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Post by Powerthirteen on May 18, 2023 14:00:50 GMT -5
Fun new development: scores and scores of little tiny future nectarines on the nectarine tree!
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Post by Lt. Broccoli on May 25, 2023 10:49:04 GMT -5
GOUTWEEEEEEED *shakes fist*
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Post by Powerthirteen on May 29, 2023 16:23:53 GMT -5
GOUTWEEEEEEED *shakes fist*
Dammit, and your lawn was just a week away from retirement. |
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GumTurkeyles
AV Clubber 
$10 down, $10 a month, don't you be a turkey
Posts: 3,065 
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Post by GumTurkeyles on Jun 12, 2023 8:55:19 GMT -5
A few years ago, our garden and flower bed were overrun with these awful looking bugs that we thought were an infestation. After some research, we found out they were ladybug larvae. I felt bad for killing as many as I did before I found that out.
They're back this year, and we're happy to have them present. They still creep me the heck out, because they look terrible. But now knowing what they are (and what they'll do to the aphids), we welcome them into the yard.
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Post by WKRP Jimmy Drop on Jun 15, 2023 12:14:17 GMT -5
For the longest time, about 1/3 of my backyard has had beautiful, soft, thick Hank-Hill-worthy grass. It's not like I do anything to it; it's just grown that way, and it's been very slowly creeping its way across the whole yard.
THIS YEAR some TERRIBLE WEED THING has COMPLETELY DESTROYED my lovely grass! It's one of those...ground cover things with tentacles and tiny little leaves on each tentacle with suuuuper long taproots WHAT THE HELL WHERE DID IT COME FROM and WHY DID IT EAT MY GOOD GRASS. I keep forgetting to take a picture of it so I can figure out what it is and MURDER IT. Edit: it's maybe spotted spurge? It kinda looks like that.
Also the mole(s) has arrived ugh stupid jerk.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Jun 15, 2023 16:57:16 GMT -5
A few years ago, our garden and flower bed were overrun with these awful looking bugs that we thought were an infestation. After some research, we found out they were ladybug larvae. I felt bad for killing as many as I did before I found that out. They're back this year, and we're happy to have them present. They still creep me the heck out, because they look terrible. But now knowing what they are (and what they'll do to the aphids), we welcome them into the yard. Ladybug larvae look they should be some kind of horrifying beetle with a name like Pepper Death Weevil or something. |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Jun 27, 2023 11:47:40 GMT -5
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Post by 🐍 cahusserole 🐍 on Jul 1, 2023 11:30:25 GMT -5
While my bad luck with peppers seems to be continuing, I think this might be a decent year for me with tomatoes? I think?
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Post by Nudeviking on Jul 4, 2023 2:43:16 GMT -5
Anyone know anything about tomato plants? I have whatever the opposite of a green thumbs is and my wife is even worse but kid was sent home with a pot and tomato seeds and some dirt and somehow got a thing to grow. Whatever my kid is doing seems to have worked since the plant is pretty big now so I don't have any questions about how to get it to grow since she seems to have that figured out pretty well but I do have some related questions.
1. When will it start producing actual tomatoes? It seems pretty plantlike now and has been for awhile but there don't seem to be any flowers or tomato blossoms or whatever that will precede food.
2. Am I going to need to re-pot this thing? The pot it's in now is pretty small(maybe 4" across at the top and normal flower pot shaped) and the plant already looks big for it.
