Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[chicken grandma]

Bunny,
I am laughing because I am the same way. I get very upset with each loss. Very upset.
I am sorry about the egg. Farming is tough! Even back yard farming!

 

[Juise]

I got one lone tomato also! Mine was yummy but I could use a couple bushels more! And I know I did not overwater! I was thinking that I underwatered!

Juise, when you look back, this may be the sweetest time in your life. I know if I could turn back the clock and have toddlers and my husband back and my parents living, I would give anything to do that. At the time, like you, I was just overwhelmed. And tired! Hugs!

I was thinking overwatering because the tomato I did get was brown and mushy on the bottom. It's not that I don't appreciate where I am at now - my life has certainly been much darker - I make every effort to remember how swiftly this stage in my life will pass, and concentrate on enjoying the things that matter, but that doesn't always make it easy. Thanks, CG.

About your stove Juise- My dad owns a Discount Appliance Store, and maybe he has a stove that you want.

Thanks! I will check it out.

Nevermind the rooster, lady, when can you come organize my garage!?

 

[Amy PT]

Tomatoes here have been so strange. Our cherry tomato plant grew huge, and put out a bunch of fruit, but the chipmunks keep helping themselves. Our roma plans are only 18" high, and are covered with big, heavy tomatoes, but they aren't turning red, and don't have much juice in them. My brandywine heirloom has had one tomato on it for weeks and weeks, but it's not growing, and not ripening. It's a crazy year in the garden this year.

I helped 2 of my friends plant thier first ever garden in the spring. They're both ready to give up for next year.

I know that bunny scream. It's terrible. And I've nearly fainted over animal pain before.

 

[Amy PT]

I was thinking overwatering because the tomato I did get was brown and mushy on the bottom. It's not that I don't appreciate where I am at now - my life has certainly been much darker - I make every effort to remember how swiftly this stage in my life will pass, and concentrate on enjoying the things that matter, but that doesn't always make it easy. Thanks, CG.

Juise, go read this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html That article really spoke to me. I know this time in my life will be "the good old days" sometime. But there are days... well... Good thing they're cute.

Did your tomatoes have blossom end rot? That could be caused by a variety of issues.

 

[NovaAman]

Juise, sounds like bottom blossom rot... This isnt really from over watering, more along the lines of missing nutrients in the soil. It is correctable. I had that issue with one pot, a roma pot.... Only a few of the tomatoes had it. I ended up just cutting the bottoms off them, and well, they are romas... slice, dice, cook with eggs.

 

[RaZ]

My tomato crop stinks this year. Only 2 grape tomatoes and the plants look like heck. My egg plants only have 1 fruit and it is only the size of a golf ball. My squash has powery mildew but seems to be growing well enough except that I only have one flower.
Oddly my pea plants are just now getting flowers. Pretty late for that, eh?

Overall, gardening was a bust this year.

 

[Amy PT]

Raz, our zucchini has the powdery mildew also. AND it looks like the nearby (giant) lilac may have picked that up? Is that possible? Our peas died in the 100+ degree days, but our broccoli that never died last winter is going through a weird sprouting while I'm letting the seed pods dry up.

 

[chicken grandma]

I do have one pumpkin plant that is taking over the yard. It has about 10 giant pumpkins growing and it is making more! How did that happen?

And today I got my second tomato. It was a perfect cherry tomato and the only one on the scraggly tomato plant!

 

[Juise]

Juise, go read this: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html That article really spoke to me. I know this time in my life will be "the good old days" sometime. But there are days... well... Good thing they're cute.

Hehe, I have read that before. I think they are only the "good old days" when you can start forgetting the pain, exhaustion, frustration, lack of appreciation, lack of sleep, and mass amounts of stress, and reminisce about the positive aspects. I wouldn't go so far as to say I would like to enjoy having parented rather than enjoy parenting, I try to make our time worth savoring, but, yes, hard work.

Juise, sounds like bottom blossom rot... This isnt really from over watering, more along the lines of missing nutrients in the soil. It is correctable. I had that issue with one pot, a roma pot.... Only a few of the tomatoes had it. I ended up just cutting the bottoms off them, and well, they are romas... slice, dice, cook with eggs.

Yeah, hard to say with only one blasted fruit what the issue was, the peppers are on the other side of the same dang bed and they have been producing just fine. Wish I liked peppers as much as I like tomatoes.

Oddly my pea plants are just now getting flowers. Pretty late for that, eh?

You know, I had already resigned myself to not getting very many peas this year, they are in the same bed as the beans, which have been producing away, but I haven't got very many peas. All of a sudden, though, all my peas are in bloom now, too. I don't know, weird year. I wish I felt in the least bit confident that it is going to get any better from here on out.

 

[Juise]

I do have one pumpkin plant that is taking over the yard. It has about 10 giant pumpkins growing and it is making more! How did that happen?

Our various squashes and melons have been growing like crazy, but the only one that has gone from blossom to fruit is the zucchini! I have no idea whether or not I am going to get anything out of the rest of them, I swear they have been in bloom forever. It is very strange.

I didn't realize that one of the squashes was climbing our weeping cherry tree until this morning I looked out the window and noticed the squash vine going from the top of the tree to the roof of our house. Oh! My 4 year old, Kaia, has been nutso over it all day, with that preschooler's love of repetition, I had to listen to, "I can't believe it! A walking, flying squash!! Bwahahahahaha!" all day long.