official veggie gardener's thread

[BoomerD]

I think I'm going to put in my fall radish crop this weekend.
We've had exceptionally cool weather this summer (well...cool for here) but it's heading back into the 90's starting today.
I normally get tomatoes and peppers into November.

 

[TraumaRN]

So managed to get 2 last cucumbers, a bunch of radishes + the radish greens + tomatos and made a nice salad tonight. Started the project to expand my garden for next year. Will basically triple in size at least. Got my first load of roughly 2 metric tons of composted manure to lay down. Will probably need at least another 2 tons. Predicting many many days of sore arm and back muscles in the next couple weeks.

 

[spidey07]

I walked by my bell pepper plants and the damn things are still producing even with temps dipping into the 40s at night. Yanked like 12 good sized fruit from 2 plants. Frost advisory tonight so they're about done.

Tomatoes are still producing some fruit even though foliage is about dead. First frost will kill them. Not bad, first fruit in early july, last fruit into october.

 

[BoomerD]

My tomatoes and peppers are still going strong. I don't expect to see frost until late November or early December, but once it starts getting cool at night, production will slow way down. I've probably got 50+ "mystery peppers" on the plant right now, nearly as many serranos, about a dozen jalapenos, and between the two bell peppers, maybe half-dozen left. Gotta be over 100 tomatoes in various stages of ripeness, with many due or overdue for picking.

 

[spidey07]

First frost date for my area is 10/11 and it's looking like I may get one. Shame to as the tomatoes started taking off again after the brutal heat. I'll probably pull any tomatoes left today depending on frost chances tomorrow morning. I've got hundreds of tabasco peppers on one plant, that thing is a monster producer.

Boomer, where the hell you live with frost dates like that? Way south?

 

[WannaFly]

I've finally had some luck here since the weather is getting cooler finally. Hoping to plant some more stuff this weekend that can live through the cooler months. Summer was brutal.

Rather than rewrite everything, I've got a little information and some pictures here:
http://homegrownorlando.com/

 

[slag]

My tomato plants are withering away now and we've had nighttime temps in the mid 30's. I think its about time to pull them up and toss them in the tree line behind the house for the year. The vines are still growing like gangbusters, but the main stalks are turning yellow. We get a few golf ball sized peppers from time to time. I think I'm going to start looking for a greenhouse next year and move my growing operations in there since I really love doing that stuff. I've seen plans for one made out of PVC and heavy plastic that looks doable.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

First frost date for my area is 10/11 and it's looking like I may get one. Shame to as the tomatoes started taking off again after the brutal heat. I'll probably pull any tomatoes left today depending on frost chances tomorrow morning. I've got hundreds of tabasco peppers on one plant, that thing is a monster producer.

Boomer, where the hell you live with frost dates like that? Way south?

My tomatoes and peppers are still looking strong as well. I even got two eggplants growing still. I hope the freeze holds off for a few more days.

 

[spidey07]

My tomatoes and peppers are still looking strong as well. I even got two eggplants growing still. I hope the freeze holds off for a few more days.

It's been my experience that healthy/mature maters and peppers can take a light frost. But a heavy frost or freeze will absolutely get them.

 

[BoomerD]

First frost date for my area is 10/11 and it's looking like I may get one. Shame to as the tomatoes started taking off again after the brutal heat. I'll probably pull any tomatoes left today depending on frost chances tomorrow morning. I've got hundreds of tabasco peppers on one plant, that thing is a monster producer.

Boomer, where the hell you live with frost dates like that? Way south?

Northern Kahleeforneeya...we rarely get a "freeze," but we do get frost...usually in December and January...then it starts warming up again.

 

[eldorado99]

Northern Kahleeforneeya...we rarely get a "freeze," but we do get frost...usually in December and January...then it starts warming up again.

Lucky. I'm expecting it to freeze sometime in the next couple weeks. Weather is holding out for now though.

 

[BoomerD]

Every few years, we have a cold snap where it drops into the 20's, but (fortunately) not very often.

I H-A-T-E the cold weather.

 

[IceBergSLiM]

Ok I have like 50 tomatoes still on my plant. They are all green. We have frost coming soon. How can I get these mofos to ripen faster? Is there a way to pick them green and have them ripen off vine?

 

[BoomerD]

Ok I have like 50 tomatoes still on my plant. They are all green. We have frost coming soon. How can I get these mofos to ripen faster? Is there a way to pick them green and have them ripen off vine?

Not likely. Until they start to turn, they won't finish ripening once they're picked...at least, that's been my experience. Last year, I still had tons of green tomatoes on the plants when the frost finally killed the plant.


I picked about 100 of the "mystery peppers" over the weekend. I gave a couple dozen to each of the neighbors who would eat the hot sumbitches...(one Mexican family, one Filipino family) and I still have tons left. I have several "strings" of jalapenos, serranos, and habanero peppers hanging to dry, (dammed slow process) for use during the winter.
I keep trying to get my wife to make some pepper jelly...but she doesn't like HOT stuff...so I just eat as many as I can.

