What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[turbo]

I can't find anything that says any tomato needs cross pollination. Tomatoes are self pollinating, meaning another plant is not required. You just need to be able to shake the pollen loose since the pollen in tomato anthers is on the INSIDE and not on the outside as in other plants.

http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm

Old varieties of tomatoes generally need cross-species pollination to produce well. Hybrids do not always require cross-species pollination, but they often require aggressive plant-to-plant pollination, including the intervention of large buzz-pollinators like bumblebees. We have covered this before, and I can supply links if necessary.

Heirloom tomatoes (often the best-tasting) generally cannot pollinate properly in isolation. It is best to plant them in proximity to other tomato varieties to get the best yield.

 

[Evo]

Heirloom tomatoes (often the best-tasting) generally cannot pollinate properly in isolation. It is best to plant them in proximity to other tomato varieties to get the best yield.

Actually they should have NO cross pollination.

People have to go to great lengths to avoid cross pollination of heirloom varieties.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/heirloom/msg0508121728078.html

 

[dlgoff]

I can't find anything that says any tomato needs cross pollination. Tomatoes are self pollinating, meaning another plant is not required. You just need to be able to shake the pollen loose since the pollen in tomato anthers is on the INSIDE and not on the outside as in other plants.

http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm

I'm going to make a shaker and do as you say. Thanks Evo.

 

[turbo]

Actually they should have NO cross pollination.

People have to go to great lengths to avoid cross pollination of heirloom varieties.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/heirloom/msg0508121728078.html

For another view...
http://pollinator.com/self_pollinating_tomato.htm

As for avoiding cross-pollinating heirlooms, that is only a worry if you are grower who wants to collect and market seeds, and need to keep the seeds true to the heirloom type. If you want to get the best yield just for the fruit (to eat, not to save seeds for propagation) it's a good idea to encourage cross-pollination. I'll keep growing Moskvich tomatoes (indeterminate, heirloom variety) because they yield very well. They require staking and pruning and don't self-fertilize as well as most hybrids do, but if you have other varieties around, they fertilize just fine as long as you have bees.

If you haunt gardening forums looking for people who are having trouble with low yields, it is most often with heirloom varieties. Generally, hybrids are more reliable in that regard. I plant both heirloom AND hybrids side-by-side and never have problems with yields. This year, I got by with just one hybrid variety, but next year, I'll probably plant an early-flowering hybrid, and a late-flowering hybrid to better overlap the long flowering season of the Moskviches.

 

[rhody]

Hey Evo, Astro, Turbo,

Why when I take perfectly healthy plants from outside and bring them indoors in pots (ghost/ornamental peppers) that within a few weeks they start to show aphids, and other signs of ill will ?

Is it the dirt (miracle grow) ? Should I put the dirt in the microwave and zap the crap out of it before transplanting them. I get aggravated after spending so much time and effort getting the things to grow in the first place.

Thanks...

Rhody...

 

[turbo]

Hey Evo, Astro, Turbo,

Why when I take perfectly healthy plants from outside and bring them indoors in pots (ghost/ornamental peppers) that within a few weeks they start to show aphids, and other signs of ill will ?

Is it the dirt (miracle grow) ? Should I put the dirt in the microwave and zap the crap out of it before transplanting them. I get aggravated after spending so much time and effort getting the things to grow in the first place.

Thanks...

Rhody...

Could it be the lack of predators in your house? During the growing season, ladybugs and their dangerous-looking larvae are voracious eaters, and they may be able to strike a balance with aphids when they have access to your plants. Bring the plants inside, and there is nothing around to eat the aphids, so their population can boom.

Just a best-guess.

 

[turbo]

I had planned to clean out the garden today, in preparation for manure-spreading and tilling. Got up to see this:

Trick or treat! It's still snowing lightly, BTW. Very wet stuff.

 

[Astronuc]

Hey Evo, Astro, Turbo,

Why when I take perfectly healthy plants from outside and bring them indoors in pots (ghost/ornamental peppers) that within a few weeks they start to show aphids, and other signs of ill will ?

Is it the dirt (miracle grow) ? Should I put the dirt in the microwave and zap the crap out of it before transplanting them. I get aggravated after spending so much time and effort getting the things to grow in the first place.

Thanks...

Rhody...

I had exactly the same problem last year. My wife blamed me for bring them in the house. I thought her plants contaminated mine. The plants were covered in aphids.

