The evergreen garden thread

[Kraken]

A search showed that the annual garden thread was last resurrected in 2011, which my calendar says was a long time ago. Let's begin again.

After having the worst garden ever last year thanks to drought and heat, and in spite of some small doubt over whether we'll still be living here in a few months, I nevertheless decided to plant again this year. My tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are in. Tonight I actually pinched a few leaves from the baby basil plants that I put in only days ago. I plan to sow my squash and bean seeds tomorrow, ahead of a few days of expected light rain.

[dbt1949]

I'm growing 18" tall grass in mine.

[Formix]

So far just tomato and basil in mine, and hopes that my huge rosemary bush will come back even though it seems to have inexplicably just died. I did the "plant the tomato plants absurdly deep thing this year, we'll see how that turns out. Also, using some of my worm castings for the first time.

[Kraken]

I put in the last of my eggplants, carted all of the pots out of my cellar reefer garden to use the soil in the outdoor garden, and seeded a couple of hills of squash...all after walking 3 miles this morning. I really would like to put in a lot more seeds ahead of the coming rain, but it's 92 degrees and I'm exhausted. Maybe I'll still sow some more seeds later this afternoon. Right now, a nap beckons.

[YellowKing]

I'm a pepper guy so I planted around 40 this year. Unlike past years, however, I decided to stick with stuff I'd actually use instead of growing a bunch of crazy hot stuff that would go to waste. So it's all pablanos and a mix of hot and sweet bananas.

So far they're doing pretty well. Our back flower bed is full sun all day so they absolutely love it back there.

[Unagi]

I've got 8 Black Krim tomato plants that are all from heirloom seeds of my previous plants over the years, fermented last fall, and germinated in my basement this winter/spring.
I've got a pot with a strawberry plant in it, just for random plucking - we don't really get any real harvest from it.
I've got a pot with a basil plant growing in it.
I've got 2 pots that have chives growing, these have been with us for well over 10-15 years, and they just grow back each year.
I've got a raised veggie table with:
- 2 perennial thyme plants (one English & one German for the historical humor we can then use when we cook with one or the other...) that have lived for about 3 years now.
- 2 new thyme plants that were bought this year (also one English & one German)
- about a dozen or so yellow onions
- about a dozen or so red onions
- 2 (white) onions that I (random) grew from last year's crops' seeds and wanted to see if I could.

I plan still to get a replacement sage plant (last year's died from injury).

Previously I've grown Brussel sprouts, and celery in the veggie table..

The celery was only so-so happy in this spot so I didn't replant that... And damn - the little white moths came from all corners of the world to attack those poor Brussel sprouts. I learned about and engaged in so many creative forms of safe pest control - and I am just not up for the battle again. They are strange plants to grow as well.

[Kraken]

I ended up planting three hills of dark green zucchini and two of yellow squash, using up a lot of leftover seeds from previous years. If any of them fail I've got some fresh zucchini seeds waiting to replace them.

I'm holding off on beans until our weekend cold/rainy period passes. Bean seeds need very warm soil to germinate, and highs are only going to be in the 50s for the next two days. I bought enough bush bean seeds to make successive plantings every other week right through July. I also have a lot of leftover pole bean seeds; haven't decided yet if I"m going to set up my poles this year.

For peppers, I only planted Cubanelles. The garden center was out of banana peppers, but cubanelles are similar -- just a little hot/less sweet.

For tomatoes, I have:

1 sungold cherries
3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)
4 plums

Bring on the rain.

[Jeff V]

We are already in level 2 drought and much of the lawn has gone a dormant yellow. Still need to have the neighbor's kid come by to cut the weeds though, as they seem unaffected. Since we'll be out of the country for a month, we did not plant any veggies (herbs have reappeared as they always do). MiL wiped out the strawberries plants, which has spread far enough to generate 6 gallons of strawberries last year. This year {I detected a single plant, and my daughter ate the half-inch microstrawberry it managed to create.

