GARDEN 2023
- Thread starter Pearl
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I have a question. I have a foxglove I would love to save seeds from but I can’t find any. The little pods that I see in videos don’t exist on my plant. Am I missing something or do I have a rogue plant?
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- Dec 20, 2017
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I found this video
Maybe you need to wait a little longer.
and this article with helpful photos
https://www.assyntwildlife.org.uk/2018/08/anatomy-foxglove/
Maybe you need to wait a little longer.
and this article with helpful photos
https://www.assyntwildlife.org.uk/2018/08/anatomy-foxglove/
Thank you. I will watch and read. It’s a great color flower and I finally found one that thrives upon my neglect
I'm not sure about you folks, but the weather here has been brutal, multiple days of heat indexes well over 110F. My wife laughed at me last night when I remarked that I needed to get the fall garden starts going this weekend. The Japanese beetles are once again terrible here, I've got one cabbage head left that hasn't been completely devoured and was able to get a few broccoli harvested before they moved in and destroyed the rest. I've held off on using any kind of pesticide, but I think the time has come where I need to consider doing so. I've tried the natural deterrents and not a single one has made a difference with these dang beetles.
Oh well. That's part of growing your own food. For this fall I'll be planting another round of cabbage and broccoli, spinach and lettuce, brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips, and I have two heirloom beet varieties I want to try out.
So, even though it feels like we are living a block from hell, it's time to start thinking about cooler weather and the last hurrah of the summer garden. What are your plans for your fall garden going to be?
Oh well. That's part of growing your own food. For this fall I'll be planting another round of cabbage and broccoli, spinach and lettuce, brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips, and I have two heirloom beet varieties I want to try out.
So, even though it feels like we are living a block from hell, it's time to start thinking about cooler weather and the last hurrah of the summer garden. What are your plans for your fall garden going to be?
Ugh! We went through the brutal weather the past two years and this year is finally what we would consider rather "normal." I've recently seeded some carrots and beets but don't do too much in the way of fall planting. I need the break by the time the garden is winding down.
We usually only have a couple weeks of this kind of weather, high humidity and high temps, combined that is. From about the third week in July until the end of August, our humidity is through the roof. Roughly 305,000 out of the 350,000 acres in our county is cropland, and according to last years ag census, 89.7% of that is under irrigation. That's a lot of land getting a lot of water pumped onto it. Once the corn gets to tasseling, it seems to just puke moisture into the air and only acerbates the humidity levels. Add in multiple days of upper 90 and lower 100 temps and it makes it just miserable.
As far as the fall garden goes, the last two times I've tried it, it has worked out really well. The pests don't seem to be quite as bad on the plants as they are during the summer. Plus, I am a sucker for those really hearty fall meals centered around root vegetables and brassicas. I realize that cabbage is pretty cheap in the grocery stores, but I have yet to eat a store bought cabbage that tastes like one grown into the fall.
I'm gonna try an experiment here in a week or 2. I'm digging up my early taters and gonna take some with good eyes and replant to try and get a late harvest. Those should store better over the winter.
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Please report back with the success of the experiment
My experiment this year is with multiple varieties of tomatoes and peppers.
So far, the “big red” peppers are lame and the lowest yield to no yield- plants look fine. Maybe they are a later variety. We’ll see.
Tomatoes
the Wisconsin is crazy! So far highest yield, and earliest. Only beginning to get ripe ones so difficult to compare flavor yet. My “celebrities” which are a hybrid that I’ve grown for several years but this year they are huge! My mystery tomatoes are probably second to the Wisconsin and looking good. I planted most of “homestead” which are just beginning to get tomatoes on them - bit of a disappointment. Also “granny” have some and look good but low yield per plant. Also, as a note, my Romas are nearly the size of tennis balls this year 
Celebrity - fruit size between orange and grapefruit at this time!
Wisconsin - I’ve never seen so many tomatoes on one plant!
So far, the “big red” peppers are lame and the lowest yield to no yield- plants look fine. Maybe they are a later variety. We’ll see.
