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Harvested the jalapeños I won’t be able to bring in before the hard freeze. I tried to eat all I could in the past few weeks but still ended up with 67 pods brought in today and another thirty on the potted plant I’m keeping over winter. Guess I’ll find people who want some or I’ll make a mash this week.
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Oct 28, 2023 16:41
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Roast a big batch and freeze?
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Oct 28, 2023 16:52
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They even freeze well whole, my wife does that then makes ferments once she’s accumulated enough over the course of the summer.
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Oct 28, 2023 16:55
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I'd get at least one big-rear end jar and pickle a bunch of them. Or make some cowboy candy Mmmm
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Oct 28, 2023 16:56
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I fire roasted a bunch of habaneros and just acid canned em. Might open a jar up soon actually.
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Oct 28, 2023 16:57
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For compost, I see I’m supposed to have 3:1 carbon:nitrogen ingredients. I have a bunch of straw which is classified as carbon, right? And I want to compost kitchen waste. Do I just fill my kitchen compost 3/4 with straw and then 1/4 like coffee grinds and lettuce and dump the container into my compost orb?
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Nov 1, 2023 21:43
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I saved a bunch of seeds from some Scotch bonnet peppers I used for my NICSA entry. Is there anything in particular I need to do to save them for planting? I've got some of those Jiffy seed starter pod trays with the greenhouse lids, and I'm gonna put them in a south-facing window that gets a lot of sun. I might put a Hue bulb in the overhead light and set it to sunrise/sunset for some extra light just in case.
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Nov 2, 2023 00:45
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Unless you know how they were pollinated, don't count on them being Scotch bonnets. I germinated this spring using the paper towel trick in the same room as our hot water heater. The seeds got a little moldy but survived transplant at almost 100%.
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Nov 2, 2023 01:58
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What is the paper towel trick? I'm phoneposting on the Awful app and don't have a thread search bar right now.
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Nov 2, 2023 04:40
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I. M. Gei posted:What is the paper towel trick? You can take a bit of paper towel, get it damp, and put it in a mostly closed container. Put the seeds either between layers or underneath. The idea is to keep them damp and warm enough to germinate easily before popping them into a soil starter which is a little more difficult to keep a good warm temp/moisture level without extra equipment.
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Nov 2, 2023 05:51
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I'm having such a hard time stopping my plants from dying and I have no idea what it is. Is it spider mites? I've been spraying the plant religiously (both the tops and undersides of the leaves) with a soapy solution daily to kill any of the spider mites. It doesn't work. I've already lost an entire plant to it. This other plant has been slowly dying for weeks, despite my best efforts. The tips go brown and then the entire leaves go brown and it dies. Any advice?
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Nov 3, 2023 12:18
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Qubee posted:I'm having such a hard time stopping my plants from dying and I have no idea what it is. Have you tried neem oil? It has worked on any pests I have had. Don’t know about your pests in particular.
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Nov 3, 2023 13:04
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Qubee posted:I'm having such a hard time stopping my plants from dying and I have no idea what it is. If it is spider mites, they like to go for plants that are in distress because of lack of moisture (whether that’s humidity or watering). One trick I’ve used is if you have a shower with one of those handheld shower heads, you can put the plant in there and spray it down, making sure to get the undersides of the leaves. That helps knock the spider mites off, and also gives the plant some humidity and moisture. Just don’t drown the plant, and make sure the water isn’t too hot. That being said, can you see the spider mites? Or are you diagnosing it based on brown leaves?
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Nov 3, 2023 15:12
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Definitely spider mites as I've seen the webs get created and one plant that got absolutely destroyed and has since died actually had so many that I could see them with the naked eye. I thought soapy water would do the trick but I've just shelled out the money to purchase overpriced neem oil. Do I need to accurately apply the neem oil spray to the plant or is just spraying it roughly all over enough to kill the mites.
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Nov 3, 2023 16:10
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Qubee posted:Definitely spider mites as I've seen the webs get created and one plant that got absolutely destroyed and has since died actually had so many that I could see them with the naked eye. bruh neem oil spray is like $4 a spray bottle and you can get it at most hardware stores and even amazon, what did you get?
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Nov 3, 2023 16:50
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$11 and I live in the Middle East so things are more expensive than they should be.
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Nov 3, 2023 17:20
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Anybody ever grow too many hot peppers? I have 2 or 3 mason jars of hot sauce and 3.5 gallon bags full of frozen peppers now. Thinking of just skipping next year. Maybe I'll offer one frozen bag up my local buy nothing group? I like to make sauce with a mix, so habs, ghost, jalapenos, serranos, cayenne, thai/bird.