Some friends are going to squat in the house while we are gone, ostensibly to keep the pets alive. I'll try to get them to water the roses and other perennials in the front of the house.

[Unagi]

For tomatoes, I have:

1 sungold cherries
3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)
4 plums

Bring on the rain.

granted we don't touch the Cherry variety, but - damn - I have trouble justifying 8 tomato plants. 16?!

[Unagi]

3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)

Hmm.
Why not branch out and stop with the 11 plants that all produce identical-looking tomatoes? Is there some striking difference in those?

Obviously, I lean to the bruisey/purple-colored variety for my garden tomatoes, but wen I looked at those 3 breeds I couldn't tell the difference at all.

[Kraken]

3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)

Hmm.
Why not branch out and stop with the 11 plants that all produce identical-looking tomatoes? Is there some striking difference in those?

Obviously, I lean to the bruisey/purple-colored variety for my garden tomatoes, but wen I looked at those 3 breeds I couldn't tell the difference at all.

They're more or less interchangeable slicing tomatoes, with some variation in size/meatiness/juice/seed content, but mostly their output varies depending on conditions. A good year for Celebrities (my favorite all-around slicer) might be a humdrum year for Supersonics, or vice versa. Last year I grew Early Girls that flopped completely, and I lost at least half of my Celebrities to blossom end rot, but my Supersteaks did passably well (it was a lousy gardening year in general).

I aim for a heavy enough harvest to make at least one big vat of spaghetti sauce in late July or August that I can freeze and enjoy through the winter.

[Jeff V]

3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)

Hmm.
Why not branch out and stop with the 11 plants that all produce identical-looking tomatoes? Is there some striking difference in those?

Obviously, I lean to the bruisey/purple-colored variety for my garden tomatoes, but wen I looked at those 3 breeds I couldn't tell the difference at all.

They're more or less interchangeable slicing tomatoes, with some variation in size/meatiness/juice/seed content, but mostly their output varies depending on conditions. A good year for Celebrities (my favorite all-around slicer) might be a humdrum year for Supersonics, or vice versa. Last year I grew Early Girls that flopped completely, and I lost at least half of my Celebrities to blossom end rot, but my Supersteaks did passably well (it was a lousy gardening year in general).

I aim for a heavy enough harvest to make at least one big vat of spaghetti sauce in late July or August that I can freeze and enjoy through the winter.

Last year we suffered from lazy bees. Most of the fruits didn't appear until late-September/October, and died horribly on the vine as frost hit.

From what I can tell so far, tomatoes left to rot did not generate any plants yet this year. Then again, we've had little rain.

[Kraken]

3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)

Hmm.
Why not branch out and stop with the 11 plants that all produce identical-looking tomatoes? Is there some striking difference in those?

Obviously, I lean to the bruisey/purple-colored variety for my garden tomatoes, but wen I looked at those 3 breeds I couldn't tell the difference at all.

They're more or less interchangeable slicing tomatoes, with some variation in size/meatiness/juice/seed content, but mostly their output varies depending on conditions. A good year for Celebrities (my favorite all-around slicer) might be a humdrum year for Supersonics, or vice versa. Last year I grew Early Girls that flopped completely, and I lost at least half of my Celebrities to blossom end rot, but my Supersteaks did passably well (it was a lousy gardening year in general).

I aim for a heavy enough harvest to make at least one big vat of spaghetti sauce in late July or August that I can freeze and enjoy through the winter.

Last year we suffered from lazy bees. Most of the fruits didn't appear until late-September/October, and died horribly on the vine as frost hit.

From what I can tell so far, tomatoes left to rot did not generate any plants yet this year. Then again, we've had little rain.

I usually get some tomato seedlings from my compost. Sometimes they live long enough to bear fruit. Such plants are called "volunteers."

