Green house up again, now secured to the fence on my porch. And the plants are moved back in. 
What's in your garden? (2016 edition)
- Thread starter Tom L.
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I'm glad your greenhouse is back together, Mikkel!
I'm not an expert, but what did the vegetables that died look like before they collapsed? And how much sun does your planter get each day, roughly? Maybe we can figure out went wrong.
I know EXACTLY what went wrong with my community garden plot: that little turd of a woodchuck wiped my butternut squash out... not completely, but how are they gonna absorb enough sun to make squash when s/he keeps munching the leaves? I've never been so ticked-off at a fellow herbivore. At least they left the tomatoes alone. In a way, though, I can't blame them: we've had a dry spell and maybe the only remotely edible greenery in the area was the stuff we gardeners were watering.
My squash, tomatoes, kale, and jalapeno pepper plants at home are doing MUCH better. The squash has put on its burst of fast growth, crawling across my lawn, my walkway leading to my front door.... I'm thinking about putting up a small sign: "Caution- Squash Crossing".
ETA: Karen, I just re-read your post above about how your tomato plants weren't having many flowers... I think it's the same situation with my tomatoes, both at home and in the c.g. plot. They are blooming and setting fruit, but not as much as usual.
It's kind of late in the season, but if you're inclined to do this... there might be time to put in some romaine lettuce (or whatever lettuce you prefer), maybe some mustard greens if you like them, and radishes (ditto). You could use seeds instead of buying plants- it's cheaper. And the veggies I mentioned are okay with cool/cold weather, and they mature rapidly. If lack of sunlight was part of the problem, I think leafy vegetables don't need as much of that as something that produces a tomato, cucumber, etc.
I'm not an expert, but what did the vegetables that died look like before they collapsed? And how much sun does your planter get each day, roughly? Maybe we can figure out went wrong.
I know EXACTLY what went wrong with my community garden plot: that little turd of a woodchuck wiped my butternut squash out... not completely, but how are they gonna absorb enough sun to make squash when s/he keeps munching the leaves? I've never been so ticked-off at a fellow herbivore. At least they left the tomatoes alone. In a way, though, I can't blame them: we've had a dry spell and maybe the only remotely edible greenery in the area was the stuff we gardeners were watering.
My squash, tomatoes, kale, and jalapeno pepper plants at home are doing MUCH better. The squash has put on its burst of fast growth, crawling across my lawn, my walkway leading to my front door.... I'm thinking about putting up a small sign: "Caution- Squash Crossing".
ETA: Karen, I just re-read your post above about how your tomato plants weren't having many flowers... I think it's the same situation with my tomatoes, both at home and in the c.g. plot. They are blooming and setting fruit, but not as much as usual.
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Val
Forum Legend
We have snails in our garden. They have eaten everything, especially the horse radish leaves and rhubarb
. Nothing grows up properly. I know, this is stupid, but i refuse to gather them and burn them up in the butt bucket. Because they are so cute
. It feels like i can do nothing about that. Always ask my mom not to kill them, but she is so determined...
They have eaten everything, especially the horse radish leaves and rhubarb. Nothing grows up properly. I know, this is stupid, but i refuse to gather them and burn them up in the butt bucket. Because they are so cute. It feels like i can do nothing about that. Always ask my mom not to kill them, but she is so determined...^^^Yikes- they eat horseradish and rhubarb??!! I know rhubarb leaves are poisonous (in large amounts, at least- oxalic acid). It's not stupid not to want to kill them, but maybe you could pick them off / collect them and dump them someplace else where they would just be eating weeds?
My okra is growing very slowly- I don't know why. But as I mentioned above, my butternut squash is making up for it.
My okra is growing very slowly- I don't know why. But as I mentioned above, my butternut squash is making up for it.
Val
Forum Legend
Val
Forum Legend
I also realized that there are death-cup mushrooms near the house when our turtle Sonny was trying to eat them!
Val
Forum Legend
What kind of climate is where you live? I wonder if okra would grow in the swampy climate like ours and in clay soil.
It seems a very good idea, as bamia can be so rarely found in our grocers. And i liked it, though i've eaten it only couple times, including pickled bamia.
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^^ I live in upstate New York. I think we're sort of at the border between zones 4 and 5. Okra has done well for me in the past, but lately (over the past 3-4 years) it only gets a foot or two tall- and I don't think it's a dwarf variety (if there even are dwarf varieties of okra). Okra does like warmth, but I don't know what soil type it prefers.
Scary about your turtle almost eating poisonous mushrooms. Sometimes animals aren't susceptible to certain things that harm humans, just like humans can eat some things that would sicken or kill our animal companions- but I wouldn't want to take chances, especially if your turtle isn't native to where you live.
