Gardening: (2016– )

[dcarch]

I got Corona!!!

 

With this pandemic, protein availability can be very uncertain. I decided that I need to grow a lot more beans. Of course, if you grow beans, you have to grow Royal Corona beans, right? Corona is the king, big in size and big in taste. Mine Corona beans are blossoming! Pretty?

 

 

Corona, come meet the Emperor

 

Speaking of pretty,  Scarlet Emperor, should be named Scarlet Empress. It is the queen in looks and in taste. I also am growing lots of Scarlet Emperor beans. 

 

 

dcarch

Edited June 25, 2020 by dcarch (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

If your beans become diseased it might be corona virus.

 

[dcarch]

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

If your beans become diseased it might be corona virus.

 

 

That would be a Royal pain, LOL!

 

dcarch

[Shelby]

Scout decided a couple months ago that she and I must get up around 5:30 or 6 every morning and play endless amounts of ball outside.  So,  I roll out of bed, wad my hair up on top of my head and comply.  I'm going to need rotator cuff surgery soon lol.  Anyway, after about an hour of ball we trundle down to the garden and she rests 🙄 while I weed etc.  Took a few pictures this morning....

 

 

 

 

We planted these tomatoes several weeks after the others.  

 

 

 

[rotuts]

this works well @ 6 AM or earlier 

 

esp near the garden   they seem to have changed a lot since my last one

 

circa 2000 :

 

https://www.amazon.com/Chuckit-Classic-Launcher-Thrower-Assorted/dp/B00006IX59

 

make sure you get the Tennis-Ball size 

Edited June 25, 2020 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

N.B.:

 

"""   Launch muddy & slimy balls while keeping your hands clean. ""

 

esp. effective w DogDrool Slime !

[gfweb]

On 6/18/2020 at 6:29 PM, KennethT said:

Basil #2 has sprouted!  Damn - you can't kill those things!

 

I recall an article a few years ago that said Jefferson had a field of mustard at Monticello...gone x centuries.  They plowed the filed for the first time in ages and up sprouted Jefferson's ancient mustard.

[Shelby]

We had a lone carrot come up in the back garden--we let it go to seed...maybe there will be a lot of carrots next year.  I think it's really pretty.

 

Does anyone know what this is?  It came up voluntarily....I can't remember ever planting anything that looks like this.  It kind of reminds me of an eggplant, but the flowers aren't quite right..and they are white, not purple.

 

 

 

Been digging lots of taters

 

Edited June 26, 2020 by Shelby (log)

[kayb]

I have two eggplants!

 

 

I am quite excited. Never grew eggplants before.

 

I also have a host of green tomatoes, but no signs of color yet.

[Paul Bacino]

 

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[Shelby]

Wow!  Paul!!!  Gorgeous garden!

[chromedome]

Nice. That's where I'll be by about Labour Day.

[heidih]

@Paul Bacino  Beautiful!  Not too many holes in the crucifers. I always laugh when people tell their kids "look  at the pretty white butterfly" - NO  What I am in love with though are your conifers. Gorgeous. Those cabbages are huggable.

[kayb]

@Paul Bacino -- gorgeous. I'm already plotting where to put another couple of raised beds so I can accommodate a couple more squash vines, some cabbage and some crucifers, which will bear early and which I can then replace with purple hulled peas, which do fine planted in June and harvested in September.

[Paul Bacino]

Harvested these two Beautys

 

[TicTac]

This thread makes me happy.

 

I can use that.

 

Your gardens all look fantastic, I am certainly envious of some of the space you all have (shouldn't say that out loud as I am sure @KennethT will pipe in about space limitations! )

 

So perhaps this is because I started everything from seed this year, and while I have always cared for my plants, I seem to have quite the attachment this year!

 

Over the past few days we have had some high winds, less than a week ago, a large gust came and one of my poor yellow zucchini babies split.  Completely in half - down the stalk...unreal.

 

So in my haze of a mini-freak out, I reached out to my uncle who is my gardening guru; he informed me that zucchini leaves are edible (who woulda thunk it with all those pokey spines!) - so off the leaves went from the half a plant, into the kitchen (they are delicious, btw); I took the mutant Frankenstein zucchini and began my surgery - cleaned all the leaves, and then prepared a new home of heavily soaked starting soil combined with some organic worm castings and planted the wound into the ground.  Well; it's been 4 days now and both the amputee and amputated half are still alive and dare I say, sprouting new leaves! 

 

A have often split plants before to give to friends/family or plant elsewhere, but this gives a new meaning to the method!

 

I need to adapt either the straw method or perhaps the newspaper/cardboard one next year - too much weeding!!!

 

 

 

[gfweb]

The lettuce I planted in March just bolted and the stuff I planted 6 weeks later is right behind them.  Arrgh.

 

Is there some hormone given off by a going-to-seed plant that induces it in others? 

