Weekly Garden Thread - August 8-14, 2020

August 8, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.

This thread is non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Cali, nice!

I understand that you can sometimes stop the progression of a cold sore by putting ice in wash towel and putting it on the sore. Maybe also sucking on a Lemon Balm leaf. (Anti viral!)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Nice looking preserves!

[tubebender]

>>but I couldn’t find the worm itself.<<<

Go out in the evening and gently shake the tomato plant and listen for a clicking sound if you can’t see them and look deeper...

[tubebender]

The chair is plop my weary bones into and catch my breath out of the Cold wind...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for sharing that, Pete. Good information about a great ‘weed.’

Purslane has been in my salads for many years. I have a bumper crop of it this year, which is weird because they usually prefer drier conditions. BUT - I’ll take it. Free is free, LOL!

When I had laying hens, they loved it, too.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I kind of figured. I need a few chairs out in my garden!

[Liz]

Yummy......

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I got off my lazy butt and made Salsa today - 10 Pints. I used red and yellow tomatoes, two small red onions and a couple of green peppers from the garden. I CHEAT and use Mrs. Wages mix, which has all the spices in it - you just add white vinegar. Easy-peasy. I also add a can of black beans and a bag of frozen corn to the mix at the end. I made a double batch. Salsa is really the only thing we're low on in the Pantry. I had a ridiculous amount of peppers and tomatoes last year, so I'm still good on V-8 Juice and Bloody Mary Mix. ;)

[Liz]

Diana's Salsa: red and yellow tomatoes, two small red onions and a couple of green peppers,
Mrs Wage's spices; add white vinegar then a can of black beans and a bag of frozen corn at the end.

GREAT RECIPE: haven't seen Mrs Wage's in my area......sounds like a good product.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I used to sell Mrs. Wages’ various mixes it at Jung’s, so I would have fresh Salsa at the check out for my customers to sample and just HAPPEN to have the mix right there for sale. (Always. Be. Closing. And, Up-Selling, LOL!)

You know, back in the day when we could all eat from a communal bowl and no one freaked out? *Rolleyes*

She also has pickle mixes and mixes to make your own canned fruit pie fillings.

Loved the stuff ever since. You can buy the mix at Walmart or through Amazon, but it is in short supply this year with all the hoarding going on earlier with canning supplies.

Salsa IS a must-have in our house. We use it on/in so many dishes. :)

[Liz]

Will look for it.

[mrsmith]

Home tomato harvest/share season is full-blown here at last.
“Better Boy” is the favorite to grow here,
A friend has quite a few “Purple Cherokee”. So good, almost like they’d been smoked in a fire.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The flavor of Cherokee Purple is beyond description - but I like that ‘smokey’ description you used. Spot on!

I tried a ‘Cherokee Carbon’ last year that was a cross between the Cherokee Purple and a red Carbon. It was a nicer looking tomato, but the flavor was not the same.

Cherokee’s can be kind of lumpy and bumpy and a little blemished, but that’s easy to overlook once you taste them. :)

[Califreak]

I have tomatillos forming! They looked like empty husks but there are little round things in them getting a little bigger everyday. The onion sets that were half dried up-the very last bag from WalMart I’m surprised they even grew-are making little golf ball sized bulbs. The green onion roots I planted in March or April are still producing-I cut some off of those every week.

I planted a few more lettuce starts in a shady spot and so far nothing has eaten them.... I have red butter and romaine going to seed. I’ll try and save those because I don’t have any.

I have a couple of melons forming out there someplace. I think one is canteloupe and one is honeydew that I got from saving seeds from grocery store melons. We’ll see what develops. Might be a weird mutant. I’ve never been able to grow melons any bigger than a tennis ball.

There’s also volunteer tomato plant that suddenly exploded. I didn’t think that one would do anything.

[daniel1212]

I have found it almost impossible to prevent blight. Here’s a recipe for blight control. 1 G water 3 Tbsp Baking Soda 1 Tbsp Olive Oil 3 drops Dawn dish washing detergent Spray morning or evening, not in the middle of the day to avoid burning plant. If blight continues, use 3 1/5 Tbsp baking soda

Thanks, but I have read to never add oil to soil though for this purpose it would help the soda to stick to the plant. However, what I am seeing looks more like Fusarium Wilt (Water the plant to see if the wilting persists. If you are sure it is fungal wilt, the best thing to do is destroy the plant.)

