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Big Beef City posted:Just got in from spending a wonderful time laying in my garden while talking to, and pruning my tomato plants. They're going gangbusters out there. I don't prune my determinate plants at all (San Marzanos are determinate-ish). As for the rest of them, it sounds like you did what I do. I take out anything that is overstepping it's bounds and crowding it's neighbor. Anything that isn't getting good light, is unhealthy, or is getting in the way of a set fruit cluster. I just take sort of an "as needed" approach, since they grow like crazy. And mine are also growing like crazy. The biggest ones (Amish Paste) are up to my eyes, and even the Krims and Brandywines are close to my shoulder.  I have fruit set ranging from shooter marble size to tennis ball size. I can't wait!
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Jun 28, 2014 19:53
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My parents get a few blueberries every year. 55lbs and counting.
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Jun 28, 2014 20:38
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MaximumBob posted:This is our first year gardening, and everything seems to be going great - our biggest problem is I planted things too close together and some things are starting to crowd each other out, but live and learn. But our pole beans and zucchini, both of which are otherwise huge, have something eating holes in their leaves. The leaves are mostly intact, but there are occasional dime sized holes in them I haven't seen any visible culprits. Do I need to be concerned at all or are passing bugs taking a bite here and there not a big threat to the plants' overall health? You're never going to have plants that are 100% bug bite free, so don't stress about a hole or two. Just make sure to keep an eye out, and be prepared to deal with a quick escalation. A few people here have already lost a ton to rear end in a top hat bugs.
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Jun 28, 2014 22:38
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poo poo is just blowing up in our garden. Both the cute stuff and banana pepper plants are pushing 20+ fruits each. It's beautiful.
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Jun 29, 2014 00:02
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So, what exactly can I do with lavender? I harvested some and I'm not sure what to do with it.
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Jun 29, 2014 02:20
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Niel posted:So, what exactly can I do with lavender? I harvested some and I'm not sure what to do with it. There's a coffee shop in my town that makes a tasty vanilla lavender latte. They make a lavender simple syrup which would be nice (http://tinyurl.com/ksle88f). It would probably be tasty in cocktails as well. You can also use it to flavor caramels or cakes. Plus the non-food options of soap & candles.
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Jun 29, 2014 03:15
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Niel posted:So, what exactly can I do with lavender? I harvested some and I'm not sure what to do with it. You can also dry it and make sachets to put in your dresser drawers. Keeps your clothes smelling fancy.
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Jun 29, 2014 15:05
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When Spinach and Romaine Lettuce start bolting is it just done and I should toss it or? Got great production from them but now they are definitely shooting up tall and only making small non-tasty leaves. Anything I can do there or just replant some new ones?
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Jun 29, 2014 15:13
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If they're bolting from heat there's no real point in replanting until the season cools back off unless you've got some shade cloth to keep them from just bolting all over again. Look into bolt resistant lettuces like Amish Deer Tongue, Black-seeded Simpson, or Red stem Malabar for an interesting spinach alternative during hotter weather.
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Jun 29, 2014 15:59
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Niel posted:So, what exactly can I do with lavender? I harvested some and I'm not sure what to do with it. Stick a sprigs worth of flowers into a mason jar filled with sugar. Throw it in the back of your cupboard. When you remember it a month or two from now you'll have Lavender infused sugar for use in drinks and baking.
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Jun 29, 2014 17:00
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 The hell is killing my squash?
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Jun 29, 2014 17:30
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mischief posted:If they're bolting from heat there's no real point in replanting until the season cools back off unless you've got some shade cloth to keep them from just bolting all over again. Thanks. We've only had a few days here and there where it touched 90 or so. I wasn't sure when they would really take off.
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Jun 29, 2014 17:47
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Those are just generally wilty/failing leaves. While I'm sure it could be a bunch of different things, when mine looked like that last year it was vine borers. They started looking like that as soon as the first few squash were getting a decent size and didn't last too long after that.
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Jun 29, 2014 17:47
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Is overhead watering ok in some situations or something you should never do? I live in a hot, dry area (zone 9b) and I've been using a raised bed that was already built when we moved in. There are sprinklers set up on tall risers every 10-15 feet or so with heads that spray in a 180-degree fan pattern. It covers the garden area pretty well. I've read about issues with overhead watering (issues with foliage and rot, I guess). I don't have an easy way to roll out drip/soaker hoses because the faucet is on the other side of the yard, unless they can be attached to the existing risers with some sort of cap. Any advice?
