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I have 6 tomatillos growing but they're all stunted little bastards that wont grow beastly. Either way I should get enough fruit to make a salsa verde. What else are they good for beyond salsa?
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Aug 10, 2016 00:02
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So I have been reading about lawn care and it was mentioned that clover actually fixes nitrogen into the soil, and used to be mixed into grass seed to co-plant as a result. Now I have been dutifully weeding my garden (gently caress spurge) and pulling out clover sprouts along with everything else. Does it maybe make sense to leave the clover, though, and let it grow alongside my other nitrogen-hungry plants?
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Aug 12, 2016 01:15
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Hubis posted:So I have been reading about lawn care and it was mentioned that clover actually fixes nitrogen into the soil, and used to be mixed into grass seed to co-plant as a result. Now I have been dutifully weeding my garden (gently caress spurge) and pulling out clover sprouts along with everything else. Does it maybe make sense to leave the clover, though, and let it grow alongside my other nitrogen-hungry plants? Clover is awesome and should be in everyone's yard. And yes, it is a legume which means it has nitrogen-fixing bacteria living symbiotically in its root structure.
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Aug 12, 2016 01:33
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I used to weed my garden religiously and lately I've just kinda gotten lazy. Between the action hoe, the weed eater, and the loving awesome weed torch I bought, I generally just cut/burn the weeds wholesale and let them go back to the earth. My yard is probably 50% clover at this point. It's green and smells nice when I mow.
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Aug 12, 2016 02:27
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mischief posted:weed torch Holy poo poo how have I never heard of this before...getting one of these tomorrow. gently caress YOU TORPEDO GRASS
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Aug 12, 2016 03:23
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Phil Moscowitz posted:Holy poo poo how have I never heard of this before...getting one of these tomorrow. I just got a culinary torch: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0uOlFJ_O13OM0tmZlFoLThkUTg/view?usp=sharing
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Aug 12, 2016 03:38
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Stultus Maximus posted:Clover is awesome and should be in everyone's yard. You know I normally don't mind clover in our yard, but the bees love it. So it makes it really tough to play out there with my kid barefoot.
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Aug 12, 2016 14:51
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Falco posted:You know I normally don't mind clover in our yard, but the bees love it. So it makes it really tough to play out there with my kid barefoot. As a kid that ran barefoot every summer through untold miles of Dutch clover, I was never stung by honeybees. My side yard with all my raised beds is pretty much 50% Dutch clover, 20% Ajuga, and 30% grass. I tend my garden barefoot and shuffle amongst the bees and again, have never been stung. Have you or anyone you know ever been stung this way? Feeling grass (or even dirt) under your feet is just too good and being stung is not a big deal anyway (it builds character!) unless you're allergic.
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Aug 12, 2016 17:55
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Weed torches are only fun for the first five minutes. Then it's just tedious and hot work x.x Wear leather boots and long pants when torching.
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Aug 12, 2016 18:04
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The novelty of mine still hasn't worn off. I still get a huge smile when I turn on my little jet engine.
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Aug 12, 2016 18:29
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I've gotten stung on the feet twice by bees I stepped on in the clover in my yard. First time was a honeybee, second time was an angry bumblebee that buzzed like crazy and stayed angrily attached to my big toe for a good 5 seconds before retracting its stinger and flying off. So yeah, it happens if you're not careful. Having said that, that was 2 stings over like 8 years, and I still go out there barefoot all the time because I tell myself I'll be more careful from now on and I love the feel of being barefoot. In fact I went out there barefoot in the middle of typing this post (had to help my teen kid get the mower started, I'm not putting on shoes for that).
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Aug 12, 2016 19:12
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I wish I could walk in my yard barefoot. We have lots of clover, but the problem isn't bees--it's the stupid Chinese holly bushes the previous owner planted everywhere. I rent the place, so I can't just chop them. The landlord doesn't want them removed either, so oh well.
