Author Topic: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020  (Read 61636 times)

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #500 on: June 08, 2020, 07:50:46 AM »
@Jon_Snow -- were you able to get some seed from your kale before you had to pull it?  If I remember right your kale and mine were flowering at the same time back in early/mid May.  My seed is not ready yet -- pods still green.  Hope you got some!

Sadly no, @Trifele. A combination of factors prevented me from getting my act together and doing it. But mostly it was that I couldn’t wait any longer and had to pull the kale plants to create space I needed for tomatoes. And, as someone who might have a seed purchasing problem....I still had several unopened kale seed packets. But at least I refrained from buying kale seeds this year. Next year I will be saving seed for sure. I have a ton of kale growing this year so I will pick a few candidates let overwinter and hopefully I’ll have a repeat of my massive kale trees next Spring. I just need to plan things better.

Please let us know how your own kale seed harvest goes!

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #501 on: June 08, 2020, 08:24:22 AM »
I am still planting out seedlings.  First off - way better at planning how much to grow from seed this year.  I have way too many eggplants and only a few too many peppers.  I am hoping one of my brothers can re-till the land at the farm.  It was so full of weed last year I am thinking it needs to be fallow for a full year before I can reasonable think about gardening in it.  It is too large to lasagne style without some tractor assistance...although I am thinking about it.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #502 on: June 10, 2020, 08:13:42 AM »
I had a huge harvest (for June 10 in my zone)  basil, asparagus, spinach, mustard green, a head of lettuce, rhubarb, kale flowers and cilantro.  The rhubarb will be used to make a syrup for sodas, while the rest is going to be a massive salad for supper.  It is going to be hot and humid today and I can't order in again tonight....

A few more seedlings got planted out into the greenhouse this morning: three peppers and three eggplants. 

Indio

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #503 on: June 11, 2020, 09:30:00 PM »
My neighbor spotted a flea beetle infestation that killed her first batch of eggplant seedlings. Since our gardens are fairly close together, I did an inspection of my veg and noticed small holes on the bottom leaves of my tomato plants and an insect that looked like a flea. They haven't attacked my eggplants yet so I got neem oil spray and lures to put up. I'm hoping that this will be enough to eradicate or slow them down. This is a garden pest that I have had to deal with before.
Other than that, everything is growing well and the bush beans should be big enough to harvest soon. I pulled out over-wintered kale and will amend the area with chicken compost to do a succession planting of squash and bush beans. Most of the cilantro (my favorite herb) is starting to bolt and will also need a succession planting this week.
On the chicken front, the 3 red cross pullets I added to the flock in late April have begun to lay. We were getting about 1 egg a day because the flock was getting too old and the chicks I added last year weren't good layers. It was getting to the point where I thought I might have to purchase supermarket eggs. I'm going to give away 3 of the older hens this week to reduce the flock size again with the goal of making it as efficient as possible.
The bees are cranking happily along.

I hope everyone's gardens are getting the rain it needs and the heat to grow.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #504 on: June 12, 2020, 04:53:13 AM »
Sorry about the flea beetles @Indio -- hope you can get the upper hand.

Busy here in the veg garden.  This week we're harvesting and eating broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, onions, turnips, and spring kale.  Fruitwise we're picking cherries and blueberries -- yum.  Tomatoes are looking really good.  Lots of green fruit on the vines -- should be ripening up in a few weeks.  It's going to be a great year!  Peppers -- :/.   Just as in the past few years they don't look great and I can't figure out why.  At least this year their color is good (nice dark green), but they're not growing as big as they should.  So strange. 

Guys!  This is year 2 for this garden since the deer fence was built.  I'm noticing more great predators like ladybugs and wasps  this year, and so far many fewer pest insects.  I leave parts of the garden fallow, and thanks to the fence I can now grow a big variety of plants and flowers.  I think that's paying off with more balanced insect life.  Yay predators!  It makes me so happy to see the wasps patrolling over the cabbage leaves and the ladybugs crawling on the milkweed.   

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #505 on: June 16, 2020, 09:12:50 AM »
Great update @Trifele!

