Garden thread
Replies
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I have an ongoing disagreement with a friend. My thesis is that those cardboard things that are sold as tomatoes in the off season should never be eaten. His thesis is that a store-bought tomato out of season is better than no tomato out of season. Tomatoes, to me, are seasonal. Same with artichoke, although I never buy those. Holy cranberries, no I don't ever buy those. I give them away! Asparagus -- in season only.
I've kind of been enjoying the Persian cucumbers. They don't hold long, but they have a nice mild flavor.
There's also really only a few weeks a year I will buy fresh corn. Or watermelons. One nice thing is that tomato season, at least here, is fairly long.
Some things are OK off season if frozen.
For me right now it's chanterelle season. Yum.2 -
Knock me over with a feather.
I didn't think it was going to happen.
Allegedly 62 days to maturity, and they've been in the ground a lot longer than that. Even 50% more than that. 92 days. I had given up. But today I saw something that made me smile.
Of course there's not many pollinators out now, so who knows if I will get a harvest. I'm cheering for the hummingbirds to help me out or maybe a nice sunny day when local beekeepers' little girls will come visti.
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Welp... I got super busy and didn't get my carrots or potatoes out of the ground before it froze. Will they be edible in the spring when it thaws? I'm guessing not, but wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.0
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Then I'm in luck! Peas soon!1 -
SuzanneC1l9zz wrote: »Welp... I got super busy and didn't get my carrots or potatoes out of the ground before it froze. Will they be edible in the spring when it thaws? I'm guessing not, but wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.
How deep is the ground frozen? If its just an inch or two, I bet they'll be fine. The carrots might actually be sweeter.
I leave beets in the ground all winter, and of course garlic. To be sure, our soil typically doesn't freeze more than a foot, and not for all that long, but the roots are fine. Aren't carrots biennial? They have to survive underground to flower the second year. I understood that one thing that made potatoes such a popular sustenance in Ireland is that they could stay safely underground even when marauders came to burn and pillage. They couldn't steal all the food because it was safe underground.
Sounds like you are in a place where the soil will stay frozen for months without thawing. In that case... I don't know. It couldn't hurt to go check to see if the carrots are good to go.0 -
SuzanneC1l9zz wrote: »Welp... I got super busy and didn't get my carrots or potatoes out of the ground before it froze. Will they be edible in the spring when it thaws? I'm guessing not, but wouldn't mind being pleasantly surprised.
How deep is the ground frozen? If its just an inch or two, I bet they'll be fine. The carrots might actually be sweeter.
I leave beets in the ground all winter, and of course garlic. To be sure, our soil typically doesn't freeze more than a foot, and not for all that long, but the roots are fine. Aren't carrots biennial? They have to survive underground to flower the second year. I understood that one thing that made potatoes such a popular sustenance in Ireland is that they could stay safely underground even when marauders came to burn and pillage. They couldn't steal all the food because it was safe underground.
Sounds like you are in a place where the soil will stay frozen for months without thawing. In that case... I don't know. It couldn't hurt to go check to see if the carrots are good to go.
Adding to this: People here who overwinter root crops in the ground usually do a thick straw mulch, then maybe some kind of cover to the mulch (landscape fabric or plastic). That has two effects: It limits the deep freezing right around the roots, and - maybe - allows some to be dug, with effort, during the Winter.
I'm not sure where you are, @SuzanneC1l9zz. I'm in mid-Michigan USA. It will get to -20F/-29C sometimes, and it is below freezing for many weeks to months, with many Winters having some several-day stretches below 0F (-18C) or thereabouts.0 -
I'm in Alberta, Canada. We usually have at least a week or two of -30sC overnights. Highs below freezing for 5 or 6 months most years. It's currently snowing.1
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Then I'm in luck! Peas soon!
I must have been having a brain fart last week. You too @AnnPT77. I'm a recovering scientist with an undergraduate in a biological field. Plant biology even. So I don't know why I forgot. I guess I was just being optimistic.
