How does your Garden grow? part 2

[Astronuc]

Gardening season is starting up again - well up north.

Good article for novices - 10 Tips For Growing Your Own Food In Your Garden
https://www.yahoo.com/food/the-10-tips-for-growing-your-own-food-in-your-118376985826.html

This is a continuation of the original thread How does your Garden grow?

 

[Evo]

Due to the last batch of friendly squirrels that didn't dig in my pots, I have decided to grow a few container vegetables again this summer(one was too friendly, allowing my dog Ming to come up to it and sniff it, Ming is a very sloooow and calm dog). I decided not to let the squirrel get too comfortable because we have some stray cats that live in the ravine. Of course a new batch of baby squirrels have visited and at least one started digging in a few pots. Of course. I have to put rocks over the top of the dirt, but they still climb into the plants.

I am very happy with the two little citrus trees I bought last year, I wintered them in my bedroom under grow lights and they bloomed and set fruit all winter. The first batch of lemons are starting to ripen.

 

[Astronuc]

I am very happy with the two little citrus trees I bought last year, I wintered them in my bedroom under grow lights and they bloomed and set fruit all winter. The first batch of lemons are starting to ripen.

Nice!

 

[Evo]

I bought two "bush celebrity" tomatoes for container growing, they were the only variety of bush tomato at the grocery store (they always have very nice plants from a local nursery). The description tag just said "short and compact", so I looked it up when I got home. Lots of conflicting information, says "no staking required" which is what I wanted, then another site said "bush variety grows to 4 feet and requires staking", and the regular plant grows to 10 feet! i was thinking it would be like the bush varieties like bush early girl that grows to 18 inches. Anyone have any experience with bush celebrity? It sounds great, incredibly disease resistant, large tasty tomatoes, but 4 feet in a container is not my idea of "short and compact".

 

[Evo]

I'm, picking out pepper plants @dlgoff , @OmCheeto , @Borek @Astronuc , @turbo . Any suggestions? Favorites? Ones that taste good and produce well? Squirrel proof?

 

[Borek]

The one I liked (got it from Pepper Joe as a freebie) is no longer available from them, and I am not sure if I have seeds (I mean - I have some seeds, but they are probably some cross-breeds).

 

[Astronuc]

I'm, picking out pepper plants @dlgoff , @OmCheeto , @Borek @Astronuc , @turbo . Any suggestions? Favorites? Ones that taste good and produce well? Squirrel proof?

Of course, I like hot peppers like habaneros.

What kind of peppers were the squirrels taking? I would expect you might prefer sweet peppers.

 

[Evo]

Of course, I like hot peppers like habaneros.

What kind of peppers were the squirrels taking? I would expect you might prefer sweet peppers.

Yeah, my esophagus and GERD demand mild peppers, so I'm looking for some with a lot of flavor, but little heat.

 

[dlgoff]

I'm, picking out pepper plants @dlgoff , @OmCheeto , @Borek @Astronuc , @turbo . Any suggestions? Favorites? Ones that taste good and produce well? Squirrel proof?

Hungarian wax peppers are easy to grow and can be mild to hot depending on when you pick. Good for salsa IMO.

 

[ZapperZ]

So I planted 3 rhododendron about 3 years ago. One died, one did very well (purple flowers), and the last one, I wasn't sure of. The past 2 years, it didn't flower, and the plant didn't look very healthy at all. I continued to make sure it has mulch and fertilizers.

Then suddenly, this year, it grew healthy and it flowered for the first time!

It is a different plant then the other surviving rhododendron because the leaves are thicker, and the flowers are these deep, red color (the photos don't do it justice). I wish I had the specie name, but the tag has been lost for a long time. And unlike the other rhododendron that flowered early in the spring, this one comes a bit later and it is now at the peak.

I hope it will continue to thrive, because it adds needed color to the far corner of my yard. My neighbor loves it because it faces right at his family room.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

That's beautiful Zz! I guess it just wanted to know it was loved.

 

[Astronuc]

So I planted 3 rhododendron about 3 years ago. One died, one did very well (purple flowers), and the last one, I wasn't sure of. The past 2 years, it didn't flower, and the plant didn't look very healthy at all. I continued to make sure it has mulch and fertilizers.