And can I say that I’m a bit jealous of your wasps? I was away from my garden for a while, and in returning to it yesterday I saw the telltale signs of cabbage worms on about a third of my brassicas....with the exception of the kale. Wasps don’t really appear here until things get dry in July and August...so this meant that I had to engage in some old fashioned find-the-worm-on-the-cabbage. Some of them prove to be quite devious in their hiding.

It’s been a much wetter Spring than we’ve had in a while here in the PNW, which has meant a little bit more of a slug issue...but the damage has been mild. Apart from these pest problems things have gone to the next level. First plantings of brassicas and peas are now ready for eating. In what has become a tradition for me, I measured the height of my sugar snap peas....and they have now topped 9ft. The lettuce train continues on....though I’m calling the spinach patch done. Sad...but it was amazing while it lasted. The first beets, turnips and onions I will harvest today. Potatoes are flowering and looking amazingly healthy. Squash is just starting to flower so won’t be long for them. Bush and pole beans coming along, I won’t be eating beans until July. I would have thought that the peppers and tomatoes might be cranky with this cool, grey weather....but since I’ve kept them covered with a bit of red-hued plastic, and thus keeping them a bit warmer with a greenhouse effect...they look really good with fruit development coming along nicely. Looks to be a great year for tomatillos as well. It is all very, very promising.

A few scenes from my garden....

A nice head of broc after a Spring shower....


A wall of snow peas...not quite as vertically impressive as the the snap peas....but so sweet and crunchy in their own right.


Very happy kale.


Collards anyone? Please....someone take some collards.


Speaking of deer fence Trifele...I need to remember that it loses its effectiveness if you forget to close the gate.


Okay....back to work in the garden now. Keep it up everyone!
« Last Edit: June 16, 2020, 09:21:12 AM by Jon_Snow »

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #506 on: June 16, 2020, 09:25:39 AM »
I hope you like Calde verde - a collards and potato soup with spicy Portuguese sausage!

Gotta run back over to my garden and move the hose.  It was cold overnight but very sunny and windy for the last four days, so everything is really dry.

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #507 on: June 16, 2020, 10:54:16 AM »
@horsepoor - now that's an awesome veggie garden. I'm impressed - my gardening efforts never look this good, I'm always a bit on the wild side:).

@Jon_Snow  - oh my, that deer looks mighty interested in your veggie smorgasbord.
« Last Edit: June 16, 2020, 10:57:31 AM by Rosy »

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #508 on: June 16, 2020, 01:37:32 PM »
Here are a few garden pics of
1. The "two inch" Banana I planted in March - it is looking fat and happy - growing about two leaves a week now that we've had some rain.
Already taller than me, so it is well over 5 foot:).
2. There is a Papaya growing next to it - started in February, now about four foot - also looking fat and happy. I have one in another section of the garden that is doing even better - so we may actually get papayas this year or at the latest, next spring.
3. To the right - you can just see a bit of the Moringa tree - it is blooming now and shot up to seven foot.

This garden area is new this year and a bit on the wild side - with lots of Marigolds, Cosmos and Zinnias that I seeded in Feb-Mar-Apr.



Below is wild Taro - I planted three in this section and they are growing like weeds:). I wanted that tropical look.
They grow wild near the ditch so I dug up some baby plants back in March - freebies and they are perennial too.
I doubt we'll eat any, (the roots are supposed to be similar to potatoes) but I might try to use one of the leaves to make a concrete birdbath.



This is the Moringa tree in bloom. It developed two more side branches so it is actually rather bushy instead of the usual very tall straight tree.
It was already chopped down to the ground when I bought it so I'm happy to see it can be cut. At seven-plus feet tall already I'm thinking of cutting it before too long, I don't want it to become a 40-foot tree.
I haven't harvested the leaves or chopped any branches yet because I wanted it to have some time to be happy and grow, but I am looking forward to it.
The flowers will eventually have pods with seeds which I also plan to harvest.
Initially, I was a bit scared to plant this tree, afraid it might turn into a monster, but it is pretty and airy, not a heavy shade tree.



Some of my Lilies of the Nile have already finished blooming, but I've got more coming.
Couldn't resist sharing a pic of one of the buds slowly opening.
I love them because you have green, tropical looking leaves all year round and they always bloom at least two months or longer.
Even the spent flowers look cool and artistic, better yet, they are undemanding and just multiply on their own.
My kind of plant:).



