Posted on 10/17/2020 7:02:29 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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An update on the bell pepper plants that I brought indoors. They were loaded with blossoms, all of which have fallen off (stems and all). Yet, the leaves look very healthy (except for a minor nip from the night before I brought them indoors). I’m even getting new growth of leaves. They really seem to like the east window.
If I can keep them alive through the winter, are they likely to bear next spring when I set them outdoors again?
Still have relentless heat in the Southwest, temps over 95 degrees for almost a week now.
Native plants and bee garden are going strong. I may have to expand those gardens.
Everything in the garden stores is cactus, aloes and succulents. Our front yards here are starting to look more and more like Arizona - gravel with cactus replacing lawns due to water issues.
Ha. Cute pumpkin meme. Well we had some frost a few days ago. Fall has been cooler than usual. I had to move the lemon trees and stuff into the green house. I also covered them with row covers, since I needed to keep them warmer.
I am making room to bring the lemon trees indoors. I have one bed of garlic planted. 4 of the raised beds are planted with a mixed cover crop. I have 5 beds left to clean up and plant. One will be some more garlic, if they are ever delivered. They were really slow last year too, but such beautiful big beauties when they finally got here, that I ordered some more.
Hubby is still working on the shed/root & storm shelter. Still has one last pour for the concrete. Still putting down the steel. Will have to get the pour done soon or wait till spring. Trusses were delivered yesterday—so waiting would be really bad.
I also should have already harvested the tumeric. Got to try and dig it up this weekend. First time for a harvest to use it-I want to save some in a pot and will bring it indoors for the winter.
Question for the brain trust ... do I need to rotate the garden and plant the tomatoes somewhere else next year? They are at the bottom of the hill, facing south east, sheltered by the house this year and did well. Could put them at the top of the hill between house next year. Would have morning sun and some afternoon shade. All sun this year.
Asking because the later ones had issues. Cracks, holes and irregular dry white spots.
I harvested some lemon verbena about 3 weeks ago to start the process of making a liqueur from it. Last week I did step 2 which was to add the sugar. Next week I get to strain and enjoy!
We had our second round of freezing temps on Thursday. (I’m in central Indiana.) I try to overwinter many flowers and potted plants as I can. So now instead of it looking like a florist or garden center outside, it’s looking like a greenhouse on the inside.
This year I’m repurposing my dining room to see if I can take better care of the plants than I did last year having them out of sight, out of mind in the basement. We figured that because of CoVid we aren’t likely to need a set up for 8 people. The most we will have is 5 total, and we can accommodate that in our sunroom just off the kitchen. I am buying grow lights and getting it set up. So fingers crossed I will be somewhat more successful this year with overwintering plants than I was last year.
It was another dry week here in Central Missouri. First frost of the season two nights ago.
Priority project for the weekend is to build a new condo of doom deer stand for Mrs. Augie. Tree fell on her old one and wiped it out.
Tomatoes are hanging on. BLTs for breakfast this morning...
Yes, if you can keep them a live, they should perk up again outside when temperatures are safe for them again. Your main issue will be them needing MORE light - they need a SOUTH-facing window at a minimum and/or supplemental grow-lights if possible.
Secondly, keep a sharp eye for Whitefly and Aphids. When a plant is stressed, they send out some sort of signal and bugs WILL come and find your peppers. A spray with soapy water should help if you get them - and you probably will. Those yellow sticky traps would be helpful to have to monitor the situation before it gets out of hand.
Mother Nature knows what her ‘children’ need to thrive. She’s a hard one to fool!
Just cooking up my last batch of tomatoes for sauce.
For tomatoes, you need the sunniest spot possible, so I would probably leave them where they were. Clean out the bed this fall and try not to leave any leaf vegetation behind.
Mulch well this fall or in the spring when you re-plant. Most tomato problems are soil-borne, so if you mulch well, leaving a few inches free around the main stem, you can water directly at the base and not have any soil spores ‘splashing up’ onto the lower leaves, starting problems for you. Heavy rains can cause problems, but if you have a layer of mulch between the soil and the plant, it’s very helpful!
Copper spray is organic and a great cure-all for tomato disease problems. Also, planting disease-resistant (V1, VN in the name) varieties helps a lot, too.
Don’t forget to put Bone Meal in your planting holes for the calcium they need, and use a good fertilizer that has a higher MIDDLE number in the formula for good blooming and fruiting.
One year, I dug up a pepper plant and put it in front of the south west patio door. It actually bloomed and made some fruit during the winter. I didn’t really try to replant it though.
Lady Bender and I got our next years garlic planted yesterday (50 feet) and continue putting the garden to bed for the wet winter months ahead. I will be back here after a breakfast meeting with Old FRiends...
Every day i see a line going thru dunkin donuts drive thru for 3 dollar coffee. Somehow i dont think they’re gardeners.. and that ‘pumpkin spice’ is probably artificial to boot.
Building a hinged hoop cover for a 16’6” long 4 foot wide raised bed that contains eggplants and pepper plants.
16 feet 6 inches you ask? Why? Well I was using scrap lumber and thought “hell...why not take the extra 6 inches?”
Well now my hoop cover has to be made using 2 joined lengths of pvc pipe for the lengths of the roof. We will see if the weight if rainwater over the winter will play nicely with the joined sections.
We will see if the extra 6 inches was worth it. (No crude jokes gentlemen)
I habe a Meyer Lemon tree outside in a pot with about 12 smaller lemons on it.
I keep trying to kill it by drowning akd other bad deeds but the thing just won’t go!
Right now it seems like that stray animal that won’t “Git!” so I may bring it back in the greenhouse this winter and keep it another year.
Tell me about growing tumeric...is it worth it growing space/yield wise? My wofe uses it as a natural supplement.
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