WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD NOV. 16, 2018

freerepublic | NOV. 16, 2018 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

he 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.

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!

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 are welcomed any time-and don't have to be about gardening.

[greeneyes]

Greetings from MO. We finally had a decent day of 50 degree weather today. Schools dismissed early Wed. and canceled on Thurs.

We did not get a particularly deep snow, and most was melted today. Next several days will be warmer than this past week.

Focusing on housecleaning and getting ready for Thanksgiving for next week. Not much garden news going on this winter.

Hope everyone is doing well. Prayers up for all. Stay warm. God Bless.

[greeneyes]

Pinging the List.

[Fai Mao]

The mango tree is flowering again.

So, just past Christmas we’ll have 700 to 1000 pounds of mangoes. (It’s a big tree)

[greeneyes]

That’s incredible from just one tree!

[left that other site]

I had a wonderful mango tree in S. Florida that produced like that. I loved it! :-)

[Fai Mao]

The tree is about 50 feet tall. It is a mature tree. If I fertilize it we can get 2 crops per year off it. (I don’t fertilize it for that reason. If we dehydrate the mangoes one crop is all we can eat in a year.)

[SkyDancer]

Here.

[greeneyes]

We are still trying to get just one fruit off our various fruit trees.

[oldvirginian]

My tomato plants did great this year.
First year I planted in pots so it was a gamble.
Even with 10 gallon pots the plants grew like crazy and produced enough yummy tomatoes for the neighborhood.

My only problem was the variety I planted. Beef Master is an indeterminate variety. I had forgotten how those things grow! Tomato vines everywhere!
Nice meaty tomatoes, great for burgers, sandwiches and biscuits.
Next year I go with a determinate variety.

My peppers I planted in an old flower bed.
Green, red and yellow Bell peppers and they were fantastic.
A neighbor stole most of the green peppers but I ended up with enough for myself, my mom and plenty stashed in the freezer for winter use.

I planted 4 banana peppers of an unknown variety. Those plants had to be staked as they ended up growing. 5 ft tall.
Plenty of good banana peppers for myself, my landlord and a neighbor.

I’m a pepper fanatic.
I put peppers on hotdogs, burgers, steaks. I even put peppers in mac and cheese!

Just thinking about it gets me hyped for next year. Can’t wait.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[greeneyes]

Good thinking.

[greeneyes]

Howdy.

[greeneyes]

Sounds like a good production this year.

[left that other site]

Sometimes it takes a few years for the tree to mature.

Sometimes the flowers don’t get pollinated’

And sometimes...it just flops.

And then one year will be an awesome bumper crop.

It’s hard to tell sometimes (((shrug)))

[bgill]

I had a bunch of hanging file folders that were headed to the trash but had an idea. The metal pieces make good little sticks to hold up coverings for pot plants. The hooked ends don't poke through the coverings and you can use a twist tie around the hooks to hold the covering secure.

Since my knee won't let me garden outside, I'm going to try a makeshift mini greenhouse. I brought in a shelving unit from the garage and am going to divide it in half which will make two 3 shelf units. Have 2 clear shower curtains which will need to be attached to make a greenhouse. Thinking sticky Velcro. It will sit in front of a bank of west facing windows. And plant lights. Any suggestions?

Then there's keeping the kitties off.

[Lopeover]

Excuse me, but I don’t know what indeterminate versus determinant tomatoes means.

[oldvirginian]

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised with the tomatoes. I was afraid the pots were too small but they worked great.
I ate tomatoes until I was tired of them. :)

[MtnClimber]

Still cold with snow here in the Colorado Rockies. The people at the ski resorts are happy.

[greeneyes]

This year we did finally have some fruit. However the squirrels ate them all before maturity.

[greeneyes]

Sounds good to me. Not sure why you need the plastic, if it’s going to be inside, in front of windows.

Humidity in winter tends to be dry - I have used an old crockpot that had a broken plastic knob on the lid. So took it off and that left a hole the size of a pencil in the glass lid.

Put water in the crockpot on low and put the lid with hole in it on the pot. Brings the humidity up and gives a little warmth too.

[greeneyes]

Determinate tomatoes will have harvest within a certain days to maturity. Roma Tomatoes for example.

Indeterminate tomatoes will have fruit all season long.