[Okanagancook]

Paul, wonderful gardens.  Lots of good eating there.  I am curious as to why you let your garlic scapes bloom.  I always understood that unless you want to propagate them that way, one should cut the scapes off so the garlic bulb gets to it's potential..not wasting energy on the bloom.

[heidih]

6 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Paul, wonderful gardens.  Lots of good eating there.  I am curious as to why you let your garlic scapes bloom.  I always understood that unless you want to propagate them that way, one should cut the scapes off so the garlic bulb gets to it's potential..not wasting energy on the bloom.

 

6 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

Paul, wonderful gardens.  Lots of good eating there.  I am curious as to why you let your garlic scapes bloom.  I always understood that unless you want to propagate them that way, one should cut the scapes off so the garlic bulb gets to it's potential..not wasting energy on the bloom.

 

But they are beautiful! Sorry to put my foot in it. Yes the energy loss is an issue. Oh and frying them is a,ways a different aooroach.

Edited June 29, 2020 by heidih (log)

[heidih]

Just now, gfweb said:

The lettuce I planted in March just bolted and the stuff I planted 6 weeks later is right behind them.  Arrgh.

 

Is there some hormone given off by a going-to-seed plant that induces it in others? 

Oh they are so much smarter than us mere humans. Read  David Bodanis  "The Secret Garden" 

[kayb]

My garden continues apace. I harvested the two eggplants today. They're the length of my outstretched hand. Two will make a nice meal; not certain yet how they'll be prepared. I've decided I need at least two more 4 x 8 beds, so I can devote one to crucifers and lettuces, radishes and spring onions, to be followed in June by purple hull peas for fall harvest. The other will be to spread out the "viny things." Having been overrun with zucchini and cucumbers before, I went with one plant of each, and it needed to have been at least two; maybe two zucchini and four cucumbers, about the capacity of a 4 x 8 bed. The other can hold the yellow squash (I think I wouldn't mind four of them) and eggplant.

 

I'm also putting in the blueberry and blackberry plants this fall -- three of each, which should supply what I need. OK, maybe four of each. Those will go along the east fence, where they'll get good most-of-the-day sun. I'm thinking the two new beds just in front of one of those rows. Then I'm adding a pear tree and a fig tree, and I'm done. 

 

The yard is very nearly a full acre. But there are two giant oak trees, and a couple of good-sized maples, a very productive apple tree, a big magnolia, a birch and two pecan trees. Lots of shade!

 

Has anyone tried growing morels? It appears one can cultivate them beneath oak trees. So I'm contemplating....this one oak is maybe 60 feet tall, and it would take two adults to reach around its trunk. Nothing grows in a sizeable circle, except some moss. We have a swing hanging from one limb, and a hammock and a couple of lawn chairs, but I'd love to add a morel bed....

[heidih]

47 minutes ago, kayb said:

Has anyone tried growing morels? It appears one can cultivate them beneath oak trees. So I'm contemplating....this one oak is maybe 60 feet tall, and it would take two adults to reach around its trunk. Nothing grows in a sizeable circle, except some moss. We have a swing hanging from one limb, and a hammock and a couple of lawn chairs, but I'd love to add a morel bed....

 

Oh my! Only here. We only grew them when we accidentally imported morel spores in rose bed mulch. Do let us know

[JoNorvelleWalker]

1 hour ago, kayb said:

My garden continues apace. I harvested the two eggplants today. They're the length of my outstretched hand. Two will make a nice meal; not certain yet how they'll be prepared. I've decided I need at least two more 4 x 8 beds, so I can devote one to crucifers and lettuces, radishes and spring onions, to be followed in June by purple hull peas for fall harvest. The other will be to spread out the "viny things." Having been overrun with zucchini and cucumbers before, I went with one plant of each, and it needed to have been at least two; maybe two zucchini and four cucumbers, about the capacity of a 4 x 8 bed. The other can hold the yellow squash (I think I wouldn't mind four of them) and eggplant.

 

I'm also putting in the blueberry and blackberry plants this fall -- three of each, which should supply what I need. OK, maybe four of each. Those will go along the east fence, where they'll get good most-of-the-day sun. I'm thinking the two new beds just in front of one of those rows. Then I'm adding a pear tree and a fig tree, and I'm done. 

 

The yard is very nearly a full acre. But there are two giant oak trees, and a couple of good-sized maples, a very productive apple tree, a big magnolia, a birch and two pecan trees. Lots of shade!

 

Has anyone tried growing morels? It appears one can cultivate them beneath oak trees. So I'm contemplating....this one oak is maybe 60 feet tall, and it would take two adults to reach around its trunk. Nothing grows in a sizeable circle, except some moss. We have a swing hanging from one limb, and a hammock and a couple of lawn chairs, but I'd love to add a morel bed....

 

No, but I found and ate one blueberry just now.

 

[KennethT]

I haven't heard of any successful morel cultivation...

[dcarch]

9 minutes ago, KennethT said:

I haven't heard of any successful morel cultivation...

 

Not sure why we don't do it here in the US.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

 

 

In China