23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening

Thanks.

Glib, are fava shoots safe to eat? Do they taste similar to pea shoots?

yes and yes. I buy the cover crop favas, no point in buying expensive seeds if the greens are the same.

Sounds like it may be overly ripe and is beginning to rot.

FYI, I got replies from a couple of folks with seed companies. One suggested the possibility that it was mislabeled and was a bitter melon. I find this unlikely since they don't really look like a Sugar Baby watermelon. Another confirmed the answers here that over ripe melons can taste bitter. Also, a boron deficiency can make the melons bitter.

Thanks for your help.

Sandy

It is good to top the plant for making it shorter and branches out more but not before it reaches certain height (approximately 10 inches tall for okra).

Actually I top at 4 feet.

Finally I have decided to over winter 4 plants from this year's garden , 2013 plant plus 3 more plants from this season.In addition to this three more plants rooted from cuttings are selected to over winter for next year - 2015.All are planted in pots to be taken in Sun room.
I hope this will produce enough peppers for us.Here is pic. of the plants selected.

I don't have a place warm enough. I have tried in the past but my greenhouse when it is 5 degrees outdoors at night will be close to freezing. Peppers don't go for that. Or sweet potatoes.

Wow has this been fun to read! I to was having this lack of energy for the garden work, it just seemed endless. But then I hurt my right hand. Nothing helped except staying out of the dirt, so the injury would heal. Three weeks of just watching from the sidelines and having to ask for help with everything has erased my disinterest in the garden. I just have to remember that gardening is not a race, and more is not always better.

This year I focused on less, but better, and some of it worked! We ate broccolli until we were tired of it, less green beans, but fewer tough ones. Rolling crops of beets and carrots, but blighted tomatoes. Plenty of cabbage, more cauliflower than expected, but fewer onions. Melons failed, but sweet potatoes are taking over, well actually Have taken over green house. So I guess it is always a win some lose some proposition, at least winter arrives. Unless New England weather surprises me again!

Wow has this been fun to read! I to was having this lack of energy for the garden work, it just seemed endless. But then I hurt my right hand. Nothing helped except staying out of the dirt, so the injury would heal. Three weeks of just watching from the sidelines and having to ask for help with everything has erased my disinterest in the garden. I just have to remember that gardening is not a race, and more is not always better.

This year I focused on less, but better, and some of it worked! We ate broccolli until we were tired of it, less green beans, but fewer tough ones. Rolling crops of beets and carrots, but blighted tomatoes. Plenty of cabbage, more cauliflower than expected, but fewer onions. Melons failed, but sweet potatoes are taking over, well actually Have taken over green house. So I guess it is always a win some lose some proposition, at least winter arrives. Unless New England weather surprises me again!

Next time you have a soil test done, tell them it's for a home garden. That way, the math will be much simpler as it's based on 1000 sq foot areas.

I had the commercial test done because they don't give organic matter for the home test.

Never tried it myself, but I don't think it's good practice to grow in clear cups. Can't tell from your pic if light can get in? I have always used the red/blue grocery store cups as they block light. I drill at least 6-10 holes on the bottom. If the soil drains well, there is no need for pebbles. Not familiar with your mix, but if you are using the one in the link below, it is not for containers. Clear cups with one hole filled with topsoil is a combo for failure. If so, time to go back to the drawing board.

Here is a link that might be useful: Black Earth

Please avoid the "drainage material" in the bottom. Contrary to popular opinion, it helps to retain moisture in the container.

As for sideways images, that's an issue with images taken w/ Apple products -- iPods, iPads and more.
When the rest of us click such an image, it will come up in a new screen and be both larger and upright.

I grew a few different colored orachs this spring, green, yellow and red. The flavor is somewhat similar to spinach, but I didn't think it tasted as good as other greens that I was growing, chard, etc. It's marketed as a warm weather alternative to spinach because it won't bolt in the heat, but the flavor is best in cool weather. It got too strong in summer.

I sell at a farmers' market and a few people bought orach once or twice, but I never heard any rave reviews. I started putting it in salad mix, a few of the varieties I grew had very vibrant coloring that looked very nice in a salad, but that's about it. I'm not sure that I'll grow it again.

Yes, it is in the Chenopodiaceae, not the Brassicaceae. It self sows all over my allotment. I use a few baby leaves in early salads when there's not much about but otherwise don't bother to pick it. Chard also self sows and is far more flavoursome imo. and easier to harvest (bigger leaves). I've also added the fresh seed pods to salads but they were uninspiring and tough. It's so easy to grow you've nothing to lose trying it - it requires no care at all.

Looks beefsteak to me!
Being in zone 2-3, I would pick those puppies soon and let them ripen on the counter or wrapped in paper in a box in the garage! You don't want to loose them to frost! Nancy

Agree with the above posters... Almost impossible to ID a tomato by look. Best option would be to go back to the dollar store and see if there are any seed packs that look like what you purchased. A second suggestion would be to save the seeds from your tomato harvest, under the assumption that it is not a hybrid.... Dollar stores seldom carry hybrids. (Surf the web on seed saving if you need more info.)

Lot of very knowledgeable people here who'll answer questions. But also some of the other kind, unfortunately

Yes. So far, so good here.

As the msds states it is practically non-toxic (that's an actual quote), and that health injuries are not known or expected under normal use, and that it is inherently biodegradable and does not accumulate, I'd say it has a higher safety profile than many organic products. Of course, it can never replace adding rich organic matter to the soil.

I have a couple zucchini that were powdery, but they too have some fresh green leaves...especially one of them AND it is without a new fertilizer boost.