2015 Gardens

[22-rimfire]

If it is a fungus, that should work. Read the label. Fungicides are really nasty. Wear gloves. Wash hands. Wash hands again. Take shower..... I have never treated vegetables for a fungus, only shrubs with limited success.

 

[taldesta]

You making a teepee shelter or what?

A little quiet around here ... you all must be too busy harvesting to post

The 'teepee shelter' is sprouting beans

Baby beans

Delicious off the vine

Shade and food

Tomato ... Mortgage Lifter ... already in my green tomato recipes. Oddly, delicious

Baked green tomato/berry cobbler

Tomato Jelly Bean. One ripened but didn't last long!

No flavour like home grown flavour. :thumbup:

 

[LEGION 12]

I took this pic the other day. Had a big storm go thru lost a few peppers but other than that everything is growing great.

 

[22-rimfire]

Some of my tomato plants are starting to die off (Early Girl variety). Most are still growing. The new two plants are doing well in the pots. Been harvesting ripe tomatoes galore. Just picked a couple green bell peppers yesterday which I use for salads or sandwiches.

That "teepee shelter" looks great. When I was a kid, we always made those for the pole beans. Your beans are climbing up and little ones are all over (Kentucky Wonder?).

I had 6 of the blue ornamental grass delivered yesterday. Very tiny...... guess I should have expected that mail order.... planted them in small pots to get some growth going and then I'll transplant them later, even if it's next year.

Got a couple christmas cactus's with my order. Love them. The yellow ones are hard to find. Got a couple and have already planted them in pots. I thought I would introduce some new genetic blood to my growing christmas cactus collection. My wife thinks I have a nursery going inside the house.

 

[Catherine_Montana]

Holy moly!

Susan, your post makes me hungry with the cobbler picture and your other pictures are beautiful.

Thank you!

This post made me happy and I will share it with my husband when he gets home from work.

Cate

 

[Catherine_Montana]

Legion 12 and 22RF,

Your gardening sounds good and looks good.

I never grew cactus of any type myself. Inside in a small pot or outside in the dirt.

The way the fires are going on here in this state and across the Western States, the WEST will be lucky to have cactus growing in the desert from what I am seeing! Ugh.

Coughing Cate in the Valley

 

[22-rimfire]

Christmas cactus aren't really cactus in the classic sense. No thorns. They are house plants outside of the tropics (central america and mexico). They are an old timey plant that you see a lot of in Walmarts and so forth in the fall towards Christmas as that is when they normally bloom. They put on quite a show. The typical flower color is pink. But there are white, yellow, red, and kind of a tangerine colored ones too. Been growing them for a long time and the collection keeps growing. For the life of me, I can't get them started as the propagation methods suggest. Don't really know what I'm doing wrong. It is just hit or miss and unpredictable.

 

[taldesta]

I took this pic the other day. Had a big storm go thru lost a few peppers but other than that everything is growing great

Nice shot ... a sun halo dragonfly :thumbup:

Such a favourite, hatching at the perfect time of year, wolfing down blackflies and mosquitoes by the truckload. The one bird I do not like to see nest nearby is the flycatcher. One picture I do not want in my head is a flycatcher with a beak stuffed full with dragonfly wings sticking out each side.

So glad the garden is growing great.

Some of my tomato plants are starting to die off (Early Girl variety). Most are still growing. The new two plants are doing well in the pots. Been harvesting ripe tomatoes galore. Just picked a couple green bell peppers yesterday which I use for salads or sandwiches.

When the tomato plants are all flowered, fruited and finished, do they look thin and yellowed on the bottom, and this works its way up the plant? When the job of producing is done the die back is a natural progression of an annual - how does it look to you? It must be great to have warm temps in your zone, two crops so tomatoes ripen early and more come later. Mine should be showing some ripening soon ... then I will be awash in (red) tomatoes until frost. The seeds were started in January, but not in lush green house conditions.

The bean variety is the Scarlet Runner. The height of the poles makes for ongoing harvest challenge. It's either a ladder ... or tough foot-longs with next year's seeds at the top come end of season. And that's ok.

So 6 little baby blue grass ... good stuff. And the cactus. I have been charmed by these beauties in the store so often.

Holy moly!

