pepperhead212's 2024 garden

[GoDawgs]

I really like the look of that Merlot napa! See what you did? Now I have to try it. Really though, I want to not only because it's really pretty but also because of your comment that the flee beetles don't mess with it. I wonder if the color "disguises" it. Regardless, I'm adding it to my buy list. Thanks!

[pepperhead212]

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all! Anyone else working in the garden today?

I wasn't really working out there - just went out and uncovered the rosemary and sage that I covered several days ago, when I heard about that extreme cold headed this way. I had trimmed close to a 5 gal bucket in combination, to make them shorter, but I still had to put a very large tarp over them. And today, when uncovered, they were not at all affected by the cold nights. Any other super cold weather this winter, I'll just flip the tarp back in place, and put the weights back in place.
Uncovered rosemary and sage, 12-25, after covering, before the 13 and 11 degree nights. Staying in the 20s as far as the forecast shows. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Almost all I have growing now is in the hydroponics (except for those herbs out there), and I have to trim back a bunch of that! I've been using some of the lettuce almost every day, for a salad, but you wouldn't know it, and I still have a bunch of those greens I got from outside, so I have to make some Kimchi, or something like that, which will use a lot up at a time (I should have enough garlic and hot peppers for that! ). And today I trimmed that epazote back severely, and took all the trimmings to the Mexican restaurant/market in town. I also have some overgrown dill in that hydro, that I will trim later, and make some of those Indian dishes, using large amounts of dill, or maybe a Laotian dish, which is another cuisine which uses large amounts of dill.

The overgrown red Epazote, ready to be trimmed. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The trimmed back red epazote. The parsley should get some light, now, and I'll soon trim the bok choy, too. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The epazote I'm getting ready to take up to the Mexican restaurant/market in town. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



The overgrown dill, just 2 plants. by pepperhead212, on Flickr



These garlic chives seemed to die back, when I didn't get any rain for 42 straight days (and already dry before that), so I weedwacked them flat, back in October sometime. When I finally got some rain, a little before Thanksgiving, and about a week later, they were growing back! And now, they survived those two low teen days we had out there, and are still growing.

Parsley and garlic chives, still growing after the 13 and 11 degree nights back there, and several more in the low 20s by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[PlainJane]

Nice haul!

[pepperhead212]

And here's the dill that was growing up into the lights. There were only 2 plants - the dill on the left, with more and thicker stalks, was the Shevid - a.k.a. "Persian" variety, I just got this fall, from trueloveseeds.com, and definitely grew larger, and more productive than the Dukat. I'm wondering if it is related to Tetra - a variety I grew in the hydro a few years ago, that got so large I could hardly get it out! Like those flatleaf parsley, and cutting celery, which just get too big!
Overgrown dill harvested from the hydroponics. Persian variety on left, Dukat on right. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

That's a nice haul all right! Hydroponics done right is very helpful this way.

[BlackKrim]

The Peruvianna from Baker Creek is a fairly good, medium size, about 2' tall, but not totally true bred - slightly different flowers. All the rest of the zinnias I have are larger ones.

Deleted.

[BlackKrim]

The Peruvianna from Baker Creek is a fairly good, medium size, about 2' tall, but not totally true bred - slightly different flowers. All the rest of the zinnias I have are larger ones.

Just what I wanted size wise. That it is not quite a true bred variety does not matter. Right size; right colour. Thank you! I am going to the poorhouse buying seeds...

[JayneR13]

Just what I wanted size wise. That it is not quite a true bred variety does not matter. Right size; right colour. Thank you! I am going to the poorhouse buying seeds...

You might know a few of your neighbors there LOL I too am a seedaholic! I could fund my neighbors into Perdition and still can't walk by a seed rack without at least looking!

[pepperhead212]

I just harvested a bunch more of that dill last night - only one or two thin stems, but into the lights, from the dukat. Last night I topped off the hydro with water, and a little nutrients, but it's surprising how slow the nutrients are used up.

[GoDawgs]

The poor volunteer dill here is still hanging in there. Unsupported, it's flopping but I haven't needed any dill for anything lately so it's not been trimmed.

24.12.08 Rosemary and volunteer dill.JPG

It's Mammoth dill and grew outside beside the tomatoes all summer and then got pulled out end of season. Then one day Pickles told me there were two new dill plants growing in the bucket! No doubt it reseeded. Once cold weather came the bucket was moved to the porch where the dill has survived temps in the 30's but protected from frost. The bucket of rosemary too. The last week we've had lows in the low 20's so both are biding their time in the house until it warms up a tad outside. I didn't realize dill was that hardy!