Nice Zz. Could soil pH or moisture have been a factor in the demise of one of your rhododendrons, or perhaps air temperature?

http://www.rhododendron.org/soil.htm

 

[ZapperZ]

Nice Zz. Could soil pH or moisture have been a factor in the demise of one of your rhododendrons, or perhaps air temperature?

http://www.rhododendron.org/soil.htm

Not sure, but all three were in planted in almost the same location, next to each other.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Ok, by the time I decided on peppers, not much available, got a california wonder, a Bonnie Green Belle, and two poblano (ancho) peppers, due to the cold wet weather all spring, they are dropping all of their blossoms. The tomatoes haven't dropped blossoms, but I can't tell if any are going to set, it's like suspended animation.

 

[JorisL]

I forgot my peppers when I traveled back to my dorm room :-(

 

[Evo]

I forgot my peppers when I traveled back to my dorm room :-(

Oh no :(, you can probably pick some up at a local store, everyone sells seedlings this time of year.

Oh, i also bought a cajun belle pepper, supposedly a spicy version of a bell pepper, but didn't notice until i got it home that the main stem had broken about 2 inches above the soil. But the side shoots are coming up and there are some tiny buds.

checkout lady: "do you want these in a bag?'

Me: No, they might get damaged

Me: pays and goes to get plants, they're all thrown into a bag :(

 

[JorisL]

Oh no :(, you can probably pick some up at a local store, everyone sells seedlings this time of year.

Just here a couple more weeks so I'll manage. And if need be I can always go get em if I want to travel 4 hours (there and back).
Trains are great to get some stuff done for me, no distractions etc.

 

[dlgoff]

Ok, by the time I decided on peppers, not much available, got a california wonder, a Bonnie Green Belle, and two poblano (ancho) peppers, due to the cold wet weather all spring, they are dropping all of their blossoms. The tomatoes haven't dropped blossoms, but I can't tell if any are going to set, it's like suspended animation.

I feel your pain. Except for the tomato plants, I've had to replant (green-house starts) my three varieties of peppers, my zucchinis, and my cantaloupes. And it looks like these are drowning as well. I'm even letting the strawberries rot on the plant, as there hasn't been any sun to sweeten them.

 

[Evo]

I feel your pain. Except for the tomato plants, I've had to replant (green-house starts) my three varieties of peppers, my zucchinis, and my cantaloupes. And it looks like these are drowning as well. I'm even letting the strawberries rot on the plant, as there hasn't been any sun to sweeten them.

Oh no! This spring has been really bad. Another storm has just started. No sun, rain, and more rain, humidity and cold.

 

[dlgoff]

Oh no! This spring has been really bad. Another storm has just started.

And if that isn't bad enough. The fruit trees will suffer from the 17 year cicadas. I took this pic before sundown.

Opps: I didn't realize the height restriction for images before uploading. Sorry Greg.

 

[Evo]

And if that isn't bad enough. The fruit trees will suffer from the 17 year cicadas. I took this pic before sundown.

View attachment 84493

Oh NO! it just seems that the past several years have been cold springs, cool summers, and from a new paper published in Nature, for the Midwest, it's going to get worse. At least I only have a few pots to cry over, you have an entire field.

 

[Borek]

This is not going to be a good year. Despite starting on a window sill in March my peppers are just 5" high and no blossoms at all. Winter was pretty mild, but Spring was ugly, up to now temperature was for most of the time in low sixties.

 

[lisab]

Seems like I might be one of the rare ones here with favorable weather! Spring has been beautiful so far, and the summer forecast calls for above-average temperatures.

The garden is off to a great start. For the last two years we've amended our clay soil with mushroom compost. [brag] It's beautiful soil now! [/brag]

I may have mentioned before that where I live, the trick to gardening isn't getting things to grow -- it's getting things not to grow. So this morning, I spent time removing the notabeans from the beans, and the notakohlrabi from the kohlrabi. Back-breaking work but very necessary and satisfying.

I met one shy snake and many spiders. All were kind enough to move out of my way.

