How to unf-up my s.

seacraftme
5 days ago
13 min read

October has begun. Tonight is a full moon (when I started writing this, of course). The rainy season has begun with a full day of torrential downpour followed by several days of light rain. We seeded the grass at just the right time I think. Everyone said to seed your grass on the 15th of September and we did just that. Enough time to establish with sunny days before getting a good soaking with the start of the monsoon season. Any earlier and the heat could have been too much. Any later and I think the tiny roots would have a hard time withstanding the constant pummel and tumult of the rainstorms typical to southern Turkiye. Despite many a drainage hole, our new lawn becomes a small pond when the rains are too heavy. The newly filled in soil is still settling in places, so anywhere along the edge has sunk by at least six inches or more, with one sink hole almost two meters wide. We'll have to dig up all the plants we'd planted around the edges, as we suspected may happen but hoped that wouldn't be the case. Ah well.

There should still be time before the temperature really drops for a round of leafy greens and possibly some root veggies that could overwinter. Onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, beets. I probably should have started at least onion and beets inside, the rest can be direct seeded or bulbs sewn right into the ground.

I wanted to take a quick inventory of the biggest problems in the garden this year, and possibly how to fix them next year. I did go over briefly the issues I've encountered but maybe here just go through crop by crop and read a little more extensively into tangible solutions.

1) Leaf Miners. These sneaky little cheeks have tasted and feasted on almost every leaf in the garden with the exception of the trees (Pomegranate and Olive) and very minimal (if any) damage to the Basil, Mint, and Peppers. Is everything still edible? Sure. Could I sell any of the greens if I so desired? Honestly I don't think I would, they all look like they're painted with white zebra stripes. Most everyone says treating or trying to prevent Leaf Miner damage just is not worth the trouble or expense. There are simply too many species that fall under the category of Leaf Miner, and occur with such voracity that to stop them all together would be nigh impossible. Plants will still grow and come to fruition, they're just not pretty. Call me vain but there's nothing that satisfies a green thumb than walking among garden beds full of perfectly healthy greenery-which sure, is probably more a dream than ever is the reality in gardening or farming. Is there anything feasible to at least hold them off for a while?

The Farmers Almanac had a decent, to-the-point article, sharing several practical solutions but ending basically with a "don't sweat it, kid."

Flipping the topsoil to disrupt them before they hatch.
- My instinct tells me that without a mechanized tilling or chopping of the soil, this would be the equivalent of pulling the sheets up to their grubby chins and tucking them back in, while also disrupting any other helpful mychorriza, flora or fauna settling into the top layer. I wonder if just adding a healthy heaping of sterilized soil or even better some finished compost wouldn't be more effective and beneficial. Not only in smothering any weed seeds by keeping them from further from warmth and oxygen and burying any larvae sleeping there for good, but also to build up the health and depth of the soil in the beds.
Planting in "diverse patterns", so that there aren't large blocks of one variety of plant, coupled with crop rotation. As well as trying companion plants of dill, cilantro and yarrow (That will attract beneficial predatory insects. These I did plant but was graced with zero seedlings to pop up.)
- I certainly will practice crop rotation to a degree. Mostly due to the fact that I've learned that certain micro-climates in the garden just aren't suited to where I've placed them. Sunlight and shade requirements for greens and cukes, sprawling cucurbits squished into narrow beds. I did plant like things together, spread around in the garden. I'll have to read more into permaculture garden design before planting next spring. Aside from being planted too close however, the peppers that established seemed really happy together. I digress.
Keeping the garden weed-free in the fall.
- Cut their winter food source off if the rest of the cultivated plants are gone. Pigweed (amaranth), Lambsquarters and Nightshade are mentioned as the usual suspects, and while I do relish the idea of less Leaf Miners next year, I both wanted to keep something green in the ground over the winter (for color and soil retention) and let the local flora reign while not being cultivated. Perhaps I can sew a cover-crop of oats or rye for soil building? (Check fava, winter rye, hairy vetch, oats, crimson clover, oats and tillage radish)
  - Aside from having to relearn everything in Turkish alone, all my knowledge for farming comes from practices and cultivars in a Maine climate. How to apply zone 6a/5b knowledge to 9a/9b? What species are appropriate for use in Turkiye, and even in our home location which falls RIGHT ON THE LINE for two different zones. We get some of the heat of the coast, but also the frigid cold and wind off the mountains. Yay. I was a fool in my younger days thinking "I wanted and even craved a challenge." The older I get the less challenges I feel up to. Maybe I'm getting lazy...I'm definitely getting lazy.
Don't use pesticides.
- You got it brother.
Pick off the affected leaves.
- They're in the COTYLEDENS MAN. It's like the plants are born with them. I'm pretty sure picking off their baby leaves is not recommended. I did accidentally do this to a few peppers that miraculously came back, but how many times can you do that before the plant starts to protest?
Use row covers.
- No thanks. Too expensive, and even uglier than the leaf miner damage alone. If I was growing on a large scale to sell? Absolutely would I use these however, both for pest prevention and temperature regulation. These babies extend the growing season out for greens quite effectively. For pests though, while sure some are prevented, you have to be more than religious in keeping the covers in place. Breathing or farting too close will blow those suckers off.
Introducing Predatory wasps.
- Maybe. Probably too expensive on small scale, and would require a heinous amount of research to find them here in Turkiye. Guess I'm stuck with the lovely little shits for now. I'll just pray I have enough finished compost to cover the beds. I think the crickets have finally moved out of the compost pile as the pile doesn't rustle and chirp any longer when I walk past.

