Gardening: 2002-2009 Seasons

[jackal10]

Perfect. Thanks.

[Hopleaf]

we had our first major harvest of the season the other day. One full head of butter crunch lettuce (recently protected from the rabid rabbits with chicken wire), a bunch of cilantro, a bumch of sage, and a bunch of chive. Put it all together for a great, home grown herb salad mix. Great on sandwiches.

Plus, we've got the little flowers growing on our tomatoes and peppers, you know, the precursors to actual tomatoes and peppers!

And we found a bunch of blackberry brambles that are fully matured and are sporting tons of berries. Didn't know they were there before cuz there was a huge, sick pine tree hiding them.

[Stone]

I've got a small thyme plant that is doing well, but starting to flower. Do I care? Will the little flowers affect the taste? Growth?

Also, I'm having trouble finding the proper light for my basil plants (Italian and Siam). The Italian leaves aren't the deep green I want -- they're slightly yellowish (though not terribly). Neither plant is growing as fast as I think they should. They're in big pots (about 12"). They get a good dose of water every morning. At first I had them in full sunlight, all day (this is San Francisco sunlight -- most days it's a lot, many, not at all). Then I moved them to where they get full sunlight from the morning until about 3ish,when they're in the shade.

Any thoughts/

[tsquare]

Yellowish plants = too much water (not enough nitrogen.) Add fish emulsion.

[Hopleaf]

Finally planted a bed this weekend. Put some butter crunch lettuce in, jalapenos (though I wanted to put serrano in, oh well!), red hot chili peppers, two tomato plants, sage, cilantro and chive. I also put marigolds along the bed border...I heard these are an effective animal deterrant (I gather that I'll be battling a rabbit and several gourmet squirrels...there may be chicken wire in my future). 

Also got a wisteria plant and some strawberries (beanpod put those in a planter, will they do well there?).

Again with the dirty fingernails in the office on a Monday. Heh, heh, heh!!!

Speaking of serrano, does anyone know if it's ok to start those at this point from seed with the hopes of getting a decent harvest? it says 70 days on the packet and that would have me transplanting by late July. (I'm in NW suburban Chicago).

And we have peppers, ladies and gentlemen!!! Actually, we technically only have pepper, as in one pepper, but it's something! We've already harvested some butter crunch lettuce and cilantro and a bunch of chive and some sage. Very good stuff. The pepper, it's so cool. Just hangin' out under a leaf sayin' "don't touch me cuz I plan to get bigger."

Two of the four tomato plants (the first ones, the ones I bought at the Evanston Farmers market with guajolote) are HUGE! I mean they're nearly trees. The other two we planted late and should be catching up pretty soon.

Next year I want to put corn in (cuz I think it's too late this year). Has anyone planted corn in their gardens? I have enough space, I figure I can get at least ten plants in. Maybe stagger the plantings so I have fresh corn all season long!! I've been buying it at the farmers markets and some stores regularly and grilling them up. Voof!!! That's some good eats.

[melkor]

Next year I want to put corn in (cuz I think it's too late this year). Has anyone planted corn in their gardens? I have enough space, I figure I can get at least ten plants in. Maybe stagger the plantings so I have fresh corn all season long!!  I've been buying it at the farmers markets and some stores regularly and grilling them up. Voof!!! That's some good eats.

I've got a 9' x 12' section of my garden where we plant corn. It's split into 9 blocks, each being 3' x 4'. We plant 12 plants in each block, planting one block every two or three weeks. In the beginning of the year we will plant the 7th, 8th, and 9th blocks at the same time as we are planting 1 through 3. The corn in 7 though 9 is early season corn and we plant the others with late season (Silver Queen) by the time the 6th block is planted the early season corn is ready to come out and be replanted with Silver Queen. This gives us fresh corn from the garden from late June until the middle of November. But we are in zone 9 (northern ca) so we get started planting corn in March.

[maggiethecat]

The pepper, it's so cool. Just hangin' out under a leaf sayin' "don't touch me cuz I plan to get bigger." 

Two of the four tomato plants (the first ones, the ones I bought at the Evanston Farmers market with guajolote) are HUGE!  I mean they're nearly trees. The other two we planted late and should be catching up pretty soon.

Eric:

I know exactly what you mean about that cool baby pepper! My Asian pear tree is covered with hundreds of adorable miniature pears saying the same thing.

Tomatoes...grrrr. My two heirlooms have severe failure to thrive...very odd, I've always done well with these. The mini plum tomatoes "Juliet" do have green fruit on them. Yippee!