Fusarium Wilt Fusarium wilt is wilt that occurs quickly and watering doesn’t help. The plant will look healthy, and then they start to wilt. It might only affect half the plant at first, but will quickly spread to the whole plant and quickly kill it. It’s caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici and it can survive in the soil over the winter. This nasty fungus is best prevented by crop rotation and using an organic bio-fungicide such as Mycostop.

Less likely is Early blight, "large black spots surrounded by wide areas of yellow spots on tomato plant leaves. The leaves will have a characteristic pattern described as an oyster shell or bullseye."

Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt 

Fusarium and Verticillium wilt are caused by fungi in the soil that enters your tomato plants through the tender, young roots. The fungi then plugs the vessels that gets water from the roots to the stems. As you can imagine, your plants will begin to decay due to lack of water flow. On sunny days your plants will appear wilted, then appear to recover during the night (wilting may first appear in the lower or upper leaves of the plant, causing discoloration). Eventually leaves will die backward from the leaf tips as the wilting spreads throughout the entire tomato plant. Fusarium wilt is the most common tomato plant disease in regions with warm weather regions as well as in cooler regions during the periods of warmest weather. 

To avoid these tomato plant wilt diseases, make a point to plant tomatoes bred for disease resistance (Heirloom tomato varieties in particular not bred to withstand these types of diseases are particularly susceptible to tomato wilt). Look for plants labeled with an "F," "FF," or "FFF" (for Fusarium variations), or with a "V" (for Verticillium). Be sure not to overwater your tomato plants--a wilted plant does not mean it needs more water, so check the soil. If it's dry, then go ahead and water.

If your tomato plants are affected by any of these wilt diseases, extract and destroy them. Do NOT place them in your compost pile. Do not plant tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, or eggplants in affected soil for four to six years because of residual fungus that remains in the soil (corn and beans won't be affected). Keep affected soil well weeded as their roots continue feeding on the fungi. - https://maggiesfarmproducts.com/blogs/tips-tricks/tomato-diseases

Then there is, "when older leaves on tomato plants turn yellow while the veins remain green, the macronutrient may be just what the doctor ordered. Mottled yellow leaves that eventually turn brown and drop off are a sign of magnesium deficiency in tomatoes. Applying a foliar spray of 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per foot of height of the tomato plants dissolved in 1 gallon of water can help alleviate symptoms. - https://homeguides.sfgate.com/can-epsom-salt-used-fight-tomato-blight-98447.html

Other info on Early Blight beside the common measures (spacing, much, drip watering, amputation of affected, sanitizing equipment, etc.):

Seek out tomato varieties that have resistance or tolerance to early blight, indicated by the capital letter “A” (for Alternaria) after the variety name on plant tags or seed packet descriptions. A few varieties to look for include ‘Iron Lady’, ‘Jasper’, ‘Mountain Magic’ and ‘Big Beef’.

Products recommended for control of early blight include Serenade®, sulfur or copper based fungicides, potassium bicarbonate and fungicides containing chlorothalonil. All are considered organic except chlorothalonil. - http://masterofhort.com/tag/early-blight/

A good and more extensive page on blights and w/ lists on resistant toms is https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/tomato-diseases-disorders/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Early Blight is something that plagues me in wet seasons such as this one.

But, rotating crops/beds and growing blight-resistant varieties helps A LOT, as does a spray of copper when you’re doing that first pruning of the season.

I couldn’t get to any of that this season as it rained every 18 hours or so for weeks on end.

It is what it is. Some years you just have to take your losses and move on, LOL!

I am SO GLAD that I know how to get to the grocery store if need be. ;)

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the ping. Just got back from a visit with my grand daughter and her brand new baby boy. While I was gone, hubby decided to go to the farmers market-he could not resist their beautiful tomatoes. Ha.

Then he went out and brought in a bunch of tomatoes from his garden. We have been picking them at first blush-so squirrels don’t get them-wash, let dry sometimes wrap in newspaper to ripen.

When ripe, I slice them in quarters and put in a ziplock bag and put into the freezer until I get enough to can. Well, the freezer is full. And I have 2 counters full of tomatoes, and cucumbers. So after I get a good night’s sleep, I’ll be CANNING tomorrow.

