Gardening: 2002-2009 Seasons

[snowangel]

We are in the midst of one wicked, nasty ass drought. I can hardly keep up with watering my new tree and shrubs ($$$), and even the folks at the farmer's markets here are about ready to let things like tomatoes just go. I can't seem to keep enough water on the tomatoes, so this year's crop is really suffering.

I haven't mowed the lawn in a month. At least what I used to call a lawn.

Thank goodness the mighty Mississippi is still running with a lot of water...

[sparrowgrass]

I am ready to put the garden to bed for the winter. I have lots of okra and peppers, the brussel sprouts are coming on, but everything else is kaput. I am still getting enough tomatoes for salad, but canning season is over.

Soon it will be time to till a row and plant the garlic for next year. I planned to put some turnips for my office mate (YUCK--I hate turnips) but I may have procrastinated too long.

As an experiment, I think I am going to toss some spinach seeds out after frost--I understand they will come up very early in the spring for salad.

[guajolote]

We currently have an abundance of Painted Lady butterfies in our yard. At one point yesterday there were over 20 in my small yard.

Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just a Chicago thing?

[guajolote]

More on the Painted Ladies

[maggiethecat]

We currently have an abundance of Painted Lady butterfies in our yard. At one point yesterday there were over 20 in my small yard.

Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just a Chicago thing?

Well, it's a Chicago Burb thing too. I gave up counting them yesterday, there were so many.

[Toliver]

This is good to hear. These past few years in California they were rarely seen even though it was their migration season. I was afraid their ecology/environment had been ruined or destroyed beyond repair.

As a child, I remember being on the playground during recess at grade school and there would be hundreds and hundreds of Monarchs flitting by. We'd run and flit with them until they flew beyond the school grounds. They are a beautiful site to behold.

[Hopleaf]

So, forcasts this week are indicating temperatures dropping dangerously close to freezing here in Chicago. I'm leaving my eggplant on for another day or two and then I'm taking them in.

I've had a relatively productive first gardening year that I've both learned a lot from and eaten a lot because of. Some of these lessons learned might seem obvious to the avid/experienced gardener, but...

Tomatoes. I'll be planting these further apart from one another next year. The first set I planted (purchased with guajolote at the evantston farmers market) were very robust/hearty plants, but eventually grew into one another which made them look very sickly by the end. The tomatoes were great, though. I also planted two from another source (gift from a friend) and placed these a little apart from one another and they did great. I'll also be plucking new growth branches at a certain point so that the plants don't get over run by themselves.

Radishes. will plant these next year. bummed that I didn't this year.

Lettuce. I loved going out to the garden every morning in the middle of sandwich making to grab a few leaves of lettuce. The butter crunch by far out-performed the ice berg. We even got a second growth off of a couple of the plants, which I allowed to bolt and harvested the seeds for next year. Gonna try starting these in Februrary or March. Once I fended off the rabbit, the lettuce really thrived.

Cilantro. Will have to harvest this more regularly as before I knew it, this herb bolted on me and was a complete wash by August. I did harvest the corriander and will try to start these from seed next year.

Corn. want to try my hand at corn next year. I have the space and will refer to someone's recent post about planting corn plots.

Sage. My sage plant did so well, I felt like I was a successful gardener just looking at it. We're drying a bunch of it right now and the front hall closet smells awesome.

Cucumbers. Will plant these next year.

Raspberry. First year with these sapling brambles. They look like they'll be thriving before very long.

Peppers. Both jalapeno and red hots did great. And I noticed that he jalapenos weren't nearly as hot as some I've purchased. Maybe it's something in the soil.

Squirrels. I plan to erect some sort of structure to keep these little buggers out. Something with chicken wire all around, a roof and two by four studs. Basically, a chicken wire green house.

Before very long, I'm gonna till in a lot of the organic matter that I have in my compost pile and then cover my beds with hay (available down the street for cheap). And next year, I'll be expanding from two beds to four to accomodate my additional plantings.

That's about it. What is anyone else doing right now? what have you learned from this past season?

[JSD]

The calendar says Autumn, but the thermometer says Summer. We had a brief cool snap, in the upper 30's a night or two, and now we're back to daytime temps in the 90's. The squash was nipped a little, but is still producing, and yesterday we picked over 20 pounds of tomatoes. Our beans look a little bedraggled, but we still picked over 3 pounds of beans.

Yesterday I put some tomatoes in the freezer whole, rather than cooking them. Today I'll see how they did. If that really works, it'll save a lot of time upfront. Last night I cooked up a bunch of yellow pear cherry tomatoes, and ran them through the food mill - yellow tomato sauce! It smelled different from other tomatoes, however. I want to make pizza sauce with it.