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Aug 12, 2016 19:19
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We got perpetually dry grass and windstorm damage so we don't go barefoot unless we feel like we did something lovely and deserve the tetanus shot 
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Aug 12, 2016 19:30
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Shame Boner posted:As a kid that ran barefoot every summer through untold miles of Dutch clover, I was never stung by honeybees. My side yard with all my raised beds is pretty much 50% Dutch clover, 20% Ajuga, and 30% grass. I tend my garden barefoot and shuffle amongst the bees and again, have never been stung. Have you or anyone you know ever been stung this way? Feeling grass (or even dirt) under your feet is just too good and being stung is not a big deal anyway (it builds character!) unless you're allergic. Yeah really the only reason I bring it up is because my wife got stung last year doing this exactly thing and now my 3 year old is nervous that he'll get stung. In the end the likelihood is pretty drat low, and the grass during the summer is pretty amazing.
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Aug 12, 2016 19:32
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We have clover, grass, and wild strawberries
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Aug 13, 2016 07:58
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My sweet peas have a little white powdery mold on the leaves. Are there any treatments that will let me harvest the peas later or are they a loss, dig them up and dispose?
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Aug 16, 2016 17:21
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Cakefool posted:My sweet peas have a little white powdery mold on the leaves. Are there any treatments that will let me harvest the peas later or are they a loss, dig them up and dispose? Sounds like powdery mildew which is really common around here on peas and squash in late summer. Once you've got it on a plant there's no getting rid of it. I've heard that spraying a diluted milk solution can prevent it, something to do with creating a layer of protein on the leaves. The peas should still be fine to eat but the plant is going to continue declining. You could remove them any time in the next month or two and then replant when it gets cooler for a fall crop.
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Aug 16, 2016 17:33
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Cakefool posted:My sweet peas have a little white powdery mold on the leaves. Are there any treatments that will let me harvest the peas later or are they a loss, dig them up and dispose? Neem Oil should work here I think?
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Aug 16, 2016 18:26
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I've had success with the Safer brand organic fungicide. I believe it's copper based but I'm at work.
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Aug 16, 2016 18:28
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Weed torch status: still loving hilarious. I've had some success getting the beetles in check, lost all my long beans in the process. Took the trellis down and nuked the row from orbit, now it's planted with spinach and gai lan. I really love growing squash and it's one of the few vegetables that I love in almost any form but drat if it's not just a magnet for pests.
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Aug 20, 2016 22:18
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 Ultimately all the headache is worth it. Finally got a good run of Mortage Lifters and they are delicious.
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Aug 21, 2016 16:05
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holy crap those look amazing 10/10 would put on toast with mayo all day Did you use any special techniques you thought were particularly effective? Tomatoes are so hit or miss for me
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Aug 21, 2016 16:22
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I didn't add any compost this year but we till every spring. I'm using a kind of Florida weave with two layers of trellis netting on either side of the plants that has really eliminated the structural issues I ran into in the past, it's really easy to keep the whole plant and everything supported. I've been fertilizing really heavily with "Neptune's Harvest," a fish and seaweed based mix, applied as a spray. I've mixed BT with the spray at intervals as well. I've got some cherry tomatoes that are well over seven feet tall right now and a little patch of "Katana" tomatoes that are looking really promising. All but two of the plants came from Seed Savers Exchange as starts. This will probably be the last year that I gently caress around with starting plants from seed, it's just not worth the struggle in the long run.
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Aug 21, 2016 16:44
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mischief posted:Weed torch status: still loving hilarious. Next time try the torch on the beetles.
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Aug 21, 2016 18:13
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You joke but I used it to knock back and sterilize some of the worst affected plants. I'm trying a Spinosad based insecticide that is working a hell of a lot better than the various oil based one I've used in the past. Between the fertilizer and the burnt plant ash in the backyard it smells like a viking funeral in a fish market.
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Aug 21, 2016 18:21
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I gave my tomatillos a much needed transplant today: The roots were completely crowding the outsides of the small planter, definitely not enough space. But how resilient are tomatillos to splintered stems? In trying to get them out of the original planter, I bent them a bit too hard and the stems splintered without completely snapping off. I quickly rinsed off any dirt that had made its way on the stem and then attached them to the stakes above and below the break, it looks like this:   e: vvvvvvvv I first had to embrace the garden and release all pretense of actually using this balcony. I have now transcended such trifling matters. Jan fucked around with this message at 20:32 on Aug 21, 2016 |
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Aug 21, 2016 20:05
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It'll be fine if it's supported like that. They're really resilient plants. Next time plant them in a bigger pot to begin with like everyone told you.