Peas are indeed self-pollinating. That doesn't mean they don't need help from a pollinator. It just means that flowers can be pollinated by themselves or other flowers on the same plant. They still need a visit from a bee, bird, or other insect.
Some plants that are less evolved (gymnosperms like pine trees, fir trees, cypress, and the like) don't require a pollinator to visit. They disperse their pollen on the wind. They make a lot of pollen. That's all the yellow stuff that covers everything in the spring. "Flowering plants," A.K.A. angiosperms need something to come say hi.
Pears are not self-pollinating, so you have to have at least two trees nearby each other.
I ain't gonna get no peas this fall. Go ahead. Correct my grammar. I care not. I will get beets though....1 -
IMU, peas specifically are one of the plants that usually readily self-pollinate before the flowers actually open (pollen transfer within a single flower, i.e., autogamous in the strict sense), so things like wind are relevant (jostling the individual flowers). There are instructions for growing them in hoop houses that suggest hand-jostling to make sure they pollinate, but I've never grown peas under cover, so that's all theory to me. They do start quite early here, and while it isn't 'no insects' season, it's for sure 'limited insects'. Never had a problem with them setting pods, if they grew on to the stage of flowering. (The cold & clay soil in my yard can cause germination or growth problems, sometimes.)1
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Interesting discussion. I tried a variety of self-pollinating cucumbers this year and had great success with them, much better than the standard type that need pollinators. There were tons of baby cukes and no male blossoms. About half of the babies grew to edible size so I was overrun. They also were thinner skinned and rarely produced seeds inside. Will definitely grow again.1
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Borrowed my neighbor's orchard ladder again and picked all the Asian pears and plums that were out of reach. There were six gallons of pears and there are still more on the tree.
One of the two-gallon buckets got emptied at a neighbor's house. Most of another one went to another neighbor. She had told me a week or so ago she wanted plums; never said anything about pears. Took some anyway; she was home and took eighteen of 'em.
Only got two gallons of plums. Still more on the tree. There are still four or five quarts of prunes left from last year so the focus will be processing the pears and figs. Any room left in the dehydrator after the pears are done might get prunes. They're Italian prune plums and are SO good. I made a care package for that neighbor. Other neighbor decided to pass on the plums.
The basket was a nice presentation. She knows there's more if she wants. She sent a text that her brother who just arrived for a visit loves 'em and had never had one before. Go figure.
OK. My break is over; time to process fruit.
Also some Interlaken seedless green grapes.
These look amazing!2 -
I recently planted my winter garden. I planted broccoli, parsley, rosemary, celery, kale, chard, collards, and several kinds of lettuce seedlings. I also planted garlic and onion bulbs, seed potatoes, and carrots, beets, and fava beans from seed. I wanted veggies to make salads and soups. Hoping for a good harvest.2
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I recently planted my winter garden. I planted broccoli, parsley, rosemary, celery, kale, chard, collards, and several kinds of lettuce seedlings. I also planted garlic and onion bulbs, seed potatoes, and carrots, beets, and fava beans from seed. I wanted veggies to make salads and soups. Hoping for a good harvest.
I would love a winter garden but the ground freezes deep here so it is out of the question.0 -
Good night dear garden....
See you in a few months.
Peas continue to flower, but no pods.
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The weather prognosticators are telling us we're about to get a sustained cold snap - a lot colder than normal for our part of the world.
It's supposed to dip a little below freezing tomorrow night. That's not unusual at all. It will warm back up to the mid 30s on Sunday, but then will drop down to the teens or low 20s Sunday night and not get above freezing for a few days. Tuesday night is currently the coldest forecast - mid to low teens. It isn't expected to get back up above freezing until some time on Thursday. These temperatures are cold enough to not only kill back the tops of my beets, but freeze the ground which will ruin them. I still have a bed full - I will harvest some for now.
