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Well now I don't feel so bad about it.
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Mar 10, 2015 21:42
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Marchegiana posted:Just at a glance, most of the trees I saw on the map in NYC were honey locust, linden, and gingko. Honey locust seed pods have a small amount of edible pulp in them similar to tamarind. Linden flowers have been widely used for tea. The leaves of linden are also edible, though I dunno if I'd want to eat the leaves off anything that's been growing alongside a busy New York city street. Gingko nuts are also edible, if you don't mind cleaning off the fruit pulp that smells like vomit and sometimes can provoke a reaction similar to poison ivy if you touch it with bare skin. So yeah, all those trees are edible, the question is how much effort you want to put into getting edibles from them. Oh, I know all about the Ginkgo trees. They are gorgeous in the fall but the female trees smell hideous once the berries start dropping and all the sidewalk traffic squishes them. Know anything about Chokecherry and Cherry plum trees? There seems to be a few of those scattered about my neighborhood, including on my street. Also there's a gorgeous Crabapple tree I walk by a lot that was loaded with fruit last summer and fall. They looked just like apples except maybe the size of large grapes. I actually tried nibbling on one, and it was a bit mealy and not a sweetness. I was curious and started googling for recipes because I heard they can be eaten with enough cooking and sugar, and ended up in some weird corner of the Internet filled with off-the-grid survivalist mommyblogs.
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Mar 10, 2015 22:41
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Crabapples make good jelly- in fact I've seen a lot of old-fashioned recipes that add crabapples to another fruit because the crabapples are naturally high in pectin. I'm sure you could make apple sauce or butter out of crabapples as well. Chokecherries I've never seen in this area, but if they're anything like the black cherries around here they're also good for jelly but not much else. Well, maybe wine. The ratio of edible flesh to seed makes it good for juicing but not so great for fresh eating. Cherry plum are supposed to be good, and in fact I have a neighbor who has one in their front yard. However when I went by right around the time they should be ripe to ask about them they were all gone, so either I missed the window or the owner harvested them all. I plan on trying again this year.
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Mar 10, 2015 23:24
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Honeybees found my blueberries! They are so cute 
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Mar 11, 2015 02:32
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mrmcd posted:off-the-grid survivalist mommyblogs. That is a corner of the internet you don't want to get stuck in, but they have amazing recipes for crabapple jelly and kale chips, so... I haven't seen any bugs yet. It just got above freezing this week after a nasty cold snap. I'm finally considering getting out of my winter depression long enough to plant something, since the sun deigned to show its face for the first time in three weeks... I like fallingfruit but there is nothing in my area listed except trees from the tree census. I'd try to add to it but all I'm aware of is the lemon balm in the vacant lots up the street. 
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Mar 11, 2015 05:22
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Lemon balm is great! I think I killed all mine while away on vacation, but we'll see. Maybe there is something hidden and viable there.
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Mar 11, 2015 13:31
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God lemon balm is a weed here. I didn't think it was possible to kill the stuff.
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Mar 11, 2015 14:35
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It is if you take yours inside! I never put mine in the ground since I was pretty sure it would conquer the neighborhood. The watering system I set up while I was on vacation didn't really work, and my house is incredibly dry. You, too, can kill mints! Just put them indoors. (I am bad at houseplants.)
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Mar 11, 2015 14:39
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RedTonic posted:It is if you take yours inside! I never put mine in the ground since I was pretty sure it would conquer the neighborhood. The watering system I set up while I was on vacation didn't really work, and my house is incredibly dry. You, too, can kill mints! Just put them indoors. (I am bad at houseplants.) I was pretty sure I killed my peppermint last year after bringing it inside, but as soon as I took it back out in the spring it came right back up. I guess we'll see if it's 2/2 this year. I think I probably have killed my awkwardly shaped lavendar this winter though, from forgetting to water it, unless it has some sort of dormant but not really dead mode. drat you grow light timers! My sage actually flowered under the grow light though. Hopefully this horrible winter is nearly done and they can all soon go back outside into natural light again.
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Mar 11, 2015 18:37
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I've added some loquat trees to my local Falling Fruit map, but most of the stuff nearby is from another town's tree census. Of course. Cherry plums are pretty tasty, but the seeds are pretty big compared to the amount of fruit on them. They're often planted as ornamentals around here so you don't really see people eating them. They have gorgeous pink flowers and bloom in early spring (which was a couple weeks ago here). A friend of mine calls it "pink tree season".
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Mar 11, 2015 20:08
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RedTonic posted:Lemon balm is great! It is! I made the mistake of planting mine in the ground though, and it will NEVER die. It thrives on neglect and cutting back. I dried a bunch of leaves last year and have been using them for tea The only herb I bring inside is my rosemary. It spends the winter in my windowsill and except for me forgetting to water it sometimes it seems pretty happy. I suck at watering schedules, which is why my houseplant collection is mainly cacti.
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Mar 11, 2015 22:12
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Anyone here grown broccolini or baby broccoli? Or what is the difference even?
