The Gardening Thread

[Tin Man]

Peppers have a long season. Your runt might surprise you!

I’m hopeful.

 

[zhangliao04]

Try being consistent when watering each side, observe if sunny side is drying quicker and then let dry a tad between waterings. You want it slightly damp, not wet before watering. Drying out completely will cause an immediate crash but so will overwatering. GL.

Move to an area with more afternoon shade if it's drying too quick.

I moved them to the back porch which gets full sun in the morning/midday and then shade starting around 2-3 pm. Hoping this helps. As far as consistency goes I try to water every two days in the morning, but with how hot days have been I have actually been doing more watering around 5 pm when I get home from work to give them a cooldown. They are usually wilting if I don’t water on the 2nd day.

 

[zhangliao04]

One of my three surviving pepper plants has fruits. Another is flowering. The third came back from the dead and is too small for either at this time.

Peppers have a long season. Your runt might surprise you!

Is it true that you want to pick off roughly half of the pepper flowers if you want to grow larger peppers?

 

[VolNExile]

Is it true that you want to pick off roughly half of the pepper flowers if you want to grow larger peppers?

I haven’t heard that specifically, but it makes sense. Numbers vs size is a real thing.

I’m trellising tomatoes, pruned down to one or two (or three, or four…) stems. There are obviously fewer fruits, but they’re pretty dang big so far. All the energy of the plant going to fewer fruits. Also very, very green, but that’s how it is growing in Asheville. They’re ripening now.

 

[SlipKidVol]

I trellised my and pruned my cucumbers for the first time this year, and the yield is unbelievable, doing tomato's next year

 

[GVF]

I will give them a try next year.

So far, I've been happy with the big hitter. With clemson spineless, if you go a day over, it's tough. I went several days over on this picking, and got some huge heavy hitters. I could tell slicing them for hte freezer they were still tender.

 

[GVF]

My tomatoes are being extra slow to ripen this year. Got big vines with plenty of green fruit. Summer squash is rolling in and bell peppers are starting to mature. Lots of green bean vines but not many beans yet

Same here on my tomatoes and green beans. My bush bean put out quick and hearty. Got two rounds of them. But, my climbers are just now hitting the front end. Something always strips my mid-section of leaves though. It's not deer. I have to keep sevin on them. They do grow back and still put out.

 

[GVF]

One of my three surviving pepper plants has fruits. Another is flowering. The third came back from the dead and is too small for either at this time.

THe peppers are the star of hte garden so far. I'm gonna be swarmed in tobasco's. Thai Dragons are killing it, and so are the ghost, jalapeno, and cubano. Bell's are getting there.

 

[GVF]

A productive night last night. What do you do when your corn stunts, and you only get a handful of developed midget ears? You pickle them. Also pickled some cubano and jalapeno. Canned some beans and squash. And put okra in the freezer. Gotta go pick the lemon cukes. They're everywhere.

 

[Go aeiou]

Picked this morning. Sweet Italian peppers, Tomatoes are Cherokee Purple, Pink Brandywine, I don't know the names of yellow and orange tomatoes. I think the yellow are low acid. Wife loves them.

 

[Tin Man]

Dagnabbit! A mockingbird is pecking at my ripening tomatoes. I’ve put up some netting, hoping to thwart/discourage the pesky blighter!

 

[Go aeiou]

Dagnabbit! A mockingbird is pecking at my ripening tomatoes. I’ve put up some netting, hoping to thwart/discourage the pesky blighter!

i've had that problem for several years, but not this year. I never tried netting, I picked my tomatoes as soon as they started changing color, and before the birds would get them. They ripened in a few days and tasted great,
The macking birds have been replaced by cardinals this year. I don''t know if they compete or it's just coincidence

 

[Tin Man]

Cardinals have never pecked at my tomatoes. They groom the vines of caterpillars.

 

[Go aeiou]

Cardinals have never pecked at my tomatoes. They groom the vines of caterpillars.

Yeah, sorry I didn't make that clear. The cardinals are not a problem at all, and they are beautiful.

 

[zhangliao04]

THe peppers are the star of hte garden so far. I'm gonna be swarmed in tobasco's. Thai Dragons are killing it, and so are the ghost, jalapeno, and cubano. Bell's are getting there.

I’m going to rely on you next year when it’s time to start peppers lol. Wife likes bell’s and I want to do poblano, pepperoncini, and jalapeño.

 

[GVF]

I’m going to rely on you next year when it’s time to start peppers lol. Wife likes bell’s and I want to do poblano, pepperoncini, and jalapeño.

I didn't think of pepperoncini int time. We use them alot cooking roasts. I did pablano last year but forgot to seed htem this year. They didn't come up on direct seeding.

