+ Reply to Thread
Page 6 of 6 FirstFirst 1 6
Results 101 to 111 of 111

Thread: The Gardening Thread

  1. Link to Post #101
    Canada Avalon Member Nenuphar's Avatar
    Join Date
    21st March 2010
    Location
    BC, Canada
    Posts
    296
    Thanks
    702
    Thanked 1,263 times in 199 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by Anka (here)
    Hello Strat for you and for the peace lily flower! I am very happy because it has blossomed !! And I am also glad for your joy. Thanks for the photo, she looks very happy in that place!
    I wish you and the sweet peace lili flower, a nice day and a beautiful life!
    Take care!
    Anca

    Dear Nenuphar!

    Wow, I was looking for your varieties ... they look very interesting!
    I don't think I find seeds of these varieties in my area. Europe is invaded by many common varieties, and I bought many in the past, but this year I searched and found with difficulty, very very old tomato seeds, I contacted private individuals, who were nice to share with me their old seeds.

    Now, the names are given by people, in their homes, and if I translate some, it sounds fun ... but I can say that I have tomatoes with definite growth, and with indeterminate growth, I have colors: yellow, orange, black, and some that remain green when ripe. As shapes, I have as cherries, as eggs, as pears, as "ox heart" and some as mushrooms.
    For now, all my tomatoes are green and still growing, but when they ripen I will take a picture.

    I'm glad you still have plants in the garden "so that the soil has something to grow" I know the feeling.

    I plant pumpkins, for the pie, I freeze part of it to make the cake in winter, and for the seeds from them, from which I extract the oil and use it for some dishes, the pumpkins that I don't use, fatten my soil again, and feed all living things.

    I wish you a lot of health and joy for plants, those 15 years of experience in gardening to bring you the most beautiful benefits ever!
    Love,
    Anca

    Hello Anka,

    I'm sorry for my delay in replying - I didn't see your post until this morning!

    I arrived back in British Columbia in September. Our garden was hard hit by the intense heat wave of the summer. There was also a hailstorm in August, which damaged a lot of plants. Many of the tomato varieties I planted were so badly damaged, I composted them entirely and did not save seeds. The ones that were left mostly undamaged and that I was able to harvest were Ropreco, Early Annie, Black Sea Man, and EM-Champion.

    I recently did a trade with a lady in Sweden for unusual open-pollinated tomato varieties. I connected with her on a dwarf tomato Facebook page. I wish more people used forums (like Project Avalon) to connect with each other, but unfortunately, most people seem to use Facebook.

    There is a tomato forum you might enjoy. The majority of members seem to be American, so most of the trades and seed-swaps tend to happen within the USA, but it seems like a friendly group and it is an enoyable place to discuss heirloom and newer open-pollinated varieties. Sometimes, there are members who share the seeds of old, rare varieties so that others will grow them and the varieties won't be lost. The forum is called, "Tomato Junction".

    I love supporting small, independent and family-owned seed businesses, but have also found community seed banks a nice source of interesting seeds.

    What kind of pumpkins do you grow for making pies and seed oils?

    It is -25 C here this morning, but I am, of course, already thinking about what I'd like to grow in the garden this year. I might end up back on the East Coast and in a city again this year (which means, no garden), but the planning and daydreaming helps me get through the cold winter months!
    Last edited by Nenuphar; 3rd February 2022 at 00:51.

  2. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Nenuphar For This Post:

    Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (2nd February 2022), Ewan (1st July 2022), Harmony (24th February 2022), Peace in Oz (3rd February 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023), wondering (24th February 2022)

  3. Link to Post #102
    United States Avalon Member Strat's Avatar
    Join Date
    27th April 2010
    Language
    English
    Age
    38
    Posts
    1,982
    Thanks
    4,502
    Thanked 13,307 times in 1,825 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Bumping this thread, I want to know what my fellow Avalonians have in store for Spring? I'm so happy spring is almost here in FL. I haven't seen the red breasted robins yet but the mulberry tree is starting to fruit as well as the loquat. The loquats taste like candy it's so sweet.

