What did you do in the garden today?

[musikfan]

Just now found this part of the forum and this particular thread.

I am a "wanna be" farmer -wishing I had two acres for a farmette but alas I am confined to a rural in-town property with maybe a quarter acre at best. I have three 4x8 raised bed plots and one 4x4. My soil is horrible so I had to import mushroom soil to grow my limited quantities of bush beans, tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, and strawberries. I did some potatoes this year but the bed was invaded by yellow jackets (of which I horribly allergic) so my potato crop was basically ruined because I had to spray to try and get rid of the nest which is STILL persisting. That soil is now ruined until I can do something about it.

All that to answer the question "What did you do in your garden today?" I don't know about the rest of you, but this was not the best year for my garden here in Pennsylvania. However, my Roma tomatoes did wonderfully and we had a bumper crop, thanks to the humid summer here. But overall , it was not a good growing year. I picked a few straggling bush beans that I've been trying to coax. My first round of beans were wonderful but I lost my plants due to them being so heavy - they fell over and the stems broke - something that I rarely have ever had a problem with. I'm on my second round and I have tons of blossoms but the beans just don't seem to becoming like normal - probably because its cooling off now. Just not the best year for my gardening, unfortunately. Even my zuchinni were weak - I think they were not getting pollenated for some reason.

Sorry, don't mean to be so negative. I am a generally positive person, but my garden kind of discouraged me this year. Oh well. I have next year to start over again.

I'm getting ready to pull out the dead plants and then will dump chicken manure in there with whatever leaves I rake up later in November.

 

[ChicksnMore]

I have a type of apple cactus here that grows big fruits that are supposed to taste a little like apples. Well, the last few years I've tried them and didn't get the apple bit. This year I finally found the perfect ripeness and they do taste like apples!

 

[BullChick]

Just now found this part of the forum and this particular thread.

I am a "wanna be" farmer -wishing I had two acres for a farmette but alas I am confined to a rural in-town property with maybe a quarter acre at best. I have three 4x8 raised bed plots and one 4x4. My soil is horrible so I had to import mushroom soil to grow my limited quantities of bush beans, tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, and strawberries. I did some potatoes this year but the bed was invaded by yellow jackets (of which I horribly allergic) so my potato crop was basically ruined because I had to spray to try and get rid of the nest which is STILL persisting. That soil is now ruined until I can do something about it.

All that to answer the question "What did you do in your garden today?" I don't know about the rest of you, but this was not the best year for my garden here in Pennsylvania. However, my Roma tomatoes did wonderfully and we had a bumper crop, thanks to the humid summer here. But overall , it was not a good growing year. I picked a few straggling bush beans that I've been trying to coax. My first round of beans were wonderful but I lost my plants due to them being so heavy - they fell over and the stems broke - something that I rarely have ever had a problem with. I'm on my second round and I have tons of blossoms but the beans just don't seem to becoming like normal - probably because its cooling off now. Just not the best year for my gardening, unfortunately. Even my zuchinni were weak - I think they were not getting pollenated for some reason.

Sorry, don't mean to be so negative. I am a generally positive person, but my garden kind of discouraged me this year. Oh well. I have next year to start over again.

I'm getting ready to pull out the dead plants and then will dump chicken manure in there with whatever leaves I rake up later in November.

It has indeed been hard to get things pollinated. I only put in Romas this year. I got only twelve tomatoes. That had more to do with not noticing nine plants in one area when I thought it was two. It takes talent to miss that. So, all the energy went to growing the vines instead of the fruit.
You might find you live near other members with more property you can use next year.

 

[Wolfie2]

Again.... not really what I did today but yesterday.
A little back story. We, Mostly Mrs. Lobo, likes tropical plants. Most of the time we don't have much probs with winter, but...... we have in the past and the past 2 winters have been hard on our plants. I got one of the Harbor Freight 10x12 greenhouses a few years back but due to work schedules and other honey-do's and family obligations, I was able to work on it in very short spurts. The ultimate demise was that the frame got trashed during a freak wind storm when I was @ work one day.
Then we got one of the "disposable green houses" that we have been using the past 3 years which has deteriorated somewhat each year to where it will not be usable this winter. Cut to yesterday.
I had promised Mrs. Lobe that when I retired, I would build a bonified greenhouse. So yesterday we went to Lowe's and spent $300 on material to frame up one of the short walls (GH will be 10x12). That included a storm door with screened window.
Figuring we will spend another $1500 to 2000 on materials.
Wishin I could do photos but my electronic/High tech ability is limited so Y'all will just have to trust me. But I will keep Ya posted.
Tight lines folks!

 

[Wolfie2]

I have a type of apple cactus here that grows big fruits that are supposed to taste a little like apples. Well, the last few years I've tried them and didn't get the apple bit. This year I finally found the perfect ripeness and they do taste like apples! View attachment 3271402

Dragon fruit! A cactus plantI have been trying to grow some. I now have some cuttings in pots that are actually growing. There are different varieties which have a different taste. Lots'a info on U-tube and elsewhere on the net. The trick to getting them to pollinate (info via the net).... The flower only opens to pollinate during the night and is only able to pollinate for a few hours that night! The most sure way is to do the pollination yourself.
I haven't gotten that far with my plants so I cannot give anymore info than that.
Hope this helps!

