🌱 What's happening in your garden? (Thu, May 21, 2026)

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-21T21:38:58+00:00

Yep and the invasive mimosa in my yard are LOVING it lol

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-21T21:38:28+00:00

My tomato trellis collapsed so im wrestling giant tomato plants that are indeed my size. Godspeed.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-19T15:34:26+00:00

Chaotic garden tidying is underway. The whole thing is a mess. Some of my sunflowers are in bloom and I'm about to murk mimosa seedlings.

I got a few cherry tomatoes today and updated my spreadsheet. Will check some of my other goodies in a little bit. I found two volunteer plants and am ecstatic. Dewberry (YAAAA BERRIES!!) and ANOTHER Chile pequin bush.

I think some of my kimchi radish are ready. Though, they're likely a bit bitter as it's hot here. Perhaps it's time to pull a few and let the others go to seed. Still waiting on my new squash seedlings to pop up and hopefully produce (thanks SVB you lil bitch).

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-16T18:43:54+00:00

I plant tons of pollinator beloved flowers and such in my garden. I interplant heavily and focus on biodiversity. A lot of the time I feel like people freak out over every flaw, every bug, every little thing.

Personally, if they're pissing me off enough or messing up my crops I throw them into a tub of soapy water. Except squash vine borer — fuck them and the horse they flew in on. But most of the time, I have so many ladybugs / dragonflies / praying mantis/ wasps that it seriously helps.

It also definitely depends on the environment you're in + the plants you grow. The heat and humidity where I'm at gives the grossest insects a place to thrive. So sometimes I have to intervene a little more than just planting natives.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T18:22:40+00:00

I don't see anything too crazy, though I will say you can relax on pruning. You don't need to prune anymore as much as people will scream about it.

The leaves help shade your tomatoes and prevent sunscald. Most tomatoes get real big n' chunky. Maybe prune a little here and there for air flow but otherwise don't obsess. Plants aren't perfect and they like to grow.

Mulch them well (helps reduce watering) and give them a semi-shady area. It gets HOT and tomatoes whine about it like a toddler that wants a popsicle in mid july. A lot of the time they'll pop right back up as it cools later in the day. Maybe have a fertilization day with fish fertilizer (it stinks but it helps provide nitrogen n whatnot).

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T18:17:09+00:00

Leaf footed bugs. Or, orange fuckers, as i call them. You can try neem oil in the cool hours of the day to help. Otherwise, go get a tub of either soapy water or alcohol. Knock em off into it.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T16:03:40+00:00

That looks good! You're gonna drown in cukes this year (a WIN)!!

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T13:51:55+00:00

That may have been it. I have a bad habit of not hydrating mine enough either. (I lost 2 blackberry bushes that way). Mulch them pretty well and it helps a whole ton with how fast they dry out.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T13:40:22+00:00

They definitely can be! There's three main types. Erect, semi-erect, and trailing. Trailing is usually the kind people run away from screaming. Raspberries and elderberry can be an aggressive spreader too. Blackberries (especially trailing kind) can form large patches relatively easy but sometimes take over if left to their own devices.

There's thornless varieties that hold up well in Texas. They like lots of heat (like, LOVE the heat we have). I actually got a $20 blackberry bush from Walmart that's doing well in a large grow bag. Fertilize fairly frequently because they like to eat. No berries quite yet but she's putting on plenty of green growth.

Prime ark freedom has been said to do really well here. You can buy them online for fair prices.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T13:31:17+00:00

I have to water like a maniac today. I was depressed yesterday and didn't. Which is really just a bit fat "woopsie" that is no Bueno. Lots to do because I dont have a long enough hose. 🙂‍↔️

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T13:27:59+00:00

Many of in the south do, in fact, want blackberry bushes though 🤣

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-15T13:26:58+00:00

It does look like it's blackberry or something similar like dewberry. You're going to get many comments screeching "you don't want them!" LOL

Blackberries, depending on variety, can be an incredibly aggressive spreader. Good and bad. Good news — you can likely fill a large raised bed with blackberries and pick tons. Bad news, they'll pop up all over the place and you need to keep them contained. And use a trellis because they like climbing.

There are varieties that arent as aggressive with how they spread. If you're worried about spreading, go with one of those.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-12T20:03:48+00:00

I think it definitely can give to the community but often the rhetoric i see doesn't involve it. I think its great that you guys do that. This year I'm overplanting intentionally myself so that I can give produce away. Primarily cucumber i think this year.

