Life Support

Here it is late June, and my garden is once again showing signs of utter, total failure.  I'm not posting pictures; I fear that the Department of Social Services Agricultural Division might see them and come out to confiscate.  Truly, it could happen.

I sent a plea for help from Phil Wingard, "The Tomato Man" in the summer and the Edgefield Pottery guy in the off-season. "Dr. Phil" was kind enough to make a house call, and proclaimed my garden salvageable for the summer.  (I have my doubts, but I will trust the Master of the Mater.) 

Phil suggested that I may have fertilized too close to the plants.  He said I should fertilze the soil between the plants, several inches away from the stem, to avoid "burning" the plants.  He also said my soil may be nitrogen deficient, and prescribed Epson Salt.  "Sprinkle some between the plants and water it in," he instructed.  Then, he said, add some organic material.  This morning I searched my natural areas and found some partially decomposed leaves.  I avoided pine straw, remembering some advice a few years ago that pine wasn't ideal for the garden.  So, now my garden is full of dead stuff (the organic material), with me hoping that the rest of it will live.

I have harvested a little this summer:  two cayenne peppers, one miniscule green bell pepper, three jalapenos, and one tomato, a "Mortgage Lifter" heirloom that I sliced and ate for breakfast.  I did not share.

Incidentally, if you want to try some of Phil's heirlooms, he just sold a bunch to Terra restaurant in Columbia.  Or you could sneak into Phil's garden one night and take your chances with his pit bull, Daisy.  I'm thinking Columbia is not so far away.  :-)


Thanks for reading about my trials and tribulations in the garden.  For blogs on OTHER fascinating subjects, including local restaurant reviews, you can visit Lake Wylie Information.

Garden Tragedy Averted

In my last post, I mentioned a bit of concern over my tomato plants, which had some spotting on the leaves in recent weeks.  I hypothesized that the condition was from too much rain . . . but luckily I asked for a second opinion!  Tomato expert and Edgefield Pottery guru Phil Wingard informed me that the situation was quite dire!  My plants had contracted a leaf canker -- which is highly contagious!

Phil advised me to remove the infected leaves immediately to prevent further spreading.  He told me to either burn the leaves or put in the trash and haul far far away . . . Don't put them in your compost or simply drop them in the garden!

Phil told me that yellowing leaves are a sign of nitrogen deficiency, but when dark brown spots, surrounded by lighter brown inside the yellow appear, that is a sign of something much more sinister.  After trimming all of the infected leaves off of my plants, I had quite a pile of debris:

 
Into the trash it went, and hopefully my plants are healthier and happier today.  I suppose I need to be more vigilant on checking for irregularities.  After all, tomatoes are at stake!

(Get it?  Tomato stake?)  Okay, so maybe I'll concentrate my efforts on botany instead . . .

Thanks for reading my blog.  For more great Lake Wylie information and Lake Wylie homes for sale, visit the websites of my clients and friends!

The Secret of Neglect

Here it is, six weeks after my last garden blog, and I have to admit that I've done precious little in my garden during that time.  With a high school senior graduating later this week, our time has been spent during end of year concerts, trips, award ceremonies, etc.  Not a lot of time to play in the dirt.

Considering out rain levels have resembled that of the Amazon, I certainly haven't had to water.  I did spread some straw around my plants to hold the moisture in and protect them from the intense heat of the South.  Recently I heard one of my neighbor's quip, "In July, they shut down Hell and just use South Carolina."  Yeah, it can get hot.

Anyway, with no credit to me, my garden is actually doing quite well!  I have fruit on most of my tomato plants, and have harvested one tiny yellow pear tomato, which I ate right off of the vine.  My squash plants have gorgeous yellow flowers and several baby squash.

I've harvested some herbs, using dill, flat leaf parsley, and chives in some rather awesome potato salad for Memorial Day. 

I do have a couple of concerts at this point:  some of the leaves on my tomato plants are yellowing and spotted.  Too much water, perhaps?

Also, my okra is nothing short of a disgrace.  It is almost the same size as when I planted (about 4-6 inches tall).  A couple of the plants are trying to produce okra, and it is pretty pitiful!  Babies having babies.  Todd Ames suggested that deer have been munching the okra plant leaves. I haven't seen any evidence of deer, but there have been some very suspicious bunnies in the area. 

Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading my blog.  For more Lake Wylie Information, and links to Lake Wylie Homes for Sale, visit the websites of my clients and friends!  I'm going to contact Phil of Edgefield Pottery for some tomato advice.  He'll know what to do about those spots!