23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
This is my first year for bells too and I have lost count on how many I have harvested, I was impressed! Just so you know if you let the fruit turn red the plant will slow down production because it will think it has done it's job by producing mature seed. I pick mine about the size yours are now, As we near frost I will let the larger ones go red.
Good luck!!
That is the problem with most bell pappers; They set 2- 3 fruits and sit on them for ever. Unless you pick them, Them you get them back to work but even then it will take a while. I have just one of those. I picked 3 and then so far nothing.
That is why I never liked growing bells. Instead grow cubanelle, gypsy, yellow wax, poblano , Holy moley, Carmen...
This post was edited by seysonn on Fri, Aug 30, 13 at 5:54
Thanks everyone. I guess I will just cure them on the upper floor of my home (basement is around 55 degrees).
Glib, I'm in Saskatchewan :). Our absolute lows in winter are not much warmer than in the Yukon, but we have warmer summers and a somewhat longer growing season. Actually, we're going through an unusual late summer heatwave with highs in the mid- 80s for at least 10 days now. I haven't checked all the SPs yet but one of the plants I checked has a tuber the size of a smallish grocery store carrot. So, pretty small but there's still a month left before I dig them. I'll even be happy if they're all carrot-sized.
I think your idea for the fridge will work fine. I've done it in a small closet with a heater and some moist towels and cured 3-4 hundred pounds like that. If I remember right, I left them in there for a week and the flavor was radically different after curing. The sugar levels jumped and the skins became much less likely to scuff. They held all winter long with very little rot.
If you're worried about lack of air flow, just open the door briefly a few times a day.
-Mark
Thanks all. I planted Silver Queen and Golden Jubilee in mid-April, staggered dates. Likely not enough nitrogen, but water ample. My planting configuration was the best I could do, I have read square is better than rectangular. I also attempted to grow the three sisters. That too didn't turn out so well. Back to the old drawing board for next year! BTW avocado 1 where are you in zone 9? I'm in Walnut Creek.
I agree. You missed you chance for many things already. You may still have time to transplant kale and lettuce starts as well as direct seed fast growing, cold hardy things like what Glib mentioned as well as radish and other greens in the mustard family (tatsoi, mizuna, boc choi, etc).
-Mark
Well.....they are a gift from Mother Earth and beautiful potatoes however they ended up in the dirt. I hope you enjoy them.
I planted some purple potatoes a couple of weeks ago in my canvas pots. It's interesting that the little shoot coming up is very dark colored. Not green like from the red potatoes.
On another note...the tomato fairy gave me a present! Don't know when she dropped it off cuz that thing is almost 3 inches long!
You can if you wish. It won't hurt anything if you do other than maybe lose a few small ones that might develop from those blooms. Personally I have never found bloom removal to have much effect on existing growth. It usually just causes more blooms. So I tend to just let nature takes its course.
You might ask over on the Gourds forum here for more info specific on gourd growing. They may have more experience.
Dave
Best thing about the Red Kuri and other japanese Kabocha (besides the sweet flavor!) is the thin skin, which is perfectly edible. I tend to like the green kabocha, but the Red Kuri sure is pretty.
Butternuts and Acorns are a PITA to peel, for anything other than splitting in half and roasting.
Thanks, its in the fruit but doesnt look too deep, looks like its just the skin. So based on what you said I think I will leave it on a little longer but keep checking to insure its not getting soft instead of growing. I added my all natural spray with spices and murphys soap and added a small extra spritz to murphys soap spray to help deter insects from eating it, which i didnt do initially because the fruit was so small and not ripe. These can grow to the end of october here in ny as long as the whether is not freezing. Even during the huricanes we had in the past couple of years, my plants held up well, although sandy was kind of tge end of thecseason and I harvested everything worth harvesting before the storm, but stuff continued to grow nonthless.
This post was edited by krissylovesplants79 on Tue, Aug 27, 13 at 12:54
I have found it all depends on the depths of the damage. If it is just the skin and not into the meat then they will often scar over and do fine. As long as bacteria doesn't get a handle in the wound. You can use a diluted mix of 10% hydrogen peroxide spritzed into the wound to keep it clean until it begins to scab. Otherwise keep it dry and exposed to the air..
If the wound is deep then they usually begin to rot so those I harvest, partially cook, peel, cut up the meat into chunks and freeze it. later it can be thawed, cooked and mashed.
Dave
"NC, can you elaborate about early explorers bringing maize cultivars to eastern north america? "
To Europe...I mean. Sorry, that was clear as mud.
"You might be able to find a European source, though...it's one of the original corns brought over by European explorers."
...I should have said "brought back by European explorers"
I haven't grown too many varieties of corn, but I really like Sugar Dots. Not going to plant Silver Queen. SQ grows well, but SDs are much sweeter and have far better germination rate for me.
Thanks all! I will do a search, and then start a new thread.