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Nov 8, 2023 16:28
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody ever grow too many hot peppers? I have 2 or 3 mason jars of hot sauce and 3.5 gallon bags full of frozen peppers now. Thinking of just skipping next year. Maybe I'll offer one frozen bag up my local buy nothing group? I like to make sauce with a mix, so habs, ghost, jalapenos, serranos, cayenne, thai/bird. For sure. Had a bumper crop of jalapenos and ghosts this year. Still have too much hot sauce from last year. Will probably do just jalapenos next year, as much fun as I have growing hots.
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Nov 8, 2023 16:32
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No hot ones left, but I’m still getting dozens of jalapeños off of the one big plant I brought in for winter. 10 days worth
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Nov 8, 2023 16:37
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I just turn most of the peppers into hot sauces and give those away to family and friends. They travel better than frozen and don’t take up any of my small freezer space. I’m on round 2 of sauce. I also tend to plan one type for drying every year too. Helps keep the winter variety up. Jalapeños were a large crop this year but they’re so mild they may have well been bell peppers. I’m not bothering with doing anything to them but eating them as quickly as possible.
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Nov 8, 2023 16:56
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I did not have the "too many" problem with my beets. I was hoping to pickle some but that'll have to come next year. Don't start your fall crops too late: these guys needed more time & light, but they are the best beets I've ever had.  I turned this mighty harvest of beets into a fancy dinner: roasted balsamic (baby cut) carrots & beetroot, served on a bed of tri-color parmesan couscous, surrounded by crispy beet green chips. We each got one (1) beet so it is like we ate at a Michelin restaurant.
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Nov 10, 2023 01:30
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Qubee posted:$11 and I live in the Middle East so things are more expensive than they should be. So we bought a house (  ) and the yard is simply swimming in little green aphids. Have a crop of ladybugs chomping away, but a combination of late warmth (it was 80 in mid November...not great...) and the last owner not treating means we are so choked with them that I find the fuckers in my car hours later, having got in through the hood. I've sprayed the whole fence (where they congregate, warm black metal) with soap & water...it's slowed them down, but is neem oil indicated? Also, where do I look for (and thin out) their eggs?
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Nov 10, 2023 19:23
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bloody ghost titty posted:So we bought a house ( I'd let the ladybugs handle it in the short term. They will hoover those things until there aren't enough to sustain them. Edit to make clear that when I do not have a healthy number of ladybugs, I will apply neem oil in a spray at the concentration the very expensive bottle calls for. rojay fucked around with this message at 01:32 on Nov 12, 2023 |
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Nov 12, 2023 01:26
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Don't forget ladybugs need water to thrive!
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Nov 12, 2023 04:48
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tuyop posted:For compost, I see I’m supposed to have 3:1 carbon:nitrogen ingredients. I have a bunch of straw which is classified as carbon, right? And I want to compost kitchen waste. Do I just fill my kitchen compost 3/4 with straw and then 1/4 like coffee grinds and lettuce and dump the container into my compost orb? Straw and coffee grounds will do the thing, yes, but straw itself takes a bit of time to get started. IME it's good to have a mix of smaller, fluffier stuff in there with the straw so it doesn't get matted. My compost is straw + coffee grounds + chicken poo poo + yard waste + kitchen scraps. It goes really well if it's well stirred.
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Nov 12, 2023 05:56
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My compost is leaves + kitchen scraps + chicken manure + a small amount of last batch’s compost. Gets nice and warm and earthy no problem so I’ve never looked into it in any more depth.
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Nov 12, 2023 06:03
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I've got some rather large diameter pots and I honestly have no clue how often to water my stuff. I bought a hydrometer and it tells me the bottom of the pots are Wet+ (which is sodden). As I travel farther up the pot, it goes Wet, then Normal, then Dry. Should I stop watering to the point where it gets to Wet? I can't remember the name of the plants I bought but they're those palm frond types and a little tiny tree thingy. I worry I might be damaging them by watering too often despite them thriving. The drat mites are still killing a bunch of my plants off, it went from luscious and leafy to almost barren from the amount of leaves that have died. I'm not sure if neem oil is working lol  These are the culprits. 3rd from the left has been decimated by spider mites. Qubee fucked around with this message at 16:52 on Nov 12, 2023 |
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Nov 12, 2023 16:01
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freeedr posted:My compost is leaves + kitchen scraps + chicken manure + a small amount of last batch’s compost. Gets nice and warm and earthy no problem so I’ve never looked into it in any more depth. A great reason to not send one's leaves to the dump or wherever the city takes them! I end up raking mine into a pile and have enough browns to compost two people's food scraps for a year using the hot compost method. Reminds me that I need to get my garlic in...
