2014 Garden Thread

[beefheart]

My stuff is starting to rebound a bit after several weeks of 105+ temps and no humidity, we have a bit of an increase in the humidity, which the plants are enjoying. I have a moringa that is finally taking root and beginning a rapid growth, and a pineapple that has seemingly come back from the dead. Bananas are withering and burning still, time to feed them and get them some strength.

 

[beefheart]

Mexican Bean Beetle Control | Planet Natural

Petunias are also supposed to repel them. Plant some around the beans

I had a stink beetle in the house the other night, saw it walking across a pillow and I flicked it to the floor, and it let out a nasty camphor stench...took a few days to air that out.

 

[sangha]

I had a stink beetle in the house the other night, saw it walking across a pillow and I flicked it to the floor, and it let out a nasty camphor stench...took a few days to air that out.

If you're talking about one of these:

I feel your pain!!!


We have tons of them where I live. They really skeeve me out.

 

[beefheart]

If you're talking about one of these:

I feel your pain!!!


We have tons of them where I live. They really skeeve me out.

It was a bit different, more of a black beetle that live in hot sandy deserts, but the same nasty smell. I'm just lucky I don't get scorpions, my friends that are in newer homes get them all the time. Thankfully, I have lots of lizards outside, and a few geckos inside (very rarely do you see them, they are like ghosts) that eat the nasty stuff. And, I do my own termite application so it keeps lots of nasty stuff out of the house.

 

[Muhammed]

How's the Gardens growing?


How about an update guys!

you may post pics

UPDATE:

My garden is just starting to bear some fruit this year here in NW Ohio.

I'm starting to get some cucumbers. This one in the pic is probably going to be in a tossed salad within the next week.



The cherry tomatoes are doing well. I've already eaten some ripe ones. They are very flavorful and seem to have a hint of sweetness to them. Like candy. They're better than the ones you get from the grocery store. They are delicious, the best I've ever tasted. I like to put them in salads.



My Early Girl tomatoes seem to be doing OK, they are starting to change color. They make excellent slicers for burgers and BLT sandwiches.



My Roma tomatoes are off to a slow start. I haven't even seen a blossom on them yet. And the leaves were shriveling up on some of them. But IIRC those do tend to be late bloomers. I like to make sauce with those and can it. I've still got a bunch jars from last year that I use whenever I make meals like pizza, spaghetti or lasagna.

I'm also starting to see some bell peppers.



They are the California Wonder variety and I've had good luck with them in the past. They are very tasty and seem to do well in this climate here in NW Ohio. I love to put garden fresh green bell peppers on pizza and in salads. It doesn't get any fresher and tastier than straight off the vine. My wife makes some awesome stuffed roasted peppers and I can't wait for her to make some with garden fresh peppers. I bet they'll be even better.

 

[Ockham]

you may post pics

I'm going to grab some today and put them up during a respite with the rain.

 

[GottaGo]

Been enjoying squash for over a month now, but the plants are petering out.

Beans for the last week, more than we can eat! I think the neighbors now flinch when the see me coming with a bulging plastic sack, lol.

Got our first ripe tomato on Friday. It just plays up the complete lack of flavor anything store bought has....

 

[polgara]

UPDATE:

My garden is just starting to bear some fruit this year here in NW Ohio.

I'm starting to get some cucumbers. This one in the pic is probably going to be in a tossed salad within the next week.

View attachment 67169677

The cherry tomatoes are doing well. I've already eaten some ripe ones. They are very flavorful and seem to have a hint of sweetness to them. Like candy. They're better than the ones you get from the grocery store. They are delicious, the best I've ever tasted. I like to put them in salads.

View attachment 67169678

My Early Girl tomatoes seem to be doing OK, they are starting to change color. They make excellent slicers for burgers and BLT sandwiches.

View attachment 67169679

My Roma tomatoes are off to a slow start. I haven't even seen a blossom on them yet. And the leaves were shriveling up on some of them. But IIRC those do tend to be late bloomers. I like to make sauce with those and can it. I've still got a bunch jars from last year that I use whenever I make meals like pizza, spaghetti or lasagna.

I'm also starting to see some bell peppers.

View attachment 67169680

They are the California Wonder variety and I've had good luck with them in the past. They are very tasty and seem to do well in this climate here in NW Ohio. I love to put garden fresh green bell peppers on pizza and in salads. It doesn't get any fresher and tastier than straight off the vine. My wife makes some awesome stuffed roasted peppers and I can't wait for her to make some with garden fresh peppers. I bet they'll be even better.

Wow, do those ever look good! I've printed a copy, and I'm going to go out to the garden and just show my tomatoes and peppers what they're supposed to look like! Maybe a little healthy competition will give them some incentive to try harder! :mrgreen:

Greetings, Muhammed. :2wave:

 

[beefheart]

Good looking veggies! I'm going to get some more tomatoes sprouted after I get back from a business trip, we have a second season that is long enough to grow a second crop (the ones in my outdoor hydroponic unit are barely keeping alive in the heat (109 today).

I have some taro roots that are starting to sprout, so I'm going to try to get a few started and grow indoors, very pretty plant, huge emerald green leaves! I heard that cassava is a nice plant for here, but can't be grown from the roots they sell here in the stores.

