Beautiful. delicious and abundant Egg Plant

The best producing veggie in our garden is clearly egg plant. If you haven't tried it, you are missing out on a great nutritious food that is not only good for you but can be used in many dishes. When several of our other veggies had problems with either disease and/or the soil, the egg plant had absolutely no problems. We have so many and they continue to produce an abundant crop.
I would just recommend placing egg plant to the back of your garden because they do get quite large and may over crowd the small veggie plants. Can't wait to plant them again next year.
For a pleasant and rewarding planting season, next time try some egg plant.

Basil going wild

If you love Pesto, grow your own basil and look at some great sites (blogs) with great recipes. It is so easy to make pesto at home. After reviewing a blog called " Vegetarian Food Quest", I made some of my own and it was excellent on many different dishes, including fish, burgers, pasta etc... Thanks to that blogger.
What really caught my attention was the price I noticed in the store for the same Pesto that I can now make at home with my own basil.. It is so simple and so cheap to. Basil grows and just seems to thrive like wild fire.
You have to give this a try.

Fuji Apples

When we purchased mature fruit trees, one in particular we wanted was a delicious Fuji Apple. The nursery advised us that we would have fruit bearing the first year. Well, I have since found out that this is not the case at all.
As we observed the tree grow this Spring and into the early Summer, we noticed that there wasn't a hint of fruit. After questioning the nursery, we are now being advised that it takes 3-4 years for a Fuji to bear fruit AND only if the limbs are hanging downward (pointed towards the ground). Story changes quickly once the sale is made!
Furthermore, we are now being advised that in order to get the branches of a Fuji to hang downward, we have to place some device (string and a weight, or similar) to the branches to force the downward growth of the limb., which will then allow fruit (in a few years).
I am an amateur and don't know this to be totally true but maybe some one reading this is educated about Fuji's.. If you are, comments are appreciated.
Thanks and happy growing.

Netting, not sure it works



I mentioned previously that "netting", sold at most big box gardening centers, was the best protection I could find to keep wildlife from eating our Asian pears. Well, I can no longer say that. After being away a few days, those little critters (squirrels) found their way into the netting  and ate every last pear! I'm not sure what the answer is. Every one I speak with has a different method and NONE of them seem to work. The latest mention is a squirrel trap but I hate to think of doing that. Maybe I am better off buying these pears (which we love) at the store until the tree and  fruit-bearing pears get so large that the squirrels will choke on them!

Trying to grow tomatoes in SC

I have gone from tomato plants in a raised bed with fertilizer and soil from a nursery (planting in various locations) to placing tomato plants in different size pots - yet they all continue to die off or are terribly diseased. I am beginning to think that the heat is so intense in SC (regardless of how much watering I do), that it is simply too much for tomatoes. I have tried all varieties, including disease resistent, mature plants and have purchased them from a variety of sellers.

Is anyone in this region (I think it is 9), experiencing similar problems??

On the other hand, Egg Plant is thriving like a wildfire out of control. So are the squash and certain peppers. especially the sweet italian banana types. Squash does fairly well also.

I would appreciate comments regarding the tomatoes. Maybe I am just doing something wrong but NEVER had this problem up North.

Thanks.

Grow Boxes - excellent find

aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/travis/docs/GrowBoxKit

This was an excellent find if you are struggling with living vegetable plants and diseases.

Found this site through a friend and it appears to be an excellent idea and a cheap way to
ensure good growth and boxes can be used for years. I have already gone out and bought the
materials. This may be 1) cheaper than the conventional method and 2) provide much better results!

Volunteers - a Beauty and Hardy as can be

In gardening and botanical terminology, a volunteer is a plant that grows on its own, rather than being deliberately planted by a human farmer or gardener. Volunteers often grow from seeds that float in on the wind, are dropped by birds, or are inadvertently mixed into compost before it is used.

Unlike weeds, which are unwanted plants, a volunteer may be encouraged once it appears, being watered, fertilized, or otherwise cared for.

Volunteers that grow from the seeds of specific cultivars do not reliably "come true", and often differ significantly from the parent. Such open pollinated plants, if they show desirable characteristics, may be selected to become new cultivar

This Volunteer was growing from under my neighbors fence, so I dug it out, cut the root in half and decided to plant it anyway, Wow, what a surprise and beautiful addition to the garden. I have so many roots now ascending from the base that I will split those and have many more beautiful red plants next year AND - THE BEST PART - it is free!!