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Aug 21, 2016 20:26
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Has anyone ever bought/used a spice grinder for their home grown produce? I'll probably just grab one that is well reviewed on Amazon, but if anyone has good or bad experiences with any particular brand or model before I click on the buy button, I'd love to hear about it. Partly, I want to grind up dried warm/hot peppers to make chili powder and paprika - something that's easy to clean completely would be nice, so my parsley flakes won't have an afterburn from cayenne powder residue.
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Aug 23, 2016 01:44
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My squash and cukes get powdery mildew something fierce. I discovered a pretty easy and effective solution this year. Cut off all leaves that show powdery mildew. There's no saving them, and allowing it to continue growing will just let it spread further mix 1 tbsp baking soda in 1 gallon of water. Add just a drop of dish soap (helps solution adhere to leaves).  Warning: Test spray a single leaf on each plant and wait a day to see how the plants react to your home brew anti-fungal spray Spray all leaves, including the underside. Spray the leaves when they won't be getting direct sunlight, but early enough that they will be dry before night. This should avoid burning the leaves, without leaving them wet overnight. This spray should dry to leave a small amount of baking soda evenly dispersed across the foliage, providing an alkaline environment, which is not conducive to spore germination. Re-apply on a weekly or fortnightly basis, and after any time it rains (it washes off really easily) I got on top of the nefarious powder really early this year, and this spray has kept it mostly off my plants since.
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Aug 29, 2016 22:55
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When is the best time to harvest peppers? I'm growing some Big Thai Hybrids and I'm waiting for the pepper to be slightly wrinkled before I pull it off. My logic is that they are slightly bitter in my experience so they need all the ripening time possible. What about the other ones though? Got Habanero varieties, Serranos. Wait for a slight wrinkle too? Most have changed from green already.
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Aug 30, 2016 22:13
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I have this highly scientific method of visually comparing the peppers to stock photos found by googling their variety.
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Aug 31, 2016 00:16
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Comb Your Beard posted:When is the best time to harvest peppers? I don't know anything about Thai varieties or their flavors. For most varieties, I like to let them ripen (to red or orange in most cases) but I don't think you need to let them start to wrinkle or anything. The sooner you pick them, the sooner the plant can put its energy into producing more. This is also an argument for picking green ones - they don't have as many nutrients as fully ripe ones, but the plant can get busy producing more, instead of ripening the ones already on it. Also, I pickle a lot of peppers, and I think the fully ripe ones don't stay as crisp in the brine as the green ones. Peristalsis fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Aug 31, 2016 |
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Aug 31, 2016 01:34
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Some good advice to consider. I've also read riper = hotter. But not in a huge way. I think I'll stick with my plan of pulling the prolific thai hybrids slightly wrinkled and everything else normal ripe. These are what I'm talking about. They are longer and thinner than the picture. http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/peppers/pepper-hot-big-thai-hybrid-prod001146.html I also save seeds for the next generation. I think any mature fruit will have viable seeds, yeah? As long at it changed to it's final color?
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Aug 31, 2016 06:23
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Comb Your Beard posted:Some good advice to consider. I've also read riper = hotter. But not in a huge way. Ah ha, I'm glad I'm letting my jalapeņos turn red on the plant in that case! I considered picking them when they were green. Peppers are the best. Few plants will produce a meaningful amount of fruit on my small, sad balcony, but my pepper plants give no fucks and churn a lot of goodies out.
