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Anyone have any ideas of what to do with courgettes (other than giving them to people)? My plant is producing them faster than I can eat them with the recipes I know.
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Aug 21, 2018 23:41
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| # ? May 28, 2024 07:33 |
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Pickles. We use them a lot here to juice, it's pretty good stuff on really hot days. Other than that find some new friends and neighbors. It's the age old cucumber problem.
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Aug 21, 2018 23:56
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youtube commenter posted:Anyone have any ideas of what to do with courgettes (other than giving them to people)? My plant is producing them faster than I can eat them with the recipes I know. I make courgetti (zoodles for Americans) a lot. You need a spiralizer to make them - first, spiralize them, then bake in the oven on 200 C / 400 F until the moisture is reduced by about half - about 25 minutes. Top with bolognese or any other pasta sauce as a low-carb "replacement" for pasta or toss with pasta and sauce if you're not dieting. Because you bake most of the water out of them, it's something like 2 courgettes per serving.
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Aug 22, 2018 13:09
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Someone stole one of my buckets.   This fucker just up and stole the entire bucket string and all. I really don't understand why they would want it, I mean the one they stole didn't have any fruit on it and the thing weighed like 30 or 40 pounds.   RIP GT-0. 2018 to 2018 The perp must have been real clumsy, because they accidentally ripped off some of the vines. I checked under the bridge and all around the bike trail, but there was nothing.  I suspect it was a crazy homeless person who carried it off in a shopping cart. I was talking to my friend with the other tomatoes and I think what happened is that this crazy homeless person must have wanted the flowers on top. (This bucket had the best variety of flowers growing out of it). It was probably dark and they didn't know there was a tomato plant growing out the bottom and crushed it when they set it down in the cart. Also,  BEHOLD. Article A. The burglar left his call sign.  Or maybe not. This might have been here for a while, I never really paid attention. To be honest I don't really know what I'm doing.I'm kind of paranoid now that this person might come back and steal more buckets, so I ended up picking my garden gem early. I'm going to ripen it on the counter.  Uhhh so, I really, really, really don't think this is the case, but on the off chance that it was some lurker bay area goon or something screwing with me, please give it back. I'd be happy to like shout you out in the thread or something, but that bucket was a pain in the rear end to paint and I'd like to not have to make another one...
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Aug 23, 2018 04:48
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That's old graffiti, and homeless people don't tag things anyway. RIP tomato bucket
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Aug 23, 2018 13:36
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All things considered that is a very pretty tomato. 
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Aug 23, 2018 22:18
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Just leave a note informing everyone that the secret ingredient is piss
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Aug 24, 2018 12:50
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Oh yeah  The secret ingredient IS piss.
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Aug 24, 2018 18:36
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I suspect one of my cucumber vines might have bacterial wilt--the leaves are sometimes wilting severely during the day, and I found a cucumber beetle eating inside one of the flowers. But it's also the biggest and most productive vine, and went I went to check on the garden during lunch it's leaves weren't wilted at all (they're bigger and greener than those of any of the other vines, too). Could something else non-obvious be causing wilting in a single vine?
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Aug 24, 2018 19:49
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It might not be anything serious.. Some midday wilting can be expected even on a healthy plant. They can't maintain turgor when it's really hot.
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Aug 24, 2018 21:01
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I planted a dozen of my autumn onion sets and it's done nothing but rain in the 36 hours since they left the safety of indoors. Godspeed, little onions. Don't drown. 
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Aug 24, 2018 21:05
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Fitzy Fitz posted:It might not be anything serious.. Some midday wilting can be expected even on a healthy plant. They can't maintain turgor when it's really hot. Ah ok, I'll just keep an eye on it then. Thanks! Lady Demelza posted:I planted a dozen of my autumn onion sets and it's done nothing but rain in the 36 hours since they left the safety of indoors. Out of curiosity, did you get the onion sets locally, or get them delivered?
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Aug 24, 2018 21:19
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Slanderer posted:Out of curiosity, did you get the onion sets locally, or get them delivered? I bought them from the local garden centre, a random mix of white and red onions. It's the first time I've tried them so I've no idea what the success rate will be.
