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eke out posted:this is one thing i hadn't realized until watching a video from my local ag extension office, where 100% of the phds and master gardeners were like "letting tomatoes get to full color on the vine is insane and just asking for heartbreak, pick them as soon as color change begins if you are in any way worried about pests or disease" I save paper grocery bags for this express purpose because it traps the ethylene gas. Putting them in a basket over bananas is a neat idea to use the same mechanism. Chad Sexington fucked around with this message at 14:48 on Aug 22, 2023 |
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Aug 22, 2023 14:06
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If I wait for my tomatoes to ripen on the vine they tend to get these dimples that rot. Anthracnose seems to be the name.
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Aug 22, 2023 16:41
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I hate violets
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Aug 23, 2023 01:56
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Calidus posted:I hate violets Would you say that violets is not the answer?
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Aug 23, 2023 01:58
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I am finally planning on getting my big vegetable going again, 2 different beds, ~750 sq feet. Currently it's basically at ground level, the plan is to surround it with 1x6 on edge so it can be a bit more of a raised bed. Obviously I need material to fill it with-I am going to be digging some areas of my backyard/driveway up to lay concrete, probably ~500 sq ft to a 4" depth. Some of that should be good dirt/grass but some may be builder's red sand/clay-it's all goin on the front beds though. I want to add some amendments as though. I can get chicken manure locally for $50/yd or ground pine bark fines for $35/yd or their potting mix which is basically ground pine bark fines, lime, and some started fertilizer. They also have some fancier potting mixes that are peat moss based for like $125+/yd. WWYD? Seems like 2 yards of chicken manure will cover those beds to a 1" depth, and then maybe another 1-2" of their potting mix, some extra lime for my naturally acidic soil and till it all together? Plan is to hopefully get that all done this fall, and either mulch it over or plant ryegrass or similar as a green manure and let it all rest until spring, then top dress with some compost and plant a spring/summer garden. e: The garden in question 3 years ago when it was a real garden. Since then it has been much neglected as a zinnia/sunflower/gourd patch and has spend the last 9 months or so covered in straw: Kaiser Schnitzel posted:10 days ago: Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Aug 23, 2023 |
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Aug 23, 2023 20:28
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Anyone have any leaf mould tips? I chopped up last year's fall leaves in a lawnmower and dumped them in a couple compost bins and mostly forgot about them. It occurred to me that fall was closing on us quickly again so I checked my bins and while there is some decent decomposition action at the very bottom of the pile, it does not look ready to use at all. Should I be out here hosing these things down on the regular or is this more of a two-year project? It's 99% oak and maple leaves with some pine needles and random houseplant clippings I chuck in there occasionally.
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Aug 24, 2023 15:30
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I accidentally made a big leaf mould pit with the leaves from our 7 red oaks over the years. They need about 2 years to decompose into something useful if you don't do anything else to them. They're very tough leaves!
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Aug 24, 2023 19:17
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Discussion Quorum posted:Do you cut it back really hard in the spring? Mine was getting pretty woody by year 2 and I finally just culled it because it was just not thriving. I'm in Houston, so other than being a bit dryer, the conditions should be pretty similar. I know I'm really late in responding to your question but no. It's in a very large pot and it is definitely woody but it's going on 10 years, I think, and it's still going strong. It's even putting up with the current heat wave, which I imagine is pretty similar to Houston.
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Aug 24, 2023 22:39
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3 weeks of 100F temperatures and ants farming aphids have finally finished off my cucumber plant. I got 6 prolific weeks of tasty sweet cucumbers, and then a few weeks of sort-of bitter cucumbers less often as our temps soared well above average, and then finally nothing as the plant just tried to survive. Overall I'm happy with it and will be planting Spacemaster 80 again next year. At least culling it a bit earlier than I wanted means I'll be able to solarize the soil in plenty of time to plant my fall crops! Assuming it ever gets cold enough for them. 
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Aug 25, 2023 14:02
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What is this pepper? I bought the plant from a lady who was selling them out of a Pho restaurant I went to (Pho was good) and she said they were Thai chilis. However, the Thai peppers I'm familiar with are much smaller and more cone shaped. Any ideas?
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Aug 26, 2023 17:51
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Annath posted:What is this pepper? That looks to be prik chee fah, or a heaven facing variety. There are a lot of different varieties of them, but that's what it would be generally known as. There's also the bird pepper (prik khee nu) which is rounder and cone shaped like you're describing. Both are known as Thai chilis in the US, and while it's true, it's very imprecise.
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Aug 26, 2023 18:09
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Someone left their massive zucchini behind  
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Aug 27, 2023 07:36
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my peppers have done great this year and i'm already thinking about seeds for next year... is there a consensus best place for pepper seeds? this year i have a couple habanero, a couple scotch bonnet, a couple thai chili, a huge bushy habanada, cherry bomb, hawkseye, and a trinidad scorpion
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Aug 27, 2023 18:58
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Jhet posted:That looks to be prik chee fah, or a heaven facing variety. There are a lot of different varieties of them, but that's what it would be generally known as. There's also the bird pepper (prik khee nu) which is rounder and cone shaped like you're describing. Both are known as Thai chilis in the US, and while it's true, it's very imprecise.