... and to include at least one veggie ... this was supposed to be a sweet pepper - but it is hot - hot - hot as hades!
Now I need to find someone to take them off my hands - we grew three plants!
These took a long time to mature, about four months.
Thankfully I have two other pepper plants - which are and have been producing plenty - enough for eating and freezing a little bit.

Obviously they mislabeled the seed package - bummer and they look so good too:)!
Mr. R. chopped some - do not get these on your hands or anywhere else on your body!


Happy gardening everyone! I'll post a few more pics soon, now that I've finally figured out how.

okisok

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #509 on: June 16, 2020, 07:39:10 PM »
Love seeing all the picture and descriptions of gardens! I'm so jealous of you that are able to grow the tropicals. Oh, to pick guavas and bananas! But I'm here in Zone 6 where it's heading toward 100 degrees and the soil is all red clay.

My little urban garden has exploded. The mystery plants are doing quite well, and there are about 20 of them. They aren't all the same thing, but they're definitely cucurbits. Some smaller bush varieties with little star-shaped blossoms, some sprawling plants with long trumpet blossoms. Had ONE cream cheese and chive stuffed squash blossom last night after I knocked it off while watering. Delicious! The chives came from the garden, too.

Radishes and lettuces bolted last week. I didn't harvest the radishes until they were bitter. The last salad of the season was bitter, too. I didn't save seeds because I still have several packets from overbuying in a pandemic panic. There was a worm infestation over the last couple of weeks, so disappointing lettuce harvest overall.

I'm regretting not planting any tomatoes. I might still, as I've had tomato plants produce well into October here before. It's just so *satisfying* to eat tomatoes straight off the vine. I did plant a single potato that sprouted in the veggie bowl.

The pinto beans are tiny little plants but have beans and blossoms. The popcorn is about three feet tall, and the sunflowers are taller than that.

If all goes well, I'll have quite a harvest. But I know it could all go pear-shaped (or squirrel-shaped)! My dog spends quite a bit of time guarding the garden, so my hopes are up.

Indio

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #510 on: June 16, 2020, 08:59:20 PM »
The garden pics look fabulous. Love seeing all of the different food for each zone.

@Rosy I've got a small moringa plant, not a tree, too. The leaves are so tasty and healthy. Saw a video on youtube about how moringa is used to purify water. It's such a versatile plant. That taro leaf is huge. Agree it will make a beautiful concrete birdbath. Even the banana leaf would look good in concrete. I tried that once with a giant rhubarb leaf and then wanted to keep making concrete planters because they looked so amazing.

@Jon_Snow That's too funny to see the doe watching you in the garden. Good thing your fence is high enough to make it hard for her to get in.

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #511 on: June 17, 2020, 12:24:46 PM »
@Indio my main reason for getting the Moringa tree is because I am immune-compromised (Sjogrens/Lupus). It is said to increase your energy level and strengthen your immune system.
Of course, the prepper in me likes that it works as a water purifier and if the S ever HTF I am gambling that most people don't know you can eat the leaves and make tea with it. It has plenty of medicinal uses too - I like that!:)
Multi-purpose plants that camouflage as landscape and take care of themselves it doesn't get any better than that.

The other thing I planted for my health is edible Hibiscus. You can buy tea, but it was recommended using the fresh flowers in season only - for potency reasons and to know for sure that it is indeed grown organic.
I got lucky and stumbled onto a truly beautiful species with reddish leaves like a Japanese Maple and pretty dark red flowers. Not sure if mine is a rare one, but I had trouble locating a live edible hibiscus of any variety.

My little bush wasn't looking too good when I got it but it grew and blossomed from Feb-mid May, the calyx was fascinating and I ended up watching Jamaican u-tubers making their holiday drinks with it. It was still way too small to harvest but I am looking forward to the next bloom - I should have gathered some seeds for planting at least, ugh:).

This picture doesn't do it justice - the sun was out so the color saturation isn't right even though I edited it a bit, but you get the idea.
It is now about 2.5ft x 2.5 ft or so - I think it looks so pretty:).

 
Hibiscus make good landscape plants so I also hunted down some reasonably priced seeds for a pretty Thai Roselle from a reliable source (also edible and prized for drinks) .
It looks totally different from the plant I have and has a different bloom.
I haven't planted the seeds yet, but read that there are differences in flavor and size of the calyx.
We'll see.