I've been trying to catch a squirrel in the garden for several weeks. It's a ground squirrel and has made a mess everywhere with its burrows. This one is pretty smart, and has eluded us so far. I have a have-a-heart trap, and have used peanut butter, apple, and cantalope for bait. I was told to use potato chips with peanut butter. It's hard to believe, but I don't have any potato chips in the house.

[maggiethecat]

Thanks for the Chicagoland roundup, Hopleaf. Sounds as if your garden did much, much better than mine! And thanks for the reminder; I should pick the last of the basil and make pesto tonight. I find that basil is super sensitive to frost. I'l also go pick the last of the sunflowers and put them in a white pitcher on the dining room table.

I second the sage. My sage plant has been around for ten years and it never disappoints. I might plant some strictly as ornamentals (how much sage can two poeple eat?)

Worst tomato crop of my life: Three plants, seven tomatoes. I am very displeased. I'll dig some compost into that bed before fall.

I do have thousands (well, many hundreds) of Asian pears. Please, people, drop by and help yourselves.

[snowangel]

We could see our first frost tonight (likely), so everything except the pumpkins and brussels sprouts will come in tonight. We went from really nice and warm to late fall in the matter of a couple of days. I'm making stock today because I just flat refuse to turn on the furnace until after October 1, and I know that had I turned it on, it would have run by now. I am, however, still wearing shorts and my birkies (albeit I'm also wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and sweatshirt; I won't do wool until after October 15; I have a hard time accepting the onset of the F word).

My tomato crop was not very good this year either, Maggie, but not as pathetic as yours. I was hampered because I was gardening across the alley, and it was an unbelievably dry year, and it was just plain difficult to water it. Plus, I think that garden has had tomato plants planted in roughly the same location for too many years. I am in the process of killing some grass in my yard for a tomato plot, and will use the across-the-alley garden next year for beans, vines, brussels sprouts, etc.

Reminder that if you are growing brussels sprouts to trim many of the leaves, if you haven't already done so, and don't pick them until after the first frost. You can pick them much later, too.

Maggie, have you had your tomatos planted in the same location for a few years? If so, move them to a different location next year, or give yourself a year off (painful, I know). If you've had them in the same location, till in some really rich organic matter, and plant a nitrogen-fixing plant in that location next year.

Hopleaf, when I plant cilantro, I keep planting all summer; it is really a cool weather crop, and don't forget that you can plant it in and amongst other taller plants to provide some shade.

Peppers were the best in years here -- combo of heat and drought, I think. Remember, too, that not all jalepenos are created equal. Some are bred to be hotter than others, but I do think the real trick is that they get hotter with stress.

My sweet autumn clematises are in full bloom. A virtual while blanket obscuring that rather unslightly chain link fence. Asters are in their full splendor, and my autumn joy sedem is just spectacular.

I must plant sage next year.

I will miss puttering in the garden.

[tsquare]

Before very long, I'm gonna till in a lot of the organic matter that I have in my compost pile and then cover my beds with hay (available down the street for cheap).

Use straw, not hay. (Or is it the other way around?) You want the stuff without seeds or you'll really hate weeding next year.

There are varigated sages, as well as ones with unusual scents such as pineapple, if you are looking for some more ornamental specimens.

My bonus this year is a bumper crop of tomatillos - and I didn't even plant any! They self seeded from years past and have been quite generous. Also, a health crop of papaya/pear yellow summer squash. Terrible failure - no winter squash!

Feels like fall/winter here today - first time since spring!

[snowangel]

It is 22 degrees, and a thick blanket of frost is covering everything.

[Hopleaf]

we were about 9 degrees warmer, but had frost nonetheless.

I love autumn.

[Hopleaf]

Just invested in some manure. First time poop purchasor here, thank you very much. And it wasn't too pricey...only $2.49 for a 40# bag. Gonna mulch it into my beds along with the leaves from last year's gutter cleanout.

Still loving fall...course, I haven't raked one leaf yet. But I plan too. I'm looking at making an enourmous pile and toss my two-year old in there.

[Pinga]

Just an enquiery and I am sorry if this has already been covered.I have enjoyed reading the occasional gardening comments in this thread but wonder if there is an e gullet equivalent for gardeners out there.I am UK based and would love to have the same wonderfull time that I spend reading and participating in my one favourite pastime,food and all that is associated with it,but for gardening my second great love.Any boards that I have seen are attached to commercial concerns and certainly do not have the incredible atmosphere we enjoy at egullet

thanks

Pinga

p.s I hope it is not considered bad form to ask this question ,I promise not to spend any less time on this forum

[Hopleaf]

There probably are tons of gardening message boards out there, but the two that I think are closest in member enthusiasm and knowledge in comparison to eGullet (they don't compare in terms of software, but who does, gardening or otherwise) are:

Fine Gardening Magazine (Taunton Press) has the Over the Fence Forum populated by gardening enthusiasts as well as their fine editorial staff:

Over the Fence

Garden Web is a decent site that has a pretty solid forum as well:

Garden Web

Enjoy!

