Gardening: 2002-2009 Seasons

[Hopleaf]

Ladybugs are great in theory, but they don't realize that they live in your garden now, and the grass looks greener down the street, and so they fly away.

...not to mention the typhoon torakris was just talking about. Boy, you let some ladybugs loose in your garden in Japan and a typhoon is liable to blow them clear across Siberia. Then what're they gonna do?

[torakris]

Ladybugs are great in theory, but they don't realize that they live in your garden now, and the grass looks greener down the street, and so they fly away.

...not to mention the typhoon torakris was just talking about. Boy, you let some ladybugs loose in your garden in Japan and a typhoon is liable to blow them clear across Siberia. Then what're they gonna do?

First the potato bugs, I don't think these are really potato bug now, or at least what I grew up calling a potato bug. i found a picture of a potato bug on the web nad they don't look like what I have.

These bugs are everywhere (all over my house in Cleveland too), they usually live near cement, under planters, etc They sort of look like mini armadillos and roll into balls when touched.

I like the idea of paying my kids, I think I will be doing that today!

As to the aphids, My neighbor told me to spray them with water and dish soap solution, well I didn't have a spray bottle so I drowned then with a large tumbler filled with dish soap and water, then the typhoon came and they seem to all be dead (they all turned brown instead of green, but are still on the plants).

Not sure if it was the typhoon of the dish soap.

I have never seen American lady bugs in Japan, theirs are black with red dots, so I am wondering if they are the same? I doubt they sell them in the stores though.

As to the chemicals, they seemed to have very different ones over here and I am not familiar with the names, I did buy one and was trying to read it with the help of a dictionary, but I didn7t even know the English words!

[guajolote]

First the potato bugs, I don't think these are really potato bug now, or at least what I grew up calling a potato bug. i found a picture of a potato bug on the web nad they don't look like what I have.

Everyone here in chicago calls these rolly pollys, but I call them a potato bug too.

They're supposedly a relative of crabs and lobsters. Maybe edible?

Edited June 2, 2003 by guajolote (log)

[torakris]

First the potato bugs, I don't think these are really potato bug now, or at least what I grew up calling a potato bug. i found a picture of a potato bug on the web nad they don't look like what I have.

Everyone here in chicago calls these rolly pollys, but I call them a potato bug too.

They're supposedly a relative of crabs and lobsters. Maybe edible?

yep, that's what I've got! hundreds of them!

[melkor]

I finally got around to taking some pictures of our garden. We've got veggies growing around the edge of the back yard and a bunch more stuff growing at our plot at the community garden 1/4 mile away.

[nerissa]

Call them rolly-pollys as well. Didn't realize that they were pests. I have a few on my balcony.

[jackal10]

View accross the herb garden towards the kitchen.

The roses on the trellis in the foreground are Zephirine Drouhin and Ghislaine de Feligonde, with a bay bush on the left. In the background, round the kitchen window is Rose Guinee (the darkest of all roses) and clematis Fireworks

Edited June 8, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[torakris]

Well I have just spent the better part of the day crying over my garden.....

A couple posts back I mentioned how I got rid of aphids by spraying them with diluted dish soap, well 2 days ago, Julia (age 5) decided to help me out in the garden by putting the "soap-medicine" on my plants.

She took an entire bottle of dish soap and poured it straight onto my bed of baby leaf lettuces and 4 pepper plants. The plants are all completely dead and I fear I am going to have to get rid of all of the dirt they were in.

I tried looking for new seedlings to buy, but the season for them is over and I can't find them anywhere. The arugula and baby leaf lettuces were from seed, so I can replant those, but those 4 bell pepper plants were all I had....

I couldn't even yell at her because she was really doing it out of the goodness of her heart, she really thought she was helping......

[caribemj]

Well I have just spent the better part of the day crying over my garden.....

Oh:( That's a tough one....reminded me of when our daughter, then 3, took us out to see the *pretty picture* of Daddy she had scratched on the side of the just painted car...

Could you order some seeds from online?

[torakris]

I can probably get some seeds in the stores (no more seedlings), but the thought of starting all over from scratch......

[sparrowgrass]

Those are pillbugs or sowbugs. American pillbugs live on damp, decaying vegetation, like the stuff under the pot of a potted plant, and they won't hurt living plants. I don't know what Japanese pillbugs eat.

They are crustaceans, but it sure would take a lot of work to peel a mess of them for dinner.

[Hopleaf]

Well I have just spent the better part of the day crying over my garden.....

A couple posts back I mentioned how I got rid of aphids by spraying them with diluted dish soap, well 2 days ago, Julia (age 5) decided to help me out in the garden by putting the "soap-medicine" on my plants.

She took an entire bottle of dish soap and poured it straight onto my bed of baby leaf lettuces and 4 pepper plants. The plants are all completely dead and I fear I am going to have to get rid of all of the dirt they were in.

I tried looking for new seedlings to buy, but the season for them is over and I can't find them anywhere. The arugula and baby leaf lettuces were from seed, so I can replant those, but those 4 bell pepper plants were all I had....

I couldn't even yell at her because she was really doing it out of the goodness of her heart, she really thought she was helping......

what a bummer, torakris. But like you said, you can't really fault Julia. And at least she's showing an interest in what you're doing out in the garden; if a few plants have to take the fall for that, so be it. You can even use this opportunity to teach her how to grow plants from seeds (just a suggestion).

and you thought the typhoon was gonna get your garden. little did you know! How did that go anyway? the typhoon?

[torakris]

The typhoon actually swerved off and we got a lot of rain but the winds weren't so bad, I am sure there will be plenty more through out the summer.