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #512 on: June 17, 2020, 01:31:29 PM »
A little photoshoot from my garden.
No, you can't eat it, it's too pretty to eat. Actually it is toxic, perennial from zone 10 upwards, blooms in the summer, dies back in the fall to return around the first of June.

GLORIOSA SUPERBA - mine is called Gloriosa Rothschildiana - aka glory lily, fire lily - tiger claw, cat's claw .......

I was in love with this plant from the second I saw it in my friend's garden - a climbing tropical lily.
Years later I actually found the seeds at the Botanical Garden in Frankfurt, Germany during a visit there.
Took forever to show up totally unexpected in an old pot planted with basil - I bet it took more than a year to come up - I forgot about it long ago.
I had no idea what it was but left it alone and then one day it bloomed - wow!:)

TROPICAL BEAUTY - Gloriosa Rothschildiana
Here is a shot of the trellis to give you an idea of the actual bloom size - the leaves have tendrils at the end.


IN FULL BLOOM a good five inches across


The next stage is just as pretty:).


Then they turn upside down -  flat as a pancake, you'd think it was another flower altogether.


Finally, they change color again and fade away into the greenery.


If you look close you can see all three stages in this shot.


Apparently it is temperamental and doesn't like to be messed with.
I dug up a couple of tubers and a baby plant and transplanted them out into a different spot in the garden, but it doesn't look like I'll get any plant/flowers from it this year.
I got lucky and there must have been enough tubers left in the pot, I was trying not to disturb the old basil bush in the pot either,
because next time I looked there it was, already three feet in the air:) hiding amongst the basil.



Anyway - enjoy the pics, it really is as pretty as in this picture. I'll be glad to share some seeds if you like.

UPDATE: My goodness, I am oh so thrilled - turns out that little baby plant I moved a month ago decided to grow six feet tall and is thinking about blooming soon. I had to untangle it (gently) from the seven-foot tall Cosmos giant that it was hiding in and attach it to a once fancy, now rusty ole plant support.
Looked this morning all is well - looking forward to more blooms... sweet:).
« Last Edit: June 18, 2020, 10:30:23 AM by Rosy »

Indio

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #513 on: June 17, 2020, 05:47:24 PM »
@Rosy 

Gorgeous rothschild lily. I've seen them used in a lot of expensive flower arrangements, ie wedding bouquets and boutonnieres, but have never seen them growing as a plant. I know if I had something sitting in a pot for long time that never bloomed when it started to come up, I probably would have thought it was a weed and pulled it.

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #514 on: June 17, 2020, 06:11:48 PM »
What a great lily, @Rosy!

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #515 on: June 18, 2020, 09:44:39 AM »
I have about 15 plants currently. Did you have a specific questions?

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #516 on: June 18, 2020, 09:44:58 AM »
There are a lot of tomato growers here!

Maybe those that are in your growing zone would be most informative for you.  What zone are you in? 

I am in zone 5b CAN.  We had snow 6 weeks ago so my tomatoes haven't been in the ground for very long.  I struggle with getting a harvest of any kind do to some predation from squirrels checking to see if the tomatoes are edible and various wilts and rots from previous poor crop rotation.  This is actually the first year in the ground for this particular part of the garden.  Last year I grew them in pots to some success - but moisture regulation is always tough in a pot. 

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #517 on: June 18, 2020, 09:55:19 AM »
Yep, seems like most on this thread grow tomatoes.  I've got about 25 right now, in the ground and in pots.  Let us know where you're located @tanokosohana and what your questions are. 

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #518 on: June 18, 2020, 10:49:40 AM »
Thanks, Mudpuppy and Indio:).

Much depends on what zone you are for growing tomatoes. There are some great veggie gardeners on this thread.
I bet they can answer pretty much anything.

Tomatoes and I are not on the same page, generally speaking, they are such demanding prima donnas:).
I'm in zone 10 and long ago decided to plant mine in big pots, except for this year, one came up in the compost and it is now living in the garden. It sits next to one of my basil plants alongside a lemon balm - shaded a bit by Cosmos or it wouldn't survive this heat.
It is producing and surprisingly, slowly, growing taller.

