Posted on 08/30/2013 1:16:25 PM PDT by greeneyes
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Still have some Spring planted arugula growing out back lasting all through the summer. I harvested seeds from the bolted ones and now have seedlings in egg carton shells that germinated in 3 days. Pretty hardy stuff to last so long in high heat. Now I’ll wait to transplant the new seedlings in cooler temps—thanks for all the advice.
My wife has three “Earth Boxes” on a cart. She has lettuce growing well into the winter, both fall and spring, as we pull the cart out when possible and into the heated garage when it freezes.
The subject: salvia officianalis. The story: raised in largish pot, grew very well, trimmed top leaves and, at 5-6 inches in height, was bushing out nicely on the lower stem.
Transplanted it to about 30" away from my best salvia plant. VERY carefully -- I'd be shocked to find that the roots were damaged in the process (although my x-ray vision is on the fritz...). Saw to it being well-watered for about a week (longer is dubious here, see below), with a bit of 12-24-12.
Temps are 65-80 F., occasionally a little warmer, no 90s (we're up at 2900 feet alt.) Roughly half-sun, half-shade, just as the other plant...and it is now losing its smaller leaves and drooping. No leaf damage from insects. Not dying (yet), but not healthy at all, still making new leaves, though more slowly than before.
The locale: El Valle de Anton, Cocle province, Panama. No frost concerns, ever. June-November is the rainy season here, and it is a typical one; very little add-on watering required in the garden.
Its plant mate (er, so to speak) is just chugging along, very healthy, and should end up being a fine sage plant.
The only garden pests of note are ants and wasps (very benign ones; you leave them alone, they leave you alone). I have not heard of ants chewing on sage roots, but I suppose anything is possible.
Thoughts? Ideas? Outright laughter? All notions appreciated, with the exception that I prefer NOT to use organophosphates for any reason.
Many TIA, gardeners!
Air rifles, Eric, m’FRiend...air rifles.
Report of marvelous results so far, thanks to four foot long grow lamp.
I planted these seeds last Sunday. Grow lamp stays on until I go to bed, then turn it on when I get up the next day. I planted two paper cups of each variety of seed with several seeds in each cup. If the seed was so small it was almost microscopic, I just put “some” in each one. The seeds that have sprouted and ones that haven’t yet:
Sprouted:
Giant Zinnia – both cups (these Zinnia seeds were sent free to me by a seed company when I bought other stuff from them)
Green Beans – both cups
Lettuce – both cups
Brussels Sprouts – both cups
Cucumber – both cups
Turnips – both cups
Not sprouted yet:
Baby carrots – none
Regular onion – none
Regular squash – none
The Egyptian Walking Onions are now planted in a long planter in the dirt garden. I took out a good part of the regular dirt in the planter and replaced it with fresh potting soil mix. Placed the onions about a foot apart in there, watered it, put row cover over all of it, used metal spikes to secure the cover to the ground up and down the planter so the squirrels can’t remove it.
While I was out there, I opened the envelope of mixed flowers that attract hummingbirds and butterflies, and sprinkled them along the ground in a spot about three feet long, put a dab of dirt on top, watered it and put row cover over that, using the stakes again to secure that one. Those damned squirrels and birds are NOT going to murder what I just did. This is absolute war between them and me and I aim to win, blast their murdering hides.
I have to have more grow bags for these new developing plants, and ordered some cheap ones and they should be here by next week.
The “T” Italian squash in the barrel is about a foot and a half tall, swell looking. The sesame flower plant is over two feet tall. Tomatoes in tomato planter with trellis are fine as well as five others in 5 gal. grow bags. I have another large tomato planter with trellis and I can transplant some of those five if I buy more potting soil which I have to do anyway. Sweet potato plants (3) in 10 gallon grow bag have beautiful lush green leaves just growing every where. I think they would be dead by now if they were in the dirt garden for murdering insects would have already destroyed them. A pox on garden dirt insects.
Strawberry plants in little pots still haven’t come – need to contact that company.
That’s all from Marcella’s Food Plant Container Farm :o)
That almond plant. Is it supposed to be a large tree or a regular plant?
Well that’s good to know.Thanks.
Now, do you know: We planted what was labeled as almonds. The fruit now looks like peaches. Is that normal for the almond tree to have fruit that looks like peaches?
If you are going to be saving heirloom seeds, you can make your own seed tape. It’s pretty easy. You can use paper towels or toilet paper.
Put a length on the table and mark with dots next to the spot for a seed. Put down the seeds,Use a paste of flour and water to glue the tape on each side of the seeds, and fold over the half of the paper and secure with the paste on each side of the seed as well as the edge.
Proceed to plant just like the ones you buy.
Well, yes that’s true for many of us. I was just talking to friend of ours on Wednesday. They totally ravage her garden-she lives out of town in the woods. Nothing has worked so far that she has tryed.
We are just a mile out side of town and close enough that we just don’t have problems with deer. We do have the smaller varmits and critters. The worst of which is a family or two of coons.
I have lettuce ready to harvest the seeds that I need to get to soom also.
Thanks for sharing. Love those pics of flowers.LOL
Probably eight years ago, I had arugula that went to seed. It was like dandelions all over the yard for about three years. I kept thinking..At the grocery store, this would be about 800 dollars worth.
Since, to me, arugula doesn't taste that good, I was not unhappy when it finally got killed off by the drought.
I’m encouraged to order the Starks one then. It’s supposedly useable as both. You eat the peaches and then you can eat the pits/almonds too.
I got lettuce to sprout one year when it was really hot still by planting it inside. Once it sprouted I put it outside in the shade/dappled sun under a tree.
YMMV.
Here’s the one I was thinking of:
http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/apricot-trees/stark-sweetheart-apricot
Yep Aggie—I think thats gonna fly with me too. I have an east facing window for morning sun and got some lettuce seedlings there. I was going to direct plant to the soil and use the seedlings as a backup. Upon johnny’s advice I will wait for cooler temps instead of this North Tx oven. I’m about to plant Black Seeded Simpson lettuce seeds in another egg shell carton. First time but I read and hear its a pretty good hardy producer of loose leaf lettuce. It goes under the shade tree in the ring below too.
The red lettuces are also hardy.
Here’s a list of hardy winter temps and veggies that can take it:
http://www.southernexposure.com/southern-exposures-fallwinter-gardening-guide-ezp-38.html
Scroll.
“Here’s the one I was thinking of:”
I just read that and, according to the species, they grow from 12 to 20 feet tall and they are wide.
It says the “hull” that peach looking outer “fruit” is discarded when they harvest the almonds. Are they discarding something good to eat because they just want almonds and nothing else?
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