pepperhead212's 2024 garden

[pepperhead212]

Peanut butter.

[JayneR13]

I've used that. I've also seen rodents climb through the back of the snap trap, take the bait, and leave a thank-you note while never tripping the kill bar. Some of them are smarter than some people!

[pepperhead212]

I picked those black cherries today, and even more juliets, that had ripened since those last ones I picked! There were 6 or 7 of them that had blown off the plants, because of the gusty wind early, but I had picked everything with a blush, and all these had ripened, so I picked them again, along with just 3 ripened Bronze Torch Hybrids. The 3 Negro Aztekas in that bowl were from blossoms I had bagged, on the best plant, and I tagged the stem with the fruits, when I removed the bag. I'll let them ripen some more, and save the seeds from those.
More Juliet's ripening in a short time, and those 3 Negro Aztekas on the right, were bagged on the best plant. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the black tomatoes, almost 3 quarts of mostly Negro Aztekas, a few Ron's Carbons. 10-6 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

This is what a bumper year looks like! Wow! I’m a bit jealous lol but I’ll get over it!

[pepperhead212]

I was over at my friend's house today, because she harvested her peppers and most of her tomatoes, and getting the area ready for the garlic I gave them, to grow that for the first time. These peppers were all the ones ripening from just one plant each, most of them the orange Hanoi Market and yellow Datil. My friend wants to plant even more next season, because she likes the colors so much, not because they use the peppers so much. I told her that I'd look for seeds for some similar peppers, but w/o heat.
My friend's peppers, still producing on 10-12, and only 1 plant each! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I didn't actually harvest this today, but I saw this almost ready to harvest some off of today, and these choy sum have a longer growth season listed, than most of the other greens. I'll have to make a simple SF with some, just to see what the flavor is like, compared to the other greens.

First flowers on the largest Choy Sum. 10-12 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Whwoz]

Good for both you and your friend @pepperhead212. One to try and find might be Santa Fe Grande. Maybe best to look for some of the more 'ornamental' types with upright fruit if they are not using the peppers?

[JayneR13]

I grow choy sum in my hydroponics units and also use it in stir fries. It's good! I think you'll enjoy it.

[pepperhead212]

Here is that Choy Sum I harvested some of today, leaving about 2/3 of the plant there, with a bunch of buds on it.
The center, flowering stalk from the choy sum, along with 6 of the larger leaves, from the perimeter. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's that choy sum plant, after cutting about a third of it off. It finally exposed the smallest wu choy beneath it, which should start growing better now, with more light.
The largest Choy Sum on the right, after harvesting the first stalk, and several leaves. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I went out to just harvest the larger tomatoes, but it had been so windy today, that half the ripe juliets were on the ground! So I picked all those up, as well as any on the plants with a hint of ripening, since this would probably happen again. Only a few others were on the ground, but they are usually some the ones to hold on the loosest. And those Amish Gold Slicers, Beefsteaks, and Early Blue Ribbon hybrids, had about 80% of all the rest, on just those plants.
Just the Amish Gold Slicers and Beefsteaks, about 4 quarts. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The rest of the tomatoes, after the Beefsteak and Amish Gold slicer. Mostly Early Blue Ribbon hybrid. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About 3 quarts of Juliet's and Bronze Torch hybrids. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I had a bunch of Sunsugar, Negro Azteka, and other cherries out there, too, but it just got too windy!

[pepperhead212]

Here are some other greens I have out there, besides that choy sum. All of the senposai are large, but one of the Merlot Napa cabbages is considerably larger than any other - so much so I'm thinking of isolating the pot some way, and saving the seeds!
The largest Merlot Napa, so far. That's a 7 gallon planter above, as a size reference. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

5 Merlot Napa cabbages, plus a kohlrabi, where one died. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Largest senposai, so far, almost totally hiding the 5 gallon planter under it. 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are the "smaller" senposai, showing why I only put 2 in each of those SIPs, or one in the 5 gal.
Senposai, the largest of the greens out there, a cross of cabbage and komatsuna, 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And the kohlrabi starting to bulb - largest of about 5 I noticed.
The largest kolibri so far, 10-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

I pulled my last two kohlrabi last night, and will pull the rest of the garden this week. The hard freeze will sweeten the cabbages and maybe the Brussels sprouts. But my garden is done for the year.

[pepperhead212]

Today is supposed to be the coldest night here, so far this fall, yet we are not in the frost advisory area! This is probably due to the very dry air, and the wind we've been having. Still, today I went out and harvested all of the tomatoes - all of the ripe cherries, and anything else that had just a hint of ripeness. Found a few beans, on plants I thought were dead, and a few okra, which are probably the last of the season, even though it is getting warm again.

The Zluta Gold Kytice cherries, and the misc. remaining larger ones, mostly Amish Gold. 10-16 by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Sunsugars, Negro Aztekas, a few Napa Roses, and a few more beans, I thought were dead! 10-16 by pepperhead212, on Flickr



Probably the last okra of the year, but you never know! 10-16 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Here is the second Choy Sum plant harvested, along with 2 large leaves from the first plant. And a photo of the first plant, with 3 more stalks starting to blossom. And that huge Senposai plant, showing how large it has grown, since the first photo. I'll have to harvest some of those soon, since they are the CACA type - cut-and-come-again - what most of these greens I grow are.
That first harvested Choy Sum, with 3 buds starting up, along with many more leaves! 10-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The second Choy Sum harvest, including 2 large leaves from the first plant. 10-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That huge Senposai, largest of 4 - the one behind much smaller, due to shading. Trash can for size reference. 10-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Today I trimmed those lime trees way back, and the curry tree and bay trees a little more, so everything is ready to come in, though the curry tree is the only one I keep rolling in and out, due to the cool nights. I got over half of the trash can filled with the thorny lime branches.
About a half filled trash can, after trimming the 2 Makrut limes, with one plant behind it. 10-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tomorrow, I'll go out front early, and cut out the okra, and zinnia, since they will be in the shade then! Later, the eggplants out back will come out, and anything else that doesn't have anything left on it. Still quite a few green tomatoes, as well as a good number that have started ripening since those last ones I pulled. I might pull everything full sized, just to see what I can pickle; yesterday there were a bunch of undergrown ones, but those cherries can grow fast, and we are supposed to be getting higher than normal temps into next weekend.

