http://www.chow.com/boards/62 Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:13:25 GMT Keep track of the lastest threads on Chowhound http://www.chow.com/topics/668240#5199105 Are you able to purchase fresh red peppers of this variety in a Chinese market? If so, you can plant those seeds. I've been fairly successful using this method. However, it's possible that if there was cross pollination, you may not end up with a plant that breeds true. Alternatively, if you can purchase dried peppers of the desired variety , you can try to grow plants from these. I've not done this before. If you do this, I'd advise you take seeds from several peppers, wrap in a damp paper towel, put in a ziploc bag, and place in a warm location. Check every day; plant the seeds that sprout. Good luck Sun, 22 Nov 2009 01:28:11 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/668240#5199105 http://www.chow.com/topics/625419#5198986 Fuyu persimmons (yum yum), golden bell peppers and still some padron peppers in the Monterey Bay Area of California. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:07:16 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/625419#5198986 http://www.chow.com/topics/668199#5197288 That is good advice. We however have linited space and we can not accomodate a 3 station type system. We do do that at our son's school gardenand it works well. I have my own worm compsoter for my plot and I primarily use it for the worm tea. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:43:04 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/668199#5197288 http://www.chow.com/topics/668044#5192077 Ah, thanks for the advice. I'm in NYC (so I think that's Zone 5 or 6?). The topmost room in the house has a ceiling that is almost all glass and gets basically 100% of all sunlight you'd have in an open field, outdoors. It's naturally very warm -- around 75 to 80 F in the daytime without additional heat. It never gets below 71 at night. Are tomatoes very daylight sensitive, dfrostnh? Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:13:04 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/668044#5192077 http://www.chow.com/topics/667751#5191318 We have 3 different kinds of slugs here that like our beets and turnips and radishes as well: the typical brown slug, some kind of almost bright orange slug running about the same size as the typical brown one, and a small brownish-black slug that's very difficult to see and we only happened to spot with luck. The brown and orange ones turn up regularly in our beer ponds but we've yet to see the little camouflaged ones in there. We've recently surrounded stuff with diatomaceous earth and that may be helping. We'll see when we pull our next root crops. Are the tops being attacked as well as the root? Is the damage you're seeing little round chomps nibbled out on the roots mostly around the top of the veggie? It might also be cabbage worms as well. We're still fighting them in our plastic covered raised beds. We still have broccoli growing which they really like but I think as we harvest the broc plants they're moving on to the next dish on the buffet. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:21:45 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/667751#5191318 http://www.chow.com/topics/665534#5184186 thanks for the very useful advice. i'm keeping my fingers crossed but it seems they'll pull thru after all the sunshine last week (after three weeks on overcast and typhoons). i'm not going to harvest anymore leaves from the two shrubs as i wait for some tips on how to plant some cuttings from them. thanks again for the invaluable tip on how to harvest and encourage growth. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:00:49 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/665534#5184186 http://www.chow.com/topics/664957#5163342 Normally bulbs and perennials are mulched after the ground freezes in climates like New York and northern Illinois to prevent heaving and premature growth during winter freeze-thaw cycles. However, mulching late planted bulbs at or shortly after planting time will retard initial ground freezing and allow the bulbs to put out more roots before the ground freezes down to the bulbs. Poor root development before the ground freezes is the only problem with late planting. The same rules apply to garlic and shallots. The soil is so wet in my garden that I do not know when I will be able to plant garlic. Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:58:58 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/664957#5163342 http://www.chow.com/topics/665097#5160094 I was buying eggplant from a farmstand that specializes in Italian varieties. There was a bright yellow eggplant and when I asked what it was the vendor didn't know. She said it was the only one and it was growing with the dark purple eggplant. A few days later I pull the eggplant out of the fridge and it looks like the yellow eggplant had rotted. But no ... it had started to develop puple spots. It was still firm. So I cut it open, It had bright green seeds and streaks. This thing was the exact colors of the Brazilian flag. It was really beautiful and I wish I took a picture. A little after I started to fry it up, I was sorry I didn't do something to save the seeds. So that is my first question. Is there something I could have done to save seeds? As to the taste, it had a green tomato taste to it. However the skin was almost like the type of pepper that needs the skin removed. So that is the second question. Could there have been an veggie orgie in the field and either a tomato or pepper made whoopie with that eggplant? It is NOT a Thai yellow eggplant. It is the same size as the normal purple eggplant at supermarkets. There are mentions here and there on the web about a single yellow eggplant growing with the purple varieties. The closed I could find was this photo, but it is paler than my eggplant ... seriously ... Brazilian flag yellow. http://abigailblake.com/sugarapple/?p=431 However, so far I haven't found anyone mentioning bright green streaks inside. Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:34:36 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/665097#5160094 http://www.chow.com/topics/664460#5153013 Just remember: as you clean up this year's garden, be careful to avoid putting blighted or fungally-infected plant remains in the compost bags or bin. And, if you rely on public compost in the spring, you might want to be careful in the next couple of years to not use it for your tomato and other crops.... Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:54:05 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/664460#5153013 http://www.chow.com/topics/663761#5145577 I'm in SW FL so our Farmers Markets are just starting up...(though we're wilting in this enduring heat and still no RAIN!!!) ... anyway, this is new to me...anyone also enjoying it and growing it? Has a nice bitter taste...love it...hoping it will thrive along with my potted arugula in southern exposure! Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:39:07 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/663761#5145577 http://www.chow.com/topics/654068#5142223 YES! YES! YES! Thank-you sooooooooooooooooo much! I have been looking for these for forever.......they were in vogue about 30 yrs ago when everyone here had homes filled with hanging plants. I will buy a few, just so I have them. Again, thanks so much Corneygirl! Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:21:23 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/654068#5142223 http://www.chow.com/topics/632003#5141747 Here's some useful info on growing artichokes (intended for commercial growers in CA, but useful to home gardeners as well): http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/7221.pdf Fri, 30 Oct 2009 01:29:33 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/632003#5141747 http://www.chow.com/topics/613859#5139748 You can order Meyer lemon trees from Logee's. Depending on the size, prices are from $11.00 - $25.00. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:39:39 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/613859#5139748 http://www.chow.com/topics/661918#5127293 This is my first season planting Dragon's Tongue Beans, and they've been a blast to grow... easy crop with some great coloration. I've read in various places that Dragon's Tongue Beans are shelling beans, and in others that they are edible pods. If any of you are growing this fun heirloom, how do you like to use them? Sat, 24 Oct 2009 14:59:19 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/661918#5127293 http://www.chow.com/topics/636969#5126272 Picked about 20 of my October figs yesterday (can't remember exactly, since I ate some while I was picking) boy,are they good! There are at least another 75 left on the tree; a few more good weeks and they should also be ready. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:42:36 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/636969#5126272 http://www.chow.com/topics/655260#5102245 I grow indoors all winter long, you need a grow light, fans warm temperature and humidity. I accomplish this with a 4 tier grow light system that has a plastic zippered cover, and 4 small circulating fans that are run on timers. I grow lettuce, cherry tomatoes, basil, mint, oregano, chives, parsley, thyme, beets, and radishes and a few other items very easily. Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:21:44 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/655260#5102245 http://www.chow.com/topics/637888#5099894 Hey, this worked! The new growth turned into leeks. They're not the plump stately beauties I lost, but what the heck. I'd have a bigger crop if I hadn't shillyshallied around praying for a miracle instead of chopping them all off at ground level when the bolting started. Haven't kept that close an eye on them but I bet the largest (which are good-sized) are the ones I amputated first. Sherri, thanks for the core tip, I have a bagful in the freezer now. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:47:29 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/637888#5099894 http://www.chow.com/topics/658393#5098988 Thyme, chives, tarragon and mints can spend the winter outside. They are usually hardy perennials (some varieties of thyme might not be). Long ago an herb lady told me some plants need to go thru a winter dormancy. Parsley is a bienniel. It wants to set seed in its second year. I leave mine in the ground and continue to use during the second year. I kept cutting off the flower heads and was able to continue using it during the summer while my newly seeded plants got established. But, it did not put out many new leaves during the second summer. It was really at the end of its life cycle. There are different varieties of rosemary, I managed to happen on a fairly hardy one that could tolerate some dryness. The first two winters it spent in a north window on the back of our toilet. I think the extra humidity from the shower in our tiny bathroom helped it. The leaves are not as glossy as most rosemaries yet the flavor is the same. It spent last winter in a semi heated NH garage with some sun (garage doors face south and have windows in the top half) and managed to survive. I gave it away this fall after taking some clippings. Another NH gardener said she puts her potted chives in an unheated garage to go thru a dormancy. Then she brings them in so they can start re-growing. But, I don't remember what time of year she brought them in. Here in NH a lot of herbs will stay green until quite late in the year. Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:18:38 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/658393#5098988 http://www.chow.com/topics/658798#5097756 Mine grows where my son's old sandbox used to be. I believe it likes sandy soil. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:21:01 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/658798#5097756 http://www.chow.com/topics/622874#5096498 Nope but after a visit to Peru this past January I want to! Thanks for the link. I believe it is a summer crop. I though the flavor was unique and not really very mint like. Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:46:39 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/622874#5096498 http://www.chow.com/topics/655454#5089624 I highly recommend using a paper plate instead of a paper towel. It's much easier to separate the seeds once they have dried. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:52:50 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/655454#5089624 http://www.chow.com/topics/657306#5087927 I actually took everything out. Have it all in my garage, but I think I am going to have to bring them in from there even. at least the onions. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:04:20 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/657306#5087927 http://www.chow.com/topics/654006#5087262 Most greens like salad, collards, kale, spinach, etc. grow better in cooler weather. My mom used to say that "some frost have to hit them" before they are good enough to eat. Something about making them sweeter. I tried to grow spinach in the spring and didn't have any luck, but we went from winter straight into summer so now that the weather is a bit cooler, I tried it again. Hope they will spring up this time. I planted salad greens a couple of weeks ago and they look so good, I planted another patch today. We had 80F. degree temps today, I wanted to plant some zucchini I had left from summer but I'm not sure it will make it once the temps plunge. Thu, 08 Oct 2009 02:38:38 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/654006#5087262 http://www.chow.com/topics/643647#5086506 I like czarina. Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:35:34 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/643647#5086506 http://www.chow.com/topics/654776#5083480 With raised beds, you're probably OK with just amending the soil with manure and compost; and following up with occasional applications of bone meal, fish emulsion, and manure based fertilizer. The grower I'm working with uses humic acid/humates in addition to compost and fish emulsion. In theory, humates help plants absorb micro-nutrients (e.g., trace minerals) and macro-nutrients. I'm trying humates out at home, but I haven't attempted to conduct a true experiment to examine their effects. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:22:53 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/654776#5083480 http://www.chow.com/topics/648934#5077855 Pick the loofahs young if you plan to eat them and let them go on the vine if you plan to use them for scrubbees. Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:18:24 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648934#5077855 http://www.chow.com/topics/650350#5075166 I transplanted my Bhut Jolokia plants to pots and brought them in for the winter on the date that you posted. I started the 4 plants from seed directly in the garden using sawed-off recycled plastic water bottles as mini greenhouses.The plants did not produce any pods this year and they are stunted in growth due to so much rain and overcast days. But if they survive being indoors now for 7 months I'll transplant them in the garden next year. So far so good, no transplant trauma. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:45:18 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/650350#5075166 http://www.chow.com/topics/654574#5073681 It was in a southwest window, and only got direct light in late afternoon. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:59:42 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/654574#5073681 http://www.chow.com/topics/653690#5048746 Is your mom willing to plant the fig in the front? It needs the sun. I have one, well established (for 50 years or more) in what is now a shady backyard. It's a study in frustration once the other trees fill out... Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:06:51 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/653690#5048746 http://www.chow.com/topics/653328#5046355 thanks. It sounds like they will not harm my worms. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:11:51 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/653328#5046355 http://www.chow.com/topics/640767#5040772 Mine are just starting to fruit, had first few this week. Im in Healdsburg. I also discovered you do not need to water them every day ...they seem to like to get starved once in a while. Do they turn red if you leave them on vine.....I always get green ones. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:03:40 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/640767#5040772 http://www.chow.com/topics/648143#5035840 I live in Georgia in the US where they say you can grow olives. Check this website: http://www.tytyga.com/product/Manzanillo+Olive+Tree They sell many different olive varieties and sizes. Plus it is in Georgia not too far from where I live. The $189 version (6-7 feet tall) of it starts bearing fruit the year you plant it if it gets planted in spring. This looks very tempting - the Manzanillo tree looks like the one I want. I would like to pick some green (for martinis and such - even though pickling them can be a nightmare - you need lime (not the fruit but the alkaline solution) to get the bitter flavor out). And the black (ripe) olives are perfect for salt (also called oil cured) curing. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 03:29:17 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648143#5035840 http://www.chow.com/topics/642364#5031391 Plant some winter crops... I tore out most of my tomato plants yesterday. I planted my "winter garden" broccoli, caulifower, onions, carrots etc. Some of those crops are doomed, just as my cukes were this summer, however the tomatoes and peppers did very well. I think the greatest pleasure of home gardening is producing something awesome from your own land with you 2 hands. Let the ghosts of a bad tomato harvest move along during the off season and enjoy the pleasure of the next seasons harvest instead. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:21:43 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/642364#5031391 http://www.chow.com/topics/637533#5030772 Sorry, I'm not sure what you're referring to. The beans are growing on a conduit trellis. If you mean how is it held up, there's sticks of rebar driven in the ground at each end and the conduit is slid over them and pushed into the ground a little. We gave them a little more wind resistance by tying them off with staked ropes. Turns out the ropes were overkill. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:21:31 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/637533#5030772 http://www.chow.com/topics/632773#5028289 Update on the algae: I wrestled with algae blooms all summer. It's a small pond with lots of nitrogen-hungry plants and fish that I do not feed. Their job is to eat mosquito larvae and algae. They've doubled in size and yet, still the algae problem... But that's another story... I've stopped using the algae as top dressing because my dogs have developed a taste for it and steal it from the garden. :) Instead I just throw it in with my regular compost. I bet it's helping keep things moist and nitrogeny in there. @ Bulavinaka: it is hair-like. Thanks for the tip of not letting it mat up. I've been conscious of "sprinkling" it evenly into the compost bin. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:08:34 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/632773#5028289 http://www.chow.com/topics/648984#5027943 Thanks! I didn't realize peppers could be grown indoors, but I don't think I'll bring this one in, in case any insects have taken up residence in the soil. It's been so terribly windy here that the plant gets a lot of shaking without me. Still haven't harvested that little pepper, which is bigger now. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:52:22 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648984#5027943 http://www.chow.com/topics/612430#5015666 thanks for the links. I wonder if the George Foreman is still around someplace. I never liked that gadget but my husband bought it. Now that I have a new mandoline I can slice veggies very quickly, it's all the egg dipping etc that takes time. Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:22:11 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/612430#5015666 http://www.chow.com/topics/650233#5012346 When the pumpkin is all orange and sounds hollow when thumped, it's a pretty good sign that it's ready. Also the skin should be hard and resist puncture by your thumbnail and the stem should be turning woody. Cut it off with plenty of stem left on. This helps to stop pathogens from reaching the body of the fruit. Wipe it off with a 1:10 bleach solution and leave it to cure for about 10 days at around 80 degrees if possible. Curing extends it's storage life. A small sweet pumpkin like you're describing would make a great simple side dish. Cut it in half across the equator (cut the stem off flat so that half will sit stable), scoop out the seeds, smear butter on the flesh and leave a small pat in the bowl. Sprinkle with cinnamon and a little brown sugar and roast at 350 degrees until fork tender. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:20:15 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/650233#5012346 http://www.chow.com/topics/645129#5010769 A follow-up: I fed the tomato - not with Miracle Grow but with some other stuff I bought a while back, multicolored time-released round pellets (I don't remember the brand). And the weather has improved. Anyway, I now have nine tomatoes in various stages of development, and many, many flowers. Yay! Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:33:08 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/645129#5010769 http://www.chow.com/topics/649679#5006809 My husband is the composter here. He's also an engineer with an eye for detail (or overkill depending on your point of view). After sifting he puts what I would call "finished" compost in open plastic garbage cans and continues to stir it up for awhile saying that it needs to cure. I don't know the science behind that (he does) but his result is truly "Black Gold". Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:14:14 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/649679#5006809 http://www.chow.com/topics/649805#5004447 thanks to everyone for all the replies. you guys did a great job in pointing me in the right direction with all the info provided. i'm grateful to all of you and will buy some plants tomorrow and maybe start some seeds too. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:55:47 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/649805#5004447 http://www.chow.com/topics/648562#5003931 Dried kelp, sold in stores as kelp meal is a good source of nutrients for plants. It's not really fertilizer, more like vitamins. I expect any seaweed would be good in that respect. However, I wouldn't just toss some wet seaweed onto my garden. Rinse it a bit to remove excess salt (probably not a big deal unless you plan to add a lot of seaweed to your garden year after year), and chop it up a bit and dry it for a few days so it doesn't form a solid mat over the soil. Maybe mix it with some other mulch material or compost? Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:53:33 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648562#5003931 http://www.chow.com/topics/648585#5003901 Morwen's method is the only good solution. Start a second batch of plants mid summer, and another a month or so later if you have a long hot growing season. Clipping the flowers will only buy you another week or two of tasty leaves. I never heard of fertilizing heavily to prevent bolting. Sounds like a bad idea. Over-fertilized plants tend to be very weak and disease-prone. Other than some turned in compost, I don't fertilize my herb garden at all and it does quite nicely. Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:37:01 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648585#5003901 http://www.chow.com/topics/644148#5001163 same here...with tomatoes. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:40:34 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/644148#5001163 http://www.chow.com/topics/613498#5001152 We bought ours at Frame it All...online. No time to make em. It took my husband some time to put em together...I garden, he builds. :) My tomatoes and herbs are the only things that have done well in my beds..oh, and radishes. My carrots never came up..and my cukes and zuchinni has been ever so slow...and I live in Sacramento! Our beds are 3' x 8' and are 18" high..but you can buy 4' high ones...and even higher bed tables. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 06:32:21 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/613498#5001152 http://www.chow.com/topics/648273#5000276 There is a Thai chili plant that is quite small, has small leaves and produces peppers that average 1/2 inch or so in length. I grow them every now and then. The ripe peppers dry very well and keep for several years. The seed I bought years ago was labeled Thai Hot. The more common Thai Dragon produces peppers that run three to four inches long. One caveat if you plan to save seed. This variety crosses quite readily with some of the ornamental peppers but not with bell peppers. I found this out one year when the peppers grown from seed looked like the purple ornamental peppers grown nearby. Fortunately, I had some older dried peppers that were not accidental hybrids, which is why I know that the tiny seeds can be viable for several years. Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:12:41 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648273#5000276 http://www.chow.com/topics/647817#4994666 It's not a scientific term but filet bean usually means a french style green bean (small, compact, best eaten as a snap bean). But any bean can be eaten as a shelled bean, and you don't need to wait until the pods dry completely. You can shell beans as soon as the pods start to wilt a bit. Relax, beans are 100% healthy from start to finish. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 03:02:53 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/647817#4994666 http://www.chow.com/topics/647979#4994026 That sounds like fun. It's a tough year for tomatoes here, because it's unusually cool (40's at night) plus to much rain so they all split. I might be eating fried green ones a lot. Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:33:45 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/647979#4994026 http://www.chow.com/topics/648138#4985203 Short of destroying the plants and shrubs that mealy bugs have taken as a host, does anyone have a proven method of eliminating the nasty little pest? I first noticed them yesterday on a lone bell pepper plant. More than a few, but not what I'd call in infestation. Then, walking about 15 ft away, I found a complete infestation on a 14 yr old Texas Sage (not the herb, but a shrub that over the years produce woody branches). It was about 7 am and the bugs were swarming around the sage like a bunch of white gnats. The swarming stopped once the sun was fully up. I sprayed both plants with Neem Oil and checking this morning, they are still swarming as though nothing had been done. The label (Fertilome) on the neem says only spray at 7 day intervals. Has anyone used it more often or at greater than recommended strength? I hate using a commercial pesticide, but if that’s what it takes …… and what would it be? Also, do these little critters live in the soil? I did not spray the soil medium between the two plants. Is that something I need to do? Other plants (shrubs and herbs) in the area are unaffected at this time, but I don't what them involved either. I don't mind losing a single pepper plant, but I really hate to loose the shrub. Just as an FYI - I have a number of lizards (anoles) around my house. I haven't been able to find a nursery in my area that has any ladybugs. I was told the distributor does not have them available. Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:36:11 GMT http://www.chow.com/topics/648138#4985203