    The weather was beautiful today. This time of the year Florida is an absolute paradise.

    Anyway this year I plan on growing 6 tomatoes, 2 peppers (habanero and something else), blueberry, passion fruit and whatever else I see at the garden/hardware store that catches my eye.
    Today is victory over yourself of yesterday. Tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.

  4. The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to Strat For This Post:

    Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (1st July 2022), DeDukshyn (1st July 2022), Ewan (1st July 2022), Harmony (24th February 2022), Kryztian (24th February 2022), Nenuphar (1st July 2022), Peace in Oz (24th February 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023), wondering (24th February 2022)

  5. Link to Post #103
    Canada Avalon Member Nenuphar's Avatar
    Join Date
    21st March 2010
    Location
    BC, Canada
    Posts
    296
    Thanks
    702
    Thanked 1,263 times in 199 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    After being away from my garden all last summer for the first time in years, I was eager to get planting this year. I will admit that it is becoming more challenging for my partner and I to maintain the garden and yard. The compromise has been to let some things go unattended so we can continue on with it. The property does not look as maintained and as nice as it should, but we're still able to grow some things.

    On the go are garlic (bulbs and bulbils of various kinds), tomatoes (I love growing heirloom varieties), cabbage, peas, potatoes, dry beans, snap beans, herbs, some flowers. A few carrots, winter squash, zucchini, patty pans, and kale. During the night this week, a deer or two must have come through the yard (and we're in town!) because the next morning, we discovered some of the peas, cabbage, kale, etc had been sampled!

    We have an apple tree and crapapple tree, so I'm looking forward to making jelly and fruit crisps in the Fall. I'd love to have more perennial crops (like rhubarb, lovage, etc.) but we don't really have the space, and these are things that really do have to be maintained properly. Our energy is already stretched thin, so those plans are on the back burner, for now.

    One of the things I like about starting my own transplants is that I often have extras to share after I plant my own. Sometimes, this allows me to connect with new and interesting people. This month, I did a trade with a woman who lives out of town on a large property with her family. Tomato transplants and herbs for fresh eggs and different herbs, and a fun (albeit quick) chat about the different things we're growing. I am from a small province - land there is measured in acres. Here, land is often measured in sections. This lady and her family live on a half section (320 acres) so have plenty of room to grow the vegetables and raised the livestock they wish to! Looking forward to catching up with her again at the end of the season for another chat, and maybe another trade.
    Last edited by Nenuphar; 1st July 2022 at 16:38. Reason: spelling correction

  6. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Nenuphar For This Post:

    Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (1st July 2022), DeDukshyn (1st July 2022), Ewan (1st July 2022), Harmony (2nd July 2022), lisalu (1st July 2022), Strat (1st July 2022), Sue (Ayt) (1st July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  7. Link to Post #104
    Canada Avalon Member DeDukshyn's Avatar
    Join Date
    22nd January 2011
    Location
    From 100 Mile House ;-)
    Language
    English
    Age
    50
    Posts
    9,394
    Thanks
    29,778
    Thanked 45,445 times in 8,541 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    It's been a cool spring here in the BC interior, so things got off to a bit of a slow start, but now I think the greenhouse is doing better than last year. We also had ~40C temps here for about two or three weeks last year in June, which consistently overheated the greenhouse, and some plants suffered because if it.

    So this year in the greenhouse we got corn, onions, already harvested all the radishes (regular and icicle - will probably do another planting soon), spinach (also all harvested, might plant more), Arugula (mostly all harvested, letting some seed to collect seeds), beets, two kinds of kale, three kinds of lettuce, cabbage, green and red bell peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, lots of tomatoes, some herbs (basil, oregano, coriander (some for seed), thyme, chives), peas (which aren't doing great for some reason), cucumbers (also not doing great for some reason), beans (also not doing great - they're all in the same area - maybe the soil is weak there), carrots, and I think there's a couple broccoli plants.

