Gardening: 2015-2016

[Tere]

I really like http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm for weight conversions  - 20 lbs is just over 9 kilograms.

[sartoric]

The gardener got quite busy while I was away. 

 

He tells me these are broad beans.

 

These tomatoes are coming along nicely, I asked him what variety, he replied red.

.

 

These are peas.

 

 

One of two prolific birds eye chilli bushes. Fast running out of things to do with them.

 

Our dwarf lemon has fruit.

 

 

The reason for the cages are twofold. They will be used to stake the plants as they grow, and they deter our four legged friends who find the new shoots tasty and also like digging in the soil.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

No pictures to show for it, but I worked outside till after 9:00 pm to get my plants in.  Fortunately it's a day short of a full moon.  This year's vegetables are tomatoes (Mountain Magic) and -- for the first time -- artichokes (Lulu Hybrid).

 

A neighbor walked by and told me how great my plants were every year.  Another neighbor told me she was growing Ramapo.  So jealous.

 

Later on I plan to put in a few okra seeds.  Not that I don't have pickled okra in the refrigerator.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

11 hours ago, DianaB said:

 

Sorry for the delay in answering this, I guess we are in quite different time zones.  Apologies also for my poor explanation earlier.  What I wanted to say was that we can't use the raised beds for potatoes this year.  The bags will sit on concrete. Those we bought from Amazon already have drainage holes but we punched holes into the 'home made' varsity.  We will plant a bag or two every four weeks through to September. As there are only 2 mouths to feed that will see us through until Christmas hopefully.  

 

I'm no expert on imperial measures and haven't looked up what 20 pounds might be  in kilo's but our commercial bags are around 40cm across and 80cm high. Supermarket bags are wider but shallower.

 

The bigger bags mentioned above would no doubt be fine if you have space to house them. 

 

Hope this is clearer!  

 

 

Thank you! That is the answer I was hoping for. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

6 hours ago, Tere said:

I really like http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_common.htm for weight conversions  - 20 lbs is just over 9 kilograms.

 

Yes, and 40 cm x 80 cm is about 16 in x 31-1/2 in, so my cat litter bags should work, although they are not as squared off as @DianaB's linked photo of the commercial product.  I'm relieved I won't have to dig holes to sink them into the ground.

[demiglace]

Wouldn't burlap bags work for growing the bag potatoes? Just stab them here and there?

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@demiglace,Burlap might work for a season, but the natural fiber would rot through pretty quickly in that application, I'd think. You would not need to stab them because of their porous nature, and breaking the fibers would just speed up the decomposition. You would probably have to water them more often than the woven plastic too.

 

cyalexa mentioned that her horse feed now comes in the woven plastic. Back when I was buying horse feed, some kinds, usually plain oats or cracked corn, still came in burlap bags, but not the Purina Omolene products I usually bought, even back then. I remember when potatoes came in burlap. The last time I saw it was in a fancy gift food basket. I don't remember what was in the small bag tied up with a red ribbon, but I remember the cute bag, and it brought back memories.

 

Are you still getting things in burlap? 

[liuzhou]

All you seasoned horticulturists are going to laugh at me, but I don't care.

 

This old man is inordinately proud of the first (and possibly last) fruit to appear on his balcony "Facing Heaven Chili" plant. (Actually I can see a few more coming and have a few flowers.)

 

Don't think it's going to be enough for even one dish of 辣子鸡 (là zi jī) though.

 

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by liuzhou (log)

[demiglace]

2 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

@demiglace,Burlap might work for a season, but the natural fiber would rot through pretty quickly in that application, I'd think. You would not need to stab them because of their porous nature, and breaking the fibers would just speed up the decomposition. You would probably have to water them more often than the woven plastic too.

 

cyalexa mentioned that her horse feed now comes in the woven plastic. Back when I was buying horse feed, some kinds, usually plain oats or cracked corn, still came in burlap bags, but not the Purina Omolene products I usually bought, even back then. I remember when potatoes came in burlap. The last time I saw it was in a fancy gift food basket. I don't remember what was in the small bag tied up with a red ribbon, but I remember the cute bag, and it brought back memories.

 

Are you still getting things in burlap? 