 

[Muhammed]

Wow, do those ever look good! I've printed a copy, and I'm going to go out to the garden and just show my tomatoes and peppers what they're supposed to look like! Maybe a little healthy competition will give them some incentive to try harder! :mrgreen:

Greetings, Muhammed. :2wave:

Hello Polgara! :2wave:

I've grown a lot of tomatoes over the years, and I testify right here, right now, that those hybrid "Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes" are the best I've ever grown or tasted. They literally taste like candy. They add a unique sweetness to a garden salad. And the Early Girl hybrid tomatoes are tried and true. I've grown those for many years and they have never let me down.

As far as the peppers go, it is a bit too early to tell how the harvest is going to go. I planted more than usual this year though because my wife, who I just met this past December, really likes to make roasted peppers. It will probably be a few more weeks before I start harvesting peppers. The one in the pic is just the first one. It's probably edible right now.

 

[Ockham]

you may post pics

Overall garden is looking good - need rain and I haven't gotten much in the last week. The stuff on the fence in the front there are climbing string beans. The corn in the back is a decent plot of ornamental corn, (Giant Indian, Bloody Butcher...)

Nice bunch of cucumbers which seem to double in size every day so I have to check them every day.

My tomatoes went in late this year and I just picked my first three off before taking this pic. I mixed the varieties between hybrid and some heritage types. No cherry tomatoes this year!

I took this one because this flower stuck me in the eye when I was bending down and thought it would make a nice close up!

 

[Gardener]

My stuff is starting to rebound a bit after several weeks of 105+ temps and no humidity.

My stuff is usually just fine when it's hot.

It's when I'm running around cold when I am less than proud.

 

[beefheart]

My stuff is usually just fine when it's hot.

It's when I'm running around cold when I am less than proud.

Lack of humidity is the culprit, I have a newly growing passion fruit that I have to keep covered and a new pomegranite, they can't take the dry. The bananas have such massive leaves, they need lots of moisture! The fun plant is the dragon fruit, I'll have to get some pics. It is a succulent cactus, but it grows rapidly, and climbs things, I have it climbing 15 feet straight up the sides of the house, with little feeder claws holding onto the bricks. I have one on my back porch that I have been training around a post, and then will be going along a beam. If only I could get the damned things to bloom.

I wish I had room like Ockham. My backyard is taken up with a big annoying pool, and my planting real estate is very small. I have been slowly destroying parts of the cement kool-deck for more planting space...

 

[Medusa]

UPDATE:

My garden is just starting to bear some fruit this year here in NW Ohio.

I'm starting to get some cucumbers. This one in the pic is probably going to be in a tossed salad within the next week.

View attachment 67169677

The cherry tomatoes are doing well. I've already eaten some ripe ones. They are very flavorful and seem to have a hint of sweetness to them. Like candy. They're better than the ones you get from the grocery store. They are delicious, the best I've ever tasted. I like to put them in salads.

View attachment 67169678

My Early Girl tomatoes seem to be doing OK, they are starting to change color. They make excellent slicers for burgers and BLT sandwiches.

View attachment 67169679

My Roma tomatoes are off to a slow start. I haven't even seen a blossom on them yet. And the leaves were shriveling up on some of them. But IIRC those do tend to be late bloomers. I like to make sauce with those and can it. I've still got a bunch jars from last year that I use whenever I make meals like pizza, spaghetti or lasagna.

I'm also starting to see some bell peppers.

View attachment 67169680

They are the California Wonder variety and I've had good luck with them in the past. They are very tasty and seem to do well in this climate here in NW Ohio. I love to put garden fresh green bell peppers on pizza and in salads. It doesn't get any fresher and tastier than straight off the vine. My wife makes some awesome stuffed roasted peppers and I can't wait for her to make some with garden fresh peppers. I bet they'll be even better.

looks tasty fresh ...

 

[Medusa]

Overall garden is looking good - need rain and I haven't gotten much in the last week. The stuff on the fence in the front there are climbing string beans. The corn in the back is a decent plot of ornamental corn, (Giant Indian, Bloody Butcher...)

Nice bunch of cucumbers which seem to double in size every day so I have to check them every day.

My tomatoes went in late this year and I just picked my first three off before taking this pic. I mixed the varieties between hybrid and some heritage types. No cherry tomatoes this year!

I took this one because this flower stuck me in the eye when I was bending down and thought it would make a nice close up!

we have a garden in the town and summer means lots of cucumbers and tomatoes cherries to me .

 

[Muhammed]

we have a garden in the town and summer means lots of cucumbers and tomatoes cherries to me .

I've been getting a lot of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other veggies. My garden is really starting to produce.

I'm very happy with how it's going so far.

 

[Medusa]

I've been getting a lot of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers and other veggies. My garden is really starting to produce.

I'm very happy with how it's going so far.

View attachment 67170664

it is wonderful to pick fresh delicious little cherrie tomatoes from your garden .

 

[Muhammed]

it is wonderful to pick fresh delicious little cherrie tomatoes from your garden .

It sure is!

I've been eating bunches of them every single day since that post. :tomato::tomatofac

Here in NW Ohio we only have about another month to go until the first frost kills the tomato plants. Then it's back to store bought tomatoes. But for now they are still producing very well.