What's in Your Garden? (2014 edition)
- Thread starter shyvas
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^^^ I hope so. How are they doing now?
I had some Super Steak tomatoes in my garden a few years ago, and I liked them so much, I took cuttings of them late in the season and over-wintered them inside. I planted them outside when it was warm enough again... but the next fall, bugs came inside with them and they didn't survive.
Last year I took cuttings of two different tomato plants (regular and cherry), and also dug up two sweet pepper plants to live indoors for the winter. It was hard on them, but they're growing like weeds now. The peppers and cherry tomatoes already have fruits growing on them!
I also had 3 tomato plants come up on their own: one at home, and two in my community garden plot. Be interesting to see how they do...
I'm also growing black-eyed peas, kale, butternut squash, and watermelon (but the watermelon plants are very small). I planted broccoli and romaine lettuce but it didn't come up.
I planted marigolds too, to drive bugs away and because they look really nice.
I had some Super Steak tomatoes in my garden a few years ago, and I liked them so much, I took cuttings of them late in the season and over-wintered them inside. I planted them outside when it was warm enough again... but the next fall, bugs came inside with them and they didn't survive.
Last year I took cuttings of two different tomato plants (regular and cherry), and also dug up two sweet pepper plants to live indoors for the winter. It was hard on them, but they're growing like weeds now. The peppers and cherry tomatoes already have fruits growing on them!
I also had 3 tomato plants come up on their own: one at home, and two in my community garden plot. Be interesting to see how they do...
I'm also growing black-eyed peas, kale, butternut squash, and watermelon (but the watermelon plants are very small). I planted broccoli and romaine lettuce but it didn't come up.
I planted marigolds too, to drive bugs away and because they look really nice.
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I picked my first home-grown peach this week. I had to let it finish ripening on the counter for a day or two, but still... YUM. It was small, but quite good. This is from the peach tree that grew in my yard after I discarded a peach pit in the garden (what I do with my veg scraps, usually), and I moved the tree to a better location in my yard last Spring. I guess I picked a good spot- this was the first year it bloomed. I had to remove most of the flowers though- the branches are still too thin to support much extra weight.
mary1
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Home grown peaches...such a fantasy of mine.^^^ Fruit trees can be harder to grow than most other produce- this peach had some sort of bad spot on it, but when I cut away that part, the rest of it appeared to be perfectly edible. I didn't see any critters living in it. The other one is getting very red, but it's still hard. I picked the first one early because I was afraid I might not get it at all if I left it there too long. There was a small hole in it; I think maybe a bird was pecking at it. You could ask the cooperative extension in your area what fruit trees do well. My sister lives in this area, and they planted a peach tree, but she said they weren't very good; a neighbor one street over had a peach tree in their yard too, and they often fell nto the alley between streets, but they cut that tree down. Maybe I shouldn;t get my hopes up just yet.
My black-eyed peas are going nuts. I had to put long straight branches in the ground for them to climb on, so they's stop trying to strangle the watermelons.
My black-eyed peas are going nuts. I had to put long straight branches in the ground for them to climb on, so they's stop trying to strangle the watermelons.
mary1
Forum Legend
^^^I never thought that would make a difference, but I don't see how it could do any harm (unless my neighbors started wondering about my sanity).
I ate the other peach. I think I picked it when it was riper than the first one had been, and it was excellent! I don't think my watermelons are going to produce anything but the butternut squash is really taking off. You can almost see the vines grow, and the squashes on them are getting big, although they're nowhere near ripe. The two pepper plants in big pots are taking a rest now, just staying green, but the full-size tomatoes are starting to produce. And the marigolds are blooming.
I had a supply of branches, so I made tripods for the blackeyed peas to climb on... they need it. I should have done it earlier, but the peas used to have stronger branches and I didn't think they'd need them. They're starting to look like green leafy teepees.
If I had started some of these earlier, indoors, they'd be huge. But I didn't get around to it, and lately I haven't had much luck starting things inside. I don't think it's damping-off, and they were getting lots of light.
I ate the other peach. I think I picked it when it was riper than the first one had been, and it was excellent! I don't think my watermelons are going to produce anything but the butternut squash is really taking off. You can almost see the vines grow, and the squashes on them are getting big, although they're nowhere near ripe. The two pepper plants in big pots are taking a rest now, just staying green, but the full-size tomatoes are starting to produce. And the marigolds are blooming.
I had a supply of branches, so I made tripods for the blackeyed peas to climb on... they need it. I should have done it earlier, but the peas used to have stronger branches and I didn't think they'd need them. They're starting to look like green leafy teepees.
If I had started some of these earlier, indoors, they'd be huge. But I didn't get around to it, and lately I haven't had much luck starting things inside. I don't think it's damping-off, and they were getting lots of light.
Some piddly tomatoes.
And lots of weeds...I'll spare you those pics.
I have a copy of Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, and it has a chart of how long different kinds of fruit trees take to start bearing fruit after planting, and how long they keep producing. For some reason, peach trees seem to be kind of short-lived; maybe 15-25 years (I think it was). I think apple trees live a lot longer, but some varieties need a different kind nearby because they can't make fruit with their own pollen.I had a peach tree and two apple trees when I first moved here. The peaches were yummy but after a few years, it died.
Back in the 1960s, our Italian landlord had a peach tree in the yard. He let us have some of them, but they were hard as baseballs and almost as tasty.
Those tomatoes don't look so piddly! I think flowers are usually easier to grow than vegetables.
I had so many flowers on the tomato plants, I thought I was going to have a really good amount of tomatoes. But many of the flowers withered up and died. So disappointing. Maybe they don't like being in containers.
^^^ You might be on the right track anyway. I just googled "Dirty Dozen" (a list of produce that usually has rather high pesticide residues compared to other things); apples and peaches are usually on the list. I think tomatoes sometimes make the list too.
OP
OP
Some piddly tomatoes.
And lots of weeds...I'll spare you those pics.
What a gorgeous garden you have.
ledboots
Peace
My mom used to use a pastry brush and carefully pollinate the tomato plants from flower to flower. We had bees and butterflies etc, but she said she got better results doing it herself. (Control freak, yes, but she did have the greenest of thumbs back then
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