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Aug 31, 2016 14:11
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Comb Your Beard posted:I've also read riper = hotter. But not in a huge way. I think I've read different things for different peppers. I'm pretty sure at least one hot variety's package claimed that it got sweeter as it got riper, and that if you wanted to maximize the heat, you should pick it green. Unfortunately, I have no idea which variety does which, but if you still have seed packets for what you're growing, or can check the website of the company that sold them, you might find that info. Comb Your Beard posted:I also save seeds for the next generation. I think any mature fruit will have viable seeds, yeah? As long at it changed to it's final color? To answer your question, I'd assume that for seed-saving, the longer you can leave the fruit on the plant, the better. I'd probably let it dry out and wrinkle up, if possible, before harvesting for seeds. If you're in a humid place where unpicked peppers deliquesce instead of dessicating, that probably won't work, and I'd say you're probably fine with ripe peppers. Since this is a hybrid variety, keep in mind that there's no telling what the next generation will look like. I once kept seeds from a monster bell pepper I got in a grocery store, with hopes of growing mammoth peppers the next year and taking over the word. The seeds grew, but the plants didn't produce any fruit. Even if they had, there's no guarantee what they would have been like. [Of course, that was a green pepper, so maybe seed viability doesn't require the fruits to be all that ripe.] When you do have a non-hybrid cultivar, if you want its children to be true to type, you have to make sure it doesn't cross pollinate with any other varieties in your garden (or your neighbors' gardens). This usually means keeping it under some sort of greenhouse or spacing them far enough apart to discourage pepper interbreeding. None of this is meant to discourage you from trying - you might have a blast eating lots of weird, mutant peppers next year from cross-pollinated seeds you gathered this year. But if you also want to get some specific varieties next year, you'll probably want to use seeds that you are confident will produce that variety. Are you saving seeds for fun, to save money, or as an exercise in self-reliance? Also, I apologize if you know all this - I don't mean to be patronizing, I'm just not clear from your post exactly how you're approaching this.
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Aug 31, 2016 15:39
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This pumpkin plant is off the hook but I don't see anything that looks like pumpkins yet?  I just want one for halloween also at issue, should I pick this carrot? (I have three whole carrots woo) I remember Dad saying that a carrot was ready when it poked out the top of the soil. 
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Aug 31, 2016 19:12
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Seed Savers Exchange claims that their fatalii pepper seeds grow plants that are good for overwintering indoors. So, I planted one of them in a large pot that I'll bring in in a few weeks. I'll put it in our sunniest window, but it will still only get a few hours of direct sun each morning. I assume I'll need to supplement the light, but will the fluorescent lights I use for seed starting in the spring be sufficient, or will I need to invest in something else? If anyone has overwintered peppers before and has any advice, I'd love to hear it.
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Sep 2, 2016 15:26
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Peristalsis posted:Seed Savers Exchange claims that their fatalii pepper seeds grow plants that are good for overwintering indoors. So, I planted one of them in a large pot that I'll bring in in a few weeks. I'll put it in our sunniest window, but it will still only get a few hours of direct sun each morning. I assume I'll need to supplement the light, but will the fluorescent lights I use for seed starting in the spring be sufficient, or will I need to invest in something else? If anyone has overwintered peppers before and has any advice, I'd love to hear it. I overwintered my ghost pepper plant by trimming it substantially and putting it in the sunniest window I had. It didn't fruit at all, but it survived happily with only 2-4 hours of sun per day for about four months. Then I went on vacation and my house sitter forgot to water it and it died.  So if you don't care about it fruiting, you probably don't even need to use your fluorescent lights.
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Sep 2, 2016 20:53
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kedo posted:I overwintered my ghost pepper plant by trimming it substantially and putting it in the sunniest window I had. It didn't fruit at all, but it survived happily with only 2-4 hours of sun per day for about four months. Then I went on vacation and my house sitter forgot to water it and it died. Sweet! (Not the part about it dying, the part about it surviving on a few hours of sunlight per day.) For another question, does anybody know what kind of peppers these are?  I don't remember (intentionally) planting anything like this. I assume maybe there was an incorrect seed in one of my packets, or maybe these are stunted habaneros or something. Peristalsis fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Sep 3, 2016 |
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Sep 3, 2016 02:30
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The most healthy, thriving tomato plant I have is the one growing next to my compost bin (which I didn't plant).
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Sep 3, 2016 20:29
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