This year, if I bring them inside, I'll let them have frost to kill any aphids. The crazy thing is that the ladybugs are already hibernating, so they are not around to eat aphids.

Microwaving the dirt should work.

 

[rhody]

I had exactly the same problem last year. My wife blamed me for bring them in the house. I thought her plants contaminated mine. The plants were covered in aphids.

This year, if I bring them inside, I'll let them have frost to kill any aphids. The crazy thing is that the ladybugs are already hibernating, so they are not around to eat aphids.

Microwaving the dirt should work.

Alright that did it, no stinking little bug or fungus or whatever else lurks in the dirt is going to stop me from keeping these plants year round, anyone know of a specific set of frequencies that will cause them to DIE... I am all for waving a magic wand over the plants and let the RF energy do the work. There, I just issued a PF challenge, anyone know how to accomplish this ?

It is possible because almost 100 years ago a man by the name of http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds...&aql=&oq=royal+ray&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=1&cad=b" killed cancer cells and bacteria cells with active radio technology... If he could do it, we sure can here with small simple beings like aphids now, can't we ?

Rhody... needed to blow off a little steam that's all... I hate to see a lot of effort go to waste.

 

[OmCheeto]

Alright that did it, no stinking little bug or fungus or whatever else lurks in the dirt is going to stop me from keeping these plants year round, anyone know of a specific set of frequencies that will cause them to DIE... I am all for waving a magic wand over the plants and let the RF energy do the work. There, I just issued a PF challenge, anyone know how to accomplish this ?

It is possible because almost 100 years ago a man by the name of http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds...&aql=&oq=royal+ray&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=1&cad=b" killed cancer cells and bacteria cells with active radio technology... If he could do it, we sure can here with small simple beings like aphids now, can't we ?

Rhody... needed to blow off a little steam that's all... I hate to see a lot of effort go to waste.

hmmm... Interesting. Of course, the technology is widely used now in the treatment of cancers.

But we're trying to get rid of aphids. How's about we merge the "keep the teenagers away with ultrasonics" and Rifes beam technologies?

Kids B Gone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXhRmv1mrs4

Does anyone know if aphids have ears?

google google google

hmm... Can't seem to find anything about their hearing.

But they don't like http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2010/0809/Aphids-in-your-garden-Try-warm-goat-breath." . Get a goat. Or maybe an artificial goat.

Ah ha!
http://www.kaz.com/kaz/humidifiers/products/vicks-vaporizer-with-nightlight-v100/" , only $9.99!

Of course, now you have to get a de-humidifier.

 

[Astronuc]

Alright that did it, no stinking little bug or fungus or whatever else lurks in the dirt is going to stop me from keeping these plants year round, anyone know of a specific set of frequencies that will cause them to DIE... I am all for waving a magic wand over the plants and let the RF energy do the work. There, I just issued a PF challenge, anyone know how to accomplish this ?

It is possible because almost 100 years ago a man by the name of http://www.google.com/#hl=en&expIds...&aql=&oq=royal+ray&gs_rfai=&pbx=1&fp=1&cad=b" killed cancer cells and bacteria cells with active radio technology... If he could do it, we sure can here with small simple beings like aphids now, can't we ?

Rhody... needed to blow off a little steam that's all... I hate to see a lot of effort go to waste.

Microwaves excite the water molecules which boil water in tissues. So microwaving moist soil or bugs will steam them, or internal vapor will blow bugs apart.

 

[rhody]

OK,

I took a deep breath, and I will zap the dirt, but my challenge still stands, I want to upset certain membranes in their nasty little aphid carcass's without effecting anything else in the vicinity. That would truly be impressive.

Astronuc asked me to give my experience with growing "Bhut Jolokia peppers and getting them to produce peppers in normal pepper season: Region: NE US, from Mid July - Late September.

1. Use peat to start them, early to mid Jan, reason they take 150 - 180 days to grow in climates suitable to New England, your time will be less in mid Atlantic and Southern states

2. Use a decent heat mat, set to about 80% F and place the seeds in peat (soft for roots to take) in a tray with wet paper towels underneath and covered with a clear plastic top or cling wrap. Just cover the seed with a tiny bit of peat, that's it. Take the cover off every few days and make sure the top of the peat is not bone dry, add a little water if needed.