Thanks, Cate

I rarely make desserts ... and the making of the cobbler with my garden green tomatoes followed an idea posted that took a little while for me to put into action, waiting on ripening of wild fruit to mix in. Cobbler, berries to bake is posted:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Camp-Cooking-Recipes?p=15061850#post15061850



Meanwhile, back in the milkweed patch. Still watching closely for any sign of monarch activity. Finding many little creatures, nothing monarch so far

 

[22-rimfire]

Guess you aren't seeing any of the worms yet? Monarch butterflies are another miracle of life.

Note to self: The Early Girl tomato variety is supposed to mature in something like 70 days. Honestly, I don't see much difference from the larger Big Boys, Whopper, or Celebrity tomatoes in terms of ripening. But the plants don't seem to do as well after the weather heats up. So, next year... no Early Girl plants.

 

[LEGION 12]

If I can ask when are you supposed to pick a banana pepper ? Took this one today.

 

[22-rimfire]

If you need a reference point, I would just look in the produce section of a grocery store.

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

Well I found a pretty cool bug on my BlackBerry plant this morn so I figured I'd snap a shot of it. Anyone know what it is?

Happy gardening!

 

[taldesta]

If I can ask when are you supposed to pick a banana pepper ? Took this one today.

Having never grown a pepper (but next year ... :thumbup: ) I can only say that, from your picture, banana peppers are aptly named. They do, indeed, look like bananas! Love the black cat, so reminds me of my cat companion of a time long past. Beautiful.

Well I found a pretty cool bug on my BlackBerry plant this morn so I figured I'd snap a shot of it. Anyone know what it is?

Happy gardening!

Thanks OP ... . Sorry that you are bugged ... no help here ... and this year the onslaught is on - bugs vs our gardens - big time here and for a lot of others as well. Great conditions for berries and fruit, four-footers that eat such delicious things, and that includes bears. Meanwhile, back to the bug issue. I just love to photograph the little dudes that make shelters of my plants, that glisten iridescent in the sunshine, that eat the bugs that eat me!

 

[taldesta]

BenchCo Spydermade, a question if you please.

Q 1: I trust my mind but see a lot of usernames flashing before my eyes here on the forum .... but are you recently gold? Q 2: And, if so, is your avatar previously posted in a thread 'cats and knives' or some such?

If the answer is no to Q 1, I need a canoe trip more than I know and am not too proud to go on one if 'prescribed'. Volunteer what you wish as to the cat! My pups would agree, cats are people too ... just a little too fast and good at tree climbing.



Susan

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

BenchCo Spydermade, a question if you please.

Q 1: I trust my mind but see a lot of usernames flashing before my eyes here on the forum .... but are you recently gold? Q 2: And, if so, is your avatar previously posted in a thread 'cats and knives' or some such?

If the answer is no to Q 1, I need a canoe trip more than I know and am not too proud to go on one if 'prescribed'. Volunteer what you wish as to the cat! My pups would agree, cats are people too ... just a little too fast and good at tree climbing.



Susan

I went gold in the last month or so. I've had other pics of my cat, but I think I only used that one particular pic for my avatar though. But could be wrong.

 

[22-rimfire]

When the tomato plants are all flowered, fruited and finished, do they look thin and yellowed on the bottom, and this works its way up the plant? When the job of producing is done the die back is a natural progression of an annual - how does it look to you? It must be great to have warm temps in your zone, two crops so tomatoes ripen early and more come later. Mine should be showing some ripening soon ... then I will be awash in (red) tomatoes until frost. The seeds were started in January, but not in lush green house conditions.

Yeah, one of six plants is dead top to bottom. It is an Early Girl variety. The rest are showing the natural progression of die back in the lower part of the plant. You especially notice this when you have the plants in cages.

 

[taldesta]

Yeah, one of six plants is dead top to bottom. It is an Early Girl variety. The rest are showing the natural progression of die back in the lower part of the plant. You especially notice this when you have the plants in cages.

Thanks for the details on the die back. I normally see the die back as you have described once the plant has done its job of producing fruit. The fruit seems to ripen beyond the beginning of the die back of the foliage. So with a very good beginning to the season would see the early loss of the foliage in general - job accomplished.

I will say that the one heritage tomato plant in the same garden has no yellowing at all and is still in full production looking healthy as a horse as opposed to the two other contemporary varieties.

Daisy ...
Ha! Proof that the ripening cherry tomatoes aren't evaporating into thin air either.

My porch patio ... summer morning coffee and evening relaxing place. Starting most from corms or seeds has taken an inordinate amount of time and effort, but I am glad I did it this once

Amaranth from seed, a grain ordered from Colorado - two varieties. Red is 'love lies bleeding'. I was just curious and wanted to try it.

