What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

For turbo, for next year.

http://seedrack.com/08.html?gclid=CN6W_KPO4JwCFSYoawodPGTAJg

 

[lisab]

Update on the split cherry tomatoes: I went ahead and made sauce out of the split ones.

I traded a few pounds of (unsplit) tomatoes with a neighbor for several chili peppers. Made a batch of chili that was so delicious...the tomato sauce was just a little sweet, but it was balanced by jalapenos...and wow, it was dang good .

 

[turbo]

For turbo, for next year.

http://seedrack.com/08.html?gclid=CN6W_KPO4JwCFSYoawodPGTAJg

Thanks! I think that's where my greenhouse guys get their seed, or someplace similar. The Carribean Red habanero looks suspiciously like the Savinas - a trademarked strain. And they are hella-hot!

 

[turbo]

Update on the split cherry tomatoes: I went ahead and made sauce out of the split ones.

I traded a few pounds of (unsplit) tomatoes with a neighbor for several chili peppers. Made a batch of chili that was so delicious...the tomato sauce was just a little sweet, but it was balanced by jalapenos...and wow, it was dang good .

We have more tomatoes ripening than we can eat, but not enough to can - the solution is to make lots of fresh salsa and share. We made salsa out of jalapeno, Hungarian wax chilies, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, etc, with a touch of dill, and took it to our organic-gardening neighbors along with a bag of tortilla chips. Party-time! The older grand-daughter (now 6) liked the liquid part of the salsa, but said that the chunky stuff was "too hot". She'll come around eventually.

 

[OmCheeto]

We have more tomatoes ripening than we can eat, but not enough to can - the solution is to make lots of fresh salsa and share. We made salsa out of jalapeno, Hungarian wax chilies, tomatoes, cilantro, onions, etc, with a touch of dill, and took it to our organic-gardening neighbors along with a bag of tortilla chips. Party-time! The older grand-daughter (now 6) liked the liquid part of the salsa, but said that the chunky stuff was "too hot". She'll come around eventually.

Speaking of hot, when is it time to harvest the Thai's?

 

[turbo]

Speaking of hot, when is it time to harvest the Thai's?

Those look ready - at the peak of color. Try a few in a stir-fry and report back.

 

[Evo]

Speaking of hot, when is it time to harvest the Thai's?

Gorgeous Om.

 

[Astronuc]

Om, harvest the red ones.

 

[Astronuc]

For turbo, for next year.

http://seedrack.com/08.html?gclid=CN6W_KPO4JwCFSYoawodPGTAJg

 

[OmCheeto]

Those look ready - at the peak of color. Try a few in a stir-fry and report back.

Did that, two nights in a row. I think my Thai Hot's were crossed with something mild. I've had more burn from Taco Bell.

 

[Evo]

Finally! My poblano has finally started setting peppers. The plant has produced nothing all year, not it's fault, I guess, since the weather has been too cool for warm weather plants like peppers and eggplants to set. My patio makes the cool weather worse because the plants only get a few hours of direct sunlight a day.

Also, I wanted to clear up rumors of my marriage to Kurdt. (I have no idea how these rumors start ). If there had been a wedding, surely there would be pictures.

 

[OmCheeto]

Finally! My poblano has finally started setting peppers. The plant has produced nothing all year, not it's fault, I guess, since the weather has been too cool for warm weather plants like peppers and eggplants to set. My patio makes the cool weather worse because the plants only get a few hours of direct sunlight a day.

Also, I wanted to clear up rumors of my marriage to Kurdt. (I have no idea how these rumors start ). If there had been a wedding, surely there would be pictures.

Rumour? Look what pops up when I google Kurdt Evo Bora Bora:

ps. what my Thai Mild's lack in heat is made up for in their prolificy, er, prolificness, um, there's lots of em.

 

[Evo]

Rumour? Look what pops up when I google Kurdt Evo Bora Bora:

ps. what my Thai Mild's lack in heat is made up for in their prolificy, er, prolificness, um, there's lots of em.

Ahahah, cute!