[pepperhead212]

In the last week the squirrels destroyed most of those Merlot Napas, and the bok choy in my back garden - I think it's because it has been so dry (today is day 30 w/o rain) that nothing has been growing, other than what I'm growing. They also tore holes in the Agribon, to get to the plants under that. So far, I've trapped 6, and one more out there today, with one trap door still open, last I looked. It's war again.

KOW, they didn't get to the ones on the side, and didn't seem to like the senposai (only a couple bites) or Swiss chard, but the Napa, kohlrabi, lettuce, and bok choy had no leaves left.

[pepperhead212]

I would have left the tomatoes out there, with the heat coming, but when I looked today, some had totally died off (maybe less cold resistant than the others), and there were hardly any ripe tomatoes on the larger ones, only the smaller varieties, mostly the Bronze Torch Hybrids. I cut all the plants out, after harvesting the tomatoes - tomorrow I'll pickle those green ones, or what didn't turn overnight.
Picked all of the tomatoes today - this was about 3 quarts of everything with just a blush, mostly the Bronze Torch hybrid. 10-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here is the last of the green tomatoes, a heaping 4 qt bowl. Most of these will become pickles. 10-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

My Makrut lime trees weren't bothered by the cold so far, and both of them have areas of new growth, after the severe trimming they got. I've been letting them dry out, to bring indoors, but they are still very heavy, while the curry tree and bay laurel I can carry in myself, they have lightened so much.
One of the severely trimmed Makrut Lime trees, with new growth. Both have a new growth like this, but need to get inside soon, still. 10-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

I have a few jars of pickled green tomatoes & peppers, along with some salsa verde. Green tomatoes are useful too! In uncertain times, waste nothing, amirite?

[pepperhead212]

Besides all those tomatoes, I also weedwacked all those dried up garlic chives flat, and I'll have a lot more of them next year, with all those seed heads! I also harvested a bunch of that Syrian Oregano, that is spreading back there every year, and it is an herb that dries well, so I always harvest some about now. And I got what I needed for the hydroponics, from the shed, and continued that this evening.
Syrian Oregano, ready to dry. 10-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Getting the hydroponics set up, the large tub filled, just starting the smaller one. 10-29 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got my hydroponics set up, with the nutrients leveled out, and added some "Karma", and some micorrhyzae powder last night. Today, I got the rooted cuttings planted - all that's left to do is plant seeds (I'm just drawing it up now). I planted all of the basils, but I won't need 2 of any of them - I'll just wait and see which grow best. I have a few new varieties of seeds, but most are tried and tested. I semi-sterilized those cuttings, before planting them, by doing a dunk in a hydrogen peroxide solution - 1 tb/a pint of water.
All of the basil cuttings rooted in 7 days, the Thai basil with a little fewer roots. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The red Epazote all rooted strong, in about 15 days. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Epazote and basil cuttings, planted in the larger hydro tub. Seeds get planted later. 10-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The smaller hydro tub, for seeds later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got almost all of the seeds planted in the hydroponics, the Russian kale, the white stem bok choy (had good success last year with this not bolting quickly), and the new Koquie bok choy, that I've only grown outside this fall. I'll see what it does inside. I planted the new Landrace Mizuna, and the standard green Mizuna. And some leaf lettuce, from seeds that I saved from that plant that went well into August, before bolting. And 3 cilantro, of 2 varieties - Burpee, and Leisure. Only one parsley - the curly (but not triple curly) variety, as the roots in the flat leaf varieties are just too massive, for this. And just the one new Persian dill - I'll be getting new seeds for the Dukat from the outside plants. And one Arugula, which I'll have to plant maybe every 3 weeks, as it grew fast, but bolted fast, so I have to just use it up fast, and pull the roots out, which I won't let get overgrown (last year was my first time with this in hydro).

Oh yeah - I almost forgot that Za'atar I planted - some other new seeds I got from trueloveseeds.com A couple other herbs I got from them I didn't try, as the plants are way to large - 3 and 5 feet tall! They are the Quillaquiña, or Bolivian Coriander, and the Huacatay, or black mint. I got seeds years ago for the Huacatay, but had no germination, so hopefully these will do better.

[pepperhead212]

Here are those winter greens on the side of the house, that the squirrels destroyed most of in the back yard. The choy sum I harvested again today, but the one on the left has never flowered yet, while the other two have had multiple blossoming. I haven't tried that wu choy yet - that's supposed to get sweeter once it gets below freezing.
The greens on the side/front of the house, not bothered, KOW. These are the Koquie bok choy and kolibri. 10-31 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Choy Sum, harvested several times, and the Wu Choy, getting quite large. 10-31 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Those very large Senposai plants, growing back, after harvesting more than half of them. 10-31 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

5 Merlot Napa cabbage plants, and 1 Kolibri, in an Earthbox, after pulling peppers out. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

Yup, it's time for indoor gardening! I've never tried hydroponics from cuttings, but may have to just for fun. And interesting idea to add mycorrhizae to your nutrient solution. I do that for in-ground plants and may have to try that for my hydroponics units as well.