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Aug 24, 2018 22:50
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Slanderer posted:I suspect one of my cucumber vines might have bacterial wilt--the leaves are sometimes wilting severely during the day, and I found a cucumber beetle eating inside one of the flowers. But it's also the biggest and most productive vine, and went I went to check on the garden during lunch it's leaves weren't wilted at all (they're bigger and greener than those of any of the other vines, too). If you found one beetle, there will be many beetles, and while they don't cause much damage themselves they do spread bacterial wilt. Even if your current wilt is heat related, your plants are still at risk and so you should probably deal with the beetles if you can. You can buy expensive beetle traps (which are pretty), or you can make your own for pretty cheap. The simplest version I found was made out of solo cups you cover inside and out in the sticky insect-foot-trapping stuff (the exact brand name escapes me at the moment), with a cotton ball with a few drops of clove oil on it stuck to the bottom inside the cup to attract the beetles. Mount sideways on a stick so it doesn't fill up with water, and then plant it in the ground among your cucumber vines. I caught a few dozen cucumber beetles this way over the course of a week, and few other insects I wasn't trying to catch. Mostly flies. I didn't make any traps this year, and my vines died to bacterial wilt about halfway through the summer.
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Aug 25, 2018 17:21
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I have nothing of value to contribute but I want to thank everyone for the Youtube recommendations. Even if nothing ever grows in my garden, my new favourite thing to do before bed is watch middle-aged men get quietly passionate about seedlings. There's something very soothing about watching stuff grow 
Lady Demelza fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Aug 25, 2018 |
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Aug 25, 2018 23:07
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kedo posted:If you found one beetle, there will be many beetles, and while they don't cause much damage themselves they do spread bacterial wilt. Even if your current wilt is heat related, your plants are still at risk and so you should probably deal with the beetles if you can. You can buy expensive beetle traps (which are pretty), or you can make your own for pretty cheap. The simplest version I found was made out of solo cups you cover inside and out in the sticky insect-foot-trapping stuff (the exact brand name escapes me at the moment), with a cotton ball with a few drops of clove oil on it stuck to the bottom inside the cup to attract the beetles. Mount sideways on a stick so it doesn't fill up with water, and then plant it in the ground among your cucumber vines. aw dang
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Aug 25, 2018 23:58
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Anyone have any advice on harvesting seeds from tomato and pepper plants? I've read some articles on how-to, but I'd appreciate any thoughts on selecting a good fruit to harvest, &c.
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Aug 27, 2018 03:10
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For tomatoes I usually just leave a fruit on the plant to mature a bit past the point where I would normally harvest it. Then squeeze out the seeds, rinse them under water, rub off the slime and stuff, then let them dry completely and seal them in a bag.
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Aug 27, 2018 15:35
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Tomato varieties need to be open pollinated and you need to control which plants pollinate each other unless you're only growing one variety. I learned this the hard way trying to propagate my favourate grape tomato from Costco. I did successfully grow offspring but they were uninspiring, to say the least. You're not going to get what you expect if you start with an F1 hybrid parent, if it works at all.
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Aug 27, 2018 16:01
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Bought a bunch of seeds from Baker Creek. Gonna go nutso with a winter hoop house and funky weird heirloom veggies, and it's gonna be great.
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Aug 27, 2018 21:22
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Same!!!
Fitzy Fitz fucked around with this message at 22:02 on Aug 27, 2018 |
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Aug 27, 2018 21:58
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Hexigrammus posted:Tomato varieties need to be open pollinated and you need to control which plants pollinate each other unless you're only growing one variety. I learned this the hard way trying to propagate my favourate grape tomato from Costco. I did successfully grow offspring but they were uninspiring, to say the least. You're not going to get what you expect if you start with an F1 hybrid parent, if it works at all. So I have two heirloom roma plants that are on the other side of my house from the rest of my tomatoes (except for one cherry tomato plant on my deck). If I choose a fruit that is representative of the ones produced by those plants, am I likely to be disappointed given that I didn't really do anything to prep for it all year?
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Aug 27, 2018 23:02
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I was just looking at buying some Winter Rye grains from them. We get plenty of winter normally, and I figure this will help my son remember where the wood raised beds are with snow on the ground. Has anyone ordered from Pepper Joe or have a better source for the super hot pepper seeds? I'm looking ahead to starting them indoors in very early spring so that I might have better luck with production for the year and so that they might actually be producing at the same time as the other peppers I want to use for making the hot sauce.
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Aug 27, 2018 23:11
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What kind of success rate have y'all had in regards to actually harvestable fruit or veggies from baker creek?
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Aug 27, 2018 23:19
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:What kind of success rate have y'all had in regards to actually harvestable fruit or veggies from baker creek? And I think I've had 100% success rate with their starts/slips. I currently have patches of Okinawan sweet potato and replicator shallots that are self-propagated from slips/starts from previous years. Don't know how typical my experience is, as I tend to only get poo poo from them that I can't get elsewhere. So I haven't gotten a whole shitload of things from them, and the things I've gotten probably aren't their most common orders (like I'm guessing more people get tomatoes and poo poo like that than replicator shallots, weird heirloom eggplants, and so on).