[jackal10]

Here in the UK my corn is only about knee high.

I have, however picked the first tomatos. Golden CHerry (a sucesssor to Sungold) Fantastic as ever.

Firworks II. Nice, solid beefsteak, Good flavour but not as concentrated as the cherry tomato.

In production: Potatos, fava beans, Runner(pole) beans just starting, sweet peas, goosberries, strawberries.

[melkor]

This week we are picking: basil (2 or 3 cups every day or two), haricot verts, beets, carrots, early season corn, zucchini, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, early girl, roma, and yellow/red grape tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, strawberries, raspberries, and pumpkins.

Artichokes, peppers, melons, grapes, late season corn, and the other dozen tomato varieties are on their way soon.

[Hopleaf]

btw, the rabbit is losing. It's three heads of expendable head lettuce to one fantastic dream about rabbit stew. I evened up the score with a bunch of small chicken wire. that let the butter crunch grow. I still have to get some fencing around the head lettuce (love that watery crunch). Oddly enough, the widdle wabbit isn't in the least interested in any of the leaves on the eggplant. Discerning little shit, I guess.

Maggie, I have been watering religiously, especially during that recent dry spell we had (how about all the rain after that though, that was awesome, quite the natural fireworks display!). So, maybe that has something to do with my tomato success. I know it's why my lawn looks so good.

[jackal10]

Just picked some new (or at least new for me) tomatos:

Oregon Spring: Bush, Large, dissapointing, same size but a bit dull compared to Fireworks.

Rose de Berne: Cordon. Pretty pink colour, very sweet, but not the balancing acidity

[sparrowgrass]

Hopleaf, you probably know this already, but do plant your corn in blocks, not rows, if you are only putting a few plants in. Corn is wind pollinated, and so needs to be in a bunch, not all strung out.

Mine is tasseling now, so it won't be long. I planted 4 varieties, in an area about 50 x 30. I freeze the excess.

Green beans are taking over the kitchen right now--I planted one 30 foot row of bush beans, and I have picked about half a bushel or so. Made a dozen jars of dilly beans, and 5 or 6 quarts of plain beans. And I am eating green beans for dinner every night, generally boiled with bacon, onions, garlic, and a couple of new potatoes. (Us rednecks like our beans mushy and meat flavored.)

[Hopleaf]

Hopleaf, you probably know this already, but do plant your corn in blocks, not rows, if you are only putting a few plants in.  Corn is wind pollinated, and so needs to be in a bunch, not all strung out. 

Mine is tasseling now, so it won't be long.  I planted 4 varieties, in an area about 50 x 30.  I freeze the excess.

Thanks Sparrowgrass. It's relatively safe to assume that I know next to nothing when it comes to gardening, so this was definitely a great recommendation. It's too late in the season for me to do any corn now, so I'll keep this in mind for next year. I did find some great info on UofIllinois Extension web site on growning corn that I'll be referencing for my corn project next year.

[fifi]

Sparrowgrass and others that may have an abundance of green beans...

I have a recipe for fresh green beans that some have threatened me with bodily harm if I don't cook it. It is one of those southern type recipes that is long stewed... none of that al dente crap!

And, of course, it has a liberal amount of pork fat.

I will put it into the recipe archive.

Edited July 15, 2003 by fifi (log)

[snowangel]

I should be picking beans (finally!) later this week, and hopefully Paul will pick for me next week when I'm at the cabin.

My neighbors, who offered me their vegetable plot this spring (I took them up on the offer, since our veggie garden went the way of a swingset for Heidi), are aging, and did not even pick raspberries when I was gone. I have two huge bowls of them, and coupled with the blueberries we picked at the cabin (check out The Cabin on The Heartland), I will make them pie tomorrow, and then go and mow their lawn.

Tomatos are still about three weeks away, I think. They have lots of blossoms, and lots of large tomatos set, but it has been an "interesting" gardening year -- either hot or cold, dry or rainy.

On a very sad note, the elm on the boulevard, in front of our house, has the disease. In the course of the four days we were gone, it dropped a tremendous number of leaves and twigs. It has the "orange" ring painted on it, which means that it will be gone very soon. 90 years in the making will be 10 minutes in the undoing. There are 7 trees slated on our block, so the look will be quite different in a few weeks. Boo hoo.

So, tomrrow or Thursday, I will go and buy a new tree to plant in our front yard.