Scary about your turtle almost eating poisonous mushrooms. Sometimes animals aren't susceptible to certain things that harm humans, just like humans can eat some things that would sicken or kill our animal companions- but I wouldn't want to take chances, especially if your turtle isn't native to where you live.
Val
Forum Legend
Yes, our turtle is supposed to live in prairies,
and we have swamps and clay and dirt over here.
We've had our summer house repaired recently, and the workers brought a bunch of sand. And Sonny was so delighted to see the sand again, that he started eating it. He also eats dried leaves, tiny stones, etc., as it improves his disgestion. But of course we have to watch what he eats. His favourite meal is boiled oatmeal with fish and dandelions.
and we have swamps and clay and dirt over here.
We've had our summer house repaired recently, and the workers brought a bunch of sand. And Sonny was so delighted to see the sand again, that he started eating it. He also eats dried leaves, tiny stones, etc., as it improves his disgestion. But of course we have to watch what he eats. His favourite meal is boiled oatmeal with fish and dandelions.
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Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Despite the extreme heat, the pepper plant has several peppers on it again. One of the tomato plants is done but the smaller tomatoes plant is still flowering and may yet produce some tomatoes! Most of the flowers in the flower bed are also done for but a couple of them are still blooming.
About all I'm picking now are cherry tomatoes, but they're good. I've taken my 3 jalapeno pepper plants inside; they were small but I got 6 peppers off them. Oddly, the fire seems to disappear when they turn red... maybe some other jalapenos are different. They're quite hot when green- hotter than jalapenos usually have been for me.
The okra plants had so few okra pods I'm just going to keep the pods for seed. But the okra plants are so small, I might dig one or two up, bring them in too, and see if they survive the winter and do better next year back outside.
The okra plants had so few okra pods I'm just going to keep the pods for seed. But the okra plants are so small, I might dig one or two up, bring them in too, and see if they survive the winter and do better next year back outside.
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Chryssie
Internet Junkie
We are still getting bell peppers and there are a bunch of the small tomatoes ripening. The tomato still has blossoms so it is not done yet! The flowers in the flower bed are looking kind of sad now though.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Here is a picture of the tomato plant. There are several tomatoes ripening!
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Question: (maybe I should ask my local cooperative extension):
I kind of like green plants in my house, although not as many as I had back in the 80s and 90s. So each Autumn, I take in some of my vegetables which are actually perennials, but which can't handle our winters: jalapeno or bell pepper plants; tomato plant cuttings; marigolds. I might grow some mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and dill inside this winter, too. They're not as attractive as begonias, azaleas, pothos, wandering Jew, or other houseplants (I even had a passion flower vine for several years), but they're nice.
But my tomato plants appear to be mutating back into cherry tomatoes. I KNOW I had cuttings from both kinds and planted both kinds this spring, but only one of my 8 tomato plants had full-size tomatoes on it. I love cherry tomatoes, but they're kind of a bother to make tomato sandwiches with. I've overwintered tomato plants indoors before. Do tomato plants normally do this after several years?
I kind of like green plants in my house, although not as many as I had back in the 80s and 90s. So each Autumn, I take in some of my vegetables which are actually perennials, but which can't handle our winters: jalapeno or bell pepper plants; tomato plant cuttings; marigolds. I might grow some mustard greens, romaine lettuce, and dill inside this winter, too. They're not as attractive as begonias, azaleas, pothos, wandering Jew, or other houseplants (I even had a passion flower vine for several years), but they're nice.
But my tomato plants appear to be mutating back into cherry tomatoes. I KNOW I had cuttings from both kinds and planted both kinds this spring, but only one of my 8 tomato plants had full-size tomatoes on it. I love cherry tomatoes, but they're kind of a bother to make tomato sandwiches with. I've overwintered tomato plants indoors before. Do tomato plants normally do this after several years?
Val
Forum Legend
Believe it or not... I actually planted something in my garden last night...
I had a few cloves of locally-grown garlic, which I expect will grow better in my area than the garlic I bought from a supermarket last year, which could have been grown who-knows-where. Garlic is usually planted in the fall where I live. I was too busy to plant them yesterday morning, the ground was a bit too wet over the weekend and the forecast for today was rain again. So, by the dark of the moon I planted. I marked the spot with a brick nearby so I won't forget where they will be coming up.
I had a few cloves of locally-grown garlic, which I expect will grow better in my area than the garlic I bought from a supermarket last year, which could have been grown who-knows-where. Garlic is usually planted in the fall where I live. I was too busy to plant them yesterday morning, the ground was a bit too wet over the weekend and the forecast for today was rain again. So, by the dark of the moon I planted. I marked the spot with a brick nearby so I won't forget where they will be coming up.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
There are still little green tomatoes on the mostly dead looking plant! I hope they will ripen!
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