Tomatoes
the Wisconsin is crazy! So far highest yield, and earliest. Only beginning to get ripe ones so difficult to compare flavor yet. My “celebrities” which are a hybrid that I’ve grown for several years but this year they are huge! My mystery tomatoes are probably second to the Wisconsin and looking good. I planted most of “homestead” which are just beginning to get tomatoes on them - bit of a disappointment. Also “granny” have some and look good but low yield per plant. Also, as a note, my Romas are nearly the size of tennis balls this year Celebrity - fruit size between orange and grapefruit at this time!
Wisconsin - I’ve never seen so many tomatoes on one plant!
I haven't harvested a single thing. I have started hand pollinating. There only a few mosquitoes and nothing else.
Yeah Lady I'll post results for sure. Your tomatos look awesome
Come on over Clem. I’ll share. I’ve picked 23 cukes from my one plant in the past 4 days.
I am doubling down. I got 2 zucchini today.
More than I have. Everything burned up in the heat and drought here!
I wish I could have shared mine with y'all I was giving it away left and right and still had more than I knew what to do with lol, it is winding down now for sure tho, might plant another batch just as an experiment to see if it has time to produce...j
I have a question, do y'all put any stock in planting by "the signs", like the astrological signs(I guess) in the almanac? My parents were very big believers in doing lots of things 'when the signs are right' I kinda do usually I'm more of a do what I can when I can kinda person lol.
I always try and plant by the signs. My dad gets me a copy of Vlum's Farmers Almanac for Christmas every year.
But I've got to admit between the weather not cooperating, or just tied up with other things I can't always go by it. I do try to not plant in the Fire signs if at all possible.
Some years it seems to make a difference, others not so much. I do feel like, JMHO, trying to go by moon phases makes more difference than the signs do.
But I've got to admit between the weather not cooperating, or just tied up with other things I can't always go by it. I do try to not plant in the Fire signs if at all possible.
Some years it seems to make a difference, others not so much. I do feel like, JMHO, trying to go by moon phases makes more difference than the signs do.
In my area of Texas, I have to plant/ grow in the spring and hopefully again in the fall. Once the heat sets in, so do the deer. After a really hot summer last year, we had our first freeze in October. Not unheard of, but early. I have to 'pay' this little toot so I can get out the door some days!!
There's definitely something to it, not sure what exactly lol, but just occurred to me to ask when I was looking at the calendar this morning and noticed the signs (they're in the breast today btw). I usually always try to start seeds in the breast, it's the best sign for planting, the hearts the best for killing plants, I think it's the knees to wean babies it's just very cool to me how much the moon effects these things.
I actually saved some seeds and have them in labeled envelopes- you might be able to teach an old dog after all 
The only ones I've saved do far is like 10+ lbs of sunflower seeds lol 
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I got southern field peas that have been pasted down from the 1890's or earlier.
They are a cream color when shelled, but darken when cooked.
They are a cream color when shelled, but darken when cooked.
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we skipped 1 market and now I am drowning in vegetables
I hope the tomatoes stay good until next Saturday
Picked several hundred pound zucchinis that didn't get picked in time
they will be bread
we need to dig up the potatoes but the ground is super hard. It needs to rain again. We get plenty of rain but just a few days of no rain and the ground is like a rock
I hope the tomatoes stay good until next Saturday
Picked several hundred pound zucchinis that didn't get picked in time
they will be bread
we need to dig up the potatoes but the ground is super hard. It needs to rain again. We get plenty of rain but just a few days of no rain and the ground is like a rock
I wanted to fill my truck tires this year, my back and weather decided otherwise.
Is it true sweet bell peppers will hybridize with jalapenos?
Is it true sweet bell peppers will hybridize with jalapenos?
I've heard that my whole life but never seen it happen
I tasted one once that supposedly was, it was indeed hot, but that was a one-time thing.
Maybe if I "helped"?
Maybe if I "helped"?
I haven't the slightest tbh
@joel my basil is from seed I’ve saved each year for many years and was given to me by my grandmother who had saved it from hers 
@Magus I’ve never even heard that. I have several varieties of peppers all planted in the same plot and they all appear as they should- so don’t appear to have cross pollinated. Based on that alone I’d say probably not unless they did some genetic engineering or something.
@Magus I’ve never even heard that. I have several varieties of peppers all planted in the same plot and they all appear as they should- so don’t appear to have cross pollinated. Based on that alone I’d say probably not unless they did some genetic engineering or something.
I've only encountered it one time. Is there such a thing as a hot sweet bell pepper?
