Gardening: (2016– )

BeeZee · April 4

I had a hunch. Although the squirrels don't normally come onto the deck, I'll take preventive measures! When we moved into my childhood home, we were so excited to find that it had a peach tree. Until we realized that the (one) good peach it produced would get sampled by "something" as soon as it started to ripen. I'd like to keep my meagre harvest intact.

RWood · April 6

So exciting that our garlic is all happy! And my mom got her potatoes planted next to it. Behind a little because I’ve been down with my back bothering me. Hopefully can get more done soon.

Senior Sea Kayaker · April 14

I went for a walk after breakfast to try to get a close photo of the duck family residing on the pond but no luck.

Garlic coming up nicely (planted 70 and counted 70).

Garlic chives and red bunching onions as well.

Tomato and hot pepper starts also doing well indoors.

Edited April 14 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

Senior Sea Kayaker · April 17

Tomato starts and a few developing habanero seedlings.

TicTac · April 27

The seeds have sprouted!

much has also been direct sowed now; snap peas, beans, spinach, snow peas etc

Senior Sea Kayaker · May 1

The window garden catching some southern exposure afternoon rays.

This is a mix of kitchen herb pots, seedlings to be transplanted and seeded deck planters for the summer.

Seedlings include 5 varieties of tomatoes, 2 of cucumbers, 2 varieties of summer squash, 2 (hopefully 3) hot pepper varieties and mouse melons. I'm in a 5b zone so looking at June 1st transplanting after hardening off.

Deck planters include Thai basil, mint, cilantro, purslane and shiso.

Edited May 1 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

TicTac · May 1

Looking good.

I made the mistake of putting my seedlings under 24h straight light, which unlike another fine plant I have grown in years past, is not required during the vegetative state.

The 6h daily break now has done wonders and they are rebounding nicely. Oddly enough, the genetics I have saved myself seem to have some issues as the leaves are curling upwards, the rest of the strains (newly purchased) seem fine. Maybe too much backstock/inbreeding and needs fresh blood.

Ground cherries after almost 10 days finally sprouted.

@Senior Sea Kayaker what hot peppers are you running? Got some Fish peppers along with my favored serranos to play with this year.

Kerry Beal · May 1

First attempt at air layering. My neighbour has a mulberry, and one of the nurses wants to grow some. There are a couple of branches hanging over the fence into my yard and with the neighbours permission I'm giving it a try. We are about 4 weeks into it now - waiting to see some roots showing up in the sphagnum moss.

Senior Sea Kayaker · May 1

@TicTac

Habaneros and serranos. Shishitos haven't shown any sign of germination yet.

FauxPas · May 2

I have some plants that I started from seed, including tomatoes (3 kinds) and peppers (jalapeno, serrano and sweet). They are really getting big and I'm getting tired of bringing them in at night so hope tonight is the last night for that. We're supposed to get back to warmer overnight temps tomorrow. Here are photos of some of them. Also, we have blossoms on the strawberry plants!

Senior Sea Kayaker · May 2

@FauxPas

I see that you live on Vancouver Island and according to a quick check you're in a zone 8.

You should get some great tomatoes and peppers.

Paul Bacino · May 2

Adding some heat this yr!!

FauxPas · May 2

7 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@FauxPas

I see that you live on Vancouver Island and according to a quick check you're in a zone 8.

You should get some great tomatoes and peppers.

I hope so! Last year was fairly good, but I hope for better this year!!! 🙂

Senior Sea Kayaker · May 9

Hosta shoots for dinner.

Early season before shoot emergence and the emerging shoots. The time to harvest them is when they are tightly furled and for a plant this size I can sustainably harvest a third of the shoots.

To my taste they're a mild blend of asparagus and leek.

dcarch · May 9

11 minutes ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

Hosta shoots for dinner.

Early season before shoot emergence and the emerging shoots. The time to harvest them is when they are tightly furled and for a plant this size I can sustainably harvest a third of the shoots.

To my taste they're a mild blend of asparagus and leek.

Hosta! Hosta! in NY they come before asparagus. I have been told a few times, " DC, how can you be so cruel?! Eating beautiful baby hosta?!"

Well, hosta is a vegetable in some parts of the world.

A trick for you to try:

Just before the shoots break ground, cover them with black plastic. You get these incredible blanched shoots. crispy and tender. Delicious for cooking or in salads. They taste like a blend of endive and asparagus. A real delicacy from Mother Nature.

Yes, hostas can be expensive to buy from a nursery, but its easy to start from their seeds. I have a few hundred clumps in my garden. You can't kill them.

dcarch

donk79 · May 11

On 5/9/2024 at 6:30 AM, dcarch said:

You can't kill them.

I once had a hosta bed I wanted to replace with other plants. After several efforts I finally just ran a rototiller through the bed. They came back twice as strong and I gave up!