    We've been eating a ton of greens - almost can't eat enough to keep up with the growth. We also let grow a bit and harvest any "wild spinach" (lamb's quarters - a proliferous wild weed that is incredibly tasty and nutritious) that springs up in the greenhouse beds.

    Outside the greenhouse there's potatoes, squash (which isn't doing well), and of course the rhubarb just grows back every year. It's looking like we'll get a better harvest than last year which wasn't great. It's a bit tricky with a limited growing season - weather plays a huge part.
    Last edited by DeDukshyn; 1st July 2022 at 19:57.
    When you are one step ahead of the crowd, you are a genius.
    Two steps ahead, and you are deemed a crackpot.

  8. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to DeDukshyn For This Post:

    Alecs (2nd July 2022), Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (1st July 2022), Harmony (2nd July 2022), Nenuphar (1st July 2022), Strat (1st July 2022), Sue (Ayt) (1st July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  9. Link to Post #105
    United States Moderator Sue (Ayt)'s Avatar
    Join Date
    23rd December 2016
    Language
    English
    Posts
    2,555
    Thanks
    28,317
    Thanked 20,536 times in 2,553 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
    , already harvested all the radishes (regular and icicle - will probably do another planting soon),
    DeDukshyn - What did you do with all the radishes you harvested? I didn't know what to do with them all this spring, and we couldn't eat that many! Besides giving them to friends, I am really curious if there is something else you can do with them?
    "We're all bozos on this bus"

  10. The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to Sue (Ayt) For This Post:

    Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (1st July 2022), DeDukshyn (1st July 2022), Harmony (2nd July 2022), Strat (2nd July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  11. Link to Post #106
    Canada Avalon Member DeDukshyn's Avatar
    Join Date
    22nd January 2011
    Location
    From 100 Mile House ;-)
    Language
    English
    Age
    50
    Posts
    9,394
    Thanks
    29,778
    Thanked 45,445 times in 8,541 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by Sue (Ayt) (here)
    Quote Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
    , already harvested all the radishes (regular and icicle - will probably do another planting soon),
    DeDukshyn - What did you do with all the radishes you harvested? I didn't know what to do with them all this spring, and we couldn't eat that many! Besides giving them to friends, I am really curious if there is something else you can do with them?
    Radishes are best planted in a staggered fashion a few weeks apart in smaller batches, because they are ready to harvest in such short time, this way you don't end up with a giant batch all at once.

    We ate all ours. Put them in green salads, potato salads (a must in potato salads), slice and just eat as a snack with a sprinkle salt and maybe a drizzle of vinegar, thin sliced in sandwiches, did a random fermented vegetable jar (old school pickled vegetables) and threw some in, made a couple batches of Korean kimchi with the radishes (used instead of daikon radishes - taste pretty much the same).

    They can also be frozen (after blanching) or dehydrated, and when dried can be ground into a powder for a flavouring additive in spreads, and dressings, or whatever.

    Edit: I've never cooked with them but that's a thing as well ... some recipes here: https://everythingradish.com/10-ways-to-cook-radish/
    Last edited by DeDukshyn; 1st July 2022 at 20:06.
    When you are one step ahead of the crowd, you are a genius.
    Two steps ahead, and you are deemed a crackpot.

  12. The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to DeDukshyn For This Post:

    Alecs (2nd July 2022), Ankle Biter (2nd July 2022), Antagenet (2nd July 2022), Bill Ryan (1st July 2022), happyuk (2nd July 2022), Harmony (2nd July 2022), Nenuphar (1st July 2022), Peace in Oz (1st July 2022), Strat (2nd July 2022), Sue (Ayt) (2nd July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  13. Link to Post #107
    Australia Moderator Harmony's Avatar
    Join Date
    11th May 2020
    Language
    English
    Posts
    2,610
    Thanks
    92,152
    Thanked 18,755 times in 2,614 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
    It's been a cool spring here in the BC interior, so things got off to a bit of a slow start, but now I think the greenhouse is doing better than last year. We also had ~40C temps here for about two or three weeks last year in June, which consistently overheated the greenhouse, and some plants suffered because if it.