3. They should sprout in 8 to 10 days, I have almost 90% luck with my seeds.

4. Once the sprouts differentiate with two tiny leaves take the cover off, then use a grow light if you have one for an hour or two a day.

5. Once they are hardy enough to transplant, use a potting soil that does not hold a ton of moisture, I use miracle grow (moisture control) or simply add sand and some peat to your mixture. (Important, microwave all transplant soil before you do this or aphid larvae present in the soil will cause you problems)

6. The plants will not produce fruit if you put them next to a foundation with full sun you will cook the roots as well. Above 95% F daily temps.

7. Be patient, it took me two seasons of trying to figure this out.

8. Harden your plants by putting young ones in slight wind for a few hours, until the stems thicken, you will know when you can leave them in full wind.

9. These suckers are perennials so they should, continue to produce I am told for up to ten years.

10. Always handle the peppers with rubber gloves, ask Evo about her experience with habanerio's, the pulp and the seeds are very hot, (these are twice as hot as those) the skin minus pulp is actually kind of sweet, the peppers are not thick and juicy like you find with normal varieties. I got the juice under my fingernails and suffered in pain when I touched my eye, so be warned.

11. Here is a place to order seeds:

http://www.greenhousebusiness.com/bhjoseandpl.html"

Good prices, Warning: do not buy pepper plants from Ted, everyone I bought died due to disease, aphids, just buy seeds. You cannot separate the roots etc from the dirt and the roots themselves appear to be contaminated. Mine grown from scratch were not. His seeds are hot and his is a decent man and worthy of your business.

Here is a general link for your review in case you find a better deal:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...=X&ei=c_fNTJfZNpGqsAPKxNCFDg&ved=0CHYQ1QIoBA"

General Comments:

Everyone's taste and pallet is different, some people used to habanerios may not have a tough time with these peppers, others who never have had a hot pepper in their lives may disassociate themselves from you. If people who are lightweights insist on trying them, slice a pepper open (with gloves on) separate a bit of pulp or a single seed and let them taste it. The hotness takes 5 to 10 minutes to wear off. If you assault your taste senses with 20 to 30 seeds I guarantee you from multiple trials you will be in for some serious chemical discomfort (saying that lightly). You can interfere with the ebb and flow of the hotness with milk, a glass of ice cold water, taking sips every 30 seconds or so till the ten minute period expires. Hopefully you won't first.

Do not let your kids handle or play with them, if they get the juice in their eyes they are in for some serious pain, and you the guilt that goes with it. A good rule of thumb if they do is to wash their hands, then use a nail file and force soap under their nails. Repeat as necessary until you can no longer detect a trace of pepper smell from their fingers.

I consider these peppers, force multipliers, a little goes a long way. They are good in salsa, chili, etc... a challenge to grow, mine are still producing in Oct, having been started in March, so again, plan accordingly. Good luck, be patient and you will have something to talk about when you have friends over.

Rhody...

 

[sprudence]

I have a real aversion for doing anything easy.. I currently reside in the UK and find exotic and subtropical gardening to be just that challenge.

At first it was scientific, ie what would grow in this climate in terms of tenderness.. now its just something I've fallen in love with.

Some flower colours are awe inspiring, check out the Echeveria glauca flower.

That said I do grow fruit as well; Tomatoes, Peppers, Raspberries, Strawberries and well Rhunarb (not a fruit obviously)

 

[lisab]

I have a real aversion for doing anything easy.. I currently reside in the UK and find exotic and subtropical gardening to be just that challenge.

At first it was scientific, ie what would grow in this climate in terms of tenderness.. now its just something I've fallen in love with.

Some flower colours are awe inspiring, check out the Echeveria glauca flower.

That said I do grow fruit as well; Tomatoes, Peppers, Raspberries, Strawberries and well Rhunarb (not a fruit obviously)

Welcome to PF, sprudence...as I was reading your post I thought, oh wow, this might be the UK's only banana farmer .

 

[dlgoff]

... I do grow fruit as well; Tomatoes, Peppers, Raspberries, Strawberries and well Rhunarb (not a fruit obviously)

:!)

Welcome to PF

 

[sprudence]

thanks for the welcome!

lisa, yes a little global warming, an extention of the garden, I could do that ;-)

Right now my bananas seem not to be growing as high as about a metre, but that's because I was moving them all summer to find the the perfect place for them.