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Jun 29, 2014 18:15
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mentalcontempt posted:Is overhead watering ok in some situations or something you should never do? I live in a hot, dry area (zone 9b) and I've been using a raised bed that was already built when we moved in. There are sprinklers set up on tall risers every 10-15 feet or so with heads that spray in a 180-degree fan pattern. It covers the garden area pretty well. I've read about issues with overhead watering (issues with foliage and rot, I guess). I don't have an easy way to roll out drip/soaker hoses because the faucet is on the other side of the yard, unless they can be attached to the existing risers with some sort of cap. Any advice? It can be fine. It's never a GREAT idea if you have a better option, but it isn't instant plant death. I've got a hanging / upside down setup, and so end up with wet leaves after watering every time. Last year it wasn't a problem at all (lucky I guess), this year I've been constantly having to fight back fungus. My personal theory is that for a week or two a few months back I got sloppy and watered too late in the evening allowing the water to just sit all night, and have been dealing with the consequences ever since. So my advice is water in the mornings if at all possible. This may or may not actually prevent anything. Same Great Paste fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Jun 30, 2014 |
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Jun 29, 2014 18:36
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Apart from the greens we've been using for salads the last 2 months today is the 1st real harvest from the garden! Picked up 2 of these guys and 2 more are close and will harvest them next week!  Was making a tagine for dinner tonight already and can make some cauliflower rice to go with it.
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Jun 29, 2014 18:58
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Has anyone ever used a special garden knife? If so, were you happier with it than you would have been with (and did it do anything more/different than) an old hunting knife you don't mind getting dirty?
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Jun 29, 2014 21:57
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Peristalsis posted:Has anyone ever used a special garden knife? If so, were you happier with it than you would have been with (and did it do anything more/different than) an old hunting knife you don't mind getting dirty? Like a hori hori? Yeah, I got one a few weeks ago and it's my new favorite tool for the garden. It's (slightly) concave like a shovel, and seems to work really well. It also has inch markings for depth. But I don't see why an old hunting knife that you don't have much use for/place any value on wouldn't work just fine for the same purposes.
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Jun 29, 2014 23:08
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Motronic posted:Like a hori hori? Yeah, I got one a few weeks ago and it's my new favorite tool for the garden. It's (slightly) concave like a shovel, and seems to work really well. It also has inch markings for depth. But I don't see why an old hunting knife that you don't have much use for/place any value on wouldn't work just fine for the same purposes. Quoted for truth. Hori hori knives are very useful. Just don't get the stainless ones, the steel is soft and the teeth will wear away fast. They are really good for transplanting.
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Jun 29, 2014 23:22
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Motronic posted:If I were to do something like that in my climate it would be things like blackberries, raspberries, a few grape species, chestnut trees, and (best of all but short harvest season) ramps (wild garlic).
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Jun 29, 2014 23:41
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Peristalsis posted:Has anyone ever used a special garden knife? If so, were you happier with it than you would have been with (and did it do anything more/different than) an old hunting knife you don't mind getting dirty? Waste of money. Use a paring knife or whatever pocket knife you have. Or get some pruning shears. Hori horis rule but aren't for cutting squash etc off the vine, they're for digging in dirt and slicing roots.
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Jun 30, 2014 00:00
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It wasn't even that hidden!  
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Jun 30, 2014 01:47
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mentalcontempt posted:Is overhead watering ok in some situations or something you should never do? I live in a hot, dry area (zone 9b) and I've been using a raised bed that was already built when we moved in. There are sprinklers set up on tall risers every 10-15 feet or so with heads that spray in a 180-degree fan pattern. It covers the garden area pretty well. I've read about issues with overhead watering (issues with foliage and rot, I guess). I don't have an easy way to roll out drip/soaker hoses because the faucet is on the other side of the yard, unless they can be attached to the existing risers with some sort of cap. Any advice? It is entirely possible to cap most of those risers and start a drip system off of whichever ones are convenient. If you use .700 inline drip- it wouldn't be free, but ir would be cheap enough to pay itelf off with water savings over a summer or two. Also hi zone 9 hot-as-hell buddy! Ok, I'm in 9a, but it's still fricking hot- 108 yesterday.
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Jun 30, 2014 17:09
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Shifty Pony posted:It wasn't even that hidden! Whoa, I saw this post on /r/gardening. Weird. Same person, Shifty?
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Jul 1, 2014 01:35
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Two of my tomatoes have developed what I strongly suspect is blight (they're from the same store). I'm about to pull them up because I have approximately 6 too many tomato plants, anyway.