We are officially in rainy season now and from today we have rain forecast fro the next 7 days!

[snowangel]

We've had beautiful, clear and sunny days. The right amount of rain. But, we need heat. I don't think it's been above about 78 this season, so far.

My wisteria, tomatoes and beans could use some sweaty weather. I'm glad I didn't put any peppers in.

And, mosquitoes finally appeared.

[sparrowgrass]

Just bragging. I picked seven (7) huge (HUGE) heads of broccoli this evening, and have at least 3 more out in the garden that will be ready in a couple of days.

I like to chop the broccoli (remember Dana Garvey on SNL?) with a nice sweet onion and a clove of garlic, and saute it in olive oil. MMMmmmm.

[jackal10]

Just dug the first of the season's salad potatoes - red white and blue.

They are coloured all the way through, and if steamed, keep their colour when cooked. Red white and blue potato salad anyone?

The white are Arran Pilot

The red and blue are old salad varieties rescued by Heligan Gardens and sold as microplannts by Mr Fothergill. I've multiplied my stock up to where there are enough to eat. Good nutty taste, but blue mash is a little disconcerting.

Edited June 13, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[bilrus]

This may have been covered already, but I have a very simple question and didn't have the patience to go through all 14 pages on the thread, so I hope someone will be good enough to answer.

I have just started an herb garden this spring (Italian Parsley, chives, garlic chives, cliantro, dill, oregano, mint, serrano peppers, sweet basil ,thai basil). Everything is growing very well - in fact it is growing faster than I can harvest it for my personal, two-person family cooking uses. Some of the lower leaves on some of the plants are getting a little brown, or more accurately tan. What is the proper way to prune herb plants? My dill plant is at least three feet tall and my cilantro is getting pretty close (although it doesn't look entirely healthy).

Thanks in advance for the help.

[caribemj]

What is the proper way to prune herb plants?  My dill plant is at least three feet tall and my cilantro is getting pretty close (although it doesn't look entirely healthy).

Thanks in advance for the help.

These are two pretty informative pages that might help...

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1612.html

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge/3...706/index3.html

There are quite a few more like it but it's a good start...sounds like your herbs are doing great!

[bilrus]

Thanks for the quick response. Those look pretty good. THe only one I didn't see on there was the cliantro. If anyone has any ideas on that they would be appreciated, but for now I will get to clipping.

[Hopleaf]

I haven't yet looked at the two links caribemj supplied, but I've a similar problem (as if you could call it that) with our cilantro. It's getting big. And initially it had some brownish red (think you said 'tan') leaves at the bottom. I trimmed those first. I think the safest approach is to trim first what looks full grown and let the smaller leaves develop. Plus, you can sort of shape the plants. If they're growing too bushy around the sides, give them a trim there so they grow more vertically. If they get to vertical, cut some height off so they grow around the sides. That's the thing with herbs, depending on how much of it you go through, you can basically trim it to your use all the while keeping the plant healthy and producing more and more of what you want.

[snowangel]

We've had beautiful, clear and sunny days.  The right amount of rain.  But, we need heat.  I don't think it's been above about 78 this season, so far.

My wisteria, tomatoes and beans could use some sweaty weather.  I'm glad I didn't put any peppers in.

And, mosquitoes finally appeared.

Just returned from almost a week at the cabin. We have had heat. Everything looks wonderful. My beans actually have more than those two leaves that come up when they sprout, and my tomatos look like they just might need cages. It has been dry; thank goodness for good neighbors who come and water when things look "saggy." I planted a bunch of stuff at the cabin. I'm sure the deer will have eaten all of it when I get up there in a week and a half.

Cilantro seems to be more of a cool weather crop. I plant it in and under things. Does great.

[snowangel]

Today, the first day of summer, is the longest day of the year. Which poet wrote about the first day of a season being the beginning of the death of the season?

Everything in my garden is doing spectacularly well, with the exception of one tragedy. We had a very dry fall, and no snow until February, and the big casualty was the old wood vines of my wisteria which should have grown across the entire pergola this year. Because of the winter, the plant did the "spare the shoot, save the root" thing, and I am back to where I was three years ago. Boo-hoo.

[Nick]

'Angel, Did you move the outhouse and get rid of the 55 gallon barrel while you were at the cabin?

[jackal10]

Getting into full production.

Surfeit of goosberries

Picked the red and white currants before the pigeons got them - made jelly (12oz sugar to 1/2 pt juice)

Strawberries

Potatos

First tomatos

Fava beans

Lettuce

Swiss Chard

Sorrel

Planted out leeks and celery (module sown). Still have lots of plants needing a good home.

Cucumbers are going into overdrive. Anyone with a good pickling recipe for new green?

Edited July 6, 2003 by jackal10 (log)

[melkor]

Cucumbers are going into overdrive. Anyone with a good pickling recipe for new green?

This will make enough for about three quarts of pickles

Mix:

1 cup white vinegar

4 cups water

1/4 cup course sea salt (or kosher salt)

until the salt is dissolved.

place in the bottom of each quart jar:

1/2 tsp mustard seed

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tb chopped fresh dill

2 tb chopped garlic

Pack the cucumbers in the jars and cover with the liquid mixture leaving 1/4 of head space, add the lids and screw on the bands. Once all the jars are filled place them in a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the jars with an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil and boil for five minutes. Remove from heat and add tap water to overflow the pot, keep running the tap water until the jars are cool. These in theory can be stored in a cabinet but I keep mine in the fridge, they are ready in a day or two and continue to improve for a few weeks.