    So this year in the greenhouse we got corn, onions, already harvested all the radishes (regular and icicle - will probably do another planting soon), spinach (also all harvested, might plant more), Arugula (mostly all harvested, letting some seed to collect seeds), beets, two kinds of kale, three kinds of lettuce, cabbage, green and red bell peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, lots of tomatoes, some herbs (basil, oregano, coriander (some for seed), thyme, chives), peas (which aren't doing great for some reason), cucumbers (also not doing great for some reason), beans (also not doing great - they're all in the same area - maybe the soil is weak there), carrots, and I think there's a couple broccoli plants.
    I've found peas don't like the warmer weather, especially the snow peas. I try to get them in fairly early after the frosts are finished.

    Even though I am in the Southern Hemisphere, the spring season was quite cool. It is hard to know if it will continue that way so when putting in beans, I wait until I think it is the right time and it will be warmer, but with the unexpected weather lately that isn't possible, so I put in some and then wait a while, maybe 2 weeks or so and then if it was cooler than was expected plant more inbetween the first ones, and if still cool just keep repeating until the weather is good for beans. The reason why you do this is because if beans have a cold slow start, they stay stunted in their progression, even when the weather becomes warmer, and never recover their fullest potential. They can still flower and fruit, and the more flowers, the better the pollination will be.

    I have been planating Purple Kings and Red Runner beans which love to climb and usually are good producers. The Red Runner beans can come up the next few years as well from roots under the ground, but I like to put some fresh seeds inbetween the older plants each season as the newest ones produce the best. If it is too hot the red runner flowers fall off the plants and don't produce, but towards the end of the hot season can produce very well. They are very large and tasty beans though. I have heard the White Runner isn't so tempeture sensitive, but I haven't found the seed for those yet.


    Your gardens DeDukshyn and Nenuphar sound really wonderul and productive.

  14. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Harmony For This Post:

    Alecs (13th June 2023), Ankle Biter (3rd July 2022), Bill Ryan (2nd July 2022), DeDukshyn (2nd July 2022), Nenuphar (4th July 2022), Peace in Oz (3rd July 2022), Strat (2nd July 2022), Sue (Ayt) (2nd July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  15. Link to Post #108
    Canada Avalon Member DeDukshyn's Avatar
    Join Date
    22nd January 2011
    Location
    From 100 Mile House ;-)
    Language
    English
    Age
    50
    Posts
    9,394
    Thanks
    29,778
    Thanked 45,445 times in 8,541 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Quote Posted by Harmony (here)
    Quote Posted by DeDukshyn (here)
    It's been a cool spring here in the BC interior, so things got off to a bit of a slow start, but now I think the greenhouse is doing better than last year. We also had ~40C temps here for about two or three weeks last year in June, which consistently overheated the greenhouse, and some plants suffered because if it.

    So this year in the greenhouse we got corn, onions, already harvested all the radishes (regular and icicle - will probably do another planting soon), spinach (also all harvested, might plant more), Arugula (mostly all harvested, letting some seed to collect seeds), beets, two kinds of kale, three kinds of lettuce, cabbage, green and red bell peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, lots of tomatoes, some herbs (basil, oregano, coriander (some for seed), thyme, chives), peas (which aren't doing great for some reason), cucumbers (also not doing great for some reason), beans (also not doing great - they're all in the same area - maybe the soil is weak there), carrots, and I think there's a couple broccoli plants.
    I've found peas don't like the warmer weather, especially the snow peas. I try to get them in fairly early after the frosts are finished.