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Jul 1, 2014 03:38
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Anyone know why my basil looks like garbage? It doesn't look like normal basil. I cut it back yesterday so maybe that will help, but... Still. It's weird.
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Jul 1, 2014 16:05
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Generally leaves doing that is a sign that it's too warm for the plant. Try moving it to a cooler area.
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Jul 1, 2014 16:09
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Yoshimi posted:Whoa, I saw this post on /r/gardening. Weird. Same person, Shifty? Maaaaybe  I caught a vine borer laying an egg on my butternut. I'm glad I decided to investigate that "really confused bee".
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Jul 1, 2014 16:52
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Fart Car '97 posted:Generally leaves doing that is a sign that it's too warm for the plant. Try moving it to a cooler area. Is it possible that it's just overwatering? I thought basil was supposed to like the hotness. (It has been super rainy and hot here recently). Shifty Pony posted:Maaaaybe I saw it too.  I am kinda glad that I live in a city and only have a tiny balcony on which to grow container plants. Only because I don't really have to deal with bugs. I have a weird duality about bugs and plants-- My grandfather and uncle are entomologists, and my mom is a gardener/taught me everything I know about plants. I walk the line of good and evil. cloudy fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Jul 1, 2014 |
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Jul 1, 2014 17:06
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cloudy posted:Anyone know why my basil looks like garbage? It doesn't look like normal basil.
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Jul 1, 2014 17:09
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I checked the undersides and they are free from contagions! I've been doing some looking around online and I think it is over-watering. I might just tear them out and try again, though bringing the pot inside almost every time it rains is going to be annoying. I didn't realize basil had such delicate sensibilities. cloudy fucked around with this message at 21:12 on Jul 1, 2014 |
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Jul 1, 2014 21:10
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Just eat like a third of each plant and it will come back better looking. Honestly I don't think you have much of a problem, dry air and wind gently caress up all my basil and it still tastes the same.
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Jul 1, 2014 21:47
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AxeBreaker posted:Just eat like a third of each plant and it will come back better looking. Honestly I don't think you have much of a problem, dry air and wind gently caress up all my basil and it still tastes the same. Haha, that's actually something I didn't mention! I made a tiny pesto batch after cutting it back yesterday and it tasted awful. Super bitter. But yeah I am hoping that when it comes back it looks better, especially if I try to keep it a bit drier. I shouldn't give up yet. I just wanted some pesto, damnit. cloudy fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Jul 1, 2014 |
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Jul 1, 2014 21:55
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Ants are eating all of my strawberries. 
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Jul 2, 2014 02:22
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I cut down two tomatoes this morning because if it wasn't blight, it was some other disease or pestilence that was leaving gross hard brown crap crusted on the bottom of the affected leaves. Blight is spread by spores so I am not go a chance it getting to the other four or five.
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Jul 2, 2014 04:10
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I decided to give a whirl to a simple refrigerator pickle recipe and I ran out of empty pint jars before I ran out of cucumbers.  If they turn out well I need to get some more jars and get to canning!
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Jul 2, 2014 04:26
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Even the most basic home pickling recipes are leagues better than your average store bought pickle so you may as well just get more cans now.
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Jul 2, 2014 05:04
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Can I have your recipe, shifty? I am gonna be doing that with some pepperoncinis soon.
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Jul 2, 2014 05:33
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If you over-do it on pickling spice, you'll pretty much be eating salty mace. My mom got novel+lazy a couple years ago when I asked her to assist in canning a bunch of green beans and she pulled a random recipe off the web rather than using our family recipe.. I ended up dumping it all into a bucket which was pretty much Hiroshima for the weeds I dumped it on. Be careful with the pickling spice.
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Jul 2, 2014 09:45
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coyo7e posted:If you over-do it on pickling spice, you'll pretty much be eating salty mace. My mom got novel+lazy a couple years ago when I asked her to assist in canning a bunch of green beans and she pulled a random recipe off the web rather than using our family recipe.. I ended up dumping it all into a bucket which was pretty much Hiroshima for the weeds I dumped it on. I was worried about what I was seeing in many recipes (especially with sugar content, I want a pickle not candy!) so I went really simple and used this recipe, doubled, and it had enough liquid for 6 well packed pints. I also tweaked it (because I think you are required to when using an internet recipe) by upping the salt very slightly and vinegar a bit, as well as using apple cider vinegar because I feel it makes for a tastier pickle. I actually just took a peek and the recipe is very close to what is in my 1983 edition Betty Crocker cookbook for fresh pack dill pickles, just with garlic instead of onion and without the boiling water bath processing for long term storage.
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Jul 2, 2014 13:25
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