Pole beans are planted for shade in containers set on top of a kindling box in front of shop window.
On left is ... front, sweet pea; back, pole bean 'scarlet runner'
On right (red) is Amaranthus 'early splendour' to add a touch of colour

In middle is Sasha, the gentlest, softest little girl who hunts crickets and grasshoppers full time. She hops up on the kindling box to eat the blossoms falling from the pole bean. And, surprisingly there are no beans on the lower part of the plants. Hmmmm. She did fall back down between the block wall and the kindling box, completely jammed in ... and needed help to get out. I have since blocked the ends where she jumps up.

 

[BenchCo Spydermade]

Thanks for the details on the die back. I normally see the die back as you have described once the plant has done its job of producing fruit. The fruit seems to ripen beyond the beginning of the die back of the foliage. So with a very good beginning to the season would see the early loss of the foliage in general - job accomplished.

I will say that the one heritage tomato plant in the same garden has no yellowing at all and is still in full production looking healthy as a horse as opposed to the two other contemporary varieties.


Ha! Proof that the ripening cherry tomatoes aren't evaporating into thin air either.

My porch patio ... summer morning coffee and evening relaxing place. Starting most from corms or seeds has taken an inordinate amount of time and effort, but I am glad I did it this once

Amaranth from seed, a grain ordered from Colorado - two varieties. Red is 'love lies bleeding'. I was just curious and wanted to try it.

Pole beans are planted for shade in containers set on top of a kindling box in front of shop window.
On left is ... front, sweet pea; back, pole bean 'scarlet runner'
On right (red) is Amaranthus 'early splendour' to add a touch of colour

In middle is Sasha, the gentlest, softest little girl who hunts crickets and grasshoppers full time. She hops up on the kindling box to eat the blossoms falling from the pole bean. And, surprisingly there are no beans on the lower part of the plants. Hmmmm. She did fall back down between the block wall and the kindling box, completely jammed in ... and needed help to get out. I have since blocked the ends where she jumps up.

That picture of the dog is priceless!

 

[Catherine_Montana]

Christmas cactus aren't really cactus in the classic sense. No thorns. They are house plants outside of the tropics (central america and mexico). They are an old timey plant that you see a lot of in Walmarts and so forth in the fall towards Christmas as that is when they normally bloom. They put on quite a show. The typical flower color is pink. But there are white, yellow, red, and kind of a tangerine colored ones too. Been growing them for a long time and the collection keeps growing. For the life of me, I can't get them started as the propagation methods suggest. Don't really know what I'm doing wrong. It is just hit or miss and unpredictable.

Thanks!

I remember a lady who grew one of them from many moons ago but I thought that they had thorns. The plant name sounds the same - sort of. Grin.

When I think of cactus, I think of the desert kind with thorns that you see in western movies!

Take care.

Cate

 

[Catherine_Montana]

Nice shot ... a sun halo dragonfly :thumbup:

Such a favourite, hatching at the perfect time of year, wolfing down blackflies and mosquitoes by the truckload. The one bird I do not like to see nest nearby is the flycatcher. One picture I do not want in my head is a flycatcher with a beak stuffed full with dragonfly wings sticking out each side.

So glad the garden is growing great.




When the tomato plants are all flowered, fruited and finished, do they look thin and yellowed on the bottom, and this works its way up the plant? When the job of producing is done the die back is a natural progression of an annual - how does it look to you? It must be great to have warm temps in your zone, two crops so tomatoes ripen early and more come later. Mine should be showing some ripening soon ... then I will be awash in (red) tomatoes until frost. The seeds were started in January, but not in lush green house conditions.

The bean variety is the Scarlet Runner. The height of the poles makes for ongoing harvest challenge. It's either a ladder ... or tough foot-longs with next year's seeds at the top come end of season. And that's ok.

So 6 little baby blue grass ... good stuff. And the cactus. I have been charmed by these beauties in the store so often.





Thanks, Cate

I rarely make desserts ... and the making of the cobbler with my garden green tomatoes followed an idea posted that took a little while for me to put into action, waiting on ripening of wild fruit to mix in. Cobbler, berries to bake is posted:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-Camp-Cooking-Recipes?p=15061850#post15061850



Meanwhile, back in the milkweed patch. Still watching closely for any sign of monarch activity. Finding many little creatures, nothing monarch so far

Thanks for this LINK, Susan.

Cate