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Aug 27, 2023 19:51
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the milk machine posted:my peppers have done great this year and i'm already thinking about seeds for next year... is there a consensus best place for pepper seeds? I've used Pepper Joes more than once, Puckerbutt is also great. Puckerbutt also has the rare seeds collection - https://puckerbuttpeppercompany.com/collections/christopher-phillips-rare-seed-collection They are very cool to grow and learn about.
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Aug 27, 2023 20:04
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Wasn't somebody in the thread complaining that Pepper Joes let them down this year, selling not-true-to-type seeds?
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Aug 27, 2023 20:48
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Wasn't somebody in the thread complaining that Pepper Joes let them down this year, selling not-true-to-type seeds? I was trying to figure out which of those it was and I think it was Pepper Joes. I don't think it was Puckerbutt, because that's Ed Currie's seed company. It was a year or two ago after they'd gotten new owners. Another option if you want some interesting super hots is https://www.whitehotpeppers.com/
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Aug 28, 2023 00:10
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Arsenic Lupin posted:Wasn't somebody in the thread complaining that Pepper Joes let them down this year, selling not-true-to-type seeds? Pepper Joe's is stingy on seed count and I've had bad luck with germination rates with them.
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Aug 28, 2023 00:21
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I had a great experience with Refining Fire for chile seeds this year
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Aug 28, 2023 00:29
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Chad Sexington posted:Pepper Joe's is stingy on seed count and I've had bad luck with germination rates with them. Most places will do 10 seeds for the 4-6$ for hot peppers. Some of these peppers will barely put out 3-4 seeds in a single fruit. And the C. baccatum var. praetermissum varieties from South America are lucky to have a single seed in a fruit. Being stingy on sending seeds is just part of not really getting that many seeds even when growing a field full of the fruit as seed crops. They're being stingy if they're only sending 5 seeds though.
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Aug 28, 2023 00:33
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Soul Dentist posted:I had a great experience with Refining Fire for chile seeds this year This is where I got mine, and the seeds did pretty well. Nearly everything germinated (the plants did poorly, but that was 100% my negligence). He even threw in a couple of freebies.
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Aug 28, 2023 01:44
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Here's something gardening related, building a greenhouse!
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Aug 28, 2023 11:15
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Oh nice! We’ve been wanting to do that for a while but it just can’t seem to make it to the top of the list.
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Aug 28, 2023 13:44
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Are lemons even true to seed? I thought that's why everyone grafts them. A quick Google said, no. Additionally. "Growing lemons from seed is not recommended because it takes 5–15 years for the tree to produce fruit. The fruit may not be like that of the parent fruit, and the tree may be thorny, large, and take a long time to produce fruit." These are the very reasons many people pick up grafts. sterster fucked around with this message at 23:11 on Aug 28, 2023 |
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Aug 28, 2023 23:09
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dogg just buy some grafts. Home depots in my area have the little $30 ones at half off right now And most people who experience winter freezes just bring them inside in the fall. They might drop some leaves but as long as they don't dry out indoors they do fine for the winter, they're not even super light picky but they do better with as much light as you can give
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Aug 28, 2023 23:28
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yeah i am afraid that is Technically Not A Scam but in practicality a scam
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Aug 28, 2023 23:29
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sterster posted:Are lemons even true to seed? I thought that's why everyone grafts them. A quick Google said, no. Darn it I know I have a brown thumb there is a Home Depot and a Lowes near me but since I live in the city (Philadelphia) I never learned how to drive I just walk, bus or bike everywhere. I was worried about going to home depot because they might not be dwarf myer lemons. (Also carrying a tree home in what I call my old lady cart is a bit too much of an effort). I am a weird person that sucks on lemons - literally I see one and I start to drool.
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Aug 28, 2023 23:44
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nunsexmonkrock posted:Darn it I know I have a brown thumb there is a Home Depot and a Lowes near me but since I live in the city (Philadelphia) I never learned how to drive I just walk, bus or bike everywhere. I was worried about going to home depot because they might not be dwarf myer lemons. (Also carrying a tree home in what I call my old lady cart is a bit too much of an effort). You should mail order one if you really want, but I doubt it will really produce unless you have a greenhouse situation of some sort? I'm not sure about growing citrus in more northerly climates-maybe it works fine outdoors with it indoors in the winter.