    Even though I am in the Southern Hemisphere, the spring season was quite cool. It is hard to know if it will continue that way so when putting in beans, I wait until I think it is the right time and it will be warmer, but with the unexpected weather lately that isn't possible, so I put in some and then wait a while, maybe 2 weeks or so and then if it was cooler than was expected plant more inbetween the first ones, and if still cool just keep repeating until the weather is good for beans. The reason why you do this is because if beans have a cold slow start, they stay stunted in their progression, even when the weather becomes warmer, and never recover their fullest potential. They can still flower and fruit, and the more flowers, the better the pollination will be.

    I have been planating Purple Kings and Red Runner beans which love to climb and usually are good producers. The Red Runner beans can come up the next few years as well from roots under the ground, but I like to put some fresh seeds inbetween the older plants each season as the newest ones produce the best. If it is too hot the red runner flowers fall off the plants and don't produce, but towards the end of the hot season can produce very well. They are very large and tasty beans though. I have heard the White Runner isn't so tempeture sensitive, but I haven't found the seed for those yet.


    Your gardens DeDukshyn and Nenuphar sound really wonderul and productive.
    Ok that explains my beans ... they were started indoors (as many plants here have to be due to short growing season) but we had several mornings near freezing after they were put into the greenhouse. We thought they wouldn't even make it, but they lived, and just never recovered properly.

    Just harvested a massive batch of basil this morning for drying. I can hardly keep up with it.
    When you are one step ahead of the crowd, you are a genius.
    Two steps ahead, and you are deemed a crackpot.

  16. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to DeDukshyn For This Post:

    Alecs (13th June 2023), Ankle Biter (3rd July 2022), Bill Ryan (2nd July 2022), happyuk (2nd July 2022), Harmony (3rd July 2022), Peace in Oz (3rd July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  17. Link to Post #109
    United States Avalon Member Blacklight43's Avatar
    Join Date
    27th March 2010
    Location
    Morro Bay, Ca
    Age
    80
    Posts
    268
    Thanks
    6,987
    Thanked 1,900 times in 245 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    For the last year my garden has been decimated by something. I replanted carrots and lettuce and as soon as the carrots were ready to eat something would just help itself. So 2 weeks ago I invested in a humane trap for small critters and so far it has rendered 5 rats and 1 ground squirrel which i relocated to a new home (not mine). I decided to start the new plants inside and let them get a little bigger before planting in the raised bed. I also reseeded the carrot area.

    This morning the first of the carrot seeds emerged and I planted the Romaine lettuce. And I keep the trap set with store bought carrot and peanut butter. I also have garlic, onions, peppers and sun gold tomatoes (tiny variety) as it doesn't get hot enough here for the regular sized fruits. I was running out of space so am using plastic crates for 2 varieties of potatoes. With a lot of hard work and prayer I should get a salad or two in a couple of months.

    For now I'm not interested in an alternative meat supply provided by my trap!LOL

  18. The Following 7 Users Say Thank You to Blacklight43 For This Post:

    Alecs (22nd June 2023), Ankle Biter (3rd July 2022), Bill Ryan (2nd July 2022), DeDukshyn (3rd July 2022), Harmony (3rd July 2022), Peace in Oz (3rd July 2022), Tigger (13th June 2023)

  19. Link to Post #110
    Canada Avalon Member Nenuphar's Avatar
    Join Date
    21st March 2010
    Location
    BC, Canada
    Posts
    296
    Thanks
    702
    Thanked 1,263 times in 199 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Popping in to say hello, bump this thread, and see how others are doing with their gardens this year.

    We had unseasonably hot weather last month (along with a lot of smoke; it has been an early start to the wildfire season this year, unfortunately). We were able to get the garden in 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. So far, so good, except for the loss of my cabbage transplants due to root maggots and a row of snow peas stripped by hungry/bored sparrows. Arhg!

    One of my experiments this year has been making a batch of EM-1 ("effective microorganisms") to water into the garden periodically over the next few months. In a nutshell, and as I understand it, EM-1 helps the plants take up nutrients in the soil and also combats pests/microbes in the soil that are not beneficial to the plants. This is a good article for more information: What Are Effective Microorganisms?