My only hope is that the snowstorm materializes and leaves a thick insulating blanket on the ground so I can continue to harvest beets for the next few months. It's the first year I planted early enough that they got big enough to harvest. This spring I was "harvesting" beets the size of radishes....
I am helping look after a neighbor's house while they are out of state visiting family. I was advised to pick many of the carrots, beets, and kale in their garden because of frost. I already got some carrots today. Yum. I think I just might start a weird carrot fermentation, just because.3 -
It's still a little too early, but they say the best time to prune is when you have the shears in your hand.
I had the day off. It was warmish out (not frigid), and it wasn't raining. I decided to get after my raspberries.
Step one was removing the rope that was holding everything in a big bundle, then I cut out all of last year's primacanes.
Step two was picking out three or four of last year's floracanes canes to tie up to the wire every foot or so. I made sure to ONLY do at most four instead of six. Last year they were too thick. Then I cut out any other floracanes that weren't tied to the wire.
Last step, aside from clean-up, was trimming all the tied up canes to about 4.5 or five feet high. The green waste cart is full; I also cut back my zebra grass.
Next time we have good pruning weather, I'll get after the pear trees and maybe the cherry. Later in the year I'll get after the grapes. I really need to get on the blueberries, too. The prune... it's actually called prune, so I'll prune that too.
Crazy thing is those pea plants are still alive even after the considerable frosts we've had - low 20s or high teens. They flowered and flowered and flowered, but they never put any pods on. I'll pull 'em out soon. I'm harvesting beets; they are good. Sweet. Crisp. For some reason the artichokes haven't died back yet either.
Almost time to plant peas again. I don't know where I'll plant them.1 -
With the wind chill, it was -4 degrees yesterday AM here south of Boston! Hard to believe I can plant peas in two months. (I aim for St. Patrick's Day and have done well if they are in by April 1.)
I've moved and am not sure where I will be planting them. In the regular garden here, they will be too tempting for critters. We do have a fenced in area, but I'm not sure there will be enough sun. That's where I'm going to try though. I've been thinking about consulting with an arborist to get a few branches trimmed to get more sun in that area.0 -
It was 57 degrees today in the Sacramento area, I got all the dead tomato plants in rhe cans for garbage tonight but have a lot left to do still. I got a new succulent at the Take a Plant Leaf a Plant stand closest to me and left succulent cuttings. The cold crops are doing great especially the kale and Swiss chard so stir fries are in the near future. I'm still deciding what seeds to order but most of the seed companies are overcharging for starter trays. Dollar Tree has seeds 4 for$1, there's not a huge selection but I got some.1
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Ate the last of my container lettuce today. That officially ends fresh picked Garden 2021.
The pantry and freezers are packed with 2021 garden produce that will take me right up to next year's harvest. Having green beans with onions, slivered almonds and mushrooms alongside Thai butternut squash soup tonight. Making tomato basil chicken and zucchini bread tomorrow. Stuffed peppers after that.
Already laying out my platforms and grow lights for Garden 2022. I'll be starting pepper seeds late in February and the rest of my seeds throughout March. Can't wait!
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Aaah! Today I went to retrieve some garlic fom my cold cellar and some of the bulbs have green sprouts at least a good 3" long! The ground outside is still frozen.0
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I got my grape vines and blueberry bushes pruned yesterday.
I did a little work on the roses. They didn't need much. I actually have some blossoms on one of the bushes. Poor things don't know what to think. They get artificial heat because they are close to the south wall of my house. Some heat leaks out, and also if the sun comes out, they get it.
There's a couple blossoms on the snowdrop (Gallanthus). Hellebore and Corsican hellebore are blooming. Filbert tree has katkins. I think I will trim some branches from the flowering cherry to bring in to force into bloom. I really need to get out and weed the garlic, but that's not so much fun.1 -
I recently planted my winter garden. I planted broccoli, parsley, rosemary, celery, kale, chard, collards, and several kinds of lettuce seedlings. I also planted garlic and onion bulbs, seed potatoes, and carrots, beets, and fava beans from seed. I wanted veggies to make salads and soups. Hoping for a good harvest.