I do wish I had seeded some tomatoes this year or at least bought a couple of plants, it is my first year not planting tomatoes since I started a little potager. Hard to admit I actually miss them, but I do.
My favorite tomato is the Roma - it is wonderful for sauces and over the years I tested all sorts of recipes, roasting them in the oven is awesome too.
 

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #519 on: June 18, 2020, 10:58:17 AM »
There are a lot of tomato growers here!

Maybe those that are in your growing zone would be most informative for you.  What zone are you in? 

I am in zone 5b CAN.  We had snow 6 weeks ago so my tomatoes haven't been in the ground for very long.  I struggle with getting a harvest of any kind do to some predation from squirrels checking to see if the tomatoes are edible and various wilts and rots from previous poor crop rotation.  This is actually the first year in the ground for this particular part of the garden.  Last year I grew them in pots to some success - but moisture regulation is always tough in a pot.

And I'm in Austin where it's on the edge of being too hot for them to set fruit. Cherokee Purple and the volunteer cherry tomato seem to have given up on new fruit (still plenty of green ones ripening), but the Sweet 100 cherry is still setting some new fruit. Also seems like the Sweet 100 is the least demanding for supplemental water.

I'll need to decide how to handle the Cherokee Purple once all the current fruit is ripened - do I cut them back and keep them alive til fall, or just root some cuttings for a fall crop?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #520 on: June 18, 2020, 11:14:51 AM »
Just to toss in a thought - if you have an indeterminate tomato you like, you can start a new one by snapping off one of the suckers (those side branches that come out where the leaf joins the stem) and rooting it.  Not much point doing this for determinate tomatoes since they all stop growing at some point.

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #521 on: June 18, 2020, 05:53:16 PM »
Ooooh...tomatoes. I’m on the “balmy” west coast of Canada, zone 9b and have grown them with amazing, and sometimes what feels like alarming productivity. My goal is to grow enough Romas so that I do not have to buy canned tomatoes from the store from an entire calendar year. Didn’t QUITE make this goal last year...so I just planted more this year. Like MudPuppy, around 15 plants....6 of these being Roma’s, the rest a combo of beefsteaks, Oregon spring, and cherry varieties.

I usually start seedlings in mid to late March, grow them under lights and get them planted out in the garden in mid-May....and depending on nighttime temps I may cover them in these really handy mini tomato green house bags. Our Summers can sometimes lack true “heat” (temps range from 75F to 85F) so ripening can be a bit slow...but this just means that I’m usually still picking tomatoes of the plant on October 1st.

Picking Sungold’s right off the vine during Summer is one of the simple, wonderful joys of Summer in my garden....amongst many though.



In another update....I should be harvesting the seasons first potatoes in the next few days. Garden taters....there’s another of life’s true pleasures.

@Jon_Snow That's too funny to see the doe watching you in the garden. Good thing your fence is high enough to make it hard for her to get in.

I’m never truly suffer a lack of company when I’m gardening. Though...the intensity of their interest in the garden proceedings can be a bit unnerving.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #522 on: June 18, 2020, 06:10:58 PM »
Picking Sungold’s right off the vine during Summer is one of the simple, wonderful joys of Summer in my garden....amongst many though.

So true!  I dream of Sungolds in the winter, and the summer when they're producing is the best!   Out of my ~25 plants, I've got 8 Sungolds that I grew from seed (started indoors under the lights).  One of life's true pleasures -- they're not sold in stores as far as I know, so you need to grow 'em yourself or know a neighbor.  :)

The rest of my plants are big slicer/beefsteak types.  Mostly "Delicious" variety indeterminate, open-pollinated.  Because they're open-pollinated and not a hybrid I can save their seeds for next year.

I'm in Zone 7a and like @Jon_Snow I usually have tremendous success with tomatoes; they're one of my no-fail crops.  Last year I had so many tomatoes I canned and froze all I could handle, and was then giving them away to neighbors by the bucketful.  Love, love, love tomatoes.

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #523 on: June 18, 2020, 06:12:51 PM »
Are you talking about the variety of yellow cherry tomatoes?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #524 on: June 18, 2020, 07:48:38 PM »
I'm growing Peacevine which is an open pollinated version of Sweet 100.  Plus another 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes.  Most will never make it out of the garden.