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Aug 28, 2018 00:02
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Baker Creek, Pepper Joes, and Seed Savers Exchange have never done me wrong over about a decade of pretty extensive gardening. Seed Savers does a great job with starts and slips as well. I mostly use Baker Creek for really out there heirloom stuff but they are a bulletproof company with reliable shipping (though they do use DHL which loving sucks domestically). Pepper Joes is some redneck poo poo but he does a great job with his business. Puckerbutt is another recent source for super hots, and is the only place for legitimate Carolina Reaper stuff. They also have great hot sauces, pepper mashes, and other niche kind of products made with Carolina Reaper (grown by Ed Currie) and other superhots. My personal two favorites are Reaper Squeezins' and the Carolina Reaper Puree. Both are delicious and mind blowingly hot.
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Aug 28, 2018 01:10
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CommonShore posted:So I have two heirloom roma plants that are on the other side of my house from the rest of my tomatoes (except for one cherry tomato plant on my deck). If I choose a fruit that is representative of the ones produced by those plants, am I likely to be disappointed given that I didn't really do anything to prep for it all year? Unless someone is mis-using the term "heirloom" they should be open pollinated and work fine. My understanding is that cross-pollination in tomatoes is more of a concern when they're grown together in the same or adjacent beds, not so much on the other side of the house. I would definitely go for it. If there is cross-pollination and you don't like the results you can always get out the paint brush and paper bags next year. The most common advice for collecting seeds is to put some of the core into a glass of water and let it ferment for three days, strain out and wash the seeds, then spread them out to dry. Being lazy, I've just smeared tomato guts on a paper towel and scraped the seeds off when dry. There's probably good reasons for going the ferment route, but this worked fine for me.
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Aug 28, 2018 01:41
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mischief posted:Recommendations... Thanks for these. I've used Seed Savers in the past, and have gotten some really consistent stuff from them. Pucker Butt Pepper Co (I almost made the mistake of not looking up their website and just guessing) is just what I need for next year's super hots. Now I just need to set up a better heat/lamp situation in the basement and get another bed set up before it frosts. Plenty of time, but just as many other things to get done.
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Aug 28, 2018 04:23
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Hexigrammus posted:Unless someone is mis-using the term "heirloom" they should be open pollinated and work fine. My understanding is that cross-pollination in tomatoes is more of a concern when they're grown together in the same or adjacent beds, not so much on the other side of the house. I would definitely go for it. If there is cross-pollination and you don't like the results you can always get out the paint brush and paper bags next year. The person who gave the seeds to me identifed them as heirloom seeds, and she purchased them from a vendor which sells heirloom tomato seeds, but she couldn't remember exactly what kind they were. Basically, they're an indeterminate roma with large fruit on wonderful heavy vines which has consistently performed well in my yard's soil, and they make wonderful pasatta, which I freeze and bathe in. I've grown them two years running and I don't want to have to depend on her next year. So unless I'm completley misunderstanding "heirloom" I think I'll set aside one fruit from the next harvest to become next year's seeds!
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Aug 28, 2018 04:34
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Harry Potter on Ice posted:What kind of success rate have y'all had in regards to actually harvestable fruit or veggies from baker creek? 
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Aug 28, 2018 04:55
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The majority of what I grow comes from Baker Creek. I've had no problems with germination but have had a few duds in terms of production which can most likely be traced back to my location and that most seeds they offer are adapted for mostly US climates. That said I've also grown a few things where something from Baker Creek worked out while seeds of the same variety but from another seed supplier didn't produce at all.
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Aug 28, 2018 05:07
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I used to have difficulty with heirloom tomatoes, but that was just because compared with modern hybrids created for home growth, they're just more fragile. My mom swears by Early Girl hybrids and it seems like every year she gets massive amounts of tomatoes with suboptimal soil and absolutely negligent care (basically, she puts them in the sunniest spot in June and forgets about them until August). If that is what you are used to heirloom tomatoes will be a disappointment. I had difficulties with fungal disease, nutrient deficiency, blossom end rot, etc. This year seems like the first where I finally got my act together and provided an environment where they thrived (except they thrived too much and flopped over because my stakes weren't sturdy enough). Sometimes you just have to spend a few summers learning how to grow a variety. I ate my first Berkeley Tie Dye Green Tomato last night and it was sublime. Baker Creek provides some very high quality seeds - it's just that most of their varieties are either historical or bred for flavor / color / some specific aspect other than "absolute hardiness and production under any conditions" which is what your local Lowes and Home Depot varieties are bred for.