Probably not..living in the past I guess. 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

24 minutes ago, demiglace said:

Probably not..living in the past I guess. 

 

Me too, lady! For me it was a better place. Things move way too fast now, and are too impersonal and just plain crazy.

 

I did dredge up what came in the little burlap bag: roasted and salted pistachios that were delicious.

[HungryChris]

Because I grow Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes,  getting support stakes long enough has been an issue. Garden shops charge too much for ones that are simply inadequate  A few years ago, while at Lowes or Home Depot, a solution occurred to me that I have been using ever since. Do it yourself tomato stakes.

 

I buy 1" X 3" X 8 ' furring strips and rip them in half.

 

They are actually 2 3/8" X 3/4" X 8', so I set the saw at 1 3/16" and rip them down the middle.

 

Then take the guide off the saw and put points on them.

 

These work out to about 75 cents each, around here and will last 3 or 4 seasons and probably much longer if painted..

HC

Edited May 22, 2016 by HungryChris (log)

[Tere]

Final leg of veg plot, for the moment anyway. Just planted 16 strawberry plants "Hanoi" or "Honeyeye", the community garden was unclear. What I actually think I have is "Honeoye"  Also 23 (I put one down by accident in the garden and forgot to pick it up) alpine strawberry plants. Our raised planters are now full! \o/

 

I also planted a couple of wild marjoram and lemon balm plants to start filling in gaps in the herb hedge. 4 more gaps to plug, with possibly a culinary juniper at the end if I can find one locally. 

[ElainaA]

@Tere  I would love to see a picture of your herb hedge.

[Tere]

It's not really that much of a hedge - it was more a way to save the herbs I had growing in the back garden since it's being remodelled. But I'll take some photos of the veggie plot when it stops raining

[Wayne]

 

What a difference a few weeks makes. Nice to see everyone's efforts and results.

 

Here are a few photos from this morning:

One of the garlic beds (and some rhubarb to the right).

 

 

 

This bed clockwise from bottom left: Bok choy, spring onions, mixed Romaine varieties, tarragon, white onions,  Swiss Chard, kale, collards, Black Valentine bush beans and finally 4 Scotch Bonnet pepper plants. The other garlic bed is visible to the left.

 

 

This bed, again from bottom left clockwise: white onions, Tatsoi, Portugese Hot and Cherry Bomb peppers, Thai basil and French breakfast radishes. The tomato cages are useless for tomatoes but great for supporting heavily laden pepper plants.

 

 

Summer squash (cucumbers and yard long beans are also popping out):

 

 

Other beds are looking good as well. Tomorrow I'll be picking up my tomatoes as well as 2 hard to find hot pepper varieties. Most of today's haul: rhubarb jam, radishes and asparagus. A mixed greens 'thinnings' salad and some herbs not shown.

 

 

 

[dcarch]

3 hours ago, HungryChris said:

Because I grow Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes,  getting support stakes long enough has been an issue. A few years ago, while at Lowes or Home Depot, a solution occurred to me that I have been using ever since. Do it yourself tomato stakes.

 

HC

 

 

If you have to drive a tall stake into hard soil, here is a method I came up with:

 

dcarch

 

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Last night I saw a couple strawberries.  Then it got dark.  Today when I went back I noticed something beat me to the nicer one.

[KennethT]

@HungryChris That's pretty cool!  If you find you still need taller stakes (indeterminate tomatoes can grow to be 30 feet long if the season is long enough!) you can do what professional greenhouse growers do and put a heavy stake at each end of the row, then run a cable about 10 feet off the ground from stake to stake.  Then, from the cable, you hang these guys:

http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/supplies/prod1;gs_fasteners_plant_supports_2;pg110013.html

As the tomato plant grows, you clip it to the string.  When the plant gets to be as tall as the cable, you let some string out so the plant leans.  Over time, the majority of the plant will be growing sideways, and only the top 5 feet or so grow up.  As the older leaves yellow and die, just prune them off - but you should get tomatoes along the entire vine.