Your thai peppers were very profuse, I'm jealous! I've gotten a total of 4 cubanelles (they smell incredible). Each bell pepper has produced one pepper for each plant. The New mexicop pepper, just gotten one starting. The banana peppers, 2. In other words a crop failure.

 

[OmCheeto]

Ahahah, cute!

Your thai peppers were very profuse, I'm jealous! I've gotten a total of 4 cubanelles (they smell incredible). Each bell pepper has produced one pepper for each plant. The New mexicop pepper, just gotten one starting. The banana peppers, 2. In other words a crop failure.

It sounds as though you got the crop I had for the last 19 years. We had record heat this summer. I've never had 4 tomato plants produce more than I could eat. My friends plum tree produced so much, that her kitchen, dining room, and living room are all helping out drying the fruit.

ps. There were other images on the first page of the Kurdt Evo Bora Bora google search, but they looked more like symbols of typical marriages:

 

[Evo]

I have counted 19 baby poblanos, I hope they grow quickly in case w have an early freeze, My tomatoes are blooming like crazy now, of course.

I guess not all Bora Bora marriages are as happy as mine and Kurdts.

 

[dlgoff]

I've gotten a total of 4 cubanelles (they smell incredible). Each bell pepper has produced one pepper for each plant. The New mexicop pepper, just gotten one starting. The banana peppers, 2. In other words a crop failure.

Sounds like my garden this year. Let's see, just guessing

4 bell peppers plants @ $0.79 $3.16
1 mexicop pepper plant $1.29
2 banana pepper plant @ $0.79 $1.58
Total plant cost $6.03
Cost per pepper $0.60

Not too bad.

In my case, I had to replant several time due to rain and rabbits.

 

[Evo]

Sounds like my garden this year. Let's see, just guessing

4 bell peppers plants @ $0.79 $3.16
1 mexicop pepper plant $1.29
2 banana pepper plant @ $0.79 $1.58
Total plant cost $6.03
Cost per pepper $0.60

Not too bad.

In my case, I had to replant several time due to rain and rabbits.

My plants averaged $3 each, I was shocked that they were so expensive this year. So, not counting the pots, soil, fertilizer and insecticides, my tiny bell peppers cost me $3 a piece.

 

[turbo]

I just made up a small batch of refrigerator pickles. My neighbor gave me a large bag of very large cucumbers (ours have stopped producing), so I split them into 6ths (spears) and de-seeded them, leaving just the crisp flesh and the skins, packed them into jars with lots of sliced German garlic cloves and fresh cayenne peppers, sliced lengthwise with all the seeds intact. Added fresh dill florets and sprigs from our mini-greenhouse along with some dried dill seed, and covered with boiling brine (1/3 C Kosher salt, 2-1/2 C cider vinegar, and 6 C water) Instead of processing them in a boiling water bath, I topped them with re-usable plastic lids and will store them in the refrigerator for a month or so before using. I made 2 quarts for us, a quart for the neighbors, and another quart for my father without the cayenne - he's losing his fondness for hot stuff, with age. The garden has been producing very slowly this year with the exception of the great garlic crop, so my adventures in pickling have been severely restricted. Maybe next year...

 

[Evo]

After a year of nothing, all of my plants have gone wild. Every plant is suddenly so top heavy, I spent most of the morning staking branches.

The biggest dud this year was the poblano, not a single pepper, I now have over 30 of these beauties.

A cubanelle (these are awesome in flavor).

Mexibell's in the front (taste like a cross between a bell pepper and a jalapeno) and jalapenos in the back.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/586/006nf.jpg

Banana peppers.

New Mexico pepper

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/2112/006mu.jpg

Gratuitous shot of the Fruit Bat.

 

[27Thousand]

I've often had spurts where I really enjoyed growing plants. However, I'm not in a position to do that right now.

I used to be really into all sorts of tropical plants indoors.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Kurdt and Evo got married in Bora Bora and I wasn't invited?



*stomps off*

 

[Evo]

Kurdt and Evo got married in Bora Bora and I wasn't invited?



*stomps off*

Kurdt went without me too! I got the photo in the mail.

