BYC gardening thread!!

[jerrey]

We officially have charentais flowers! Went down to the field to pick today's batch of beans and spied little yellow beauties on one vine. I got another one that has yet to bloom but I am so very excited

Hi your pictures are great the tomato plants look great the picture of your Roo is very pretty I noticed you have him so he can't get to the girls I need to do that they are hard on the girls, we don't sit our hens we just like to hear him crow.

 

[lizardandchicks]

For the first time in the 9 years living here, we just got our second zucchini! We have tried so many times. The first was actually an accident. My brother thought it was a pumpkin plant. But now the first meant zucchini is growing! Can't wait!

 

[Bugseye]

I finally got three little ripe tomatoes today! Yay! And a couple of green beans. I think it's about to pour produce here.

 

[Arielle]

Quote:
Recently I learned that us people only ate the white corns, as the yellows were considered cattle feed. WTH?? How does such nonesense get goin?? GOodness, I only buy the yellow varieties, and I'm sure it was DH that bought the silver queen. . . . . all corn is GOOD.

The seeds we've saved for fall and next spring got soaked in the crisper. Something leaked and although we pulled the seeds out and dried them and put them back in the fridge I'm unsure if they'll still be viable for planting. Should we keep them ($100 worth) or toss them and buy new ones?

Any help would be appreciated.

RichnSteph

Dont toss until you know for sure. I would dry and hold until next season, and have a back up plan in place for seed.

 

[MeepBeep]

Recently I learned that us people only ate the white corns, as the yellows were considered cattle feed. WTH?? How does such nonesense get goin??  GOodness,  I only buy the yellow varieties, and I'm sure it was DH that bought the silver queen. . . . . all corn is GOOD.

Lots of nonsense to be found in the world... The main difference between corns is not the color, but a mutated gene that turns normally turns sugar to starch... Corn originally was very starchy and not all that sweet today we call that more 'original' variety feed corn, field corn or even popcorn because the high amount of starches in it allow it to better dry out for long term storage. it's also better for grinding into meal or flour... The kind most people enjoy eating on the cob is the result of a exploiting a mutated gene that humans have bred into those varieties that stops the sugars in the corn from being turned to starches, thus it remains sugary aka sweet corn and is better eaten without drying out more like a vegetable...

The difference is quite obvious when you look at the dried seeds, sweet corn always looks deflated due to the lack of starch, while the more starchy corn kernels are all plump and round, are just deflated a bit...

 

[hippiestink]

Tomatoes are decent, taking ages to ripen though. Corn is tasseling and the charentais blossom is shriveling and ready to form a melon, as well as putting out a new flower. Quite a bit is beginning to blossom or fruit, it's kind of exciting.

 

[lizardandchicks]

My zucchini is growing! Can't wait to make cookies

 

[21hens-incharge]

I picked blackberries this morning. Nice to have them producing! Raspberries are not far behind them. The strawberry bed is a mess of bind weed and will be redone next year.
Getting a few ripe tomatoes and some zucchini as well. LOVE zucchini brownies! I also like to take a few larger ones and stuff them with spicy spanish rice then bake them. Such a versatile veggie.

Already planning for next year and doing up some more raised beds to grow in.

 

[lizardandchicks]

Does anyone know how long squash pollen lasts (still able to fertilize) after the flower opens? Thanks.

 

[hennible]

Does anyone know how long squash pollen lasts (still able to fertilize) after the flower opens? Thanks.

You can tell visually. It differs variety to variety. Look at the pollin in a fresh flower, it's fluffy and vibrant onces it loses that fluffy dry look and gets darker (more Orange compaired to fresh that is deep yellow) and sort of wet I'm pretty sure it's not viable. The flower itself is a good indicater also, if it's closed its going to be a lot less potent if not already completely useless. But I have it would seem pollinated successfully with pollen from closed male blossoms. Hope that helps.