October 7 Update

The first week of October has now passed but it sure doesn't feel like October. Rain rain and more rain constantly falling. This keeps everything wet and the ground soggy so I can't work the soil up in the beds. Also the heat index stays up around 100 everyday which the plants aren't too fond of. I've had a few tomatoes die but when I start seeds I always start extras to replace any that don't work out.

The warm muggy nights keeps the moths active. Especially the pickleworms which have done a number on my pumpkins, cucumbers and now squash. I try to pick them off by hand as much as possible but there is just no way to get them all and it only takes a few to keep the cycle going. I sprayed with BT but that seemed only to have a limited effect. Last night I hit everything with Spinosad which is like BT but not the same bacteria. This morning while examining the results I found dead and dying pickleworm larvae all over the leaves. Maybe this will keep them at bay and I will get some crops after all.

The Carambola tree is just busting out with blooms I even found a couple fruit hiding up inside it. We like these and since they cost $1.99 each at the local Publix this tree already paid for itself after the first 10 I picked.

Here is the pumpkin vine. You can see the damage the pickleworms do to the leaves. Then they burrow into the flowers and any fruit that begin to form already have a worm inside which destroys the fruit.

Both of my peach trees started to bloom. This is kind of weird because they usually don't bloom until spring after they have had enough chill hours. Someone on another forum said theirs did the same thing and suggested that it might be because the winter was so warm last year that we really didn't have one. We'll see what happens as they should start losing their leaves for the winter. If it shows up this year.

Here even the blueberry plants have a couple berries on them. They have grown a lot over  the summer and I am hoping for a good crop next spring.

 Next are the Asian Cucumbers. They have really taken off and are now full of blooms and several fruit. The pickleworms love cucumbers too and there is a lot of damage on the leaves. So far the fruits haven/t been affected and I soaked them real well with Monterety Insect spray which has Spinosad in it. There were a lot of dead larvae on the leaves this morning.

Here is a future cucumber in it's infancy.

I pulled up the peppers which were all malformed and circling the drain. In their place I planted some Jetsetter Tomatoes I started from seed. They are doing well.
 

The zucchini and straightneck squash plants I was given are blooming and some have fruit forming on them

A male and female flower next to each other.

Here is a pickleworm larvae that succumbed to the Spinosad. That is what we like to see.

Here are the Royalty Purple Beans which are beginning to flower.

The Derby Beans are doing well, too. Also they are putting out flowers so we should be harvesting fresh beans in a couple weeks. Hopefully I will be able to can some this time around.

I noticed this little beasty munching on a pepper plant this morning while sitting outside having a cup of coffee. At first I thought it was just a weird looking leaf but no it is a Tomato Hornworm. Usually they hit the tomatoes but also will attack the peppers and eggplant.

And finally here is the start of remaking a bed into a double stacked concrete block bed. I have several more of these to make and then run the pvc for the drip system. Once it's done though then the hardest part is over.

That's all I have for now.