Posted on 06/27/2014 12:49:59 PM PDT by greeneyes
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Having had the San Marzanos, now that I'm not buying for a restaurant, I may do that.
/johnny
For people in the West with hard packed soil, dry conditions and frequent high winds, I found a way to retain water in soil for plants outside of greenhouses (hay, grains, etc.).
Dig a trench. Do so in line with a contour if on a slope (more or less keep the trench level). Bury wood in it (rotten trees, limbs, whatever), and cover it back up with soil. Keep the surface more or less smooth and level with surrounding soil afterwards. Let the wood rot in the soil. Try growing grains or whatever along that area after a couple of years or so. The soil should stay loosened up for a long time, and the water shouldn’t evaporate so fast during windy days.
The apple tree the moose munched on a couple weeks ago looks like it might survive. Harvested all the bokchoy and gave away 1/2 at the senior center. My spinach was the best I’ve ever tasted, I’m still picking leaves off as they get big enough.
Arugula wants to bolt but I keep it at bay, so far, by pinching off the bigger stalks. Still lots of good tender leaves for awhile. Started picking kale and swiss chard this week. Beets are up. Took the walls of water off the tomatoes yesterday. Beans and peas are leaping up, ready to grab onto their guiding strings. Pumpkin is spreading out, I’ll need to thin out a few plants.
Garlic looks great. Potatoes are starting to flower. Just starting to get warm here in Montana, 90’s coming next week; things should really start to take off.
I heard thunder and tried to beat the rain to get some stuff planted before it hit, but just as I stuck the first seed in the ground it opened up a huge deluge not just rain drops, so I came running back in.LOL C’est la vie.
Did I miss something? You gave your cucuzza away? The ones you were checking on at one in the morning 8’ up on a ladder with a flashlight? :-)
BTW, the first one is growing so I think it got pollinated and I think a second one was as well. Since I cleared the pots, baby C #1 has more room - it’s outside the wire and hanging over where the pots used to be.
When I was moving a pot, a toad hopped out .... he’s now in the tomato patch so the weed eater wouldn’t get him. He’s welcome back to eat bugs any time.
We have only had one little misshapen cuke so far. I just stuck it and some onion into a sweet and spicy pickled zuke jar that was almost empty. Had some earlier on top of my salad. It was great.
I was looking for some sirrachi sauce, and it's nowhere to be found - could you suggest a decent alternative or maybe homemade recipe that would be good. We had some combo of sirrachi, hoisin, and lime juice at the Shogun restaurant, and it was great to dip the stir fry broccoli in. It was not as hot as sirrachi but just the right amount of kick for me.
Since I usually can't stand broccoli unless it is smothered in cheese, I thought this would be a great way to eat it.
Thanks RD. I do that too especially for the ones I grow indoors. You are right it gives plenty. I was too focused on the 100% fruit per flower and forgot to mention it.
/johnny
Which are the San Marzano in your picture?
Holy Moly - it’s a tomato tree. Thanks for posting.
Is there a sriracha shortage going on?
Thanks so much for the tip. I only grow stuff to be sure that I know what pesticide or chemical I may be eating, and I prefer to have none, so this is really a great tip for me.
That picture is from 2 or 3 years ago. None are San marzanos.
Non of my tomatoes this year are near ripe, late starting the garden.
Oh, please ping me if you post a picture of her. Thanks.
As a point of clarity, what do you mean by along the trench.
Is that on top of the area where you put the wood, or is it around the perimeter of the area?
Thanks for the tip. I have gobs of unused wood from the trees we cut down to make room for more gardens.
So would you share you secrets for the spinach. What is the name of the seeds, where did you get them, and what sort of soil and growing conditions? Thanks
/johnny
Here’s an interesting article on this thread thanks to Diana.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3172577/posts?page=23
Hi greeneyes and everyone!
The daikon radishes have bolted and are putting out some gorgeous little flowers. Can someone tell me when I would want to try to harvest them?
Red amaranth growing, but no heading yet.
T squash, white bush squash, zucchini show evidence of blooming, but no babies yet.
Orange jing okra has produced one pod, which has been harvested.
Plodding along, and just learning to watch it all grow! Intervening when and where I can.
See if this site will help you on your search for a homemade siriacha sauce.
http://www.steamykitchen.com/31539-20-minute-sriracha-sauce-recipe-video.html
I hope this helps.
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