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Post by ganews on Jul 4, 2023 7:57:20 GMT -5
Anyone know anything about tomato plants? I have whatever the opposite of a green thumbs is and my wife is even worse but kid was sent home with a pot and tomato seeds and some dirt and somehow got a thing to grow. Whatever my kid is doing seems to have worked since the plant is pretty big now so I don't have any questions about how to get it to grow since she seems to have that figured out pretty well but I do have some related questions. 1. When will it start producing actual tomatoes? It seems pretty plantlike now and has been for awhile but there don't seem to be any flowers or tomato blossoms or whatever that will precede food. 2. Am I going to need to re-pot this thing? The pot it's in now is pretty small(maybe 4" across at the top and normal flower pot shaped) and the plant already looks big for it. Yes, you should put it in a bigger pot now. The plant can't support fruit development without more space for roots. I never did well with pots myself, I plant in the ground, so someone else can tell you if a 5 gallon bucket is bigger than necessary. The plant also needs some physical support to get taller, that's what tomato cages are for. |
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Post by Some Kind of Munster on Jul 4, 2023 8:51:54 GMT -5
Anyone know anything about tomato plants? I have whatever the opposite of a green thumbs is and my wife is even worse but kid was sent home with a pot and tomato seeds and some dirt and somehow got a thing to grow. Whatever my kid is doing seems to have worked since the plant is pretty big now so I don't have any questions about how to get it to grow since she seems to have that figured out pretty well but I do have some related questions. 1. When will it start producing actual tomatoes? It seems pretty plantlike now and has been for awhile but there don't seem to be any flowers or tomato blossoms or whatever that will precede food. 2. Am I going to need to re-pot this thing? The pot it's in now is pretty small(maybe 4" across at the top and normal flower pot shaped) and the plant already looks big for it. Tomatoes are pretty low maintenance – lots of sun, lots of water and you should be good (and even if you forget the water for a few days it should bounce back). As ganews suggested, a 5-gallon bucket should do the trick – that's what we normally plant in and it seems big enough to support most varieties. If you're going to cage it (i.e. something like this) the sooner you add the cage the better, as you can end up breaking the stalk if you try to cram it over the plant once it's grown. Alternately you can just cram a couple of stakes in the pot and tie the plant to them for support (broken hockey sticks or old broom handles tend to be just about the right size). Not sure about the growing season where you are, but around here we don't normally start getting actual tomatoes until late July/early August, but then they'll keep going basically until the first frost |
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Post by Nudeviking on Jul 4, 2023 18:48:25 GMT -5
Anyone know anything about tomato plants? I have whatever the opposite of a green thumbs is and my wife is even worse but kid was sent home with a pot and tomato seeds and some dirt and somehow got a thing to grow. Whatever my kid is doing seems to have worked since the plant is pretty big now so I don't have any questions about how to get it to grow since she seems to have that figured out pretty well but I do have some related questions. 1. When will it start producing actual tomatoes? It seems pretty plantlike now and has been for awhile but there don't seem to be any flowers or tomato blossoms or whatever that will precede food. 2. Am I going to need to re-pot this thing? The pot it's in now is pretty small(maybe 4" across at the top and normal flower pot shaped) and the plant already looks big for it. Tomatoes are pretty low maintenance – lots of sun, lots of water and you should be good (and even if you forget the water for a few days it should bounce back). As ganews suggested, a 5-gallon bucket should do the trick – that's what we normally plant in and it seems big enough to support most varieties. If you're going to cage it (i.e. something like this) the sooner you add the cage the better, as you can end up breaking the stalk if you try to cram it over the plant once it's grown. Alternately you can just cram a couple of stakes in the pot and tie the plant to them for support (broken hockey sticks or old broom handles tend to be just about the right size). Not sure about the growing season where you are, but around here we don't normally start getting actual tomatoes until late July/early August, but then they'll keep going basically until the first frost I think the cage is probably a bit much as it's just a random thing my kid is growing on the veranda of our apartment but I'll look into getting it in a bigger bucket this weekend and look for some scrap pole type deal for support. |
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Post by ganews on Jul 4, 2023 19:55:48 GMT -5
Nudeviking My dad used to tie up tomato plants with old pantyhose. Anything soft you can make a loop out of will work, just a bit of cloth torn off a dustrag.
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Post by Lt. Broccoli on Jul 29, 2023 11:55:30 GMT -5
Usually we get lots of peppers but they haven't been growing this year. Instead we are getting monster zucchini (and some cucumbers). This is just one of several harvests so far. We'll have tons of chocolate zucchini bread to get us through the long hard winter! |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Aug 7, 2023 16:46:30 GMT -5
 I should have known better than to doubt the envelope when it said the tomato plants would grow eight feet tall. The four tomato plants in this picture are about to start having half a dozen or more ripe every day; I picked four today. The cucumbers are going wild. The pepper plants are setting fruit like it's going out of style, with the first three bell peppers and dozen jalapenos about ready to be picked. Every cornstalk has two beautiful ears growing on it. The butternut squash plants have completely taken over the fence by the patio, as I hoped they would. Only the bushbeans are disappointing, with basically nothing showing up. |
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Post by pantsgoblin on Aug 17, 2023 21:30:32 GMT -5
My shishito peppers went ballistic this year. I've had them fried with garlic salt near weekly.