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Nov 12, 2023 19:40
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Thanks for the compost tips everyone!ThePopeOfFun posted:A great reason to not send one's leaves to the dump or wherever the city takes them! I end up raking mine into a pile and have enough browns to compost two people's food scraps for a year using the hot compost method. I blew my leaves into a couple long rows to dry, what else do you do with yours to use them as browns?
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Nov 13, 2023 01:15
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Qubee posted:I've got some rather large diameter pots and I honestly have no clue how often to water my stuff. I bought a hydrometer and it tells me the bottom of the pots are Wet+ (which is sodden). As I travel farther up the pot, it goes Wet, then Normal, then Dry. Should I stop watering to the point where it gets to Wet? I can't remember the name of the plants I bought but they're those palm frond types and a little tiny tree thingy. Those palms want to be outside, watered weekly, maybe twice a week if it’s very hot. You live in the Middle East, IIRC, this should hopefully be somewhat doable for you. Palms rly don’t do well indoors. Maybe keep them under shade or a shade cloth if it’s like blistering hot where you live. The big ficus and sansevieria will do well indoors, but they’ll be really happy to get outside for a few weeks or months if you can let them, and reward you with massive growth. If your home is very dry (either because of a dry climate or because it’s air conditioned) I’d recommend humidification, or at least be prepared to water 1-2 times per week, maybe a lot less (bimonthly) if it’s dark. The sansevieria is a scrubland plant from subsaharan Africa so it doesn’t give a poo poo, but all of your other tropicals will thank you for ambient moisture. Somewhat easier to do that outdoors in a Mediterranean climate. If you can get diatomaceous earth (and you wear gloves and an n95 mask and maybe eye protection) you can dust the mite infested one a couple times for 1-2 weeks for good results. Otherwise, neem oil spray and maybe some manual intervention with cue tips, etc is the order. Maybe put the sick plant(s) in a grow tent with a bunch of ladybugs.
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Nov 13, 2023 01:28
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I end up leaving them on the ground until they turn brown. It helps to not worry about maintaining a grass lawn. Since it’s mostly oak leaves leaves which take eternity to decompose, I’ll mow some then rake the scraps. But there’s no way to mow all of them. Then I am just very very lazy and pile them in a corner near my compost pile. If they decompose a bit, all the better. When I’m layering browns and greens, I’ll throw some dirt on the leaves to weigh em down a bit. It’s honestly harder to come up with enough greens if I keep all the leaves.
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Nov 13, 2023 01:34
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Ok Comboomer posted:Those palms want to be outside, watered weekly, maybe twice a week if it’s very hot. You live in the Middle East, IIRC, this should hopefully be somewhat doable for you. Palms rly don’t do well indoors. Maybe keep them under shade or a shade cloth if it’s like blistering hot where you live. Thanks for this advice, it was really detailed and I took your advice. I've thrown all the bastards out onto the balcony, which faces east. It's winter here so days reach high 20s to low 30s (celsius) and nights don't get below 20. Summer time regularly hits high 40s so it's a death sentence if I were to try it then. I'll probably get some shade cloth for summer time. Will being outdoors also help kill the spider mites? They've absolutely obliterated my plants, it's so frustrating. I'm just daily spraying with neem oil and soap solution as per the neem oil instruction leaflet that it came with. Little jerks have almost killed one of the palms but thankfully don't seem capable of infecting the other, thinner leafed palm.
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Nov 14, 2023 17:27
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Qubee posted:Will being outdoors also help kill the spider mites? They've absolutely obliterated my plants, it's so frustrating. I'm just daily spraying with neem oil and soap solution as per the neem oil instruction leaflet that it came with. Little jerks have almost killed one of the palms but thankfully don't seem capable of infecting the other, thinner leafed palm. Probably not, but in my experience it definitely helps. Spider mites and mealy bugs don’t like being out in the hot sun and will seek out the shadiest, most protected and humid parts. It won’t eradicate them but it will definitely help control their numbers. Be careful not to over-treat with sprays and soaps. A better, but grosser and more time consuming option is to come in and manually clean out the webs and nests. I like using paper towels and just wiping down the leaves and branches and using q-tips or toothpicks or tweezers to get at the bigger clumps in the nooks and crannies. Do that one or two times a week for a couple of weeks and you shouldn’t see any more. Ultimately population control may be a more realistic goal than full eradication, but if you can get to a point where they aren’t spreading and you rarely see them then that could be considered enough of a win vs fully and confirmably salting the earth of them (in which the best case is often to toss the infected plant and replace it, with the hopes that the new plant doesn’t have an infestation of its own). You can try exposing them to predator insects too, things like ladybugs/etc, but that gets into questions of your local ecosystem and what’s appropriate to release and whatnot.