 

[Ascholten]

I have dragon fruit, blooms like crazy never really get fruit on it. Star fruit, same thing, some apple cactus thing, same thing, some other kind of cactus fruit same thing.

Its just like my vanilla plant, you have to catch it JUST at the right time, and pollinate it JUST the right way. (now i know what that crap is 8 dollars a bean, it's a HUGE pain in the ass to get bean off it finally !! )

They say there is a certain bee that pollinates the vanilla plant natively. I wonder, honey bees, do they not like it, or .. they are NOT native there? They were NOT native in florida until they were introduced to the states etc. I am going to try an experiment next year, when my van van starts to bloom, im going to try to bring my observation hive over by it, see if I can get some honeybees to do the magic to it. Maybe they just are not where it naturally grows BUT if you put the two together they'll tango? I dunno, ill try.

Don't give up on the plants, it's a HUGE learning experience and YOUR plant is different than MY plant and you will have to learn it's quirks. FWIW it took me 10 years to finally see fruit on my vanilla plant, so patience IS a virtue when dealing with these kind of exotics.

Aaron

 

[Swiss]

You've got two weeks

Really?! That long? Wait... Meaning I should wait 2 weeks to harvest? Or I can harvest any time in the next 2 weeks?

 

[Fishychix]

Question on my potatoes. They are full if small holes. I dont see anything coming out but get totally freaked out cutting into produce and finding "things". Am i better off just giving all to the chickens? Or should i at least try a few in hopes nothing jumps out at me??

 

[ChicksnMore]

Dragon fruit! A cactus plantI have been trying to grow some. I now have some cuttings in pots that are actually growing. There are different varieties which have a different taste. Lots'a info on U-tube and elsewhere on the net. The trick to getting them to pollinate (info via the net).... The flower only opens to pollinate during the night and is only able to pollinate for a few hours that night! The most sure way is to do the pollination yourself.
I haven't gotten that far with my plants so I cannot give anymore info than that.
Hope this helps!

This is actually more of a tree cactus instead of vining ....but yep, fruit looks and tastes about the same. We have moths and bats to pollinate here so get tons of fruit with no effort on that one.

My commercial type dragon fruit hates me...lol. I make it live outside year round and it says we're too cold in the winter so it's puny and sad because it dies almost to the ground no matter how well I wrap it

But I got a non-commercial variety thats easy care and fruits like crazy. The fruits only about half the size of commercial kinds but same taste.

I have dragon fruit, blooms like crazy never really get fruit on it. Star fruit, same thing, some apple cactus thing, same thing, some other kind of cactus fruit same thing.

Its just like my vanilla plant, you have to catch it JUST at the right time, and pollinate it JUST the right way. (now i know what that crap is 8 dollars a bean, it's a HUGE pain in the ass to get bean off it finally !! )

They say there is a certain bee that pollinates the vanilla plant natively. I wonder, honey bees, do they not like it, or .. they are NOT native there? They were NOT native in florida until they were introduced to the states etc. I am going to try an experiment next year, when my van van starts to bloom, im going to try to bring my observation hive over by it, see if I can get some honeybees to do the magic to it. Maybe they just are not where it naturally grows BUT if you put the two together they'll tango? I dunno, ill try.

Don't give up on the plants, it's a HUGE learning experience and YOUR plant is different than MY plant and you will have to learn it's quirks. FWIW it took me 10 years to finally see fruit on my vanilla plant, so patience IS a virtue when dealing with these kind of exotics.

Aaron

Vanilla! That's one I'd love to try to grow

 

[WthrLady]

Just now found this part of the forum and this particular thread.

I am a "wanna be" farmer -wishing I had two acres for a farmette but alas I am confined to a rural in-town property with maybe a quarter acre at best. I have three 4x8 raised bed plots and one 4x4. My soil is horrible so I had to import mushroom soil to grow my limited quantities of bush beans, tomatoes, peppers, zuchinni, and strawberries. I did some potatoes this year but the bed was invaded by yellow jackets (of which I horribly allergic) so my potato crop was basically ruined because I had to spray to try and get rid of the nest which is STILL persisting. That soil is now ruined until I can do something about it.

All that to answer the question "What did you do in your garden today?" I don't know about the rest of you, but this was not the best year for my garden here in Pennsylvania. However, my Roma tomatoes did wonderfully and we had a bumper crop, thanks to the humid summer here. But overall , it was not a good growing year. I picked a few straggling bush beans that I've been trying to coax. My first round of beans were wonderful but I lost my plants due to them being so heavy - they fell over and the stems broke - something that I rarely have ever had a problem with. I'm on my second round and I have tons of blossoms but the beans just don't seem to becoming like normal - probably because its cooling off now. Just not the best year for my gardening, unfortunately. Even my zuchinni were weak - I think they were not getting pollenated for some reason.

Sorry, don't mean to be so negative. I am a generally positive person, but my garden kind of discouraged me this year. Oh well. I have next year to start over again.

I'm getting ready to pull out the dead plants and then will dump chicken manure in there with whatever leaves I rake up later in November.

WELCOME! Don't feel you're being negative. EVERYONE's gardens did poorly this year, no matter the experience level. I think we were all just happy to get ANYTHING from them.