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Post by ganews on Aug 17, 2023 21:45:30 GMT -5
My shishito peppers went ballistic this year. I've had them fried with garlic salt near weekly. It's been an insane pepper year for me as well, with bell and manganji. This is the first time in probably 10 years I haven't planted shishito, and I think I like the manganji better. They certainly made a better green curry, and I think they will freeze better than shishito. |
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Post by pantsgoblin on Aug 17, 2023 21:48:23 GMT -5
My shishito peppers went ballistic this year. I've had them fried with garlic salt near weekly. It's been an insane pepper year for me as well, with bell and manganji. This is the first time in probably 10 years I haven't planted shishito, and I think I like the manganji better. They certainly made a better green curry, and I think they will freeze better than shishito. What kind of summer are you having in your region? The Southwest has been brutally hot and dry but that tends for make for better and hotter Hatch chile. |
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Post by ganews on Aug 18, 2023 6:49:57 GMT -5
It's been an insane pepper year for me as well, with bell and manganji. This is the first time in probably 10 years I haven't planted shishito, and I think I like the manganji better. They certainly made a better green curry, and I think they will freeze better than shishito. What kind of summer are you having in your region? The Southwest has been brutally hot and dry but that tends for make for better and hotter Hatch chile. The whole year has been kind of weird in Maryland. Last winter was very warm, and May was very cold. Aside from some air quality days from Canadian wildfire the main feature of the summer has been humidity. Quite a bit of rain, but not as bad as ~2018 where there was a flash flood watch every week.
The peppers have looked great since they were seedlings. The tomato seedlings looked weak but bounced back very well once May was over. The eggplant seedlings also looked weak, but the plants got big eventually and are finally starting to produce.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Aug 18, 2023 10:22:39 GMT -5
I was worried that our honeynut squash vines wouldn't ever produce anything but now we've got about twenty squash at various stages of growth and lots more on the way, so our pantry will be full.
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Post by Powerthirteen on Sept 21, 2023 13:58:42 GMT -5
After culling out a bunch of gross ones, our peach harvest stands at 80 peaches, which is a lot of peaches IMO.
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Post by 🐍 cahusserole 🐍 on Feb 19, 2024 23:20:24 GMT -5
I wish my pepper seeds would sprout. they always take forever but this year feels especially long.
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Post by ganews on Feb 20, 2024 13:45:34 GMT -5
We actually ordered seeds yesterday. This year is going to be an exercise in figuring out what I really want. I still don't quite have the courage to pare my garden down to ten rows which would let me fit on one plot instead of two. Once again I'll be traveling in August, prime garden time. |
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Post by Powerthirteen on Mar 11, 2024 12:42:14 GMT -5
Peas have been planted outside, and my leek seedlings are sprouting nicely. So it begins.
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Post by Powerthirteen on May 6, 2024 11:28:12 GMT -5
You better believe we are all systems go in the garden. Saturday was garden day, so we have now transplanted leeks, basil, kale, honeynut squash, tarragon, and thyme, as well as sown beans, zucchini, spinach, arugula, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. All that's left is to transplant cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes next Saturday when it's finally warmer.
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Post by ganews on May 6, 2024 12:12:12 GMT -5
It's been so warm here I feel like I could put the nightshades in the ground already, but between the rain and the busy weekends, they probably won't go for another two weeks. With the new situation I'm REALLY going to be doing it all myself this year, gonna be busy.
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Post by pantsgoblin on May 13, 2024 10:17:56 GMT -5
Garden in!
Chard, zucchini, tomatoes (5 varieties), Japanese eggplant, scotch bonnets, shishitos, rosemary, oregano, sage, chives, basil, epazote.
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Post by pantsgoblin on Oct 10, 2024 16:35:04 GMT -5
I have way more scotch bonnet peppers ripening than I can use. Fortunately, there's a vegan Jamaican food truck in my neighborhood who will take them from me. The guy who runs it is a really good dude--his Rastafarian faith compels him to ensure no one ever goes away hungry for lack of money.
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Post by ganews on Oct 11, 2024 7:26:24 GMT -5
It's been so warm here I feel like I could put the nightshades in the ground already, but between the rain and the busy weekends, they probably won't go for another two weeks. With the new situation I'm REALLY going to be doing it all myself this year, gonna be busy. Oh yeah, I never updated this thread. I underplanted this year and then felt bad about it. Then 2024 was the biggest garden disaster I've ever had. We had no rain - none - for two months starting at the end of May. Even people who water their garden properly unlike me were barely hanging on. The plants that lived just didn't have the juice to make flowers. I had eggplants with stems as thick as my little finger that just couldn't make it. In the end I got a fraction of my usual tomato yield, a weirdly strong crop of cucumbers, and peppers that never really started producing until late August.
I have officially decided to cut my garden from two plots down to one. I've been on the cusp of doing that for a couple years, but baby arrival is pushing me over the edge. |
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