 

[Moonbear]

Yeah, I suddenly have vegetables growing too, but wonder if I'll get any to finish growing/ripen before we start getting frosts. I have about 3 bell peppers and a few banana peppers and several jalapenos (I haven't been letting them get very big and hot because I've been anxious to cook with them before the deer come back). I also suddenly have a lot of tomatoes, but they still seem small, so I have my doubts that they'll grow and ripen before frost hits.

 

[Evo]

Yeah, I suddenly have vegetables growing too, but wonder if I'll get any to finish growing/ripen before we start getting frosts. I have about 3 bell peppers and a few banana peppers and several jalapenos (I haven't been letting them get very big and hot because I've been anxious to cook with them before the deer come back). I also suddenly have a lot of tomatoes, but they still seem small, so I have my doubts that they'll grow and ripen before frost hits.

Same here. We're known for having serious ice storms the first week of October, just two weeks away.

 

[GeorginaS]

Of my eight tiny balcony tomato plants, they produced, precisely, one tomato each. Hah! Now, they're still very green (the tomatoes) and the plants are dying off. I think because it's cold at night. Not sure. Do tomato plants have a finite lifespan?

I've brought my small collection of small tomatoes inside and sat them in the dirt in my herb planter. They're turning red. I'm pleased.

I'm also pleased that friends and co-workers had bumper crops of tomatoes this year and are begging for people to unload on. I volunteered.

 

[baywax]

Since this is almost the only thread in which I can talk about the weather... what's with the weather?

Did the New England area ever warm up?

We had the hottest summer on record... with about 1800 forest fires fought with a ballooning $450,000,000 provincial budget.

The pine beetle infestation (knocking out our pine/spruce forests and forest industry) has been iradicated... this is because all the (suitable) trees have been eaten by the little buggers.

We still have green leaves... nothing's turning much yet. I was too busy for a garden other than one alien looking geranium. However, I was fortunate to have received many garden gifts from several people. Concord Grapes, Cherry Tomatoes, Zuc, and some figs etc...

Thanks to the green thumb gang!

 

[Evo]

I have no idea how this happened. One of my squirrels has his head and front paws shoved through the center of his tail. So his head and hands are trapped inside the tail.

 

[Astronuc]

Did the New England area ever warm up?

For a couple of days. Actually we had warm weather for about 2-3 weeks - and a few days actually got up into the low 90's F. But it certainly was no where near as hot as it has been most summers during the last decade - when out backyard temps would routinely get into the 100's F for a week or two straight.

 

[Astronuc]

I have no idea how this happened. One of my squirrels has his head and front paws shoved through the center of his tail. So his head and hands are trapped inside the tail.

Split-tail squirrel?

Interesting picture. I've seen squirrels using their tails like umbrellas in the rain, but never like that one.

I'll show it to a wildlife rehabilitator I know. She specializes in squirrels.

I don't think it's stuck. Squirrels are pretty smart critters.

Did you notice if it unstuck itself, or did it go running off with its tail aournd its waist?

Perhaps its a tutu-tailed squirrel.

 

[lisab]

I have no idea how this happened. One of my squirrels has his head and front paws shoved through the center of his tail. So his head and hands are trapped inside the tail.

It's truly an Evo-squirrel...it has a Mobius tail.

 

[turbo]

Perhaps a squirrel emulation of a Klein bottle?

 

[Evo]

I don't think it's stuck. Squirrels are pretty smart critters.

Did you notice if it unstuck itself, or did it go running off with its tail aournd its waist?

This was the second day, no change.

 

[turbo]

At our last place, there was a grey squirrel that was missing his left front foot and his right hind foot, probably from sleeping next to a nice warm fan/radiator at night. The whole lot was covered in white oaks and he built and maintained a large nest near our front stairs. We called him "stumpy" (don't know why...) but that little rascal was as tenacious as can be, and held his own against other greys.

 

[lisab]

This was the second day, no change.

Very strange! In your pic, it seems to be eating. Can it climb and walk easily?

 

[Evo]

Very strange! In your pic, it seems to be eating. Can it climb and walk easily?

He's a bit awkward, I didn't see him in the treee, but I would imagine with his tail in that position, he might not have as much balance. I'm just trying to imagine how that could have happened.