pepperhead212's 2024 garden

[pepperhead212]

I got a few more things out there today, with some more that are maybe one day away from ready. I got the first eggplants today, and quite a few more of those Big Mics - definitely the earliest peppers yet. I got a few more sunsugars and a fully ripe juliet, with several more half-ripe ones on those. And I got several half-ripe Napa Rose, and one Zluta Kytice. And a few others just showing hints of ripening, but not enough to pick them. And one cucumber about 6", with several almost as large, but I have to use 2 in the fridge before picking any!
First eggplant of the season - an Ichiban, and 2 Asian Delights, plus more of those Big Mic peppers, 6-24 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I went out later, and I swear those cucumbers had grown some!

[pepperhead212]

I got a few more tomatoes ripening yesterday, mostly sunsugar, but a few more juliet, napa rose, zluta kytice, and the first 4 Bronze Torch Hybrids. These look very much like the Green Tigers I grew years ago, which were some of the best tasting and producing, until they started splitting one year. Hopefully, this will be like the old ones, with no splitting. I got a couple of juliets with BER, but I think it was just from growing against the irrigation line - one of the Early Blue Ribbons did this, before I could catch it, and I had to pull it.
First cucumber, and more tomatoes. 6-25 That Bronze Torch Hybrid looks much like the Green Tiger I grew years ago, until they started splitting uncontrollably. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got another cuke and another EP today, but didn't stay out there long, given that heat index, and very little wind, unlike the last two days. Heat index forecast for triple digits again, before the rain gets here.

[Wildcat82]

Sounds like you're experiencing some Texas weather. Your cherry varieties should stand up to the heat better.

[pepperhead212]

Today was a nice day, finally, and I took the 4 types of garlic, plus the small amount of Metechi, I filled up 4 and 7 spots I didn't have enough Estonian Reds or Georgian Fires to fill the rows. I saved the largest of the different varieties, the two largest were Misics, which are huge single cloves, looking like onions! The Bogotyr is a new variety for me this year, and a lot are fairly large, double cloves, most of which I saved, for fall planting.
Georgian Fire, the least of any of the varieties this year, but a couple the largest of any of them. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Estonian Red, saved the largest of the batch to plant again in the fall, the rest I'll use first. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bogotyr, the new one I have the most of this year. Many are smaller, but with only 2 cloves each, which are fairly large. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Music, most uniform heads. 2, however, were huge, single cloves, which I will plant, in the fall, with the other largest cloves. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

That's lovely garlic! And an interesting way to mark them. I'll likely be harvesting mine soon as well, if it would kindly stop raining! Though of course, if I ask it to stop raining, it won't rain for the next month and I'll have to water LOL

[pepperhead212]

Besides that garlic yesterday, I got about 2 qts of the smaller tomatoes - Sunsugar, Juliet, Napa Rosa, Zluta Gold, and the first time for Ron's Carbon Copy, plus one more cuke and eggplant. Today I picked my first larger tomatoes - Oaxacan Jewel and Early Blue Ribbon, with a couple of others with hints of ripening, probably from that heat I've had in June!
Not super large ones, but a couple of the non-cherry/salad varieties are ripening. The Oaxacan Jewel is the earliest larger variety I have grown the last two years.
Larger tomatoes ripening - largest is Oaxacan Jewel, 4.8 oz, smallest are Early Blue Ribbon, 2.4 oz. 6-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

My first bottle gourd is almost ready to harvest - I figure I'll harvest it about 8", and the next one about 10", if there is no seed production visible. There are several more that I hand pollinated, including the one today. This variety was that old OP variety that had more female than male flowers, while I had a couple of larger varieties that did not provide well, sometimes with all female, and no male flowers, or visa-versa. The second one to the left of the one producing is starting to take off now, and show some buds, and I'll find out how it compares (had to replant it, because something dug it up early). The Snow Melons are finally taking off now - had to replant those, too, due to varmints.
Bottle Gourd, about 7" long, pollinated maybe 5 days ago. Another male flower beneath it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Bottle Gourd with flower open about 7 pm. 6-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Open flower on the Bottle Gourd, ready to pollinate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[bower]

That Bottle Gourd is worth growing for the flowers alone! Very pretty.

[pepperhead212]

Another ~2 qts of tomatoes today - about half of one of those 4 qt bowls. And I cut that first bottle gourd, a couple more cukes, and 3 more of that productive eggplant variety - Asian Delight hybrid. The heat I had didn't bother those at all!
About 2 qt tomato harvest again, 7-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Non-tomato harvests, 7-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got quite a bit done out there today, though I only picked the tomatoes from one plant - the Rosella - because I ended up pulling the plant, because it came down with a severe blight, that nothing else has gotten (KOW), and I have only seen this severe browning happen with one other variety I grew years ago - Yellow Plum - which I also had to pull early, and nothing else got the blight. A good # of tomatoes on the plant, and I waited until something was starting to ripen, until I pulled all of them, then pulled the plant. The photo I took didn't show much. Another plant that didn't do well was the tomatillos - they didn't set a single fruit, despite having the two plants next to each other, and even hand pollinated a few flowers (even though I see bees in the flowers all the time), and nothing happened! Today, while weed-wacking, I saw at least 4 volunteers, so I dug up 3, and replaced those 2 originals, plus that Rosella, that I pulled. After planting, I did a drenching of the plants and the soil with the Bonide Revitalize - hopefully, these volunteers are a little tougher than the originals.

My okra had a few aphids on them again, but were starting to produce. The 3 first pods, that I left on the largest plants, were hard, and at least 8" each, but I left them, just to be sure. Those are the ones I always save for seeds, before the other varieties are flowering, so no chance of crossing. And the Emerald had also started flowering, so it's just those first 3 Little Lucys I keep. After harvesting, I prepared a small amount of pyrethrin spray, and spread that on the okra, and around the base, to kill the aphids and ants.

Later, the last thing before coming inside, I sprayed some weeds with some 20% acetic acid. This kills most of the weeds, though the roots might require a second application.

After coming inside, I started breaking down my hydroponics - usually, I do this about 3 weeks before this. I cut out a bunch of basil from the two plants, and cut out all the tops, and roots, and then drained the tubs. Tomorrow, I'll take them outside, and hose them out.
The end of the basil from the hydroponics, got a generous cup chopped up. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

This was the smaller of the rootballs, from the basils!
Some of the roots on one of the basil plants, from the hydroponics, 7-2. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[rossomendblot]

The root systems of hydroponic plants always amaze me. This is my second year of growing basil Kratky style, it's incredible how quickly the plants take off once their roots get going.

[JayneR13]

I'm also amazed by hydroponics root balls! They're so much thicker than in soil and yes, the plants really take off once the roots get established. Then it's just a matter of cut and come again until the plants get bitter, which I've found to be 2-3 months. And it is to laugh that you cleaned yours out yesterday. I did the same thing, cleaning out my old unit and replacing it with a new GardenCube since the old one was on the fritz.

@rossomendblot do you find that you're able to add nutrients to your Kratky jars? Mine did fine until the nutrients were used up. When I added fresh stuff, the plants would invariably die.

[pepperhead212]

I got the first ripening of several tomatoes today, the Pruden's Purple sort of surprised me. The Genuwine hybrid was the largest, so far; only 8.2, so nothing huge, but nice. The first ripening Superfantastik, and a few of those Negro Aztekas ripened, with no more BER, which I had quite a few with, at first. The flavor of that Negro Azteka is really good - stronger than that other black cherry this year - Ron's Carbon Copy - which is a little milder, even after ripening a few days longer.
About 1 1/2 qts cherries and other small tomatoes, the darker black ones are the first Negro Aztekas to ripen. 7-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Genuwine, Pruden's Purple, Oaxacan Jewel, and a Superfantastic. 7-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

UD: I tasted two of these things that looked ripened, but were spitters. I wasn't going to try any more! I've had tomatoes I could save, from dead or almost dead plants, but not these. And there were a good number of tomatoes on that plant!
All of the tomatoes I harvested from that ROSELLA plant, that I pulled, due to a severe blight. Many are ripening. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I picked the second bottle gourd, almost double the weight of the first, just 2" longer. 27.2 oz, vs. 14.7 oz. And the first Matrosik picked - the only non-Asian variety for me. Only 14.95 oz - I know some others that have gotten this variety to 24 oz, so now I know what it looks like.
1st Matrosik EP, and 2nd bottle gourd, with another Asian Delight EP, 7-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's a photo showing 3 more bottle gourds forming, including the one pollinated today. There are actually 8 bottle gourds started on the one plant - the second plant, has some buds started, so it won't be too far behind.
Bottle gourds, the open one getting pollinated now, the other two pollinated the last two days. On the one plant there are 8 pollinated females, and one that will probably open tomorrow.. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[rossomendblot]

I'm also amazed by hydroponics root balls! They're so much thicker than in soil and yes, the plants really take off once the roots get established. Then it's just a matter of cut and come again until the plants get bitter, which I've found to be 2-3 months. And it is to laugh that you cleaned yours out yesterday. I did the same thing, cleaning out my old unit and replacing it with a new GardenCube since the old one was on the fritz.

@rossomendblot do you find that you're able to add nutrients to your Kratky jars? Mine did fine until the nutrients were used up. When I added fresh stuff, the plants would invariably die.

Yes, I topped up the basil Kratky containers all summer with nutrient solution last year with no problems. I think the key is to not fill them up too much, since if you submerge the air roots the plant will die. The air roots look fluffier than the water roots. The general advice seems to be to only half refill the container.

[JayneR13]

Interesting. I'll have to try that! Of all the opinions I discovered while researching the matter, none gave that particular tidbit. Thanks!