23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
Back when I was growing shiitake, I had to do the dunk tank thing also to get fruiting flushes going. Truth is, it's too long ago to remember much about time intervals and such. But it sure was a fun hobby for a while.
I eventually tired of that very step-soaking and then restacking water-logged, uh, logs. But it sure did work. Back in those days, I found that in addition to oak, shellbark hickory also fruited well, which of course means nothing to a Floridian.
+o
We're also in MI, and some friends got us interested in doing shitake logs 10 years or so ago. Our first logs we used boxelder and walnut because that's what we've got here on the property. We got zip - nada - for 9 years, though we could see the characteristic white threads growing on the logs. Then last year they surprised us and gave us about 7 beautiful mushrooms. That got us jazzed again, and we started more logs, this time with oak we got from a friend. A month or so back during one of the strange cool rainy periods we've been having this year, they started to fruit. I could see at least 7 buttons, and then - the slugs ate them all!
We were also told this year that we should be soaking them in drums or troughs - we picked up a used plastic drum, but haven't used it yet. But it's raining today - will have to check later to see if anything new is happening.
So, anyway - Bob, if you can find a way to dunk them, do so. But you still might not see any results till next year - patience.
Digging is hard work, but you will get to know the site and soil that way. BTW, I love tiered beds.
This early in the fall, I would throw cover crop seeds over the cultivated soil. Oats are great because they winterkill by January and become a winter-to-spring mulch. In spring you can rake away the oat debris and start planting.
I have 2 new female buds that have not opened yet, but my leaves are tiny compared to yours. And they're being attacked by aphids and squash bugs. I killed like 15 or so squash bugs this morning. I've got a few ladybugs there eating away the aphids and a couple of them made love on one of my leaves this morning and there was another one laying eggs, so I think the aphid problem will be under control. Hate those squash bugs! If those 2 little female flower buds do pollinate, is it too late now for them to go to maturity? I think our first frost is expected to be like the first or second week of November.
The 2 Joi Choi plants (given to me by a gardening friend) that I set out made it into spring and then went to seed. I had stopped harvesting outer stalks in December due to the bitterness. I think we got as low as 25 on 2 or 3 occasions... But don't recall getting much lower. Getting below 20 is possible but doesn't happen often. When it does we don't stay at that low for very long.
Broccoli & cauliflower are my favorites. I've planted them as long as I can remember. I usually set out 150 to 200 broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts and concur that they can handle the lows.
If your calendar shows seeding Joi Choi through September, I can probably add a couple of weeks considering I'm in a warmer zone.
This year I'm adding Cavolfiore di Sicilia Violetto (purple cauliflower) and Romanesco Veronica as new trials. According to our local garden center expert, the Romanesco Veronica is a proven hybrid for our area but will succumb to low temps. The purple cauliflower is an OP cultivar given to me by the same gardening friend. I don't have much luck with OP brassicas so not dedicating much space to it...Green Goliath broccoli is the only OP brassica that does well for me.
Thanks for your reply/input.
This post was edited by grandad on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 15:10
You may have a much wider window. I can't plant before September because ground temps are too high. Pleasant summer this year, but most years we get about 30 days of 100+ in late June July August. Never been sucessful with bBrussels here, because I can't get them in early enough. They will handled our winter but bolt in February before forming heads. My experience with Green Goliath is the same, better than Gypsy but very similar.
Have not grown Veronica but have grown Grafitti . it does well when the heat holds off. 
I grew the red seed and black seed yard long beans. The black seed ones produced earlier and are still producing. I agree, they were very prolific. The red seed ones - they started later, and yielded a little less, but were delicious. I am leaning towards planting more of these and less of the other beans.
Check Seed Savers Exchange's Facebook page, there is an article on Sept 6,2014 about this vegetable:
""Seed Savers Exchange
September 6
We sampled marmalade from a recipe for "Garden Lemon" melon this week at Heritage Farm. That's right, melon marmalade! The seeds and recipe for this melon were donated by Laura Paine, who received them in turn from long time seed steward Duane Kaiser. The melon was only ever used by his family to make jam!""
Yes Nerys54, if I can find my seed!
I thought I put them in my fridge in the shed.
I was going through my seed stored there yesterday, while getting ready to start some stuff and I couldn't find the seed!!!!!!!
I still have plenty of time to find them, but knowing me, they probably got thrown out with some empty packets of other seed!
Well, I found the seed and planted them.
I harvested a few weeks ago and I didn't get the rainbow of colors that I was expecting.
Like in Shinies picture, Some ears were almost all yellow and some were almost all dark blue. I had very few red kernels.
I will plant the saved seed next year and hopefully get more color.
Rayrose, I don't normally plant second generation hybrid seed and only remember the one good volunteer. If you only have one variety, the strain may stay more pure and a third generation may be good too. It wasn't in my case, but I had many varieties.
Has anyone considered the frost tolerance of using coolers like this? I don't do container planting mainly because when the roots freeze, the plant is done. In my ground, they never freeze. Not a big deal, but I'll bet it would buy you many hours of survival when the air temp drops below freezing.
If you want to preserve cucumbers long term you'll either have to pickle them, ferment them, turn them into relish, or something similar. Once harvested they'll just continue to go downhill regardless of where you keep them.
Rodney
This post was edited by theforgottenone1013 on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 17:47
Do a lacto-fermented pickle! Stuff a bunch of pickles in a big jar, add some pickling spice, dill, maybe a hot pepper. Pour a brine containing 1-2 tbsp of kosher or pickling salt per quart over them. Weigh them down with a plate. They may get a little bit of scum on top, which is just yeast. Scrape it off each day and make sure nothing is floating. You'll have pickles in 1-2 weeks.
I add a bit of something else that I've fermented, such as preserved lemon, to get things started very quickly but it's not necessary. You can also add some yogurt whey if you want, it will add good microbes to speed things along.
My experience in AZ is that eggplants slow down fruit set in the extreme hot months but start producing heavy again in the fall..
I had a Japanese style that lived and produced for over four years, until I lost it n am extreme four day freeze. I also had a Black Beauty that lived and produced the same amount of time, in a little crack between the AC unit amd the sidewalk.
I mulched them heavily, gave them plenty of horse manure and alfalfa pellets.
That's a good story about eggplants as perennials. Peppers are the same way. I've kept pepper plants alive for several years, but never tried it with eggplants. This last year we had some unusually cold temps (low 20sF) and I blanketed the peppers profusely. Lost about half of them, but the remainder went on to produce well.
Of course, tomatoes are Solonacae as well, an in principle can be perennials, but I haven't heard about a lot of success getting old over-wintered ones to fruit well.
No that doesn't count... won't do anything for pests or pathogens overwintering in the soil.