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Mar 11, 2015 22:17
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Rotten Cookies posted:I called up my town and asked about the compost. The person on the other end didn't know offhand, but was very enthusiastic about finding out haha. So I asked if the compost has been tested for pesticides, heavy metals, or human waste (which she called biosolids?). I should have an answer today or tomorrow. We'll see what happens. As always, thanks for the knowledge. Great news! The leaf mold has been tested and it's good stuff. The woman I spoke to yesterday actually called up the Agricultural extension to get that info for me and called me back today. Hooray! Free poo poo that won't kill my veggies and flowers! And I got lots of cucumber, swiss chard, bean, and spinach sprouts poking their heads out.
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Mar 11, 2015 23:06
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Does anyone want to plan my garden for me? Every year I get determined to concentrate on it, then a holiday and mistreatment by a neighbour lets me down and everything dies Its not the biggest in the world, but I also have a greenhouse  This is how I usually end up (overcrowded)  In the north of the UK incase that maes a difference to any advice
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Mar 11, 2015 23:20
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Went to HomeDepot today because they have pepper plants 6-packs for $3.49. I made a new raised bed purely for peppers, so I was going to get 2 or 3 packs. ALL of HomeDepot's vegetable starts are infected with these small black flea like bugs. They had wings, but not as big as a housefly, yet bigger than a flea, and they were more hopping than flying. Glad I looked closely before I bought them, don't want my garden infected with those things.
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Mar 12, 2015 00:26
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Flea beetles; the name is fitting! Some despots are better or worse about controlling pests and infections. Sounds like yours is not so great. Have you tried starting them from seed?
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Mar 12, 2015 01:13
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Rotten Cookies posted:Great news! The leaf mold has been tested and it's good stuff. The woman I spoke to yesterday actually called up the Agricultural extension to get that info for me and called me back today. Hooray! Free poo poo that won't kill my veggies and flowers! Awesome....best possible outcome. Now get your garden soil tested so you'll know exactly what to add (if anything) and you'll be unstoppable (if you remember to water  )
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Mar 12, 2015 14:08
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I have a lemon balm and mint garden.
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Mar 12, 2015 14:08
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Anyone have any knowledge about planting fruit trees in Michigan? I live in Ann Arbor and am looking to put a new tree in our front yard, and we'd love to have a fruit tree. Seems like Apricots are a bit touchy with frost, but any idea about plums or pears? Could always go apple or cherry, but they're less exciting for some reason.
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Mar 12, 2015 14:47
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I live in Ohio and I think our weather and zones are similar. Maybe a pawpaw tree if you want to go exotic? Mulberry trees are another option.
ashez2ashes fucked around with this message at 17:10 on Mar 12, 2015 |
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Mar 12, 2015 17:05
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My friend planted peppermint in her yard. I tried to warn her but she said it was a semi shady area where stuff doesn't seem to grow well. She just laughed when I said that would just make it angry.
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Mar 12, 2015 17:36
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Motronic posted:Awesome....best possible outcome. Something I've done in years past is we've planted impatiens (white/pink/red flowers) near some of our veggies. They dry out first, maybe show some wilting, and I figure they'll show when the dirt is dry before the veggies start showing? I remember seeing this in some sort of video, like an indicator plant or something? Is this a reliable way of knowing when to water? E: They are called impatiens. Not impatience. Why would they ever be called impatience.
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Mar 12, 2015 17:40
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Shifty Pony posted:My friend planted peppermint in her yard. When I was a kid, I planted chocolate mint in a boggy part of my mom's backyard. By the time she moved out of that place, half the yard was chocolate mint. It smelled heavenly when mowed. (Like a perfumed armageddon.)
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Mar 12, 2015 17:46
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Rotten Cookies posted:Something I've done in years past is we've planted impatiens (white/pink/red flowers) near some of our veggies. They dry out first, maybe show some wilting, and I figure they'll show when the dirt is dry before the veggies start showing? I don't see why it wouldn't be if you pick the right indicator plant. That's actually pretty clever. I put in drip irrigation on a timer so I'm basically just a cheater.
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Mar 12, 2015 19:13
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pugnax posted:Anyone have any knowledge about planting fruit trees in Michigan? I live in Ann Arbor and am looking to put a new tree in our front yard, and we'd love to have a fruit tree. Seems like Apricots are a bit touchy with frost, but any idea about plums or pears? Could always go apple or cherry, but they're less exciting for some reason. Apples are the most hardy followed by pear, apricot and domestic plums. It looks like you're in zone 5. Stella Otto's Backyard Orchardist book suggests apple, cherry, hardy peach, pear, hardy apricot and plum for your region. Most pears and plums require cross pollination. A local nursery should be able to advise you on the varieties best suited for your area.