    A few years ago, I bought some ready-made from this business and the garden loved it. The price was not unreasonable, but the cost to ship it was more than I was willing to spend this year. I found a video with instructions on how to make a batch and watered the first diluted application into the garden and raised beds two weeks ago. Hopefully, the garden will respond well to this homemade brew.


    Last edited by Nenuphar; 13th June 2023 at 18:10. Reason: Spelling errors galore. I think I need a cup of coffee.

  20. The Following 13 Users Say Thank You to Nenuphar For This Post:

    Alecs (22nd June 2023), Bill Ryan (13th June 2023), Bo Atkinson (17th June 2023), Brigantia (14th June 2023), DeDukshyn (13th June 2023), Ewan (14th June 2023), Harmony (13th June 2023), Kryztian (13th June 2023), Peace in Oz (14th June 2023), Strat (14th June 2023), Sue (Ayt) (13th June 2023), Tigger (13th June 2023), Tracie (Bodhicee) (14th June 2023)

  21. Link to Post #111
    United States Avalon Member Bo Atkinson's Avatar
    Join Date
    8th January 2011
    Location
    Maine
    Language
    English
    Age
    74
    Posts
    936
    Thanks
    2,678
    Thanked 3,506 times in 829 posts

    Default Re: The Gardening Thread

    Thanks for the mention of the soil -inoculant, and I might try some. I was most interested to Rudolph Steiner's book Agriculture, (back in the 1970s). A method for making field-sprays and compost-sprays was given, but we just ordered some to use back then, when our land was stark. Steiner's field sprays reminded me of Frodo the hobbit who inoculated the land of Mordor to correct it, to initiate new ecosystems, to repopulate that land. (Popular 1960s book).

    Intensive addition of humus has been the biggest need, (added yearly), and is a hard chore, as I'm not a farmer, nor have tractors with special attachments, and we needed to do other jobs for income. This always pushed me off the gardening chores. So the land is shared by many weeds too, so long as they add mulch-material, and support the pollinators and bird-life, full-season!



    We devoted much of our life architecturally, to grow flowers indoors too, my wife's life interest, and my task was innovating translucency with a low budget, in the (non-transparent) windows and dome, and waterproofing the floors, (despite hard winters here, with many big trials and errors). Several dome layers were added for winter-insulation, so that the sunlight sadly gets filtered. Greenhouse growing is impaired, like the stubborn delays of human evolution.

    The hard labor of establishing gardens, (and from a former junkyard here), needed a dreamer's emotional inspiration for the kickstart. We developed a couple acres of fairly-wild permaculture, which is much cruder than the ideal. A realization came early-on, that the little-supported organic movement had always achieved the same or better results without the Steiner (or bio-dynamic) sprays. We aim to keep a self-balanced ecosystem, and leave it behind us, (now in our 52nd year on this land).

    Nowadays, there are many kinds of beneficial insects under the general name Integrated Pest Management, (or IPM). These are a wide range of organisms, while the growing zone determines specific varieties. Gratefully even government agencies like the USDA have quickly become expert at this approach instead of chemical pesticides alone. This is one spot of rationality in the USDA. IPM is worth studying for garden uses, even from simple beginner remedies. (Web search it). Over the decades, the right bugs for your successfully-sustained-garden, might naturalize a fledgling-ecosystem.

  22. The Following 9 Users Say Thank You to Bo Atkinson For This Post:

    Bill Ryan (17th June 2023), Brigantia (18th June 2023), Ewan (18th June 2023), Harmony (17th June 2023), lisalu (17th June 2023), Nenuphar (17th June 2023), Peace in Oz (17th June 2023), Sue (Ayt) (17th June 2023), Tracie (Bodhicee) (18th June 2023)

+ Reply to Thread
Page 6 of 6 FirstFirst 1 6

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts