Gardening: 2016 (midyear)

[HungryChris]

This morning was the first time in more than a month that I was able to get out in the garden and weed on my hands and knees. Some of those weeds were as big around as my thumb and tall as a large dog. It wasn't pretty. In the recent past, I was afraid to weed my shishito peppers because I couldn't see well enough to pick them out from the competition. I had pretty much given them up as lost, but much to my amazement, I found 5 out of 6. As I found each one, I promised them that prison conditions would improve. I would see to it that there was more and better food, they would get more fresh air and sunshine. The 4 pepper plants that had also been showered with neglect, and treated to conditions akin to waterboarding, while still in their seed tray were given a similar pep talk. I told them I would find homes for them all and their lives would improve dramatically. They seemed pretty unimpressed, but I am a man of my word. The commissioner has seen the light, so to speak.

 

 

 

 

The tomatoes have been troopers through the hard times and are about to start rolling them in.

HC

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2016 by HungryChris (log)

[huiray]

23 hours ago, Wayne said:

 

I agree with you that they're best picked 4-6 inches long (as were these) and checking the plants first thing in the morning and again in the early evening. I've got two plants and that gives me plenty of steady production for immediate consumption and making pickles that will hopefully last until next season. This morning's flowers ended up in an omelette.

That said some get missed as I'm not about to give up any fishing time just to watch the zucchini grow .

 

 

Heh. 

 

The ones you show (in your pickage picture) are young Costata Romanesco, I think?

[Wayne]

20 minutes ago, huiray said:

 

Heh. 

 

The ones you show (in your pickage picture) are young Costata Romanesco, I think?

 

The squash in the pickage photo are cocozelle zucchini. They look very similar to costata romanesco. The defining difference is the costata have prominent lengthwise ribs and the cocozelle are smooth otherwise the colouration and shape are very similar.

I have to admit these are the best tasting summer squash I've ever grown and are a keeper.

 

[huiray]

51 minutes ago, Wayne said:

 

The squash in the pickage photo are cocozelle zucchini. They look very similar to costata romanesco. The defining difference is the costata have prominent lengthwise ribs and the cocozelle are smooth otherwise the colouration and shape are very similar.

I have to admit these are the best tasting summer squash I've ever grown and are a keeper.

 

Ah, thanks.

I've seen young/juvenile romanesco with barely developed ridges - not dissimilar to where they show up as just the slight ridges at the heads in your photo of them. But then again, maybe they were cocozelle instead...  Thanks again. Yes, they're lovely squashes, fine tasting and with "creamy" flesh.

[djyee100]

6 hours ago, HungryChris said:

Some of those weeds were as big around as my thumb and tall as a large dog. It wasn't pretty...I promised them that prison conditions would improve...

 

LOL. I can relate.

 

The Genovese basil plants I bought in May weren't doing that well, so I've acquired some new basil plants in the past couple weeks. Gotta be ready for tomatoes in August. I'm also reading Susan Herrmann Loomis' In A French Kitchen, which has a number of recipes I want to cook, and they require tarragon. So I bought a tarragon plant too. Any excuse to buy a new plant.

 

 

Left to right: tarragon, then a bunch of basils: Marseilles, Spicy Globe, Herbalea 'Wild Magic', Thai Siam Queen (2 of 'em), Genovese (also 2 of 'em). The flashy purple basil with the pink flowers, 'Wild Magic', is a new hybrid for growing in cooler climates. That seems to be true, because my microclimate is fine for basil, and this basil is struggling a bit from the heat. A friend lives in a cool microclimate in the Bay Area, always has trouble growing basil, and I've recommended this variety to him.

　

Now that I've taken the pic, I plan to trim the flowers off the basils. I prefer that the plants put their energy into edible leaves, not blooms.

　

Other herbs got clipped for lunch yesterday. I tried a recipe for chicken salad that appeared in the NY Times last week. My streamlined version: leftover roast chicken, mayonnaise, a dab of dijon mustard, scallions, celery, toasted walnuts; from the garden, tarragon, chives, and parsley. It was a tasty change from my usual chicken salad. Original recipe here:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018211-best-chicken-salad

[Okanagancook]

Jack soup, I see a lot of cucumbers.  Last year I was in the same situation.  I peeled and grated them and later used them to make gaspatcho.  Excellent results.

[Shelby]

2 hours ago, djyee100 said:

 

LOL. I can relate.

 

The Genovese basil plants I bought in May weren't doing that well, so I've acquired some new basil plants in the past couple weeks. Gotta be ready for tomatoes in August. I'm also reading Susan Herrmann Loomis' In A French Kitchen, which has a number of recipes I want to cook, and they require tarragon. So I bought a tarragon plant too. Any excuse to buy a new plant.

 

 

Left to right: tarragon, then a bunch of basils: Marseilles, Spicy Globe, Herbalea 'Wild Magic', Thai Siam Queen (2 of 'em), Genovese (also 2 of 'em). The flashy purple basil with the pink flowers, 'Wild Magic', is a new hybrid for growing in cooler climates. That seems to be true, because my microclimate is fine for basil, and this basil is struggling a bit from the heat. A friend lives in a cool microclimate in the Bay Area, always has trouble growing basil, and I've recommended this variety to him.

　

Now that I've taken the pic, I plan to trim the flowers off the basils. I prefer that the plants put their energy into edible leaves, not blooms.

　

Other herbs got clipped for lunch yesterday. I tried a recipe for chicken salad that appeared in the NY Times last week. My streamlined version: leftover roast chicken, mayonnaise, a dab of dijon mustard, scallions, celery, toasted walnuts; from the garden, tarragon, chives, and parsley. It was a tasty change from my usual chicken salad. Original recipe here:

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018211-best-chicken-salad

I'm SO jealous of your basil.  I've lost my damn mind.  I didn't even buy any basil to plant this year.  I'll enjoy your pictures   

[Jacksoup]

@Shelby here's trimmings from the basil for tonight's dinner.  We have 12 plants and my plan is to make lots of pesto and freeze it.  Behind the basil is the plum torte I made today.  Not pictured is the plum chutney( very good) and the plums currently dehydrating. Oh and the two more bags of plums.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Jacksoup
Spelling (log)

[Shelby]

I finally feel brave enough to post some hail pictures from June and then post some pictures that I took today of the same plants.  Truly, I can't get over how great they came back.

 

The poor corn.  This was after gently lifting each piece of green out of the mud that it was pounded in to.

 

 

Now look at that Silver Queen go

 

 

(excuse the weeds, please, the bastards are bad this year)

 

I guess the onions don't look so bad in this picture, but trust me, the greens had tons of holes in them.

 

 

Zuke plant after hail--look at those poor leaves  

 

 

Same plant today

 

 

This was the worse tomato plant.  To add insult to injury, if you look close you can see one of those damn nasty green horn worms munching away.

 

 

Same plant today.  Ok, so he's not huge or anything but he's sure trying.

 

 

Anyway, so you get the gist.  

 

Here are more pictures from today.

 

I think we still have about 50 'maters.  Still working on getting fences around them.  We ran out of posts so gotta go get some more.

 

 

Peppers

 

 

Eggplant

 

 

Okra 

 

Cukes

 

 

These guys grew FAST.  The one on the far left was just a baby yesterday.....now he's a big guy.  The one second from the left is kinda different....two zukes fused together.

 

 

Let the squash eating begin  

 

 

 

[kayb]

Yay, Shelby! So happy for your comeback!

 

[ElainaA]

Shelby that's wonderful. I credit your green thumb waving over that garden. 

[Wayne]

@Shelby

Sometimes it's amazing how nature can bounce back from a major setback.

Your plants look very healthy (especially that eggplant). Good luck for the remainder of the season.

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

On July 14, 2016 at 3:32 PM, Anna N said:

@HungryChris

 

Sara Moulton has a recipe for grated zucchini sauteed with some chopped onion and seasoned with lemon zest and thyme which is a revelation. 

 I know this is the gardening thread and not the cooking thread but I see many zucchinis amongst the daily pickage so I thought I'd pop in to offer an enthusiastic two thumbs up and add a link to the recipe which also appears in Sara Moulton's book Home Cooking 101.  

The recipe says to grate the zucchini with a food processor or box grater.  I had neither available so I julienned them with a knife but I think it would also adapt perfectly to spiralized zukes or other tender-skinned summer squashes.

As I mentioned over in the breakfast thread, the salting/draining step concentrates flavor and removes enough water that the squash retains a nice crunch but doesn't get watery at all after cooking. Since I am in fridge clean-out mode, I was tempted to throw in kalamata olives, feta, roasted tomatoes, whatever but I suspect the simple seasonings of lemon, thyme and sautéed onion are probably all this dish needs.  Good stuff!

[Jacksoup]

Today's pickage.  Cukes, sweet banana peppers, sweet Italian peppers(that's what the tag said @Thanks for the Crepes) oregano and basil.  I need to stay on top of the basil and de-head the flowers.

Edited July 19, 2016 by Jacksoup
To add photo (log)

[ChocoMom]

YAY Shelby! So happy your plants made a comeback!    I just experienced some great success with my sweet potatoes. I had posted earlier that some survived the transplant...but I've found even more, and wow are they going!  

Weeded 90+ feet of green/yellow beans yesterday.  And even found a few blossoms on the beans, tomatoes, squashies ,and some other mystery plant.   I can't wait to fire up the rototiller again and make way for more goodies!!!! 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@Shelby,

 

It's so great to see your garden bouncing back from the pounding it took. I'm sending best wishes for optimum growing conditions in your corner of Kansas for the rest of the season.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

One nice tomato.  Four with blossom end rot.

 

Plus I saw something dreaded.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

@JoNorvelleWalker,

 

Congrats on the one good tomato! Condolences on the blossom end rot and the unmentionable.

[Jacksoup]

@JoNorvelleWalker. We are seeing some end rot too. Don't know how to prevent it.  Any suggestions?  Most of our tomatoes are just starting to turn red. 

[HungryChris]

We have had one or two in salads, but there is really only one way to celebrate FTD (first tomato day) and that is with a proper tomato sandwich. The zucchini chip pickles help, but only a little.

HC

[ElainaA]

@Jacksoup  @JoNorvelleWalker  Blossom end rot is a physiological issue - it usually is related to issues with watering and a lack of calcium.  The Cornell Ag. school site - vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu - has , as always, good information. The recommendations are ensuring steady levels of water, not cultivating so close to the plant that you damage roots and using a high superphosphate, low nitrogen fertilizer (such as 4-12-4).

I hope this helps. It is alway painful to bring the plants along and then lose the fruit. I'm getting cat-facing in some of my tomatoes. Not much that can be done about that.

[shain]

My tomatoes are doing OK. Some are heaving some hard time with the heat.

 

This is the biggest of my plants, it sprouted by itself, and now trying to climb onto the roof (that's about 2.5 meters). 
I should probably thank my tomato loving cat for planting and fertilizing it... 
This picture doesn't do it justice, since there is another branch of similar size to the right of the picture.

I'm not sure why it grow so much bigger then the rest, but I believe it's because of the shade from the wall behind it.

 

And some smaller plants.

 

I need to be on the look for those caterpillars. It's always best to get them before they hatch.

I have much dislike for ants, since they farm aphids all over the place (it's amazing how many different types they manage to co-exist with!); but for tomatoes ants are a friend, since they pick the eggs and larva.

 

Also, first harvest of prickly pears. Iv'e picked a bucketful last Sunday. Plentiful yield this year, but only so many thorns (Iv'e just now learned they should be called glochids) I'm willing to remove. 

[kayb]

11 hours ago, Jacksoup said:

@JoNorvelleWalker. We are seeing some end rot too. Don't know how to prevent it.  Any suggestions?  Most of our tomatoes are just starting to turn red. 

 

5 hours ago, ElainaA said:

@Jacksoup  @JoNorvelleWalker  Blossom end rot is a physiological issue - it usually is related to issues with watering and a lack of calcium.  The Cornell Ag. school site - vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu - has , as always, good information. The recommendations are ensuring steady levels of water, not cultivating so close to the plant that you damage roots and using a high superphosphate, low nitrogen fertilizer (such as 4-12-4).

I hope this helps. It is alway painful to bring the plants along and then lose the fruit. I'm getting cat-facing in some of my tomatoes. Not much that can be done about that.

 

I'm having some blossom end rot on my Romas. A friend who grows tomatoes tells me a good remedy is a mixture of 1 cup Epsom salts to a gallon of water, and dispensed among the plants. Picked up Epsom salts today and will try that tomorrow. 

 

The Romas and the cherry and grape tomatoes are bearing nicely; my hybrids have almost quit, and the Bradleys are producing small tomatoes, but they're very tasty.

 

This is about a week's worth of tomato pickage:

 

I made three half-pints of tomato sauce with them yesterday.

 

 

[ChocoMom]

Well, I was working in the garden, and my daughter let the horse out to graze. All was well and fine, as Whinny decided to do a little weed control at the edge of the garden. But then, Miss Naughty Horsey decided to tap dance across the garden and conduct her weed control on the other side. My poor carrots and Table King Acorn squashies got trampled.  Bad horsey. 

Edited July 19, 2016 by ChocoMom
sp (log)

[ElainaA]

@ChocoMom  That's a BIG garden! Can you get away with out a fence there? If I did that all I would grow would be food for the bunnies, woodchucks, coons and deer. Is the brown patch in the front solarized? I've thought of trying that but never have.