We are having a heat wave, several days over 30C in June is just crazy.  I'm watering my transplants twice a day.  They would probably prefer 3 times a day.


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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #525 on: June 18, 2020, 11:20:12 PM »
Tomatoes - I've got 22 plants this year.  Sungolds are fabulous, but I haven't grown them in a couple years.  It seems I keep finding Sungsugar instead.  I always grow Black Cherry, and I have some other type of cherry I can't remember this year.  For canning,  grow San Marzano and Opalka.  My other favorites are Pierce's Price, Kellogg's Breakfast and Black Krim.  I think we're at least a month out from ripe tomatoes, but I recently devised a killer fried green tomato recipe with the slices "breaded" with crushed pork rinds and finely grated Parmesan after being liberally dusted with potato starch and left to sit for an hour or so before the egg wash and breading process.  Seasoning is some Old Bay, black pepper and chili powder.

On the non-vegetable side, my garden is looking pretty good this year.  My inner plant geek is more excited about the winterfat and native grasses that are proliferating, but everyone else loves the flashy blooms.  In order here - a yarrow cultivar and "blonde ambition" blue grama; showy milkweed with lavender and coreopsis in the background, sulphur buckwheat with sagebrush, fernbush and native grasses in the background; mock orange (Syringa, the state flower of Idaho) hosting a butterfly.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #526 on: June 19, 2020, 04:31:12 AM »
^^  ooh a tiger swallowtail, pretty.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #527 on: June 19, 2020, 04:46:27 AM »
Are you talking about the variety of yellow cherry tomatoes?

Yes, it's a variety of dark gold cherry tomato.  It's special -- a really delightful taste.  Mine are still green on the vine, but I'll take a picture when they get further along.


@Rosy and @horsepoor -- absolutely gorgeous pictures.  Thank you for my garden porn of the day!!  I feel like I want to hire you both to consult with me on my flower plantings.

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #528 on: June 19, 2020, 05:09:07 AM »
Those are popular here, too! Some of the first plants to sell out at the nursery.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #529 on: June 19, 2020, 05:20:38 AM »
Beautiful photos.   I should share some of my garden.

Rosy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #530 on: June 19, 2020, 01:00:36 PM »
This year I planned to seed a ton of different salvias/sages including some rare ones.
Guess how many I actually seeded?

One!:)
This pretty little white salvia - it has been blooming for six weeks now.


I seeded only about five so I could test it in different locations and see how I liked it.
It's a winner in this location - it loves it there and is beginning to spread.

The Day of the Dead skeleton head is actually a small Mexican Chiminea - open in the back.
I used it at Halloween with a candle inside.
The plan is to build a column and place it by the entry to our "party central" area of the garden.

@horsepoor - I just love your garden all those drifts of flowers and grasses - very well done:). I tried two grasses for the first time this year, from seed, a Swedish "blue" wheatgrass - it is actually turning blue as we speak, but I can already tell that it is not my thing, doesn't work in my garden at all.
The other one is the cutest looking white "Bunny Grass" - I killed it all somehow.
No more of that ...

I'm envying you the false orange - I ordered an old fashioned variety online, but it is only limping along growing slowly. It has nodding leaves and flowers and my only two blooms were positively uninspiring.
I am not quite sure what the problem is.

Nevertheless, the garden and the house:) smells wonderful at present since the Jasmine Tree is in bloom.
It blooms off and on all year long.
This year I moved an old rocking loveseat under it. That thing is super comfy.


Here is a shot showing the wild Elderberries with the light green leaves in the back.
They mostly live in the ditch, but the county crew came through last week and chopped down everything but these two.
The frogs make a huge racket at night:).

You can see the Banana is adding another leaf - at the rate of two a week, this baby should be pretty big by August.

... and while I'm at it - Florida is the bug capital of the world after all - from this morning:
A little green one visiting the Cosmos.


Lubbers (Grasshoppers) - I hope it is not killing my Cosmos, they certainly cut razor-blade-like through the leaves of my bulbs, the little buggers.


