The Gardening Thread

[zhangliao04]

I "think" for maximum yield for the overall plant you are supposed to cut off all strawberries and runners in their first year of life so that they can concentrate on building a root system for a heavy yield in years 2 and 3. Apparently you are also supposed to fertilize them in August as well. I am still learning strawberries myself though, so take what I said with a grain of salt.

So after some research and talking with the supplier of my strawberry plants (Stark Bros) we DO need to cut off all flowering shoots and runners the first year. This sucks because I was looking forward to some delicious strawberries this year.

 

[zhangliao04]

They all finally came up (on heat 24/7 until they finally germinated) and are thriving. They’re smaller than the others, of course, and I gave some away, but here are the three I kept. Prolly shouldn’t be in the same pot 🙄:
View attachment 463309

The peperoncinis (for pickling) have a lot more size:
View attachment 463310

Where did you buy your pepperoncinis?

 

[VolNExile]

Where did you buy your pepperoncinis?

I started them from seed, back in early March (peppers are hella slow to germinate, up to a month, even when I have them on heat 24/7.) I bought the seeds last year, but germination rate was still decent, maybe 70-80%.

 

[zhangliao04]

I started them from seed, back in early March (peppers are hella slow to germinate, up to a month, even when I have them on heat 24/7.) I bought the seeds last year, but germination rate was still decent, maybe 70-80%.
View attachment 464126

I will need to keep this place in mind. I love pepperoncini peppers and been looking for good ones to grow.

 

[Go aeiou]

GVF
have you grown the Redorta variety of San Marzano before?
Made sauce or paste with it?
Fresh eating?
I've grown German johnson several years. I thought it was very good too.

 

[VOLSONLY]

I’ve named these my Biden taters

 

[norrislakevol]

So after some research and talking with the supplier of my strawberry plants (Stark Bros) we DO need to cut off all flowering shoots and runners the first year. This sucks because I was looking forward to some delicious strawberries this year.

Yes sir. Gotta develop the root system first I do believe.

 

[zhangliao04]

Has anyone in TN (or similar growing zones) grown garlic before? I’m going to Plant some this fall, but I’m trying to decide what’s best for this region and has a great garlic flavor.

 

[GVF]

GVF
have you grown the Redorta variety of San Marzano before?
Made sauce or paste with it?
Fresh eating?
I've grown German johnson several years. I thought it was very good too.

No. This is my first time with the San Marzano Redorta. They are considerably larger than the standard variety Marzano. Everything I read on them said hte flavor was superior to a regular Marzano as well. So, I thought I'd try it out. I did a dwarf sauce last year with decent success. There are some really good dwarf variety heirloom/open pollinated tomatoes out now. I've got 3 dwarfs in my mix this year. Maybe I'll migrate to all dwarfs, and ditch all this staking up and stuff. Who knows.

 

[GVF]

Has anyone in TN (or similar growing zones) grown garlic before? I’m going to Plant some this fall, but I’m trying to decide what’s best for this region and has a great garlic flavor.

I've got some going right now in a concrete planter. It's in part shade. Gets plenty of light, but only 2-3 hours direct sun a day. The tops have looked great. Looks like it may be time for them to start browning off. From what i read before planting hte varieties with the hard neck have a more robust flavor, but it also said even the varieties in hte stores are far better flavored grown at home. I should harvest around 20 garlics. Seems as though I could turn around and plant some right back as well.

 

[GVF]

View attachment 464201 I’ve named these my Biden taters

Somebody is very diligent at weeding.

 

[GVF]

Gardeners Prayer:

Next year, Lord, please remind me to broadcast pre-emergent in my garden before planting.

 

[Go aeiou]

Has anyone in TN (or similar growing zones) grown garlic before? I’m going to Plant some this fall, but I’m trying to decide what’s best for this region and has a great garlic flavor.