[GoDawgs]

Just what I wanted size wise. That it is not quite a true bred variety does not matter. Right size; right colour. Thank you! I am going to the poorhouse buying seeds...

You might know a few of your neighbors there LOL I too am a seedaholic! I could fund my neighbors into Perdition and still can't walk by a seed rack without at least looking!

Mmmmmm, I confess to checking out the brand spankin' new Burpee seed display I just happened to see at Walmart yesterday. Not a thing I was even tempted with. But once the Ferry Morse display comes in I might have to look at that one a little more closely. There might be a zucchini in my future.

[pepperhead212]

I saw the new Burpee display at Ocean State Job Lot shortly after Christmas - a place that has 40% off Burpee seeds year round, though eventually they start running low. I looked at them, but also didn't see anything new that jumped out at me, but I'll eventually check what I have, to see if any need replaced. I've got most of what I need of the tomatoes and peppers, but we know how that goes.

[JayneR13]

Indeed, there was dill growing in the food pantry garden, along with oregano, sage, parsley, and tarragon. I trimmed those plants big time since they hadn’t been properly trimmed in quite some time. The pantry clients weren’t interested. I put 2 lbs of herbs on the table every week and no one wanted them. So I pulled them and had what was left tilled under. Dill et al just doesn’t have much culinary use, at least not around here.

As for the hydro, indeed, I too am surprised how slowly nutrients are used. And too much nutrients in solution will clog the pump. I learned that the hard way, of course.

[pepperhead212]

Today that bok choy I planted a week into November, and started harvesting 4 or 5 stems at a time about 5 weeks later, just started flowering, so I cut the entire plant out today. That Koquie variety still hasn't started bolting yet.
The Burpee's Pachay just started to bolt, 1-12 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Burpee's "Pachay" bok choy, taking over 2 months to start flowering in hydro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[JayneR13]

Are you growing these outside? They look a bit large for hydroponics. If so I have serious garden envy!

[pepperhead212]

No, they are inside, in the hydroponics, and I've had several harvests, of the perimeter stems, until I saw the flowers just starting to show up in the center.

Got to 44° here today, with no sun, and the wind finally died down, so I went out planted some green onion seeds, to come up in the spring. I also planted some shallot hybrid créme brulée seeds, from S&S this year. I made 4 almost 8' trenches, for the 4 varieties, and made about a half cup of soil mix and 50 or so seeds, and mixed them well, to sprinkle into each trench, to distribute them easily. That was all I did out there, as the next 3 days are getting cold again - about 9° cooler than average, before it warms up any. But then, it is winter.

[pepperhead212]

Today I went out and uncovered the rosemary, which I had covered for the second time, when it was even colder, for longer than the first time, and there is little damage to the plant, except what some that was touching the tarp. This should be the last time temperatures get too low for the rosemary, but I left the tarp and the weights there, just in case, and I'll put them away later in February. Tomorrow it is supposed to get rained on for much of the day.
Rosemary, uncovered on 1-30, with only a little damage to the needles touching the tarp during those very cold nights. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Today I harvested a bunch more of that dill, both the Persian and the dukat, the Persian still the largest, though both are going crazy, and no sign of bolting, after almost 90 days. I'm anxious to find how that new variety grows outside.

There was a bunch of stuff in the hydroponics that had gotten overgrown, while I was neglecting it when I was sick, though I was harvesting some of the greens, including that lettuce, and none have bolted, except for the basil. And amazingly, that new bok choy - koquie - still hasn't bolted! That is the one they listed for "tropical and sub-tropical" growing, and it also didn't bolt in the fall - I had to harvest them before it was going to freeze.
More of that dill from the hydro, the Persian variety the one with the huge stalks. Neither bolting yet. 2-1-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Here is that stuff in the hydroponics, none harvested now, but the basils, lettuce, and mizuna I've been snipping as needed. The cilantro lasted longer than I thought it would, and I got quite a bit from. The parsley is starting to grow well now that the boc choy isn't shading it anymore.
Russian red kale, next to some of the leaf lettuce, and the Mizuna behind it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Leaf lettuce, with the dill already harvested behind it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A lot of basil, with some za'atar behind it, and some leaf lettuce on the far right. Removed the flowering from some of them, though there wasn't much. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

About the third flush of epazote, trimmed almost flat twice, so far. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The parsley growing well now that the one boc choy is removed. Epazote behind it growing like crazy by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That one head o Koquie boc choy, 2-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Lebanese za'atar, scented somewhat like thyme. 2-1. Basil growing behind it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Wu Choy, surrounded by basil, za'atar, and Mizuna. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The larger leafed Mizuna, with the regular on the left. by pepperhead212, on Flickr