 

[turbo]

Alright that did it, no stinking little bug or fungus or whatever else lurks in the dirt is going to stop me from keeping these plants year round, anyone know of a specific set of frequencies that will cause them to DIE... I am all for waving a magic wand over the plants and let the RF energy do the work. There, I just issued a PF challenge, anyone know how to accomplish this ?

You may want to explore some organic options. Companion-planting garlic with your peppers may help control aphids. You could also keep a few pots of nasturtiums around when you bring the peppers inside. Aphids LOVE nasturtiums and may abandon pepper plants to attack them. Even better, nasturtium blossoms make a nice garnish for salads, and the leaves have a mild peppery taste and can be eaten in place of watercress, arugula, etc.

 

[Proton Soup]

tried growing some squashes. very limited success. but between bugs and inconsistent rain, not much of anything did well this year. and yeah, i know the pattypan is a summer squash, but it was planted late, too. wouldn't plant those again, tho, just too bland. the underdeveloped pumpkin had started to rot, but there's still a couple more outside that may yet be edible.

 

[turbo]

tried growing some squashes. very limited success. but between bugs and inconsistent rain, not much of anything did well this year. and yeah, i know the pattypan is a summer squash, but it was planted late, too. wouldn't plant those again, tho, just too bland. the underdeveloped pumpkin had started to rot, but there's still a couple more outside that may yet be edible.

Great! Use the summer squashes as soon as you can, or cook, process and freeze them for later use. My wife and I have a cold cellar that is pretty reliable about keeping winter squashes until at least February or March, so Buttercup is a favorite. I plant a 35-foot row every year, so we have some to give away and some to keep for the winter. You might try Hubbard, if you like winter squash, though you may need a hatchet to open them when you want to clean and cook them.

 

[Proton Soup]

There are many blooms left so I'll give it some more time and just shake like you suggest. But I don't think it's going to work since the first blooms the plant had are still there. The peddles have been dried for a couple of weeks now and the green part of the bloom (where the tomato fruit should start) has grown like they're full grown tomatoes. Normally when a bloom doesn't take it drops off like you say, but not these. As a mater of fact, no blooms have dropped off. I've never seen a full grown tomato top without a fruit. That's why I think it needs pollen from another variety.

i've been growing a yellow heirloom variety that i found at lowes. don't remember what it was called, but one of the bigger starter plant companies distributes them (can't remember which, but there's only like 2 of them here). but in any case, i had some difficulty with them setting fruit at first. after a bit of reading, i learned that temperature and humidity affect the pollination of tomatoes. so you might want to experiment a bit with planting times, or at least seek out some varieties that are better suited to your climate. or just be patient and wait it out, which is what worked for me.

 

[Proton Soup]

Great! Use the summer squashes as soon as you can, or cook, process and freeze them for later use. My wife and I have a cold cellar that is pretty reliable about keeping winter squashes until at least February or March, so Buttercup is a favorite. I plant a 35-foot row every year, so we have some to give away and some to keep for the winter. You might try Hubbard, if you like winter squash, though you may need a hatchet to open them when you want to clean and cook them.

i actually planted some hubbards (two hills), just didn't get any fruit.

you have any secrets for growing buttercups? i think i will put most of my eggs in that basket next year.

 

[turbo]

i actually planted some hubbards (two hills), just didn't get any fruit.

you have any secrets for growing buttercups? i think i will put most of my eggs in that basket next year.

Buttercups do well on the ground, but this year I gave them a trellis made of Tractor Supply cattle panels and T-posts, and they did really well! I have a tiny greenhouse, and I started the plants a bit early and transplanted them to the garden when the soil was warm. They did great. I should note that we had almost no rain from mid-June until late August, I had to water when I could to alleviate that drought. If we had anything like normal rain-fall, I would expect that the trellis experiment would have given us far more squash. Even with the sub-standard season, we did OK, but I attribute that to the trellis.

 

[Proton Soup]

Buttercups do well on the ground, but this year I gave them a trellis made of Tractor Supply cattle panels and T-posts, and they did really well! I have a tiny greenhouse, and I started the plants a bit early and transplanted them to the garden when the soil was warm. They did great. I should note that we had almost no rain from mid-June until late August, I had to water when I could to alleviate that drought. If we had anything like normal rain-fall, I would expect that the trellis experiment would have given us far more squash. Even with the sub-standard season, we did OK, but I attribute that to the trellis.

darn, i meant to say butternuts! but those are good, too.

 

[turbo]

darn, i meant to say butternuts! but those are good, too.

I don't know anybody that has a problem growing butternuts. They are not as prolific as zucchinis, but still folks always seem to have a lot to give away. My wife and I prefer the hard winter squashes like buttercups, so that's primarily what we grow. It helps if you have a large bumblebee population to keep the yields up.

 

[Evo]

Proton, what you *did* get look very nice!

Do you have a good bee population? Squash really need a lot of bees.

 

[turbo]

I need for this rain to go away. Have to get the carrots out of the garden and into cold storage, spread and till manure, and get my garlic-beds planted.

My neighbor has stopped giving away garlic, and I'm going to follow suit. I have given garlic away to at least a half-dozen people each year in the last couple of years - in quantities sufficient to get them self-sufficient after their first season. It's a lot of work, though, and I'm going to plant much less this year. Al's garlic is already planted and mulched, and apart from what he's keeping aside for personal use until the next harvest, he's offering his largest, best seed garlic (either Russian Red or German White) for $5/lb. I have been putting out the word. Fedco Bulbs sells their seed garlic for about 4 times that price. Our garlic is very nice and it is so productive that I have not had a single clove fail to sprout and form a bulb. I got a couple of stunted ones last year because I was planting in the cold, and in a hurry and accidentally planted a few cloves upside-down.

 

[dlgoff]

Did you leave some blooms alone and shake the plant?

I'm going to make a shaker and do as you say. Thanks Evo.

Evo, You're the woman (with green arms). I made a shaker with an old tooth polisher that simulates the buzzing of bee wings. IT WORKED. I see my first little green tomato.

 

[Astronuc]

End of the season. Four nights of freezing weather terminated my pepper plants.

I collected a bunch of jalapeños and habaneros - mostly green though.

 

[turbo]

End of the season. Four nights of freezing weather terminated my pepper plants.

I collected a bunch of jalapeños and habaneros - mostly green though.

Nice haul, though - even green, they are tasty. Today, I pulled up all the rest of my carrots, and separated the garlic into cloves for planting. Still too wet to till the garden, but hopefully stuff will dry out in another day or two.

 

[turbo]

I am still using up a lot of time helping my neighbors put a large addition (significant expansion, actually) on their house, so there are a lot of things that I need to do pretty soon. Till the garden, top-dress with manure, hill up the garlic beds and plant and mulch those, prune all the fruit trees, get the detached garage cleaned out so that when I take the tiller off the Kubota, the tractor will fit in there. There's lots more. I thought that if I was retired, I would have plenty of time for everything. Not so. When you have extra time, do-able tasks seem to expand to fill it.

 

[lisab]

Eeew eeeew eeeeeeeew...

I was doing some fall garden chores when I found a bucket that I had forgotten about. It had a bunch of weeds in it, and since it had been there a while it was to the brim with water. Rotting and putrid vegetation...anaerobic, no less! There was no getting upwind of it! Eeeeew !

 

[turbo]

Tilled to flatten the rows, spread about 20 years of manure, then tilled.Edit: That's 20 yards. It won't be sufficient for 20 "years"

 

[Proton Soup]

that's a lot of poop, turbo

Proton, what you *did* get look very nice!

Do you have a good bee population? Squash really need a lot of bees.

we have them, although I'm not sure it is a lot of bees. but yes, bumblebees, honeybees, bumblebee moths, those little "sweat" bees, carpenter bees... it's a bug paradise, i think

 

[turbo]

that's a lot of poop, turbo

Sure is! I'm so happy that I bought my tractor and 3-pt hitch tiller. The first 4 years or so, I was beating the crap out of myself, spreading peat, manure, etc and tilling it with an old Troy-Bilt and hand hoeing every raised row. I'm thinking of buying a disk hiller attachment for my tractor, too, so I can make raised rows quickly, instead of taking days and days.

 

[turbo]

Glad I got the dressing and tilling all done Sunday. Monday was a washout, with perhaps 3" of rain, and we've had steady showers all day today. I ordered a Leinbach bedding attachment for my tractor today, and should have it in a week or 10 days. The garlic cloves are all split and ready to plant, to the bedder will make that a quick job.