Gardening: (2016– )

[KennethT]

 

My first chilli pepper!!!

[FauxPas]

16 hours ago, KennethT said:

My first chilli pepper!!!

 

Oooh, I feel the joy as well! Nothing like the first fruit on a plant and a very special plant in this case, right? 🙂

 

[KennethT]

6 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

 

Oooh, I feel the joy as well! Nothing like the first fruit on a plant and a very special plant in this case, right? 🙂

 

Yeah - I tried growing this variety about a half year ago but I couldn't get the flowers to set.  I'm not sure if it was too cool by the window (it was late fall/winter), if I wasn't pollinating them correctly (the only experience I have is with tomato), if there wasn't enough light or if I didn't use a strong enough bloom nutrient strength.  Any or all of those could have been factors.  Hopefully I'll have a lot more soon - not much you can do with one chilli!!

[YvetteMT]

It finally quit raining so i spent time thinning the raspberries and since i was out there anyway-

Rosemary bush from Costco of all places. (With marigolds that I don't think really deter deer, but I try). There are also 2 basil plants and one oregano planted nearby.  Decided I was going to do herbs instead of vegetables this year.  I have a lovely chive near my strawberries and can't find another to go in this trough with the other herbs)

 

this is a lilac bush with the darkest purple flowers.  A gift from my bestie

 

Strawberry with marigolds in their bed-

 

 

and flowers from one of the haskap bushes.  Id have sworn one was dead but she made it.  No clue if I'll get berries, each variety requires a different one for pollination and while I have 3 that will pollinate one another, that slow starter hasn't produced flowers yet.

 

[FauxPas]

22 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

It finally quit raining so i spent time thinning the raspberries and since i was out there anyway-

Rosemary bush from Costco of all places. (With marigolds that I don't think really deter deer, but I try). There are also 2 basil plants and one oregano planted nearby.  Decided I was going to do herbs instead of vegetables this year.  I have a lovely chive near my strawberries and can't find another to go in this trough with the other herbs)

 

A gardening friend came over the other day and I noticed her arms were all scratched up - I know she doesn't have a cat so I asked "Raspberries?" Yup.  🙂  (But you look better prepared with those heavy gloves!)

 

Your garden looks so tidy and well-prepared! Your weather must have warmed up a lot to put basil out. 

 

The Costco Garden Centre here is usually very good, we often buy things there. For several years, we have bought fuchsia hanging baskets from them - only $19.99 for big, healthy ones, an excellent price for our part of the world. Here's one from last year, this year's haven't really bloomed too much yet. 

 

 

I have a few baskets with strawberries. They are a few years old and wasn't sure how they would come back but they are off to a pretty good start this Spring. 

 

 

 

[chromedome]

3 hours ago, YvetteMT said:

It finally quit raining so i spent time thinning the raspberries and since i was out there anyway-

Rosemary bush from Costco of all places. (With marigolds that I don't think really deter deer, but I try). There are also 2 basil plants and one oregano planted nearby.  Decided I was going to do herbs instead of vegetables this year.  I have a lovely chive near my strawberries and can't find another to go in this trough with the other herbs)

 

In my experience, if you have one established clump of chives you won't need another.

 

My original inch-diameter plug of chives from about three summers ago is now... I dunno, an easy 18 inches in diameter, and that's not counting the second clump that magically materialized nearby (has to be self-seeded, because I surely didn't plant more). It provides me with lavish quantities of chives all year, despite the grandkids having my blanket permission to enjoy a few whenever they choose.

If the existing chive plant is near your berries as a bug deterrent, you can separate a few of the stems at the root and move them into your main herb bed. Within a couple of years that spot will be pretty big as well. 

 

Speaking of the grandkids, grandson was out helping me weed a couple of days ago when he spotted the curly kale that I'd overwintered. His eyes lit right up (as I've mentioned before, he's inordinately fond of kale) and he had to have a leaf right there and then. I promised him we'd have some with our dinner last night, so that's our first serving of veg from the garden for the season. It wasn't much, but it was at least symbolic.

[YvetteMT]

2 hours ago, FauxPas said:

 

A gardening friend came over the other day and I noticed her arms were all scratched up - I know she doesn't have a cat so I asked "Raspberries?" Yup.  🙂  (But you look better prepared with those heavy gloves!)

 

Your garden looks so tidy and well-prepared! Your weather must have warmed up a lot to put basil out. 

 

The Costco Garden Centre here is usually very good, we often buy things there. For several years, we have bought fuchsia hanging baskets from them - only $19.99 for big, healthy ones, an excellent price for our part of the world. Here's one from last year, this year's haven't really bloomed too much yet. 

 

 

I have a few baskets with strawberries. They are a few years old and wasn't sure how they would come back but they are off to a pretty good start this Spring. 

 

 

 

Your hanging basket is beautiful!

I may have been overzealous on planting that basil, one is Not Happy. Not dead,but. Last weekend was gorgeous (when i planted) and this entire week has rained and cooled way off- snow just a few miles from us. We got in the 30s one night, above freezing but I should have covered the herbs at least.  Was an unexpected drop in temps for the entire week. 