[melkor]

My garden is attacking me:

kirby cukes (will be pickles by morning)

butternut squash

spaghetti squash

a purple artichoke

pumpkins (in july?!)

zucchini

a few red raspberries

a few strawberries

red torpedo onion

a purple artichoke

pear tomatoes (yellow and red)

black krim tomato (next to the other tomatoes)

roma tomatoes

early girl tomatoes

I think my garden thinks its fall already.

edit: hit enter too soon

Edited July 17, 2003 by melkor (log)

[sparrowgrass]

I think you picked your butternuts too early, Melkor. Next time wait til they are uniformly tan, with no green stripes. They will taste better and keep much longer.

I didn't plant any this year, but last year, they kept until March, when I ate the last one.

I envy your artichokes--much too hot here, and winters too cold.

[melkor]

I think you picked your butternuts too early, Melkor.  Next time wait til they are uniformly tan, with no green stripes.  They will taste better and keep much longer.

I didn't plant any this year, but last year, they kept until March, when I ate the last one. 

I envy your artichokes--much too hot here, and winters too cold.

The plants started setting new blossoms so I pulled all the reasonably mature fruit figuring I'd get a second harvest out of them. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of them; there is only so much butternut squash soup we can eat.

That is the only artichoke I've gotten, I put in the plants last year (two of them) and only one of them has produced anything. Maybe next year...

[Stone]

My poor basil. Some big-ass muther has been going to town:

What ever it is, it leaves these little turd-like things on the leaves:

(Sorry the pics aren't clearer, my macro lens ain't what it should be.)

I can't see any bugs on the plant. It used to have white flies, but those seem to be gone. My thai basil, parsley and thyme are a few feet away, and they're fine. I've been spritzing the basil with that natural oil stuff.

What to do?

Edited July 19, 2003 by Stone (log)

[Hopleaf]

Not sure what Stone should do about that basil (I'm tempted to say just scrap it and get some new stuff, but there might be a way to save it for all I know).

My question to those in the know (you know who you are, that's why you're in the know) is how do you know when to pick stuff? Like the pepper I mentioned before, it's still growing. But I don't want it to get too big and then spoil (and for some reason the rabbit knows not to touch it...I'd like to see him take a bite out of it and then go running for some water to cool his buds). My tomatoes are going gang-mutha-fuggin'-busters. There must be 12 to 15 little quarter-sized tomatoes already. Those, obviously, aren't ready yet.

My cilantro isn't doing well. Ever since I trimmed it down (cuz it started to flower) it's either got really whispy new growth or brown/red tinged old growth. Any recommendations on how to it back to its happy place?

[guajolote]

I've got slugs. What should I do? I haven't really seen any damage, but they may be the culprits who have been eating little holes in my hostas.

I have about 4 cucumbers ready to pick, and this is going to be my best tomato season ever.

[MatthewB]

I've got slugs. What should I do? I haven't really seen any damage, but they may be the culprits who have been eating little holes in my hostas.

I have about 4 cucumbers ready to pick, and this is going to be my best tomato season ever.

Salt the slugs!!!

Get Iris to work.

[guajolote]

I've got slugs. What should I do? I haven't really seen any damage, but they may be the culprits who have been eating little holes in my hostas.

I have about 4 cucumbers ready to pick, and this is going to be my best tomato season ever.

Salt the slugs!!!

Get Iris to work.

I've never seen them though, at least until Saturday. I've heard that a bowl full of beer will attract and kill them.

[tsquare]

Stone - them's slug or snail droppings. Look for them after dark, hand pick and toss. The basil is fine.

Hopleaf - peppers can be picked when they are green - or when they are mature - be it red, yellow or green. You will need to guess a bit, if you pick 'em green - to figure out if there is some meat to the wall structure. Like most of this stuff, think heavy weight relative to size. Tomatoes - wait for them to be ripe ripe - or, you really can pick them fully colored, but still firm and leave them out on a counter till you need them. Don't put them in a refrigerator!

I've never had any luck with cilantro regrowing after it has bolted (gone to seed.) Time to replant. Easier to get additional growth from basil - cut it back, leaving some twin stemmed junctions.

guajolote - hand pick those slugs and get them out of the garden (bag and trash, let loose on a 4 lane highway, drop 'em in a can of gasoline.... sorry PETA.) Also, watch for slug eggs and destroy them (small clear-white clusters of bb's.) There are some organic type slug baits, especially if you aren't dealing with edibles. Or the old beer trap - not as successful for me.

[melkor]

I've got slugs. What should I do? I haven't really seen any damage, but they may be the culprits who have been eating little holes in my hostas.

Sluggo is the best thing I've found for slugs/snail - its as close to organic as you can get and still get rid of the bastards.