Let's see those '09 gardens

[HK3-]

I am getting hammered with goodies since we have been getting this warm weather finally! This is what I picked today-

[Blindjimme]

[JohnnyKay5]

nice pickins!

[HK3-]

Originally Posted by Blindjimme

Originally Posted by JohnnyKay5

nice pickins!

Someones gonna have a hot bum in the mornin! <---- me sitting at work tomorrow.

Mmmmmmm, jambalaya comes to mind.

[Mr B]

Nice harvest Harold

[HK3-]

Picked 4 poblano and 6 bells tonight (along with 17 tomatos, 3 zuccini, and 1 cucumber)

Hollowed out and then stuff all the peppers with rice and taco seasoned beef. Topped them all with cheese and baked them at 400 for 20 minutes.

They were delicious!

[jjirons69]

Awesome, Harold! That's why I love planting peppers. You get such a bumper crop and you have to find a use for them. Stuffed peppers remind me of my childhood and I still enjoy them today. I usually put the hollowed out peppers in boiling water for 30 seconds or so prior to stuffing. Then bake for 30 min.

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by shilala

I'm a Certified Master Gardener, Jamie, for what that's worth.
I used to help the Extension Office with the public, taking care of crops, orchards, farming, and domestic fowl. I gave away my farm when I got divorced.
I've created four or five cultivars (notably a purple sunflower) and invented a dark egg laying (hershey bar colored) chicken along the way, too. Made a lot of money from that stuff.
I used to be addicted to botany and genetics something fierce.
Now I just try to keep the fungus off my tomatoes, play cigars, learn about Christ, and make stuff out of wood.
I've invented a bunch of stuff along the way, too. Some have been very successful, some I never shared, some I'm still waiting to build.
I have about two dozen projects, inventions or systems in my head at any given moment. I never stop reading.
I kind of put everything aside while I'm trying to get my back fixed.

+1 Scott! I wished you lived closer.

[jjirons69]

Here's my till from yesterday. 3 jalapeno and 2 bell bushes left. Rather I say small trees. I'll slice these up and pickle this weekend.



This is why us southern folk can't grow a damn squash, squash vine borers. I've tried ever poison and trick on the Internet and nothing works. I planted 6 more hills today. Maybe the adults are gone by now. The only way I can get squash is to plant them early in the spring and hope a frost doesn't get them. The borers come in by June. This was one of two plants I have left. Now I only have one, but she's still healthy.

Lil' bastards!

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Here's my till from yesterday. 3 jalapeno and 2 bell bushes left. Rather I say small trees. I'll slice these up and pickle this weekend.

This is why us southern folk can't grow a damn squash, squash vine borers. I've tried ever poison and trick on the Internet and nothing works. I planted 6 more hills today. Maybe the adults are gone by now. The only way I can get squash is to plant them early in the spring and hope a frost doesn't get them. The borers come in by June. This was one of two plants I have left. Now I only have one, but she's still healthy.

Lil' bastards!

Your pepper abundance has me wanting to grow jalapenos next year. Great shot of the vine borer.

Hey check this out…

Biological pesticides are an option.
Insect-eating nematodes can be used to kill squash vine borers. A solution of the nematodes is injected into plant stems with a syringe when the holes of the borers are first seen. There are three species of insect-eating nematodes available commercially.

[GoodFella]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Number 25! I need a stamp for the side of my shed.

[shilala]

Originally Posted by tzaddi

Your pepper abundance has me wanting to grow jalapenos next year. Great shot of the vine borer.

Hey check this out…

I used to use a dry nematode preperation in every hole with every plant.
The company was from Pittsburgh and I can't remember what they were called.
They also offered a product that caused the roots to get all lumpy with nitrogen fixing nodules (the soil was VERY poor on top of that hill). I'd mix the two products with compost and absorbant polymer and throw a handful in every hole every season.
I've no-till gardened for years through Dewitt Sunbelt earth fabric.
The worms do all my tilling, and the soil in those gardens has improved dramatically over the years. The ex does nothing when she plants, and can still grow nice plants in those gardens.
I live in a river bottom now. All I ever had to do is roll out earth fabric on the grass, cut holes, and drill plant holes with my cordless and a bulb drill.
I just built a compost bin this year, and I'll have plenty of worm castings to add to the garden in the coming years, not that it needs improvement.
The flower beds alongside the house sure do, though.