Yes, I am a plant geek too and love my garden.
The lockdown has renewed my interest in photography so it will be fun to track how year one of the new garden area fares.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #531 on: June 19, 2020, 01:58:22 PM »
I hope you like Calde verde - a collards and potato soup with spicy Portuguese sausage!

I looked up that dish and saw a bunch of recipes that looked really good. Can’t wait to try one. Thanks for the recommendation FL...I had never heard of that soup. And I love spicy food too.

I have been really enjoying some kale/collard based meals of late. Just recently I became aware how truly amazing these can be when sliced “chiffonade” style. I made a coconut curry with some finely shredded collards and just slightly large kale slices a few nights ago and it blew my mind.

Are you talking about the variety of yellow cherry tomatoes?

Boom. (Pic from last year...at least a month to go before I pick my first of the season this year) A very striking yellow-orange,


Tough to say what has the edge in terms of garden “candy” between sweet sungolds or sugar snap peas...but I’m content to call it a tie.

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #532 on: June 19, 2020, 02:05:04 PM »
I'm growing ground cherries this year for the first time and have been absolutely delighted. I think I might try for even more next year.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #533 on: June 19, 2020, 04:08:25 PM »
Tough to say what has the edge in terms of garden “candy” between sweet sungolds or sugar snap peas...but I’m content to call it a tie.

Yes!  These are my two favorite snacking items in the garden,  YUMMMMMM.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #534 on: June 22, 2020, 11:13:02 AM »
Stunning @horsepoor! Love seeing the pictures. Those tomatoes look delicious.

Here's more subtropical zone 9B, should have fresh pineapple and starfruit soon. Banana is putting out the "flag leaf" signaling a new rack of fruit will soon form.



MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #535 on: June 22, 2020, 01:27:53 PM »
That’s downright dreamy!

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #536 on: June 22, 2020, 01:44:55 PM »
I got all my taters and tomadders into the ground.  My garden at my Dad's farm is going to be a super weedy patch so am modifying my no-till approach for this season. 

I am using a combination of weed barriers and mulch. There is so much twitch grass, I am going to keep some areas uncovered and closely mow it with the weed trimmer and then rototill with a small rototillor as often as I can this summer. Hopefully I can keep on top of it so that next year I can plant it more intensely and reduce the weed pressure with good cover.

I have six rows of potatoes - about 10 different types, 8 collected from last season and 2 bags of seed potatoes. It was half a bushel at least.  This could be way too many for our family of four.  26 tomatoes. half are roma-type. 10 hills of cukes and squash of different types.  They are all doing well. But man, we need some rain.

I was hoping to plant two packages of beet seed for pickling beets and winter storage and all the black bean seeds, but with the weeds, I don't think I can beat the weeds. I still might go out on Wednesday morning and see what I can pull off!  I really don't want to do without beets and black beans.

City garden is coming along fine.  It is so nice to have a fresh salad with basil, cilantro, parsely, onion, radish, lettuce, radicchio, kale flowers, asparagus, spinach and mustard greens.  DH said:  this tastes like a salad you would get at a fancy restaurant.  I just about burst.  Makes it all worthwhile, and my garden nurtures me so much.

I just love the photos of those beautiful plants and cool insects.  I am a proud garden nerd. 

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #537 on: June 24, 2020, 12:12:01 PM »
Sounds like an amazing undertaking @Frugal Lizard, planting two full gardens!
Makes it all worthwhile, and my garden nurtures me so much.
Well said :)

Does anyone grow turmeric or ginger? Turmeric is blooming here, have to figure out harvesting.


Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #538 on: June 24, 2020, 02:27:39 PM »
thanks @Roots&Wings

We had rain off and on all day yesterday.  So needed.


MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #539 on: June 24, 2020, 02:29:10 PM »
I never knew what turmeric looked like blooming! It’s lovely!


Punk pups have been eating all my ground cherries. Looks like we’ll get our first squash sometime next week.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #540 on: June 24, 2020, 04:26:15 PM »
Sounds like an amazing undertaking @Frugal Lizard, planting two full gardens!
Makes it all worthwhile, and my garden nurtures me so much.
Well said :)

Does anyone grow turmeric or ginger? Turmeric is blooming here, have to figure out harvesting.



I grow turmeric in pots, and we planted ginger this year (pots and in the ground near the downspout)

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #541 on: June 25, 2020, 06:35:23 AM »
Beautiful plants.