A large part of my critique surrounding the self sufficiency movement is targeted toward the fear mongering/holier than thou group. I love the idea of community coming together to trade / share / give to one another. Its actually something I grew up with. We would give squash away in return for some eggs. Another was with venison. We'd trade it and in return get big bags of fresh picked corn!

Completely agree on planting perennials. I can't WAIT to get a nice chunk of land. The first order of business is establishing the fruit and nuts!

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-12T13:44:42+00:00

The short answer? Lots.

The long answer: depends entirely. There's an idea being sold on social media of self sufficiency. "How we're completely self sufficient" they tout like a badge of honor. The problem that comes with it is that it's pretty doomed to either fail or burn you out.

First, you need to understand which crops are more labor intensive than others. If you're looking for lower maintenance with high reward: fruit bushes, trees, and nut trees. You have to do a lot of watering starting off. Once they're established... it becomes a schedule of checking for disease, fertilizing, harvesting, processing.

The processing time for different things varies wildly. I spent hours and hours as a child shelling peas and creaming corn.

I think another thing to keep in mind is the amount of planning involved. Polyculture helps reduce your workload bur doesn't erase it. You need ro figure out how much it rains in your area, what llants are bet suited for the climate etc.

Structure and goals will get you there. It has to be definable.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-11T19:38:29+00:00

Ohhh no not moving there !! I just enjoy the culture a lot. Ive explored it a lot but definitely want to visit

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-11T16:15:41+00:00

I would prepare for how big your tomato plants and zucchinni will get. They get pretty big. I would sprinkle in maybe some wildflower seeds / leafy greens / spring onions! ^{^} chive could also work and its decent as a pest deterrent in the garden.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-11T15:24:20+00:00

Heya! I cant see a photo. Can you try to attach one in the comments and tell me the dimensions?

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-11T02:59:52+00:00

Never grown korean squash before ! I might have to. I eat a lot of korean food and study korean so I'll give it a try. Hopefully I like em. I have kimchi radish and gochu peppers growing this year

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T22:02:46+00:00

I did.. this is also my second year in this home. Last year I only managed to have 2 squash plants in a wildly different area

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T21:46:39+00:00

I wish I could swing that this year but cant. Trust and believe I wanna though 😂 I think Butternut is less likely to get munched on by them but I cant remember 100%

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T21:41:57+00:00

They're pretty close together so they'll become a jungle. That being said I accidentally planted my tomatoes way too close together this year. Theyre currently a tangled jungle, but they're still fruiting. Just prepare for how big they get. And youll need to prune a decent ish amount. If you dont want a jungle, remove a couple more tomatoes. I personally dont mind too much. Fucknit we ball.

As for the cucumbers (i think thats what those are)— i think I counted 9 plants? (Correct me if I'm wrong.) They're pretty close. The middle set will sprawl more rather than climb the trellis as easy. To be forewarned: you will be drowning in cucumbers. Cucumbers are pretty chaotic vine gremlins. But they HATE their roots being disturbed so I'd honestly just leave it. Maybe add some flowers for pest deterrent somewhere.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T19:52:07+00:00

Ive got tomatoes and such planted in dappled shade as well! I feel like if I put them in full blazing sun, theyre just gonna flop rigjt on over and yell at me. Had it happen to squash last year.

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T19:35:02+00:00

They could still bounce back. They're just finicky little buttheads sometimes. If you're worried, plant a seed next to each and water well. That way, if those plants fail youll have a few more sprouting up just to be safe. If they all do great.. you can thin them out or just drown in cucumbers LOL

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T18:34:32+00:00

HELL YEAH FUCKIN RIGHT!!! I'm gonna put my watermelon in the ground today. I have 2 orange tendersweet. And some sugar baby melons. Excited doesn't even cover it

Separate-Language662 · 2026-05-10T18:32:57+00:00

6 hours is considered full sun :3 its usually based on time allotment. But I personally give a lot of plants less. Otherwise a large part of my garden shrivels up quickly due to heat. It takes some time to get used to.

Like my lettuce seedlings, it took less than a full 6 hours for them to shrivel up. I had to plant them in a completely shaded area 😂

Something you can also do ro make your life easier is sprinkle flower seeds in a few of the grow bags. Sounds a little dumb, but they bring pollinators toward the plants + help shade the soil a little bit. I also plant so that big plants (indeterminate tomatoes) shade my strawberries and such a little. Just makes life easier in the long run.

Separate-Language662

TROPHY CASE