I liked the article you left, Richard.
"Learn the pest's life cycle" is the only way to kill bugs on anything, in my experience.

[Mark C]

Nice pepper pics!

Shame about the vine borers. I'll have to put up another picture of my zucchini jungle. The bush is ~5-6 ft diameter right now. Was slow going in Aug for some reason, but I've got plenty of squash on the way.

I'm kicking around the idea of growing garlic this year. Anyone have any experience there? Seems to be a lot of variety, what's the difference, and what do I want?

[jjirons69]

Garlic is simple. Stay away from the Elephant type. Find one you like in the store and plant what you don't eat. It's what I did. Plant it Oct-Dec. It has to overwinter in the ground to develop cloves. It grows all year and is ready to harvest (in SC) around July. It'll send up a giant flower stalk, just break it as soon as it forms. The leaves will start to turn brown and die back. When half are dead, she's ready to pull. If you plant it in the flowerbed or yard, beware, it can get out of hand. I planted it in the corner of the garden and it was easily controlled. A doen plants will give you more garlic than you'll use all year. Pull it, tie (or braid) the leaves together, and hang to dry. Don't wash it until ready to use.

Google growing garlic!

[HK3-]

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Garlic is simple. Stay away from the Elephant type. Find one you like in the store and plant what you don't eat. It's what I did. Plant it Oct-Dec. It has to overwinter in the ground to develop cloves. It grows all year and is ready to harvest (in SC) around July. It'll send up a giant flower stalk, just break it as soon as it forms. The leaves will start to turn brown and die back. When half are dead, she's ready to pull. If you plant it in the flowerbed or yard, beware, it can get out of hand. I planted it in the corner of the garden and it was easily controlled. A doen plants will give you more garlic than you'll use all year. Pull it, tie (or braid) the leaves together, and hang to dry. Don't wash it until ready to use.

Google growing garlic!

Thanks for the very useful info! I plan to grow garlic for the first time next year so I can add it to my pickled eggs and pickled peppers as well.

[jjirons69]

This afternoon, put up 5 half-pint jars and 6 pint jars of pickled, sliced jalapenos. In this batch I put a little salt and a little clopped garlic. This probably makes about 30 jars of peppers so far. I opened a jar from 7/5 and it's coming along nicely. Hot as hell, too!

As I commented in Andy's thread, My 5-year old daughter and I ripped up the garden, except for the pepper plants. We planted 6 hills of squash and 9 collards sets. We also planted some Cosmos and Forget-Me-Nots just because she wanted flowers. I'll stop by Lowe's on the way home tomorrow and get a few more flower seed packets just for her. She gave up a trip to the bowling alley with her mom and brother to help me in the garden. I can't tell you how that makes me feel inside. I'll get a picture in a week or two.

It was a great summer of '09. Now we turn the page...

[DPD6030]

I wish I had a garden. Maybe next year.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Garlic is simple. Stay away from the Elephant type. Find one you like in the store and plant what you don't eat. It's what I did. Plant it Oct-Dec. It has to overwinter in the ground to develop cloves. It grows all year and is ready to harvest (in SC) around July. It'll send up a giant flower stalk, just break it as soon as it forms. The leaves will start to turn brown and die back. When half are dead, she's ready to pull. If you plant it in the flowerbed or yard, beware, it can get out of hand. I planted it in the corner of the garden and it was easily controlled. A doen plants will give you more garlic than you'll use all year. Pull it, tie (or braid) the leaves together, and hang to dry. Don't wash it until ready to use.

Google growing garlic!

Cool. Thanks for the info - I' might try that later this year. How much sunlight does garlic need/like (full sun or partial sun?)?

[T.G]

nothing much here for the garden as my growing area is limited by a few large trees blocking most of the sunlight, but here's what I have going:

6 Tomato plants - yellow pear, sweet-100, small cherry, large cherry, brandywine, early girl
6 jalepenos - for smoking my own chipotle peppers, only way to get them ripe enough (almost overripe) for this is to grow them myself
about 90 to 100 Thai chilies - going to try fermenting my own sauce with the peppers.

Plus a pommegranite tree, bay leaf and a metric asston of rosemary.

I have some photos somewhere...