I grow elephant garlic. Same small 2x2' spot in my garden for 10 years. i think I started with garlic from the grocery store.
I have grown garlic from Sourthern Exposure seed Co and the farmers market

 

[GVF]

I grow elephant garlic. Same small 2x2' spot in my garden for 10 years. i think I started with garlic from the grocery store.
I have grown garlic from Sourthern Exposure seed Co and the farmers market

I'd like to throw down some elephant garlic.

 

[GVF]

The great thing about having a step-son in the Ag industry, and resides in South GA....I just got about 60 pounds or so of authentic Vidalias from the source.

 

[zhangliao04]

I've got some going right now in a concrete planter. It's in part shade. Gets plenty of light, but only 2-3 hours direct sun a day. The tops have looked great. Looks like it may be time for them to start browning off. From what i read before planting hte varieties with the hard neck have a more robust flavor, but it also said even the varieties in hte stores are far better flavored grown at home. I should harvest around 20 garlics. Seems as though I could turn around and plant some right back as well.

What variety of garlic did you plant?

I love garlic and so does my wife so I’m looking to buy some varieties that will not only grow well in our climate but also have a good garlic flavor. I know with hardnecks you gotta watch for the scapes and not let them flower. My plan is to keep at least as many cloves each year so that I have a revolving garlic production each year. Which is why I may push to the soft necks because they apparently last longer in storage than hardneck.

 

[zhangliao04]

I grow elephant garlic. Same small 2x2' spot in my garden for 10 years. i think I started with garlic from the grocery store.
I have grown garlic from Sourthern Exposure seed Co and the farmers market

Why did you choose the elephant variety?

 

[GVF]

What variety of garlic did you plant?

I love garlic and so does my wife so I’m looking to buy some varieties that will not only grow well in our climate but also have a good garlic flavor. I know with hardnecks you gotta watch for the scapes and not let them flower. My plan is to keep at least as many cloves each year so that I have a revolving garlic production each year. Which is why I may push to the soft necks because they apparently last longer in storage than hardneck.

I really don't know. I picked up a couple heads in the garden area at Walmart. Broke them apart, and shoved them down in my potting mix. I only know they were soft necks. But, they are growing quite well.

 

[walkenvol]

Gardeners Prayer:

Next year, Lord, please remind me to broadcast pre-emergent in my garden before planting.

Keep the unnecessary chemicals out of your food by heavy mulching your garden for weed control, soil temperature moderation, and moisture conservation

 

[Go aeiou]

Why did you choose the elephant variety?

It is mild and almost foolproof.
I plant is a raised beed about 6 inches deep.

 

[zhangliao04]

Bought some garlic bulbs today. Got 3 bulbs of Music, 3 bulbs Chesnok, and 6 bulbs Lorz Italian. Music and Chesnok are both hard neck while Lorz is a softneck. Supposed to be here sometime in October. Looking forward to growing my own garlic!

 

[VolNExile]

Thank God I have this valiant guardian to protect the garden. 🙄

 

[Go aeiou]

Thank God I have this valiant guardian to protect the garden. 🙄

View attachment 465830

Is that an outdoor cat? I mean does it stay mostly outside?

 

[VolNExile]

Is that an outdoor cat? I mean does it stay mostly outside?

We keep her in at night, and she goes in and out during the day. She’s quite a handful (she was my mother’s cat, who could no longer deal with her), and we’ve mostly negotiated a truce.

—before my mom adopted her, she was in a cage at the Shelby County Humane Society, with multiple failed adoption attempts. “Gratitude” is not one of her features, although she occasionally gets lovey.

 

[Go aeiou]

We keep her in at night, and she goes in and out during the day. She’s quite a handful (she was my mother’s cat, who could no longer deal with her), and we’ve mostly negotiated a truce.

—before my mom adopted her, she was in a cage at the Shelby County Humane Society, with multiple failed adoption attempts. “Gratitude” is not one of her features, although she occasionally gets lovey.

Typical cat. More of them seem to be a little off in the heead these days. like humans?

WE need more outdoors cats in our neighborhood to keep down the varmints. we have moles, rabits, squirrels---------