Posted on 07/13/2012 8:35:18 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning and happy Friday (the 13th) to all of my FRiends and fellow gardeners! My special thanks go to Ellendra for posting the thread while I took a week to go to the mountains. I was hoping to find relief from the heat, only to find that it was in the 90's in SE Montana, not much cooler than here in Louisiana.
I began the long process of becoming a fly fisherman, and I am hooked, so to speak. Just what I needed ... another hobby to compete for my limited time!
Today is the first time I've seen the sun since Monday ... the rain followed me all the way from Kansas City, and it has stayed around. Thank goodness! It is my sincere hope that y'all are receiving some beneficial rainfall.
Before leaving on the trip, I spent 4 days making fig preserves ... the Italian White Fig tree was covered in a bumper crop, unlike anything I've ever seen. I also got all of my wild plum juice turned into beautiful jelly, and harvested another 5-gallon bucket of honey from the beeyard.
So ... what's going on with you???
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.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
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I’ve been using a combination of rat traps and live catch traps.
We are overrun this year with them and they are feasting on my tomatoes.
2 kills so far...
Compared to you, "Nut-N-Honey!"
Get out while you can!
One of those almost ate President Carter!!
They’re vicious, intractable, intrepid, and unstoppable!!!
Or, you could just serve it for dinner, with a side of fresh veggies.
Glad to hear from you JADB, was a little worried, cause we didn’t know what was going on, and was praying you were OK and just too busy or something.
I had to travel to a conference and just got back on Wednesday. While I was gone, Hubby tended my garden and his. Squirrels ate all of the 9 really nice green tomatoes(probably thirsty).
I forgot to put up the sheet I was using for afternoon shade (took it down during high winds - very little rain), so tomatoes are pretty sad to look at. Got them all watered and the shade back up. I think I’ll also trim them back a little.
We are hauling water (about 30-50 gallons per day) to water the perenials and fruit, nut, and 2 Maple trees. All of the trees are beginning to have yellow leaves and dropping leaves and fruit. Annuals are burnt to a crisp.
Praying for Rain. Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Would you mind taking a trip through Wisconsin? It’s been weeks since we had rain, I’m starting to forget what it looks like.
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Ditto come on through about 75 miles south of St. Louis, it’s not much out of the way!LOL
Pictures of that hoop arbor for grapes would be a beauty to behold. Hint Hint. Pleeeeeeease? LOL
What? Rain? We haven’t had any since early June. I saw a neighboring farmer plowing his corn under this week.
I hope it wasn’t too great a loss. It was just a little field that is normally made into a corn maze for the Farm to Market store at the corner for the kiddies at Hallowe’en.
But, still it made me :(
The low clouds/high fog rolled in on the 5th and won’t leave due to the heating of the great valleys to our east which causes a onshore flow but the sport fishermen are limiting out on King Salmon in as little as 20 minutes once they leave the bay. One small boat was catching them in 20 to 30 feet of water. I am worried about late blight in my potatoes as the tops are very lush. I’ll post more later when I can get on my iMac...
We have been “house sitting” for a neighbor and they have a fig tree that is about 25 feet tall. It is loaded with figs and many can be picked from their second story balcony and walkway.
We have cooked up a bunch of fig jelly and added a packet of strawberry jello [recipe my mom used]. It tastes just like any other homemade strawberry jelly.
Do some research on drying Figs for winter eating.
I remember doing that on the farm as a kid. I’ll see if they mind us picking more. We also dried pears and peaches as well.
Still hot and dry in Central Missouri. Fortunately the string of 100° days was broken last weekend. The mid to upper 90°s we’ve been having this week has actually felt pleasant. Still no rain to speak of. It went north, it went south, it went east and it went west but all it did at my place was settle the dust. In spite of all that the garden is doing fairly well. The tomatoes that set before the 100° stuff got here are ripening now and absolutely delicious. Cucumbers are starting to make. Ambrosia cantelope vines are loaded with softball sized melons. 2nd planting of sweetcorn is approaching waist high. Pepper plants are loaded with developing fruit.
The rain just started here. Coming down in buckets. Lightning, thunder. My husband has been patching the roof at work. I hope he got it finished before this all started.
Not quite that bad, but almost, despite having served in the Navy Reserves. Doesn't stop me from going out whenever I have a chance (not too often, oddly enough, since leaving Oregon for SD) because I can fish & 'bark at the seals" simultaneously; it is a multitasking gift. When I finally stop chumming, the skipper may as well head on back in, because no one is going to catch any more fish.
I get car sick, too, on curvy roads, unless I'm driving; then I can either mosey or let'er rip, and not get sick either way.
Is it possible for you to describe the process? I bought an inexpensive electric dehydrator once and it was a disaster.
We used to pick fruit that was close to being ripe, slice pears or apples really thin, put the slices on a towel and and let dry on the screened in porch.
Peaches were cut into halves and seeds removed. We also put them on towels, cut side up and let them dry on the screened in porch. After a few days, just turn them over. It takes about two or three times on each side to make dried fruit to eat in the winter.
We also have a back yard with more peppers down there. To get an idea of how big those Tabasco plants are, the fence they are up against is 6 feet tall. The smaller plant, which really isn't small at all, is another Ghost Pepper plant. To the left of the 2 Tabascos, not in the picture, is a huge Habanero plant. The grass is all dead so not everything is thriving in the heat.
Think you don't have room for a garden? This Ghost Pepper plant is in a pot that is 7.25 inches tall and 12 inches across. There are already over 150 peppers on it, enough to keep your food spicy for years if you dry them out and store them in jars.
Look at all of the peppers on this one section of plant to get an idea of how prolific these plants are once you get them established
Hopefully my next set of pictures will be of Datil Peppers, my latest project. I have 4 plants established but no flowers yet. Even if they did get flowers this early in their growth I'd pinch them off so the stems and roots get a chance to grow strong and bear even more fruit in the long run.
If any of you care to give growing Ghost Peppers a try drop me a PM and I'll send you some seeds. If you start them within the next couple of weeks you may have some fruit by September. Even if you didn't you can bring them indoors, let them grow during the winter and look forward to a monster crop next season.
I remember my Mother drying fruit outside on old rusty window screens in FResno County in the 30s and 40s. She covered the fruit with cheese cloth to protect from flies and bugs. I still buy dried apricots to this day but I have to be careful as I now have type II Diabetes...
What was the disaster, particularly? I have a Excalibur 9-tray dehydrator, because I do a lot of drying fruits, veggies, and meats. Even my first batch came out very well.
For peaches or pears, I pit the fruit and slice it up about 1/4 inch thick. I immediately put them in a bath of cold water with Fruit Fresh added ... this keeps the fruit from turning brown while drying. Take them out of the water/Fruit Fresh bath and quickly dry them on a towel. Then I place them in the dehydrator in single layers, set the temp for fruit, and let the dehydrator do the rest.
If I can help you in any way, please let me know. :)
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