I would love a winter garden but the ground freezes deep here so it is out of the question.
Oh no! Where do you live? My husband and I set up a grow tent in our garage for marijuana. It is great. I think if I lived in a freezing climate I might do the same but for veggies and herbs.0 -
I just harvested a bunch of lettuces and broccoli. I have been eating a lot of salads lately.
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I recently planted my winter garden. I planted broccoli, parsley, rosemary, celery, kale, chard, collards, and several kinds of lettuce seedlings. I also planted garlic and onion bulbs, seed potatoes, and carrots, beets, and fava beans from seed. I wanted veggies to make salads and soups. Hoping for a good harvest.
I would love a winter garden but the ground freezes deep here so it is out of the question.
Are you still where your profile says, so USDA zone 5a/b? Here (middle of Michigan palm, 5b), people seem to get a fair Winter yield of root crops held under a blanket of hay after late-season growth, and season extension of the really hardy greens (like kale and collards), or early planting of others (like spinach). Farmers markets usually have local suppliers of those most of the Winter, though some grow in hoop houses.
It's a lot of work, though. I just do some indoor herbs in Winter, but I'm not a big food gardener these days at all.0 -
Hard to think about gardening when there's 18" of snow covering my garden. I can dream though.
I do have a question....when I put my garden to bed last year, there had been some problems with mold, blight or something with the green beans and tomato plants. I'm not sure what to do to help prevent that from happening again this year.
It makes me hesitant to even plant now. 1 -
I had bean blight last year near the end of the season and I was able to outrun it. There are several spray-on options for treating bean blight - everything from homemade organic mixtures to commercial chemical products. A fast online search will render lots of options and you can decide what suits you best. Many people swear by spraying leaves with milk.
Some of the things you can do to help stop the spread is to water at the base of your beans to avoid spreading the blight via splashes from a diseased plant to a healthy one. It's very important to remove and safely dispose of a blighted leaf the second you see it. If the blight continues on that plant, safely dispose of the plant - trying not to let it touch any healthy plants as you do.0 -
Hard to think about gardening when there's 18" of snow covering my garden. I can dream though.
I do have a question....when I put my garden to bed last year, there had been some problems with mold, blight or something with the green beans and tomato plants. I'm not sure what to do to help prevent that from happening again this year. It makes me hesitant to even plant now.
I'll start by assuming you were not overwatering
Last gardening season was a blur, but if you got a lot of rain, that can definitely cause those issues.
If the tomato leaves were yucky on the bottom but the plant very healthy and productive on top, no need to change anything.
Many plants come in varieties designed to deal with specific issues like blight. If you buy seeds, it is easy to check for this/find this. For plants, buy from a garden center rather than big box store.0 -
Winter aconite will be blooming later this month, and is currently covered in snow.1
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kshama2001 wrote: »Hard to think about gardening when there's 18" of snow covering my garden. I can dream though.
I do have a question....when I put my garden to bed last year, there had been some problems with mold, blight or something with the green beans and tomato plants. I'm not sure what to do to help prevent that from happening again this year. It makes me hesitant to even plant now.
I'll start by assuming you were not overwatering
Last gardening season was a blur, but if you got a lot of rain, that can definitely cause those issues.
If the tomato leaves were yucky on the bottom but the plant very healthy and productive on top, no need to change anything.
Many plants come in varieties designed to deal with specific issues like blight. If you buy seeds, it is easy to check for this/find this. For plants, buy from a garden center rather than big box store.
Thanks for the advice. I don't *think* I overwatered but IDK. The tomato leaves started at the bottom but eventually affected most of the plant. Tomatoes were still good though. I can't remember if we had a rainy season or not; yeh we might've now that I think about it. Also, I think I over planted the green beans and they didn't have good air circulation or lots of sun inside the plants.
I'll have to plan differently this year. 1
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