2) Splitting and bottom-rot in Tomatoes (as well as curling leaves). Everywhere I read says these are issues due to water availability coupled with exposure to extreme temperatures. Yeah. I went from hand-watering with a hose/bucket to a drip line that never seemed to deliver enough moisture. Even with the addition of another drip line, effectively sandwiching the plants, there were days with too much or too little water based on the heat of the day. I even added a shade cloth half-way through the growing season, but I'm certain the damage was already done. As well as mostly composted manure as a fertilizer/mulch. How much stress can one little tomato take?

Most sources all give the same assessment for BER, I liked this one and this.
- Correct PH for soil, 6.5
  - We still haven't had the soil tested, yet. I've asked about soil test kits at local garden supply stores, but I think we'll have to check with the university...Pause while I research, and that seems like also a dead end after checking the Sitki Kocman Univsersity website. Maybe not every university here has an Agricultural Extension like UMaine, or maybe their website isn't great.
- Make sure calcium levels are correct and accessible. Calcium inhibition due to inconsistent watering, root damage, cold temps/cold soil, excessive heat, excessive levels of nitrogen or salt from fresh manure. Again, minus the cold, I think we have all these. I think the largest issue was from the manure, I mean really it was all of it, but now that the watering system is in place from the start, and the manure will be composted, I think most of the issues will be taken care of from the start.
- Paste tomatoes are more prone to BER than a cherry. Checks out. Not a single cherry had any BER, only splitting, which points stronger to uneven watering. Midseason, I was able to somewhat salvage the plants. There were certainly less with BER although still a few popped up here and there, so the condition does seem to be treatable as described.
- There were a few articles I've read on treating leaf-curling, and most treatments seem to be along the same lines as the treatment for BER, with an emphasis on shade in the heat and proper watering. At first some of the photos for Yellow Leaf Curl virus look similar to how our leaves looked, and the disease occurs in climates similar to ours, but upon proper reflection our plants retained the deep green of their color even after curling. I also don't recall seeing any of the flies/larvae on the plants, a species of White-fly that carry this disease.
What to do next year:
- Apply a balanced fertilizer along when planting, and also a source of calcium (agricultural lime, along with maybe powdered eggshells, and check into dolomite).
  - Which also makes me wonder about the process in general of having a mineral mined from one area just to sprinkle in another area. Are we in a very large fucking way redistributing out the earth's minerals? The results seem dismal so far. It all seems a bit asinine. I've heard plenty saying that agriculture is the real death of the planet-both from farming plants and animals.
- Mulching heavily after planting with something other than half-composted manure. Come to think of it, I think I mulched almost all the other beds with the dried grass/weeds that I had pulled up but left the tomato beds bare. The peppers did hella great.
- Provide Shade. I will try planting the tomatoes this time behind the olive trees in the back of the garden as this will provide a natural generous source of shade til mid-day and then perhaps figure out a more permanent pergola with a shade-cloth over the top. They just seem so tacky, but so did my half-assed emergency solution this year. I think a stain, beveled edges and proper shade cloth could help this. Actually, If I did make something like a pergola with the rafters over the top, I could just string the plants up from the beginning like we did with Cooper, instead of stakes and tying like with Geoff. I don't want to invest in a clip system, so I'll probably end up tying them anyway, so perhaps a combination of the two approaches.
- Applying fertilizer again when the blooms occur, and maybe a liquid fertilizer this time to more efficiently get to the root system.
  1. I remember Cooper had us pluck off blossoms early after planting to prevent them from fruiting too soon. I didn't do this, as I was too excited to see fruit forming, but I suspect failing to do so may have stunted some of the plants. As well as just proper weekly pruning to keep energy focused on fruit production. I kind of fell off the maintenance bandwagon late season. Sorry tomatoes.

