Terrace Square Foot Garden: Summer Planting Diary Week6
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Week6: August 4, 2024 - Augest 10, 2024
Key Tasks: Harvest radishes, Manage the soil post-harvest and rotate crops, Sustainably harvest water spinach.
Day 35: Augest 4, 2024, Sunday, Sunny
Observations and Records: Observation Time - 5 PM
The weather is still hot, and the soil surface remains dry.
The cucumbers have made noticeable progress in climbing the trellis over the past two days.
The chili peppers and eggplants have also shown some significant growth.
Today's Tasks:
Thoroughly watered the plants.
Tomorrow's Plan:
In the coming days, I'll continue to monitor the growth of the chili peppers and eggplants and install support stakes when necessary.
Tomorrow, I will apply the second round of liquid fertilizer to the vegetables, with a slight increase in the amount compared to last time.
Day 37: August 6, 2024, Tuesday, Sunny
Observations and Records: Observation Time - 5 PM
Day 37: Transplanted Vegetables
I was out yesterday and didn't water the plants. Today, the soil surface is very dry. I used the Soil Tester, and it showed that the soil is dry and needs a lot of water.
The chili peppers and eggplants have shown noticeable growth over the past two days. I anticipate that they will need support stakes by the weekend.
Today's Tasks:
Applied the second round of liquid fertilizer today. I prepared the appropriate amount of concentrated fertilizer and diluted it according to the weekly schedule.
Also, I thoroughly watered the plants.
Tomorrow's Plan:
Harvest the radishes and maintain the soil post-harvest.
Day 38: August 7, 2024, Wednesday, Sunny
Observations and Records: Observation Time - 5 PM
D38 Before Harvesting
Today is an exciting day. We harvested our first vegetable: radishes! Upon inspection, the harvested radishes were smaller than expected, with some still quite thin.
During the harvest, I noticed a lot of ants in the soil.
The soil has also dried out again in the hot weather.
Today's Tasks:
D38 Harvesting
Harvested the radishes and loosened the soil, adding organic slow-release fertilizer. Harvesting radishes is straightforward; you just gently pull them out.
Thoroughly watered the soil.
Made a radish salad with the radishes and their leaves, dressed with a vinaigrette. The radishes tasted quite spicy.
Experience and Insights:
Possible reasons for poor radish growth and improvement tips:
Soil Issues:Improve soil structure to ensure it is loose and well-draining.
D38 After Harvesting
Planting Spacing and Depth:Ensure proper spacing to avoid overcrowding. Radish seeds should be spaced 2-3 inches apart and planted about 0.5 inches (1.3 cm) deep, covered with loose soil and lightly pressed down.
Watering:Keep the soil consistently moist but avoid waterlogging.
Nutrient Issues:Apply enough base fertilizer and supplement as needed to ensure adequate nutrients.
Temperature and Light:Choose the right planting season and variety, ensuring plenty of sunlight. Spring and fall are the best times.
Based on this, I believe I made the following mistakes:
D38 organic slow-release fertilizer
Planting spacing was not strictly controlled, and seeds were placed on relatively shallow soil, which might have affected the radishes' growing space.
The soil was often on the dry side of moist, not consistently wet enough.
Summer is not the ideal season for planting radishes; it's too hot.
Post-Harvest Soil Management:
To prevent soil compaction, I thoroughly loosened the soil, which is in good condition.
Added organic slow-release fertilizer to replenish nutrients.
Plan to rotate crops and plant water spinach tomorrow.
D38 Radish Salad
Tomorrow's Plan:
Rotate crops in the soil where the radishes were harvested and plant heat-tolerant water spinach.
Day 39: August 8, 2024, Thursday, Sunny
Observations and Records: Observation Time - 5 PM
Day39 Bud of Bush Beans
The soil is relatively moist today.
The Bush Beans have started to bud.
I noticed many small white translucent grains, similar to salt, on the backs of the okra leaves and stems. When pressed, they burst, and a few okra leaves show signs of wilting.
Today's Tasks:
I researched the white grains on the okra leaves and stems and found that they are likely whitefly eggs.
Experience and Insights:
Day 39 Maybe Whitefly Eggs
Eco-friendly methods to control whiteflies:
Use yellow sticky traps to catch adult flies.
Spray or apply diluted white vinegar to the leaves with eggs or larvae. Applying it precisely reduces the impact on the plants and is best for early-stage infestations.
Introduce ladybugs, either as adults or larvae, or both.
I will use these three methods and monitor their effectiveness.
Tomorrow's Plan:
In the morning, I'll apply white vinegar to the undersides of the okra leaves to kill whitefly eggs and larvae, and use yellow sticky traps to catch adults.
I will rotate the crops in the soil where the radishes were harvested and plant heat-tolerant water spinach.
I will also harvest water spinach and ensure continued harvesting.
Day 40: August 9, 2024, Friday, Sunny
Observations and Records: Observation Time - 5 PM
Day 40: Harvested Water Spinach
The soil is fairly moist today.
The Bush Beans have sprouted more flower buds.
The pumpkins and bitter melons are starting to compete for space on the trellis, with their vines getting tangled together.
Today's Tasks:
Early this morning, I applied a 10x diluted white vinegar solution to the okra leaves with whitefly eggs.
I also harvested the water spinach, leaving at least one new bud on each stem so it can regrow and be harvested again in a few weeks.
I cooked a dish of Thai-style water spinach with shrimp paste. The water spinach tasted good, but it was a bit tough—probably harvested a little late.
Since I’ll be out tomorrow, I planted six water spinach seeds in the space left after harvesting the radishes. Dora complained that tonight’s water spinach portion was too small.
I did some light watering to keep the soil surface moist.
Day 40: Thai Stir-Fried Water Spinach with Shrimp Paste
Experience and Insights:
How to Continuously Harvest Water Spinach:
Cutting Stems for Harvest: Each time you harvest, use scissors or a knife to cut tender stems and leaves, leaving part of the main stem so the water spinach can continue growing. This way, you can harvest every 2-3 weeks.
Rotational Harvesting: Harvest different areas at different times, allowing unharvested areas to recover and regrow.
Proper Pruning: Regularly prune old leaves and overcrowded branches to promote the growth of new tender stems and leaves.
Tomorrow's Plan:
I’ll be out tomorrow, but if I can find ladybug egg cards, I’ll set them up in the evening.
Water the plants as needed.
Weekly Summary:
This week was a week of harvest and joy. We reaped radishes and water spinach, turning them into a refreshing radish salad and a delicious Thai-style water spinach with shrimp paste. After harvesting the radishes, we rotated crops by planting new water spinach in their place. Our okra faced a whitefly infestation, which we tackled with a diluted vinegar solution. The Bush Beans have started to bud, promising another harvest soon.
Next week, we have more work ahead, including fertilizing the flowering and fruiting vegetables with potassium dihydrogen phosphate, introducing ladybug egg cards to control pests, and hand-pollinating the Bush Beans' blossoms. See you next week!