But it got hot. Being neither a mad dog nor an Englishman, I retreated to the cool comfort of my house.

 

[dlgoff]

my peppers are just 5" high

Same with mine. Although I harvested three ~ 4 cm long Hungarian wax peppers.

 

[Evo]

Same with mine. Although I harvested three ~ 4 cm long Hungarian wax peppers.

What?? I don't even have any set!

 

[dlgoff]

What?? I don't even have any set!

That's probably okay. The stunted plant growth wasn't worth the ~ 3 bites. Normally the Hungarians are around 15 cm long with a diameter greater than the length of those little things.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

...Normally the Hungarians are around 15 cm long with a diameter greater than the length of those little things.

15cm ? I've never eaten any of such big peppers and don't think there are any that long.

 

[dlgoff]

15cm ? I've never eaten any of such big peppers and don't think there are any that long.

Somewhere I have a picture showing a batch that I grew of that size; I'll find it and make sure you see it. But until then here's a few other items I've grown. I don't mess around when it comes to fruits and vegetables.

https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/736x552q90/r/690/2hpo.jpg

Maybe you'll believe what wikipedia say's about Hungarian Wax Peppers

This pepper is usually harvested before maturity when still yellow. It measures between 4"-6" inches in length (102mm-152mm) ...

 

[Evo]

Ok, I had blossoms open on my tomato plants on may 15th, the plants are blooming like crazy, the yellow flower petals have turned brown and closed up, but it's been almost a month and not a single baby tomato to be seen! It's a determinate bush celebrity. The stem pedicels and sepals are healthy bright green. But when am I going to see baby tomatoes? I don't ever remember taking a month or longer for tomatoes to set. I do now have some tiny peppers showing.

 

[dlgoff]

How does your Garden grow? The worst in 30 years. Yesterday the deer finished off what the weather hadn't. Probably be my last post in this threat this year.

 

[Evo]

How does your Garden grow? The worst in 30 years. Yesterday the deer finished off what the weather hadn't. Probably be my last post in this threat this year.

Oh no! Well the little peppers I had have all fallen off. But PF MIRACLE, I have one tomato the size of a matchstick head! I keep dragging my plants into any ray of sun that breaks through.

 

[ZapperZ]

I had this Japanese Maple tree planted more than 2 years ago. Then the first winter after it was planted, we had the Polar Vortex in the Chicago area when we had cold-snow-cold-snow... pattern for 2 solid months. That first summer, the tree barely leafed out, and I thought it wasn't going to make it. This past winter wasn't a cakewalk either. So come Spring, I was keeping a close eye on it to see if I need to replace it.

Lo and behold, it leafed out rather well, and finally, it sent out blossoms and the white beautiful flowers came out at the same time as other Japanese maples around the area.

I think it is going to make it. It is strange that this is the only Japanese maple of any kind on my entire block. There are a couple of the same tree 2 blocks away, but none nearby.

In the foreground are my a group of my rose bushes. I planted 5 of them, all the hybrid variety called "Lasting Love". It has a very deep, dark red color, and the flowers are quite large, spanning 6 inches in diameter. But what is even more surprising is the very strong rose scent that you can detect even several feet away from the planting bed. I've had neighbors commenting that they can smell the scent when were walking in front of the house.

This year looks like it will be good for the garden. We have been having a lot of rain (it is raining dogs and cats and elephants and rhinos right now), and everything is lush in my front and back yard.

Zz.

 

[Evo]

Wow, my Japanese maple never bloomed. It's lovely! Did I ever mention that at one time I had 80 rose bushes? They were in raised beds with walkways between them. I miss them.

 

[Evo]

Ok, I now have 3 tiny tomatoes and a few tiny peppers. Found a horned tomato caterpillar on one of my tomato plants yesterday and got it off before too much damage, of course where's there's one there will be others, one of those can eat most of a plant in a day, so I'm out there every few hours now staring at my plants, I can just imagine what the neighbors are thinking.

 

[Silicon Waffle]

Yes, however tiny they are, seemingly you have had a lot more works to do or take care of since the time they appeared in your garden.