3) Seed Starting. Do I bend to society's whim and just get plastic trays to seed start in. My inner hippy is in full opposition to this, and my heels are dug. I have a few from the seedlings that I've purchased (incidentally, doing fabulously with minimal attention-Cabbage, Broccoli, and lettuce) that I can reuse. But how, oh how, to seed start without the goddamn plague of plastic.

My initial soil-ball experiment wasn't a complete failure, and if I had shown better attention to my notes I perhaps would be gleaning more illumination at this point in time. I can recall at least that the larger seeds (okra/squash) sprouted more or less okay, but few of the more delicate seeds were able to take hold, with the exception of nightshades-which did sprout but I wasn't prompt enough getting them into larger "balls" and they wilted off.

All that I suspect when wrong and what to do instead:

Soil mix too "hard". I used several different bags of soil mix, none of it specifically for seed starting though, and was able to mix the initial batch with large ratio of coconut coir, which did well to balance moisture retention and break up the tightly bound soil particles. Later batches I made only used the soil, as I didn't want to buy peat/bog moss or coconut coire. Cause damn. All this shit is not sustainable and WHY oh WHY is my garden more important than the health of the greater environment.
- What could be used in place of this that would be found in our local environment more suitable to sprouting seeds?
  - We're surrounded by pine trees, else I would say some sort of leaf litter, as that would be fluffy and full of organic matter. Perhaps composted pine needles could be used, but I'd worry about acidity?
    - Somewhat surprisingly, but also perhaps less so as everything I seem to read seems to be word of mouth, is saying that there isn't much need for concern that pine needles will raise soil acidity. Needles are acid before breaking down, but after even mild decomposition much of their acidity is lost and is safe to use as a mulch at the very least. I've seen several gardeners using them religiously and effectively as a mulch, with a warning that, like leaf litter, they have the tendency towards matting, which could prevent water penetration. I'd imagine if you leave a portion of soil uncovered around the plant stems however this would allow sufficient water to reach the root systems-as that seems to be the general consensus anyway to prevent rot at the stem.
    - This forum had one grower, albeit of carnivorous plants (adapted to bog/swamp/acidic environments), that was able to seed start efficiently in needles alone. Wherein the needles were not fresh, and not a pine species. I imagine I would run into the same issue with tiny seeds, here though, as needles alone wouldn't be able to properly provide a matrix to hold them. So perhaps a soil mixture with well-broken down pine needles, and compost could be enough?
  - I did buy a massive bag of vermiculite, that works well when added in. Just need to not wash it away with the seeds when watering. My MIL had perlite, which also worked well for moisture retention and preventing soil clumping.
  - This article even skipped the soil component all-together. Just perlite, vermiculite, coconut coir or peat moss and a compost (suggesting worm castings. (I'll try a worm farm someday.)
Improper moisture and humidity. I was able to borrow a mini-greenhouse from my MIL, but I think seed-starting mid-season in the heat was a failure from the beginning. While seeds may have been able to sprout they were quickly wilted off from the heat. Perhaps keeping the "greenhouse" close-by, and possibly even out of direct sunlight (the natural heat of the day was more than enough) would be better for regularly checking heat and moisture levels more frequently.
- I also made the ridiculous mistake of watering them overhead right from the start.....Effectively washing away any of the smaller seeds-onions, greens, right from the start. Soil balls actually seemed to hold together just fine when watered from the bottom in a tray. Letting the moisture naturally wick up. I've noticed this even more effectively, by accident, in a tray of seedlings in, gulp, plastic pots, that were filled with water by the rain. They've maintained a consistent level of water for the last couple months, and to boot, the birds love taking baths there. I added them a couple more clay bath pots of water, but they still prefer the shallow metal tray. Nuggets.
Too much fertilizer? I added in a healthy handful of the general AP fertilizer I utilized in the garden, but it may have been too much for the sprouts. Maybe a liquid version (seaweed or nettle tea) would be a better option.
Old seeds. I have a sneaking suspicion that some of the seeds I used were old, as a good portion of them never sprouted either direct seeded or in the seed balls
Too much heat (Wrong season). Again, by the time I started the seeds, this was June/late May. The heat was pretty much full swing. Seed starting in Maine starts in February/March, so I imagine I could possibly start seeds as early as January here.