Peppers can be tough, and wreck your patience. I started them in my brother's greenhouse and they still took a solid 3 weeks just to emerge. If you don't have a green house a tall start box is a must for peppers an maters and okra. I soak and direct seed everything else. I believe Exie (@VolNExile ) has posted pics of her home spun "greenhouse" that seems to serve her well. My sons hot peppers were bought at the mennonite garden center.

I probably started in hte Greenhouse first of March. You need to go a bout 2-2/5 months ahead of planting time for your area a they should be moveable by then.

 

[Tin Man]

I start my peppers in peat cup holders atop a heating pad in front of a sunny south facing window in December.

 

[zhangliao04]

I didn't think of pepperoncini int time. We use them alot cooking roasts. I did pablano last year but forgot to seed htem this year. They didn't come up on direct seeding.

Peppers can be tough, and wreck your patience. I started them in my brother's greenhouse and they still took a solid 3 weeks just to emerge. If you don't have a green house a tall start box is a must for peppers an maters and okra. I soak and direct seed everything else. I believe Exie (@VolNExile ) has posted pics of her home spun "greenhouse" that seems to serve her well. My sons hot peppers were bought at the mennonite garden center.

I probably started in hte Greenhouse first of March. You need to go a bout 2-2/5 months ahead of planting time for your area a they should be moveable by then.

I tried bell and poblano peppers last year. Got about 4-5 mid sized poblanos from 3 plants and 6-7 small bells from 6 plants. Started them from seed, but I think I started way too late. I honestly don’t know if I will have the time to do that again with a baby on the way, but I know that’s the best way if you want a larger variety to choose from.

 

[SoddyAllVol]

Anyone here grow new mex peppers from seed? Specifically big Jim’s. I can get just about anything to sprout but I’ve had hell with them the last two years. I don’t know what the problem is

 

[VOLSONLY]

I have finally figured out what’s killing my squash plants. I planted 4 hills and 3 are already dead. They go from a healthy plant one day to basically dead the next. Vine borrows are my culprit. A moth lays eggs on the plant and a larva hatches and borrows it’s way into the plant. I just got done doing surgery on the plant, I dug 5 of those suckers out. Hopefully I got all of them out and my last plant survives. I’m not getting my hopes up. Got to figure something out before next year

 

[Go aeiou]

I have finally figured out what’s killing my squash plants. I planted 4 hills and 3 are already dead. They go from a healthy plant one day to basically dead the next. Vine borrows are my culprit. A moth lays eggs on the plant and a larva hatches and borrows it’s way into the plant. I just got done doing surgery on the plant, I dug 5 of those suckers out. Hopefully I got all of them out and my last plant survives. I’m not getting my hopes up. Got to figure something out before next year

I have finally figured out what’s killing my squash plants. I planted 4 hills and 3 are already dead. They go from a healthy plant one day to basically dead the next. Vine borrows are my culprit. A moth lays eggs on the plant and a larva hatches and borrows it’s way into the plant. I just got done doing surgery on the plant, I dug 5 of those suckers out. Hopefully I got all of them out and my last plant survives. I’m not getting my hopes up. Got to figure someth good luckng out before next year

Hard to get em at this point. You can spray. Next year you might use food grade diatomaceous(sp) earth when you plant them. I have always used it pretty much around everything. It stops snails, slugs, cut worms, etc. One bag has lasted me 3 years so far, but I now have a very smal gardern. 2) 4'x16' beds.

 

[VOLSONLY]

Hard to get em at this point. You can spray. Next year you might use food grade diatomaceous(sp) earth when you plant them. I have always used it pretty much around everything. It stops snails, slugs, cut worms, etc. One bag has lasted me 3 years so far, but I now have a very smal gardern. 2) 4'x16' beds.

Thanks for the info brother

 

[zhangliao04]

I have finally figured out what’s killing my squash plants. I planted 4 hills and 3 are already dead. They go from a healthy plant one day to basically dead the next. Vine borrows are my culprit. A moth lays eggs on the plant and a larva hatches and borrows it’s way into the plant. I just got done doing surgery on the plant, I dug 5 of those suckers out. Hopefully I got all of them out and my last plant survives. I’m not getting my hopes up. Got to figure something out before next year

They got my squash last year as well. Decided not to plant squash this year and focus on a few things first before going back. The best method I’ve seen for keeping the borers at bay is insecticides. The problem with the natural/pick same day gallons is that they don’t last long so you have to either apply every day or every few days which increases cost and time. I just need to do more research on best methods for borers. They suck (literally and figuratively).

 

[zhangliao04]

Whelp, looks like my strawberry plants are not going to make it this year. No idea what went wrong as I followed what my research told me. Maybe I planted too late and the summer was just way too hot this year for planting in planters? No idea, but I’m sad I won’t be enjoying good strawberries next year.