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Aug 28, 2018 12:23
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Glad to hear your luck turned around; it's disheartening to have season after season of failures. Find a variety you like and stick with it! It makes me think perhaps you have soil issues (specifically mineral deficiencies like calcium) because I literally only feed my toms composted leaves, grass, and kitchen scraps and I've never experienced blossom-end rot. I also chop-n-drop, don't till, don't use fungicides, and don't rotate my plantings (so in other words, all the things that people claim will promote disease. To that I say HAH!) Off the top of my head I've grown Aunt Ruby's German green, Amish paste, Cherokee purple, Black Krim, yellow pear, and Black cherry (my fav) all with great success until nights get too cold for them. In fact, this is the third year my black cherry tomatoes have grown true to seed; I just let them volunteer. I've tried Early Girl and while it does come in fast (and all at once!), you can readily tell the extra time most tomatoes spend on the vine is for developing sugars and flavor. It reminded me of a supermarket tomato: all water and acid. I haven't grown many other hybrids, but my favorite so far is a yellow roma called 'Golden Rave' which had excellent yield and flavor, like a big cherry tomato. I think next year I want to try a couple stripey/bi-color tomatoes. Does anyone have favorites they'd recommend? Big Nubbins fucked around with this message at 14:44 on Aug 28, 2018 |
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Aug 28, 2018 14:38
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Shame Boner posted:Glad to hear your luck turned around; it's disheartening to have season after season of failures. Find a variety you like and stick with it! It makes me think perhaps you have soil issues (specifically mineral deficiencies like calcium) because I literally only feed my toms composted leaves, grass, and kitchen scraps and I've never experienced blossom-end rot. We moved house, which probably helped with the soil issues, but also I feel like I've finally dialed in my soil prep / planting / watering / feeding schedule. I don't care to do a lot of babying, but it's clear I was hurting my plants by planting them too early, crowding them (which probably contributed to fungal disease), and not being observant about when they needed more water or nutrition. I feel like there's elements of both luck and skill. The Tie Dyes are actually really nice. They appear mainly greenish with a blush when ripe on the outside, but cut into them and they go from pink to gold to green. Very tasty as well.
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Aug 28, 2018 18:17
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Any year that I try new heirlooms, especially with fickle poo poo like tomatoes and peppers, I've always got another corner of the garden chock full of Burpee sure fire hybrid stuff from Walmart or whoever has them cheap. I love trying new plants as much as anyone but I'll be damned if I'm going to all that effort to get jack poo poo out of the garden. It's been at least five years now that I've been planting Early/Better/Whatever Boys from slip and at least half a dozen squash from hybrid seed no matter what kind of experiments I've got going on.
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Aug 29, 2018 01:38
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I'm in California zone 9a or 9b and I get 99% germination rate from Baker Creek. The tomato seeds I got from them 4 years ago (pineapple, hillbilly, or big rainbow, I forget) have been my favorite, and I've grown them every year since. The pumpkin that has no hull on the seeds were great, only con was that they were so easy to eat without having to shell them, I would eat all of the seeds the same day I cut open each pumpkin. The only problems I've ever had is stupid stuff like trying to grow spinach in summer, forget to water, etc.
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Aug 29, 2018 06:57
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Starting to cool off in the mornings here, getting down into the 60s, but still hitting the mid-90s during the afternoon. Not sure how well winter seeds will germinate at that temp. :/
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Aug 30, 2018 00:13
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Cory Parsnipson posted:Someone stole one of my buckets. That sucks. Yeah some years ago I was growing veggies in the back alley of the place I was renting the basement of. There was some construction, and things got moved around a bit, and during that somebody took two of my large plastic tubs full of soil and potato plants. Like, who the gently caress does that? At least the sign I made after that was a good conversation starter with the neighbours. Cory Parsnipson posted:Oh yeah I know it's just the default newbie av, but post/av combo.
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Aug 30, 2018 01:07
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That is a huge fear of mine, that someone is going to come gently caress with my plants Sorry to hear about that
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Aug 30, 2018 01:26
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| # ? May 28, 2024 07:33 |
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I got a half plot (~10m x 12m) on the local council allotment about 2 weeks ago, it hadn't been cultivated for a couple of years, and was covered in grass and thistles. So far I have cleared about half of it, and started digging out a bed where I am planning to plant soft fruits (gooseberries, tayberries, rhubarb). Once this is done (hopefully by mid September) I plan to dig out another row or two so I can sow some overwintering broad beans, onions and garlic in October/ November. The rest I will just chop down the grass and cover over the winter. Does this sound like a plan? Any recommendations for other overwintering vegetables? ETA: this is in London - clayey soil, slightly acid I think. spiderbot fucked around with this message at 08:56 on Aug 30, 2018 |
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Aug 30, 2018 08:15
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