My cucumbers in a tub did not do well at all. In fact, the only cucumbers I’ve eaten so far came from a lone volunteer cucumber plant that grew on the ground. I ended up trimming all my tomato plants to one vine and I am just now beginning to get the next volley of tomatoes. The volunteer cherry tomatoes –about 10 plants have provided a steady supply of delicious, large cherry tomatoes. Again, the plants on the ground have out produced the ones that I put in 5 gallon buckets. The temperatures around here finally went south of 90 but I expect them to rise again soon. My total success story lies with the peppers. I have so many I eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
And what is it about pepper plants that caterpillars love. I did not have that problem this year but I have in the past. They love Cayenne peppers as much as I do!
How did you do with the hanging tomatoes? Only one of the three upsy turvy tomatos is producing fruit regularly, the other two just grew leaves. I may try them again next year, or I may not.

Comment on Droughts: Posting, Rain by karlkatzke

karlkatzke — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:30:38 +0000

Genevive: Yes, they are! But shh– don’t tell my female relatives that I’m growing their christmas presents. Even though I have no problems with it, one or two of them might!

Luffas are just summer squash gourds — in the same family as zucchini. When dried, their insides form the exfoliating “sponges” that you know and love. If you can grow zucchini, you can grow Luffa gourds… and I think that my raised bed was getting too much water for squash of any type. I was watering heavily in order to keep the cucumbers and tomatoes alive. I lost both my zucchini plants, and the luffa weren’t doing well until I stopped watering in frustration.

With most of August still to go, we’re only 10 days from breaking the record for the most days at 100 degrees or higher in one year! That record was set in 1998. August is traditionally the hottest month in our part of Texas.

Comment on Droughts: Posting, Rain by Genevieve

Genevieve — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 04:20:25 +0000

Ooooh, are the luffas the same thing we ladies use to exfoliate? I’m mad jealous if you can grow them there.

Sheesh. I’ll stay near the coast, though, if luffa growing requires 85 degrees on a cool day. Man oh man. Give me Humboldt weather any day!!

Comment on Munch, Munch, Munch… by Kim

Kim — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 01:03:07 +0000

Ack nasty things. I’m fighting squash and cucumber bugs right now. (sigh) Its a bad year for them here.

Comment on Munch, Munch, Munch… by Maggie

Maggie — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:09:23 +0000

Wasn’t me! Hit that with some bt and those hornworms will get knocked right down!

Comment on New Compost Turning Method by Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:52:08 +0000

You know, I’m not entirely convinced that one has to turn the compost. Mine is breaking down just fine, and I know that traditionally farm compost was too big a pile to be turned regularly. I got the impression, from reading, that turning just makes the process faster.

So I’ve decided to leave the pile intact, since I”m not looking for compost until spring. By that time, I figure it will be good and rotten. Plus, I’ve seen enough worms in there to make worm poo for all of the state. Surely that’s fine, right?

Comment on News Flash by The Cheap Vegetable Gardener

The Cheap Vegetable Gardener — Fri, 29 May 2009 02:19:37 +0000

As long as the sun to continues exist in the sky plants will grow up. Though I agree as the plant bears fruit it should look more like the classic topsy turvey pictures. If anyone wants to see how my plants are doing with a very similiar setup see here

Comment on News Flash by Fiona

Fiona — Mon, 25 May 2009 02:14:09 +0000

OK, so you made me sensitive to this and today I looked at a garden catalog and sure enough, 2 of 3 pictures showed tomatoes clearly growing up. They had more branches than yours, so it wasn’t as obvious until you looked for it. But you could see them doing it.

So my unscientific judgment is that Jess may be right. Looked to me like the weight of the plant drags down the main stem, and the branches can then grow upward at will while the plant expands. In some ways, that balance between gravity and reaching for the light might obviate the cage by turning gravity’s effects upside-down. Now that I read that, it seems kind of “duh.”

Should be an interesting experiment.