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Aug 28, 2023 23:51
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:You should mail order one if you really want, but I doubt it will really produce unless you have a greenhouse situation of some sort? I'm not sure about growing citrus in more northerly climates-maybe it works fine outdoors with it indoors in the winter. This is probably why I have a brown thumb lol - The only thing I ever successfully growed was a Rhodendron. But I just ordered this But I will do my best to take care of it - I figured since it has been hot here in the north east it probably will grow properly. (again brown thumb). https://www.brighterblooms.com/products/improved-meyer-lemon-tree
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Aug 28, 2023 23:55
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nunsexmonkrock posted:This is probably why I have a brown thumb lol - The only thing I ever successfully growed was a Rhodendron. You should probably try to grow things that are native to your (our) area before you decide you have a brown thumb. I don't know what else you might do, but I'm sure you can think of something that took years to learn, whether it's work or a hobby. What you're doing is trying to start out with that, instead of the baby steps and learning it takes to get to that level. You also probably lack the space or stuff to make this work if you're in the city proper. If you have a yard and are in the city you should start out with the tried and true fig tree with incandescent christmas lights on it to keep it warm long enough to finish fruiting if we have a cold snap early.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:02
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nunsexmonkrock posted:Darn it I know I have a brown thumb there is a Home Depot and a Lowes near me but since I live in the city (Philadelphia) I never learned how to drive I just walk, bus or bike everywhere. I was worried about going to home depot because they might not be dwarf myer lemons. (Also carrying a tree home in what I call my old lady cart is a bit too much of an effort). Nothing wrong with not doing cars, if your city allows it (lol USA). Anyhow, Uber/Lyft is always an option. Friend with a truck? 🤷🏻♂️
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Aug 29, 2023 00:04
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nunsexmonkrock posted:This is probably why I have a brown thumb lol - The only thing I ever successfully growed was a Rhodendron.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:04
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Sterster, what zone are you in, and do you have a room in your house that gets full sun? Citruses are quite happy indoors as long as they're getting enough sun. You have to watch for the standard indoor-plant bugs, but otherwise you're good. If you decide you want a lemon, order it from Four Winds Growers. They sell semi-dwarf plants, the plants come in the best condition of any plant I've ever ordered, and they have rare varieties.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:07
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Kaiser Schnitzel posted:You should mail order one if you really want, but I doubt it will really produce unless you have a greenhouse situation of some sort? I'm not sure about growing citrus in more northerly climates-maybe it works fine outdoors with it indoors in the winter. nunsexmonkrock posted:This is probably why I have a brown thumb lol - The only thing I ever successfully growed was a Rhodendron. Nah, citrus are super easy to fruit up north. Both of my lemon prebonsai fruited last year and I kept one in a living room and the other in a guest bathroom. My neighbor has a collection of citrus, condo mango, and avocado trees that he moves in and out of his house every year and they do gangbusters. The important thing is knowing how they pollinate, whether they’re self-fertile or not (you may need a second tree), and either enabling that situation while they’re in flower (by having them outside, especially at night) or manually pollinating them with a makeup brush or paintbrush. My advice if you’re ordering and you want big fruit yields is to buy the biggest tree you can afford. The 1-2 foot ones are inexpensive but that’s really very small, and they really struggle to support fruit (mine are all that size and they can handle 1-2 lemons max, and the branches can’t even hold them up). You’ll have to wait a few seasons for them to grow up to a good size. Whereas if you get a 4-5 foot tree now it’s $100 (although you can probably get them for $50 locally) but it’s a much more robust and productive size. Less sensitive to the environment, less susceptible to catastrophic drying and die-back, and you can start pruning them or espaliering them however you like. In 1-2 years it’ll be a 6’ tree and that’s a great size to get 1-2 decent harvests. Ultimately time=money with this hobby, so dropping $200 on lemon trees seems excessive until you frame it as “saving yourself 5-10 years”
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Aug 29, 2023 00:10
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^^^^ I think myer lemons self polinate? Maybe I am wrong. It is more of a hobby for me - and I don't like figs  the other options were apple trees and maybe omegranit since I think they fruit in fall and winter - but they are also too big - the tree that I got on my sidewalk is a Trident Maple tree - but it is not the kind that you can tap to get maple syrup from - one of the few things I could keep alive lol.Edit: I think I may have double posted. Sorry if I did. nunsexmonkrock fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Aug 29, 2023 |
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Aug 29, 2023 00:13
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An apple tree is a good idea, because those grow here in 6b.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:22
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Apple trees go outside. AFAIK they don't do well indoors, but they're also winter hardy assuming they're big and mature enough/protected enough from big freezes Japanese and trident maples also go outside
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Aug 29, 2023 00:30
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Ok Comboomer posted:Whereas if you get a 4-5 foot tree now it’s $100 (although you can probably get them for $50 locally) but it’s a much more robust and productive size. Less sensitive to the environment, less susceptible to catastrophic drying and die-back, and you can start pruning them or espaliering them however you like. In 1-2 years it’ll be a 6’ tree and that’s a great size to get 1-2 decent harvests. Oh, and Meyer lemons are self-fertile, yes. If yours is indoors, you'll still need to hand-pollinate.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:42
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I disagree on this. In my experience, good-quality small saplings hit the ground running, with less transplant shock and faster growth. If you're buying a citrus at a typical nursery or Home Depot, you're getting a tree that has way outpaced its rootball (may well even be root-bound) and will have more transplant shock. My Four Winds trees show up at roughly a yard tall, and they hit the ground running. If I hadn't neglected my Meyer lemon (long story) it would have set fruit this year, two years after I bought it. You can buy 4+ foot trees from places like Four Winds, you know.
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Aug 29, 2023 00:50
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