[Pinga]

Thankyou Hopleaf for your helpfull reply,I will give them both a test run.

On a gardening matter with a food twist I am in the process of putting in a nuttery,I have dug out a one meter path for about 30 meters and will plant hazel whips on either side with a view to eventually training them over to give a covered walk.I will then under plant with cyclamen and bluebell.I am using common hazel ,the twisting Turkish hazel and am now looking around for other hazel types with particulaly tasty nuts-any suggestions(based in south west England on a fairly acidic soil,not too frost prone).

[Hopleaf]

Thankyou Hopleaf for your helpfull reply,I will give them both a test run.

On a gardening matter with a food twist I am in the process of putting in a nuttery,I have dug out a one meter path for about 30 meters and will plant hazel whips on either side with a view to eventually training them over to give a covered walk.I will then under plant with cyclamen and bluebell.I am using common hazel ,the twisting Turkish hazel and am now looking around for other hazel types with particulaly tasty nuts-any suggestions(based in south west England on a fairly acidic soil,not too frost prone).

My pleasure, Pinga.

Wow, that's such a specific question, I haven't a clue. I'd suggest posting it at either of the two sites I mentioned. And also, I subscribe to Horticulture Magazine, an excellent publication. They also have message boards, but I'm not sure how informed the people on it are...if the publication is any indication though, it's worth looking into. I can't seem to get the message board pop-up window to work on my computer. At any rate, here's the link to their home page:

Horticulture Magazine

And I'm not sure if there are Agriculture/Horticulture Extensions in England, but is there an official resource in your area that's botany-specific?

Perhaps someone else here has some suggestions for Pinga. Any fellow British gardeners out there? (Pinga, I think you're the first!)

Good luck, let us know what happens...

[Mabelline]

I started on this thread this morning, and have faithfully read every single bit, and adored my vicarious thrill at reading some of the ups, downs, and absolutely poetic posts on this thread. Snowangel and Sparrowgrass, Maggiethe Cat, Hopleaf, and Jackl10, my envy is so green it could glow in the dark. My SO and I are seeking a country place to turn into a no kill animal sanctuary, and I have always gardened, so it has brightened my condo-life to read all this. I would like to add a couple of flower suggestions, if I may; one of the most spectacular tender vines is without a doubt the moonflower ( it would be sooo perfect with your wisteria pergola,Snowangel) and one of the "thugs" that love heat, sun, less than perfect spots, Hopleaf, is Mexican torchflower, Tithonia, aka Mex. Sunflower. Big gorgeous and easy, easy, easy keeper. The moonflower opens at night and has the most heavenly scent imaginable! And Sparrowgrass, you can grow absolutely delicious onions by using your chicken pooh and straw in your row. If you get your row ready now and incorporate this in this fall, you will be a happy onion eater next year.

[lovebenton0]

It is 22 degrees, and a thick blanket of frost is covering everything.

we were about 9 degrees warmer, but had frost nonetheless.

I love autumn.

As tough as it can be to do Halloween at 85 or 90 degrees, I do appreciate our long growing season in Central Texas. The ichiban eggplant has found a second wind after the severe heat of August, producing more every day; the peppers (Anaheim, cayenne, some jalapenos, especially the Tabascos, are pumping out for us still; the okra is eight feet tall and prolific. It will soon be time to perform a final harvest here, cut the basils from the bed, and bring in the chives and oregano I have potted. Will be time to till it all under, the first time, before Christmas.

I love the fall, too!

Then, in the Spring I have an unstable peach tree; she wants to bloom earlier every year! Thought this might be the right time to modify her behavior. Does anyone know what to do about a peach tree that blooms too early, in fact, earlier every year? We invariably get a final kick in the pants hard frost here the last week in March. My peach tree used to start working on blooming in mid-March, not bothered by the last cold front. Now, she blooms in mid-February and the new baby peaches, several dozen of them this Spring, were frozen out. Lost a big crop from that one tree. Last year (2002) was not as bad, we lost all but there were only one third as many blooms. The year before, same weather, peaches were fine, delicious and juicy, ready to eat in May.

What happened? Anyone have any suggestions? Wild guesses? Desparate measures? Bold and bizarre instructions? My peach tree, as well as our taste buds are suffering from this early termination.

[Hopleaf]

lovebenton,

I'm definitely not the wisest contributor to this thread, I've asked my fair share of questions, so we'll see what the "experts" say, but as a suggestion, are you sure the peach variety you're growing is suitable to your climate? it almost sounds as if it'd be tailor made for a shorter growing season. Just a hunch, something to look into.