Wish I had known then that they are edible!

KennethT · May 11

On 5/9/2024 at 6:30 AM, dcarch said:

I have a few hundred clumps in my garden. You can't kill them.

Sure you can - just let the deer get to them! Gone in no time - it's like their favorite food. Growing up, we had a few hosta beds. When the deer started to invade they were the first to be decimated. My father and I even installed some high voltage electric fencing but even that didn't always stop them.

haresfur · May 13

Not sure if it was here or elsewhere, but I decided to try a suggestion to snip the leaves off my volunteer tomatoes at the end of the season to get light into the green ones to start them ripening. Worth a try but probably should have been done earlier. They only get late afternoon sun.

Senior Sea Kayaker · May 18

Seedlings spending the night indoors and ready for another hardening session. There's still another two weeks until transplanting outdoors (weather dependent).

Four determinate tomato varieties (Scotia and Golden Nugget) with another two of each started four weeks later. Two cucumber varieties, two zucchini varieties and mouse melons (aka as Mexican gherkins). Habanero and serrano peppers and finally five indeterminate tomato varieties.

Edited May 18 by Senior Sea Kayaker (log)

RWood · May 21

Tomatoes are doing OK (except for two plants 🤷‍♀️), and I’m trying to keep the bed from being a litter box 🙄. The potatoes are growing like crazy.
I found the teeniest friend on them this morning ☺️

TicTac · May 21

Gardening season is so exciting. And this year it seems as if we are at least 1-2 weeks ahead of schedule (it was 33 here yesterday and feeling like 35 today!) which is ..... great (and a bit scary).

All tomatoes are in ground (I think about 18 plants) as are my mix of Fish peppers and sweet reds - sugar snap peas, bush beans and 4-5 types of spinach have been in ground for weeks now and are rolling along.

Confetti cilantro and tuscan basil are finally sprouting - ton of rain last night, so next few days things should explode.

**Shelby** · May 24

We've been doing a ton of gardening. Life has been so crazy that I haven't posted until now. I like writing in this thread so I can go back and see what I planted each year. Easier than a diary lol.

This pic is before the storm hit. I was shocked that we didn't have more damage than we did. A few tomato plants were ripped out. The green beans took a beating but really everything looks a lot better this morning.

thumbnail_IMG_6146-1.jpg.ce3db9cf83a769703aeb9fc007d693e7.jpg

The tall bushy stuff is a huge patch of volunteer cilantro. I wish it would keep going like that all summer, but it always seeds and then dies when it gets super hot.

We have about 50 tomato plants. Several varieties including some cherry sized.

200+ onions--yellow red and white

asparagus

zucchini

yellow squash

okra

nirvana corn

lettuce

Yukon gold and russet potatoes

radishes

green beans

cucumbers

watermelon

cantaloupe

jalapenos

bell peppers

banana peppers

First pick of the season of radishes. The onions were picked for us by the storm 🙄. Blew them out of the dirt.

thumbnail_IMG_6164.jpg.abc54379f2a7dde0518d4f4e42bcd5b8.jpg

FauxPas · May 24

1 hour ago, Shelby said:

We've been doing a ton of gardening.

Wow, that's a lot of seeding/planting you have done! Did you start tomatoes from seed in your greenhouse?

No shishito peppers? 🙂

Do you ever grow winter squash?

So glad that the storm didn't do more damage to your beautiful and bountiful garden!!!!

**Shelby** · May 24

44 minutes ago, FauxPas said:

Wow, that's a lot of seeding/planting you have done! Did you start tomatoes from seed in your greenhouse?

No shishito peppers? 🙂

Do you ever grow winter squash?

So glad that the storm didn't do more damage to your beautiful and bountiful garden!!!!

Ronnie started all the tomatoes and peppers from seed in the greenhouse. He really does a good job at that.

No....I didn't do any shishitos this year. I don't know why ....I guess I forgot to buy any seeds.

KennethT · May 24

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

We've been doing a ton of gardening. Life has been so crazy that I haven't posted until now. I like writing in this thread so I can go back and see what I planted each year. Easier than a diary lol.

This pic is before the storm hit. I was shocked that we didn't have more damage than we did. A few tomato plants were ripped out. The green beans took a beating but really everything looks a lot better this morning.

The tall bushy stuff is a huge patch of volunteer cilantro. I wish it would keep going like that all summer, but it always seeds and then dies when it gets super hot.

We have about 50 tomato plants. Several varieties including some cherry sized.

200+ onions--yellow red and white

asparagus

zucchini

yellow squash

okra

nirvana corn

lettuce

Yukon gold and russet potatoes

radishes

green beans

cucumbers

watermelon

cantaloupe

jalapenos

bell peppers

banana peppers

First pick of the season of radishes. The onions were picked for us by the storm 🙄. Blew them out of the dirt.

Any reason you grow onions?

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