[dcarch]

38 minutes ago, KennethT said:

@HungryChris That's pretty cool!  If you find you still need taller stakes (indeterminate tomatoes can grow to be 30 feet long if the season is long enough!) you can do what professional greenhouse growers do and put a heavy stake at each end of the row, then run a cable about 10 feet off the ground from stake to stake.  Then, from the cable, you hang these guys:

http://www.growerssupply.com/farm/supplies/prod1;gs_fasteners_plant_supports_2;pg110013.html

As the tomato plant grows, you clip it to the string.  When the plant gets to be as tall as the cable, you let some string out so the plant leans.  Over time, the majority of the plant will be growing sideways, and only the top 5 feet or so grow up.  As the older leaves yellow and die, just prune them off - but you should get tomatoes along the entire vine.

 

I have a system that is different, but similar in concept. "invisible stakes"

I will post pictures when i am freed up.

 

dcarch

[Shelby]

Just got back inside.  Planted 40 or so tomato plants to replace the ones that died.  If these die then I give up.  Also put a bunch of different pepper plants in, some eggplant and replaced some brussels sprouts plants that the rabbits got.

 

All I do is weed, dig holes and re-plant. 

 

I'll take some pictures after a few days.  Actually I should take them now before everything dies again lol.

 

 

The lettuce and onions look great.  I have little cucumbers on.  Collard greens are good.  Okra looks good.  

[Paul Bacino]

Picked some Spring onions yesterday.  Some were getting a flower head.

 

Check this meat out in the flower stalk..

 

 

 

[Toliver]

On 5/21/2016 at 5:09 PM, sartoric said:

One of two prolific birds eye chilli bushes. Fast running out of things to do with them.

 

My brother dries his abundant harvest of chiles. He then uses a dedicated spice grinder to grind the peppers into flakes/powder. Every Christmas, he and his wife gift small shaker jars of the chile flakes to family members and friends who enjoy the spicier things in life.  Just a suggestion...!

[Tere]

Cornflower, zinnia, aster and cosmos definitely up. Might have one sunflower and one sweet pea so far. Veg wise the raab is going bananas, we also have rocket, mixed salad and the spinach beet is definitely sprouting.
All three oka have now sprouted and the rhubarb is looking happier, what a difference a couple of days makes!

 

 

[Tere]

Some pics for ElaineA:

 

My wood store - at the front I am going to plant a patch of apple mint, since mint is a thug and needs corralling, and that's a wasted space.

 

 

The herb "hedge" I mentioned - 4 thyme of two different sorts, two prostrate rosemary, two upright rosemary, a lonesome variegated sage, two lemon balm, two wild marjoram, plus some gaps... the leaf bark is standing to attention for when I plug the gaps, this weekend hopefully!

 

 

The mentioned apple mint from the local community garden

 

 

Dogwood for a hedge but more interestingly three aronia (chokeberry) bushes to plant out. They are thugs apparently so they are getting a triangle to themselves the other side of the veg plot.

 

 

My berry patch - blueberries, which are persevering, cranberries, which are spreading, tiny little whimberry bushes which were a major rip off but 5 out of the 6 are surviving being the preferred cat toilet. The lingonberries are thriving the best. Fingers crossed for the rest. The soil should be perfect so it's just if they establish.

 

 

Photo of the happy lingonberries - looks like I might have fruit this year!

 

 

Squash and courgette planters - nothing to see yet

 

 

General garden shot with fruit cage at the back. Flower border right at front, two veg beds, asparagus bed and rhubarb creche, fruit cage. Other fruit trees fan trained against the cart barn. Tomatoes and saffron.

 

 

Progress shots - raab and the first year of asparagus (hence not harvested). Looking good!

 

[kayb]

Beautiful, Tere.

 

A few of my bunny-butchered green beans sprouted some more leaves, but the damn rabbits ate them, too. Going tomorrow to get some "liquid fence" rabbit repellent and some more seed; I still have plenty of time to plant a later crop of beans when it dries up from the 5 inches of rain we got today. Hoping the garden hasn't washed completely away (it was still raining a little while ago).

 

Before the deluge, I was up to 10 small Romas on my plants, as well as the two Park Whopper hybrids and four or five yellow cherry tomatoes. Nothing yet on the Bradleys, the other hybrid (I forget its name), or the red grape tomato. Yellow squash, zucchini and cucumbers are growing vigorously, but no blooms yet. Herb garden is thriving. Pictures when it dries out.