I picked about 50 tomatoes over the weekend. Most went into pasta sauce, and once we get the oven fixed, (hopefully this afternoon) we're going to try DeathBUA's recipe for drying some.

My bell pepper plants have started blooming again, and I have a few "baby peppers" on the way.

 

[meltdown75]

hi guys. i have some green peppers and cherry tomatoes left. taking it all down this weekend and chucking it over the fence. some baby jaleps left too.

great thread. i had a plej.

 

[DrPizza]

I got sick of canning tomatoes and fed the last 2 bushels that I picked to the chickens. Had some relatives swing by and pick the last of the corn about a week ago, along with a half bushel of tomatoes. At least 2 bushels went to waste on the ground. Still getting squashes though. I've been making some awesome zucchini bread. I don't know the difference between butternut and buttercup squash, but whichever it is that I have, they're awesome cut in half with some cinnamin and brown sugar replacing the cavity where the seeds were.

One
The number of friggin strawberries I got this year out of hundreds of plants that we put in. Time to get the soil tested & see what's wrong.

And thanks to whoever bumped this thread. I've been waiting til the first frost to pick my peppers. I'll have to pick them when I get home tonight. They won't be huge, but there'll be enough for me and my wife for a couple meals. The plants are huge & seem to be growing incrediby well. I guess we just don't get good pepper temperatures.

 

[TraumaRN]

Well I finished my expansion project for next year. I pulled up about 3 tons of concrete(was about 10x12 former dog pen, concrete was 4-6 inches thick!!) Overkill for a dog pen. And we then cut an approximately 45 foot x 7 foot wide swath of sod, then move all the landscaping brick to the new sod line and put down 10.5 cubic yards of compost.

I'm fricking exhausted. But I'll have plenty of room for expansion for next year. And now my soil will be amazing good for next year!

Will post before and after pictures tomorrow when it stops raining so I can take an after picture

 

[spidey07]

DrPizza, I think strawberries want lots of fertilizer or they won't produce fruit, just lots of green leaves. Mine didn't do very well and I'm sure it's because they didn't have enough fertilizer. A 20-20-20 liquid fert was recommended for them early and often.

 

[BoomerD]

DrPizza, I think strawberries want lots of fertilizer or they won't produce fruit, just lots of green leaves. Mine didn't do very well and I'm sure it's because they didn't have enough fertilizer. A 20-20-20 liquid fert was recommended for them early and often.

High nitrogen fertilizers cause lots of green growth, but fewer flowers/fruit. A good "bloom fertilizer has a higher phosphorus content for better roots and blooms. I've use Schultz products with great success for years.

http://www.schultz.com/ProductCategories/GardenFertilizer/BloomPlus/

 

[TraumaRN]

Ok I have like 50 tomatoes still on my plant. They are all green. We have frost coming soon. How can I get these mofos to ripen faster? Is there a way to pick them green and have them ripen off vine?

Pick all you tomatoes and out them in a brown paper bag. Close the bag and store it someplace warm dry indoors check them daily but they should ripen in a few days. Won't taste as good but they won't goto waste then

 

[BoomerD]

Pick all you tomatoes and out them in a brown paper bag. Close the bag and store it someplace warm dry indoors check them daily but they should ripen in a few days. Won't taste as good but they won't goto waste then

Hmmm...I never thought of that... I wonder if the old trick of putting an apple in the bag works for tomatoes as well as "other" fruit...I know apples are a good source for ethylene gas...and I'm a good source for methane gas...but that probably doesn't help...

 

[TraumaRN]

Hmmm...I never thought of that... I wonder if the old trick of putting an apple in the bag works for tomatoes as well as "other" fruit...I know apples are a good source for ethylene gas...and I'm a good source for methane gas...but that probably doesn't help...

You could use an apple once they started turning pinkish red...just the paper bag with 20-30 tomatoes is usually enough to ripen them in a few days. I suppose if you really wanted speed ripening throw a ripe banana or two in there.

 

[Ms. DICKINSON]

Reporting in: I've harvested my batch of bhut jolokias the other day. They're HOT alright, but don't give you the after effects like serrano where it burns in your stomach; which is a good thing

 

[BoomerD]

Reporting in: I've harvested my batch of bhut jolokias the other day. They're HOT alright, but don't give you the after effects like serrano where it burns in your stomach; which is a good thing

Those are too fucking hot for me...the habanero "mystery peppers" I ended up with are at the upper edge of my tolerance for hot.

I don't get the "serranos burn the stomach" thing though. I like serranos and other than a bit of mouth heat, they're relatively mild to me.

 

[DrPizza]

Picked the last of the food in the garden. Got our FIRST broccoli of the year; just a tiny bit. 1 green pepper. And a couple more squash. All done; time to plow it for next year.