4) Something real funky happened in one of the arugula beds, and then moved to the brassica beds. I only took one blurry unhelpful photo, but the center of the plants was squishy, stinky and full of silvery bugs.

The smell and squish factor, I would naturally attribute to too much water-even though the soil felt dry around them. But the presence of whatever bug that was and rot I found only on the Brassicas, which suggests a species specific issue. The problem I'm running into however is that none of the insects or rot/fungus/diseases that I'm researching seem to match the problem I encountered. I'm wary even to plant into those beds again in case whatever affected them may linger in the soil. I pulled the affected plants out, and have let the beds go fallow for the last two months. I think I'll try a non-mustard family crop in them to see what happens.
Noting that the tomatoes and basil growing next to them seem to be perfectly unaffected. Ah, as well as, the Arugula in one bed over tightly surrounded by flowering Dill, Amaranth and Watermelon vine seems perfectly happy and unaffected, also with minimal damage from the flea beetle.
- Which begs the question: Were the affected Brassicas vulnerable due to a lack of bio-diversity? Or even simply due to a lack of natural mulch via the other plants?
- The mother plant that I collected these seeds from have sprouted more baby arugula in the pathway, and are now happily growing in the sawdust pathway. So they certainly don't have a problem sprouting, but I just wish I could find a source discussing how soon arugula seeds can be planted after collecting. Their immediacy in volunteer sprouting themselves suggests that a dormancy period is not necessary, and I imagine if the right temp and water levels were provided they'd continue on reproducing ad infinitum.

5) Massive Okra. Both in height and width. Not a problem persay, but perhaps I should consider lateral pruning as well as just general placement. I've noticed all of the Okra plants grown in our village are all pruned down to a single stem growing up.

Some people "Whoop" or beat their plants, to encourage a heartier and thus more fruitful plant???? I'm seriously shooketh. Sure. That may produce a heartier plant, but to what twisted end? Christ.
- Other sources say this practice also encourages pollination, by disseminating the particles downward...
- "As your okra reaches at least 3-4 feet in height, start snapping off lower-growing lateral branches. This focuses the okra’s attention on fruit development higher up on the stem. It also reduces the likelihood of fungal spores splashing up onto lower leaves."
Don't plant successively after night-shades, they may be susceptible to the same soil diseases.

6) Too much of one plant and not enough of another.

More leafy greens, but grown successively.

3 Swisschard is enough for the season
10 arugula at a time is more than enough
2 Head lettuce a week is fine
6 basil plants enough for the season
3 or 4 parsley (had they sprouted) would have been fine

More Okra

At least two per family, 4-6 total would be ideal

More Nightshades, but better cared for

10-15 tomatoes at least, mix of all varieties,
- LOTS MORE SLICERS, maybe even half
- Two cherries enough
- 5 paste enough
20 eggplants of mixed varieties, successively grown

Way more corn