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Nov 14, 2023 18:19
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I'm doing some prelim research into starting a citrus tree or two, and I'm wondering if anyone has any options or tips for frost control. My dad told me about the smudge pots they used when he was growing up in Cali, and it does seem like the cheapest/easiest option, but I doubt it'd even be legal to use where I'm at, to say nothing of the fire hazard lol. Other options seem pretty pricey (warm air mixing/blowing, fogging systems). Should I just not worry about the frost or treat it as a risk of the hobby?
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Nov 16, 2023 18:56
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Son of Thunderbeast posted:I'm doing some prelim research into starting a citrus tree or two, and I'm wondering if anyone has any options or tips for frost control. My dad told me about the smudge pots they used when he was growing up in Cali, and it does seem like the cheapest/easiest option, but I doubt it'd even be legal to use where I'm at, to say nothing of the fire hazard lol. Other options seem pretty pricey (warm air mixing/blowing, fogging systems). Where are you and what kind of citrus are you thinking about? Some are actually quite cold hardy, some not at all. Meyer lemons, satsumas and kumquats are the most cold hardy that I have experience with, grapefruits, oranges, real lemons/limes hardly at all. I'm on the gulf coast and we will get down to 15-20F for a night or two every few years and my satsuma and kumquat could always handle that, tho if it got that cold the satsuma would drop all its leaves and likely not flower that year. The Kumquat didn't seem to mind. If it is just getting down to 25 for a night or three, covering the satsuma with a blanket and tarp with an incandescent light bulb hanging in the middle for heat worked pretty well, at least until the tree became large enough for that to no longer be practical. My dad has had a meyer lemon for a decade that he just throws a few blankets over if its going to get really cold. It might loose some leaves and not bloom for a year, but it hasn't killed the tree yet. I had a grapefruit however and single ~25F night unprotected killed it dead.
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Nov 16, 2023 19:17
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Classic philly move is to put incandescent christmas lights on your fig tree.
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Nov 16, 2023 19:56
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I'm in the Seattle area, Zone 8. It frosts occasionally over the winters, rarely snows, and the lowest I've seen the temp get is in the 20s so far (maybe possibly into the teens with the windchill but I haven't paid attention to windchill since moving out of WI). Tarps and blankets, eh  Yeah I could def swing that if needed. Better than a burning pot of diesel/oil lolMotronic posted:Classic philly move is to put incandescent christmas lights on your fig tree.
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Nov 16, 2023 20:49
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Could you not put the citrus in a pot? We've got a potted lemon tree I started from seed in zone 6 and I just keep it indoors. We're not expecting lemons off of it though, because it's a random grocery store lemon seed I stuck in a bucket of dirt at the demand of my toddler, but it's actually growing pretty well this way.
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Nov 16, 2023 21:13
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thunderdome winner
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in zone 8b gulf coast we had the worst freeze in decades this winter (fully below freezing for multiple straight days and below 20 for a good portion of that) and the one citrus that did great, shrugged it off without issue, and is bearing a ton of fruit right now is my red lime (kumquat x rangpur) also red limes are cool they're like if a lime was also a sweet orange. highly recommend
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Nov 16, 2023 21:19
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Chernobyl Princess posted:Could you not put the citrus in a pot? We've got a potted lemon tree I started from seed in zone 6 and I just keep it indoors. We're not expecting lemons off of it though, because it's a random grocery store lemon seed I stuck in a bucket of dirt at the demand of my toddler, but it's actually growing pretty well this way. I did this with a grocery store lemon seed about nine years ago and we got our first lemons this year! I’ve been meaning to share some photos (it’s been forever since I’ve posted in this thread), but it’s definitely achievable with patience, a big enough pot and fertilizer. We’re zone 7b. The pot goes outside after the last frost date, and back inside before the first sub 40 degree night. The biggest issue has been scale and spider mites in the winter, so I’ve taken to nuking it with horticultural oil every other day for several weeks before I bring it inside in the fall. We’ll see how it does with pests this year… the scale was nuts last winter.
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Nov 16, 2023 21:22
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