And the only other possible explanation that I can think of is location. Location. location. Real estate matters most when it comes to plants, as I'm sure you know. Is the peach tree getting more sun than it should, thus perhaps sparking it's blossoms. I know that Februrarys in Central Texas can be awefully warm at 2:00 p.m. but can still dip to near freezing at night (how do I know this, you might ask, me being a hard core midwestern type...well, my sister lived in Fredricksburg for some time). I could definitely see a peach tree sitting there on a 65?F Valentines day, love in it's pit, the sun's warmth in its fuzzy skin...and then all of a sudden...oops, oh, a blossom...oh well it's warm let's go with it. know what I mean? (pardon the plant personification...er...and the allitertion).

If it turns out you have a marginally acceptable zone designation for this peach tree, and the tree is small enough, you might consider transplanting it...now would be best as the root systems of most plants start to batten down the hatches for the winter.

Alas, this is all hypothesis. Tell us more about your wonderfully long growing season, most of us northern types have already put our beds to...er...bed.

[lovebenton0]

Hopleaf Nov 3

are you sure the peach variety you're growing is suitable to your climate? it almost sounds as if it'd be tailor made for a shorter growing season. Just a hunch, something to look into. œ

That is certainly a consideration. The tree was already a few years old when we bought the house out here, 5 years ago.

It responded so well to its environment, growing and producing more each year for the first 2 years we were here that I was just hopeful. She has always been bushy peacy, more more like a bush than a tree. I keep thinking I really should cut back some of her legs but then she puts out those glorious blooms, which used to be followed by peaches and I have not been able to make myself take a trim saw to her.

[fifi]

Thanks for that post, lovebenton0. I really enjoyed envisioning your garden. I live in Houston and you can imagine our frustrations with growing the stone fruits. I am temprorarily in an apartment so you can imagine my gardening frustrations. Fredericksburg is lovely and you might even have a shot at growing apricots. Some of the best apricots I ever ate were purchased at a roadside stand somewhat west of you but I don't imagine that the climate is that different.

[lovebenton0]

. . . I live in Houston and you can imagine our frustrations with growing the stone fruits.  . . . you might even have a shot at growing apricots. Some of the best apricots I ever ate were purchased at a roadside stand somewhat west of you but I don't imagine that the climate is that different.

. . . I am temporarily in an apartment so you can imagine my gardening frustrations.

My sympathies. I lived in Houston for years. One of the main reasons I wanted to relocate out near the Austin/Hill Countryregion was to move into a weather base just enough different from Houston. Less rain, and humidity, and the chance for some seasonal changes. Some years are better for that than others. We're not that different from deeper in the Hill Country, like Fredericksburg, though; they get it colder than we do sometimes.

As I sit writing, my peach tree, which lost all her leaves last week, is now in full bloom. This is a first; she has never bloomed in November. Of course, there won't be enough time for the fruit before a freeze hits us, unless we are extremely lucky.

I like the idea of an apricot tree. I will eat them any way I can, fresh, dried, preserved. I may have just the spot for one. I should move the nectarine tree over there also, while she's still runty enough to go. The previous owners planted her in what I have come to realize is the poorest area of the yard. Fine for the tough, indigenous plants, not good for fruit trees. I have tried to encourage her to grow big, beautiful, and fruitful, but she is not getting the "big" part.

Fifi, are you container gardening? Houston either has one very long growing season, or one long one with three or more shorter seasons in a year. Growing in containers I could grow all year long. Although it's not the same as getting out in your garden, it does ease those gardening withdrawals while in an apt.

[snowangel]

'Tis sort of a sad day. I pulled the brussels sprouts today. Although the snow that fell today was not the first of the season, it is approaching THanksgiving, and here in the northern part of zone 4, it was time. They are wonderful, and I must have picked 8 quarts. Nice, sweet and little. I also picked rosemary -- covered with snow, for dinner tonight.

Add to that that we will be moving sometime this coming spring, and I will leave my beloved pergola. So, about an hour ago, I did what I often do in the winter. Put on the boots, head to the garage to get a broom, and sweep off the table under the pergola, turn on the icicle lights and sit and have a glass of wine and a smoke. I will not see my wisteria bloom again.

We will write into the agreement when we sell that I can come and take slips of some of the over 100 perennials I have collected. But that pergola. A new pergola and wisteria will be first on the list of things to do in the new joint. Paul even said "don't worry, Susan, we will make sure that our new house has a very suitable spot for a pergola and a wisteria.

Leaving my gardens will be hard. Harder than leaving that front door that my babies came home from the hospital through. Harder than leaving the kitchen that I sole-handedly remodeled. Oh, and then there's that plot that Diana and Paul dug up and planted for our wedding anniversary when I was in the hospital when Heidi was born.