Roots&Wings

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #542 on: June 25, 2020, 10:15:55 AM »
I grow turmeric in pots, and we planted ginger this year (pots and in the ground near the downspout)
From what I've read, you can start harvesting in year 2, will see how it goes! There's a large patch of some type of ginger here that gets a small pink flower (below), the roots are quite fragrant. If anyone recognizes the variety, would love to know (plant ID apps are coming up short).


Punk pups have been eating all my ground cherries.

I did a double take on this, hope you're able to get some before the next raid!
« Last Edit: June 25, 2020, 10:44:54 AM by Roots&Wings »

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #543 on: June 25, 2020, 10:32:23 AM »
I moved the pots to the patio table so they couldn’t reach them, much to their dismay.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #544 on: June 26, 2020, 10:05:51 AM »
Last night we had some steamed green orca beans for supper.  I have never ever harvested beans this early.  There weren't a lot ready yet and usually peas are first.  I pre-germinated them in a plug tray because we had a super cold week in May - with snow and everything.  It worked out really well - mostly by luck.  But am I ever feeling like a gardening master.

We have been having super salads about as much as we want.  I am continuing to give away a lot of the harvest - first to the homeowners where the garden is located.  Since they are not gardeners, I pick stuff and drop it at their front door (or else it gets overripe).  And to other neighbours who live alone, and might not want to buy a whole container of arugula or spinach, but are delighted with a handful of freshly picked greens.

Now hive:  what do you do with garlic scapes?  I probably let them get too far along.  I have been using one or three in my cooking as I have no garlic cloves at the moment.  I have a lot.

MudPuppy

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #545 on: June 26, 2020, 01:13:06 PM »
I sautee them in my asparagus or green beans for extra flavor

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #546 on: June 26, 2020, 01:59:52 PM »
Now hive:  what do you do with garlic scapes? 

I have pickled them.  Tasty. 

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #547 on: June 26, 2020, 03:18:44 PM »
Now hive:  what do you do with garlic scapes? 

I have pickled them.  Tasty.

Very timely topic as I just cut off a few dozen of these literally an hour ago. But as someone who has never pickled - and I’m really not set up for it where I am - any other slam dunk ways to use it up? Worth freezing?

In other news...the produce avalanche has truly begun over here on the left coast. Wouldn’t know where to properly begin to illustrate this fact...but my sugar snap peas, which were once 9 feet tall are now 6ft as they collapsed on themselves from the weight of the pea mass - a bit of rain didn’t help nor my cutting of a few corners when I built their support structure. I worry that the remaking peas won’t get the proper nourishment now that the stalks/vines are so creased.

😐



Yet another learning moment for me in what seems to be a never ending series of learning moments.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2020, 03:29:25 PM by Jon_Snow »

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #548 on: June 27, 2020, 05:49:49 AM »
What happened @Jon_Snow?   

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #549 on: June 27, 2020, 12:12:12 PM »
What happened @Jon_Snow?

Oh, I guess I didn’t whine in as coherent a manner as possible a few posts up. 😉

The top third of my peas decided to detach from the trellis sturcture and are now flopped forward on themselves....pinching their vines (as pictured a few posts back). A 1st-world gardening problem to be sure....and most everything is doing wonderfully, even my hot peppers are coming along despite a cooler start to Summer than we have been used to in recent years. I’m thinking of putting my tomatoes under plastic  to help speed the ripening process. I guess I could just got with the tried and true green fried tomatoes for now. 🙂

Zucchini is now reaching the stage where I will have to step up efforts to either use it in a lot of meals, shred it up and freeze it for future use, or give it away. Actually, in regards to the latter, I’ve got four households who have been taking my excess produce. I sensed some relief when I told the various parties that the spinach pipeline has now ended, lol. Because my garden has never been bigger than this year - thanks pandemic - I need to top up my 3000 gallon water tank today. Even though it hasn’t been hot enough to require a ton of watering I’m already down approximately 25% in the tank. So I’ll set up my Honda gas-pump and siphon water from our underground wells and into the tank, which is about 12 feet above the garden grade - to allow for gravity water flow...as my garden is off-grid and literally in the middle of a forest clearing.

Probably time for some updated pics.....