Posted on 09/05/2020 7:02:44 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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It’s nice that they keep their bright color!
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I buy small marigolds at the nursery where I get my tomato plants. I like to plant them in the tomato beds - in the past, they haven't gotten very big, but bloomed nicely. I keep them deadheaded which keeps them blooming.
This year was different. I had some old seeds, some were a little moldy, but I planted them anyway. Three came up out of all the seeds. A couple of weeks ago, I found some marigold seeds at the store & planted a few more. One variety was a "giant" marigold.
So here's the result - the 3 that came up from the old seed are the best, bushiest, prettiest marigolds I've ever had. I did water them when they were young & we've had plenty of rain. The "giants" I planted had to be staked up when they were about a foot tall. They are now at least 3 feet tall & starting to bloom with large yellow blossoms.
I like marigolds in the garden - they tend to be "sturdy" plants & do well once established. They definitely add some color. Supposedly, they help keep pests away:
"Scientists have discovered that using marigolds around plants such as roses, strawberries, potatoes and tomatoes, deters root knot nematodes, tiny worms that live in the soil. Although it hasn’t been proven, many long-time gardeners claim that marigolds also control pests like tomato hornworms, cabbageworms, thrips, squash bugs, white flies and others. Do marigolds keep bugs away? The best way to find out is to experiment in your own garden, and you really can’t go wrong. Marigolds are beautiful, and there’s no doubt that they attract a variety of beneficial insects that prey on bad bugs, which is a very positive attribute indeed!"
I have marigolds in 3 of my 4 raised beds. This is an 8' bed & the 3 marigolds from homegrown seed are almost across the whole bed! The 3 plants behind are the "giants" from commercial seed.
One of my favorite marigold varieties (don't know the name, unfortunately). The centers are a puffy gold with beautiful maroon petals around the gold.
The "giants" that just started blooming. I have some leftover seed so will plant next year, but probably won't do it again when I run out of seed. They have to be staked up & the flowers are nice, but there are other varieties that I like better.
PS - if you 'right click' on a photo & then select "view image", you can see a much larger version of the photo.
It’s a sad day for my brother when he runs out of the season’s homemade cayenne pepper - he loves the stuff.
I like “hot” for the most part so your hot pepper powders sounds really good.
Beautiful day, so far. Cool with a nice breeze. I may be opening my windows if this continues. Tomatoes keep rolling in, plenty of basil. The seeds I recently sowed have sprouted so just waiting for them to get more leaves so I can transplant. Wishing all in the group a safe and happy Labor Day!
Thanks for the response. I am such a beginner I didn't know about deadheading until your response, so all I did was add more water when the flowers faded. So far they are now doing OK. -Tom
Cayenne Peppers are loaded with seeds. 1 pepper would give you enough plants to last a lifetime. If he's running out he just needs to plant a couple more. The other nice thing about Cayennes is that they are dead simple to grow, the seeds germinate in days. Most of my superhots need to be kept with the soil at about 85-90 degrees for up to a month. I have a small plastic greenhouse that sits on a heat mat so I can monitor the temperature. Cayenne seeds go on a wet paper towel that sits on a plate on the kitchen counter.
I have a couple of plants because my wife likes to use fresh Cayennes when she makes her curries.
I think he has plenty of peppers, it’s more a function of how many he grinds!
I use quite a bit of cayenne ... I should try growing/grinding some - maybe next year. I’m revamping a few beds & changing up what I plant & where. I think I’d have room for a couple of plants. Thanks for all the info!
Get yourself a dehydrator if you want to make powders. They do a better job than the sun unless you live in the tropics. I don’t get a drop of rain between mid May and mid September, the temperature never drops out of the 80’s and I still need a dehydrator for final drying.
I have a pretty nice one! I got it to dehydrate tuna for backpacking trips, but I’ve used it for tomatoes.
If only saving a small amount, smear the juice and seeds onto a paper towel and let dry. If saving a large amount, squeeze the juice and seeds into a bowl. You can ferment them for a few days to separate the seeds from the pulp, or mix in a tiny bit of Oxyclean and let sit for 30 minutes. Either way, rinse afterward using a fine-mesh strainer, then spread the seeds on a plate and let dry.
Make sure you label them! If you have more than one variety drying at a time, label them before setting them out to dry. I still keep finding paper plates or little baggies filled with unlabelled seeds, because I assumed I’d remember which was which.
The peppers on the rack I posted are cut in half. I removed the seeds from the best ones so I can share them with other pepperheads. I always dehydrate peppers outside because the house will stink to high heaven if you try doing it indoors.
.... the house will stink to high heaven if you try doing it indoors
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I quickly learned to dehydrate outside ... imagine what tuna smelled like!!
Let me check.....Yep! I am a pepperhead.
How do go about prying a dozen seeds out of you?
Haha
Send me a PM with your address and what kind of heat tolerance you have. I grow lots of exotic types that are hard to find in the USA like Hallow's Eve, Komodo Dragon and Armageddon but I also have milder ones like Aleppo, Farmers Market Jalapeno and all of the colored Jalapenos cultivated by New Mexico State University. I just have to warn you that mail between Spain and the USA has been slow. I had to resend seeds to someone in Minnesota and ones I sent to a lady in Texas just arrived yesterday after a month. But you should be set for next season.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer
Blender can coconut cream, tb vanilla, 6 tb maple syrup, 2 tb
pumpkin puree, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Pour into glass jar w/ lid.
SUGGESTION: Brew together 5 scoops Pumpkin Spice and
5 scoops Hazelnut ground coffee. Tastes great w/ creamer.
Incoming!
Signed,
Frank Giustra
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Is this the same Giustra that is associated with the Clintons?
That name makes the hair on my neck stand up and scream.
Love the Totem. The builders have finally started on the Shed. Hubby had to quit-Dr. ordered him to stop heavy lifting.
Sub floor in on. Concrete top over the storm shelter will be poured next week.
Glad we ordered most of the materials in advance—prices have almost tripled—that’s gonna take the wind out of the housing industry sales.
I am continuing to make Lacto Fermented Salsa. Stuff is addictive. Need to dig potatoes and start preparing beds for fall plantings.
Time seems to move faster and faster.
Those are some beautiful peppers. We got zip for peppers this year. On the bright side though-for the first year in a long time the cantaloupe vines lasted long enough to get a few ripe cantaloupes before dying overnight.
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