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Mar 12, 2015 20:53
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Anybody grown Calabrian/Calabrese Chile Peppers? They have a pretty gourmet reputation, italian. Can only find 1 source for seeds: http://www.growitalian.com/pepper-piccante-calabrese-97-115/
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Mar 12, 2015 23:46
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Comb Your Beard posted:Anybody grown Calabrian/Calabrese Chile Peppers? They have a pretty gourmet reputation, italian. Can only find 1 source for seeds:  http://www.bulbishop.it/catalogo/dettaglio.asp?IDart=540 http://www.zanetgarden.it/index.php...chk=1&Itemid=53 http://shop.italsementi.com/it/italsementi/276-Peperone-Piccante-Calabrese.html http://www.venditapianteonline.it/shop/peperoncini/peperoncino-piccante-calabrese/ http://www.fuscelloagostinosementi.com/peperone-tondo-piccante-calabrese.html http://www.universosementi.it/PEPERONE-RED-CHERRY-SMALL-CALABRESE-Semi-in-busta-Sunflower Have no idea if any of them delivers to the US, can't be bothered to run these sites through Google translate. They look a lot like peppadews. No idea if they are the same. I'm going to try peppadews and similar but off brand peppers from seeds I found in supermarket food products. No idea how that's going to work out.
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Mar 13, 2015 00:56
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Well, I guess it's time to start staring at my blueberries hoping that they'll revive.
ashez2ashes fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Mar 13, 2015 |
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Mar 13, 2015 02:24
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ashez2ashes posted:Well, I guess it's time to start staring at my blueberries hoping that they'll revive. I'm debating dragging my blueberry containers inside until they leaf out. They should have more than enough cold hours this year already.
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Mar 13, 2015 04:53
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I planted a pair of bare root trees, a peach and a plum, in January. The plum is covered in baby branches now, and the peach only has a few little buds for new leaves (just emerged last week). Should I worry about the peach?
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Mar 13, 2015 08:51
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First year I planted my peach it stayed in dormancy until nearly Memorial Day. I had pretty much given it up for dead for the entire month beforehand, but kept putting off digging it up "just in case". Apparently it just needed extra time getting set up because it's going gangbusters now. That same peach broke dormancy this week and already has bud swell. I think they just need extra time getting established.
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Mar 13, 2015 11:46
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Flipperwaldt posted:There are a lot of sellers in Italy A couple of garden/plant places around here have a small display of foreign seeds. It might be worthwhile to call a few higher-end nurseries in your are to see if any carry what you're looking for.
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Mar 13, 2015 15:16
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My tiny strawberry patch actually has live plants when I most of the straw off yesterday. We literally had 18 inches of snow on the ground last week. I'm really surprised. They're not robust or anything, but defintily alive.
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Mar 13, 2015 16:13
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Marchegiana posted:First year I planted my peach it stayed in dormancy until nearly Memorial Day. I had pretty much given it up for dead for the entire month beforehand, but kept putting off digging it up "just in case". Apparently it just needed extra time getting set up because it's going gangbusters now. That same peach broke dormancy this week and already has bud swell. I think they just need extra time getting established. Thanks--this is reassuring.
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Mar 13, 2015 18:59
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Just spent $40 on seeds  Hope I have more success germinating them than last year!
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Mar 13, 2015 22:05
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I'm looking for advice or suggestions on what plant I should grow. The right-hand side of my south-facing balcony has an arch that could support a bit of weight from a vine if I run string between it. The fence itself is about 3 feet tall (lined with bamboo cover) and then it's open air with the arch, up to bout 6 feet or so. I'm in zone 9b (Rome) and would love a plant with thick leaf cover for a bit of aesthetic appeal and also plenty of fruit. The faster it grows the better, especially if I'm growing from seeds. Does anybody have any ideas? I was thinking cherry or grape tomatoes or some such thing, but I'd be happy trying anything so long as it grows pretty quickly.
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Mar 14, 2015 11:57
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:I'm looking for advice or suggestions on what plant I should grow. The right-hand side of my south-facing balcony has an arch that could support a bit of weight from a vine if I run string between it. The fence itself is about 3 feet tall (lined with bamboo cover) and then it's open air with the arch, up to bout 6 feet or so. I'm in zone 9b (Rome) and would love a plant with thick leaf cover for a bit of aesthetic appeal and also plenty of fruit. The faster it grows the better, especially if I'm growing from seeds. Why not turn it into a grape arbor? Passionfruit is also lovely--gorgeous flowers, edible fruit.
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Mar 14, 2015 16:46
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That's a brilliant idea, I'd forgotten about passionfruit because I don't normally eat it. I even have some spare wood I can build into a poor man's trellis (I don't think a bit of string will hold up a passionfruit vine). Now I wish I weren't going away for a week on Monday, I won't be able to sort this out til I get back the following Monday. I'm missing precious weeks of Spring!
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Mar 14, 2015 17:58
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Sulla-Marius 88 posted:That's a brilliant idea, I'd forgotten about passionfruit because I don't normally eat it. I admit it only came to mind because you mentioned you're in Rome. I'd love to grow passionflower myself, but at this point I have too many plans and probably not quite the right space left for it.
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Mar 14, 2015 19:15
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I think I'm going to buy this: http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/huskeereg%3B-front-tine-compact-rototiller-carb-compliant I tried moving it around in the store. I think I can handle it as a woman. My bed from last year should be fine. I'll just have to be slow and careful with any new ground.
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Mar 14, 2015 19:43
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