My strawberries get no special winter treatment, I don't even put straw on them, and they do well.

9 minutes ago, chromedome said:

In my experience, if you have one established clump of chives you won't need another.

 

My original inch-diameter plug of chives from about three summers ago is now... I dunno, an easy 18 inches in diameter, and that's not counting the second clump that magically materialized nearby (has to be self-seeded, because I surely didn't plant more). It provides me with lavish quantities of chives all year, despite the grandkids having my blanket permission to enjoy a few whenever they choose.

If the existing chive plant is near your berries as a bug deterrent, you can separate a few of the stems at the root and move them into your main herb bed. Within a couple of years that spot will be pretty big as well. 

 

Speaking of the grandkids, grandson was out helping me weed a couple of days ago when he spotted the curly kale that I'd overwintered. His eyes lit right up (as I've mentioned before, he's inordinately fond of kale) and he had to have a leaf right there and then. I promised him we'd have some with our dinner last night, so that's our first serving of veg from the garden for the season. It wasn't much, but it was at least symbolic.

Great news on moving my chives, thank you!  And yes, it was originally for bug control. It's in a pot so I'll tease some out. I haven't done anything with the blossoms as i love watching the bees congregate on them, hopefully starting a second means I'll steal some blossoms for vinegar. 

[chromedome]

4 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

Your hanging basket is beautiful!

I may have been overzealous on planting that basil, one is Not Happy. Not dead,but. Last weekend was gorgeous (when i planted) and this entire week has rained and cooled way off- snow just a few miles from us. We got in the 30s one night, above freezing but I should have covered the herbs at least.  Was an unexpected drop in temps for the entire week. 

My strawberries get no special winter treatment, I don't even put straw on them, and they do well.

Great news on moving my chives, thank you!  And yes, it was originally for bug control. It's in a pot so I'll tease some out. I haven't done anything with the blossoms as i love watching the bees congregate on them, hopefully starting a second means I'll steal some blossoms for vinegar. 

Yeah, after a couple of years you'll have all the blossoms you need and still plenty of chives. Our grandkids pick them just because they think they're pretty in a vase, but they also like to pluck the little individual... blossoms? petals?... that make up the familiar purple ball (I'm not 100% clear on allium-flower anatomy) and nibble them. I put them on salads as a garnish sometimes, too.

[KennethT]

To anyone with chilli growing experience, I had read that harvesting the chillies while still green stimulates the plant to put out even more flowers.  Is there any validity to this?  Not that I need any more at the moment - I've probably got a good 20 chillies growing and again as many flowers still blooming but I'm always looking to learn how to increase yield.

[FauxPas]

36 minutes ago, KennethT said:

To anyone with chilli growing experience, I had read that harvesting the chillies while still green stimulates the plant to put out even more flowers.  Is there any validity to this?  Not that I need any more at the moment - I've probably got a good 20 chillies growing and again as many flowers still blooming but I'm always looking to learn how to increase yield.

Although I am most definitely not the most experienced grower, I have learned to do some blossom-pinching when my plants first start to bloom and it really seemed to make a difference with them bushing out sooner. I've also always been told that frequent harvesting keeps yields up. We don't have the longest growing season here and it almost broke my heart to pinch off those early fruits but it certainly did seem to pay off in heavier yields later on. 

 

Someone a lot more experienced may offer clearer guidance but I would say it's a good idea to pick at least a few of the green ones because it will also give you a chance to test the flavour and see how it develops. Even green, they may be tasty, right? And how can you resist sampling the fruits of your labour?  🙂

 

@Shelbymay chime in, she's had quite a bit of experience and may have better tips. Plus other gardeners/growers. 

 

I will post this from Sandia Seeds on growing peppers. They sell a LOT of pepper seeds. They are trying to discount the practice of pruning the plants back here, but also have some comments on picking blossoms and green fruit. 

https://www.sandiaseed.com/blogs/news/how-to-prune-pepper-plants-for-maximum-yield

 

 

[KennethT]

11 hours ago, FauxPas said:

Although I am most definitely not the most experienced grower, I have learned to do some blossom-pinching when my plants first start to bloom and it really seemed to make a difference with them bushing out sooner. I've also always been told that frequent harvesting keeps yields up. We don't have the longest growing season here and it almost broke my heart to pinch off those early fruits but it certainly did seem to pay off in heavier yields later on. 

 

Someone a lot more experienced may offer clearer guidance but I would say it's a good idea to pick at least a few of the green ones because it will also give you a chance to test the flavour and see how it develops. Even green, they may be tasty, right? And how can you resist sampling the fruits of your labour?  🙂

 

@Shelbymay chime in, she's had quite a bit of experience and may have better tips. Plus other gardeners/growers. 

 

I will post this from Sandia Seeds on growing peppers. They sell a LOT of pepper seeds. They are trying to discount the practice of pruning the plants back here, but also have some comments on picking blossoms and green fruit. 

https://www.sandiaseed.com/blogs/news/how-to-prune-pepper-plants-for-maximum-yield

 

 

Thanks. I can definitely use the green ones - they're common in a sambal ijo (green sambal) in Padang food.  Also used a lot in Indian food.