[Unagi]

3 Celebrity
4 Supersonic
4 Fantastic (new variety for me)

Hmm.
Why not branch out and stop with the 11 plants that all produce identical-looking tomatoes? Is there some striking difference in those?

Obviously, I lean to the bruisey/purple-colored variety for my garden tomatoes, but wen I looked at those 3 breeds I couldn't tell the difference at all.

They're more or less interchangeable slicing tomatoes, with some variation in size/meatiness/juice/seed content, but mostly their output varies depending on conditions. A good year for Celebrities (my favorite all-around slicer) might be a humdrum year for Supersonics, or vice versa. Last year I grew Early Girls that flopped completely, and I lost at least half of my Celebrities to blossom end rot, but my Supersteaks did passably well (it was a lousy gardening year in general).

I aim for a heavy enough harvest to make at least one big vat of spaghetti sauce in late July or August that I can freeze and enjoy through the winter.

Excellent reasoning! I’m glad I asked.

[Jeff V]

I usually get some tomato seedlings from my compost. Sometimes they live long enough to bear fruit. Such plants are called "volunteers."

Over the past few years, I've not bother buying cherry tomatoes because those "volunteers" are so successful. I'm still sad my MiL annihilated our strawberry crop -- sure, it needed to be beat back but total herbicide? We harvested 6 gallons of strawberries last year, this year, one surviving plant managed an anemic 3/4" fruit. My daughter promptly ate it.

[Kraken]

Some unknown insect is stripping my eggplants bare -- and only the eggplants. By the time I found and applied my insecticidal soap they had completely denuded three and damaged the other three. One or two might survive. That would be OK; I don't eat aubergine very often, so even one plant will do.

[Kraken]

The eggplants struggled back, although they aren't flowering yet.

The weather to date has been favorable, with about the right amount of rain and no temperature extremes. After having my worst garden ever last year, this year looks promising. The pollinators finally showed up this week when my oregano patch flowered, and tiny tomatoes are forming abundantly. If they can avoid the chronic risk of blossom end rot and if the local critters don't get them, this could be a very good year.

[Kraken]

I have another small pile that got overripe while I was away, and needs to be processed today. Lost another half a dozen to rot.

I still have a couple dozen green ones on the vine, but the vines stopped flowering some weeks ago and have mostly given up the ghost, so tomato season is ending early this year.

[Jaymon]

Those are some nice looking tomatos.

[GreenGoo]

Check out the tomatoes on that dish!

[Isgrimnur]

Kryten Kraken's Gushy Globes

[Blackhawk]

I used to have a good friend who loved to grow tomatoes. Every year I'd get bags full two or three times. He moved out of the area years ago, though.

In other words, I'm jealous.

[telcta]

I have another small pile that got overripe while I was away, and needs to be processed today. Lost another half a dozen to rot.

I still have a couple dozen green ones on the vine, but the vines stopped flowering some weeks ago and have mostly given up the ghost, so tomato season is ending early this year.

Very nice! I always buy tomatoes for sandwiches and salads and wish I could grow them myself.

For your retirement house, are you looking for gardening opportunities? Sunlight and usable land?

[Kraken]

For your retirement house, are you looking for gardening opportunities? Sunlight and usable land?

Yes. I rejected a house that Wife really likes because putting in even a modest garden would have required clearing and filling some land. It was just too woodsy and hilly. I don't need much, but I do need at least some flat ground that gets 6 hours of sunlight a day.

[Jaymann]

Another bountiful harvest from the fig tree. My daughter made fig jam - deelicious!

[Jeff V]

Our house sitter scattered some calabaza squash seeds, and now a side of the house is full of massive leaves, a few blossoms, and a few fertilized squashlings. Perhaps some will be harvest size by October.

Herbs are still doing ok. Not sure what to do with a ton of mint, and we also have lots of oregano (use sometimes) and thyme (use often). Garlic chives, regular chives, and flat leaf parsley are also present. And that's the extent of the garden this year.