Plan to read the rest of the thread-with coffee tomorrow morning. Severe shortage of canning lids here. I have plenty of wide mouth, but getting low on the regular size.

[SunshinesStormySummerSon]

Would you consider sharing your recipes?

[daniel1212]

Early Blight is something that plagues me in wet seasons such as this one. But, rotating crops/beds and growing blight-resistant varieties helps A LOT, as does a spray of copper when you’re doing that first pruning of the season. I couldn’t get to any of that this season as it rained every 18 hours or so for weeks on end. It is what it is. Some years you just have to take your losses and move on, LOL! I am SO GLAD that I know how to get to the grocery store if need be. ;)

Thanks. I plan to look into the blight-resistant varieties, and I am not alone in seeing this "plague" here. Abnormally dry and hot late July may have something to do with it. But no lack of food around here, thank God, though I think famine will come in the future.

[Qiviut]

Of course!

Wonderful Salsa
https://chickensintheroad.com/farm-bell-recipes/wonderful-salsa/?fbclid=IwAR2uBBLLthqf9AK2nvdLxmE9xO_UbsxrQ9HQSFBdfzS5R-PqJhl1dDTieIk

I use jalapenos instead of benana peppers (my family likes “hot” salsa). I do 1JP & 2JP batches ... the number refers to how many jalapenos are in the batch ... I just cut off the stem end, chop the pepper into chunks & throw it in the food processor to make smaller bits - seeds, membranes & all.

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Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
Source: Page 59 Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

Ingredients:

3/4 pound jalapeno peppers (use mostly red jalapenos for pretty color)
2 cups cider vinegar (5% acidity)
6 cups sugar
2 3-ounce pouches Ball Liquid Pectin [or 1 box ‘dry’ Sure-Jell ‘original’ - yellow box]
Green food coloring (optional if using green peppers)

Yield:
about 5 half-pint jars (I typically got 6 to 7 per batch)

Prep:
Wash peppers under cold running water drain.
Remove stems & seeds.
Puree peppers with 1 cup cider vinegar in a food processor or blender

Cook [liquid pectin]:
Combine pepper puree, 1 cup cider vinegar & sugar in a large saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
Boil 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add Pectin (liquid).
Bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.
Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat.
Skim off foam if necessary.

Cook [dry pectin]:
Do not add the sugar in the first boil, but added the DRY pectin instead
Bring mixture (vinegar, pepper puree, pectin) to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
Add the sugar, pre-measured, all at once.
Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly.

Fill:
Ladle into jelly jar leaving 1/4 inch headspace

Process:
Half-pint jars for 10 minutes at a rolling boil, covered.
Turn off heat, remove cover, let jars cool for 5 minutes.
Cool 12 hours, check seals, label & store.

My Notes - I only use red jalapenos. The jelly color is a beautiful amber - if you use green, the color is sort of a muddy green which is why many use green food coloring to get a better color.

Also, using the powdered pectin is not in the Ball Blue book - I found the method in the comments for Blackberry Merlot Jelly. I only use the dry pectin method now - it’s worked for me every time & it’s a lot cheaper than liquid pectin.

When using powdered pectin, you dump the sugar in all at once. Do NOT panic - you will have large sugar clumps! Keep calm & stir on, smashing clumps with the back of your spoon (or whatever you’re using) against the pot. By the time the mixure returns to the ‘full rolling boil’ that you need, you will have time to work out the clumps. I almost had a heart attack the first time I used this method & saw the clumping!!

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Since I mentioned Blackberry Merlot Jelly, here’s the recipe for that - I have friends who “beg” for this one, too - one friend asks for it as her birthday present every year! She only eats it on her English Muffin on Sundays, so it will last longer.

https://highlandsranchfoodie.com/blackberry-merlot-jelly-recipe-holiday-gifts-from-the-kitchen/

My Notes:
For pectin: 1 pouch Certo (liquid pectin) OR
1 package Sure-Jell low sugar pectin (pink box)

Cheap Merlot from Walmart (Oak Leaf?) works really well - $2.97. The Merlot flavor really comes through.

Blackberries - I’ve used fresh, frozen & canned (drain the juice off the berries if using canned). If you buy blackberries in season & freeze them in recipe sized amounts (4 oz), they are essentially mush when you thaw them - perfect for the recipe.

If you have any questions, let me know - I’ll try to answer them. Enjoy! :-)