24,795 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening



pattypan, I've never heard of pinching off the flowers, and I never do. Seed potatoes might be a good idea to try once and see how they do for you. They can be expensive when mail ordered, but nice and cheap if you can find them locally at a feed type store. (I can get them at Southern States.)

No problem with the temps for curing SP here in Fla. but i have been washing mine after harvest and read this damages the skin. Without refrigeration mine would be stored @ temps warm enough to promote sprouts. They lasted about 6 months last year, any suggestions how can Make them keep them longer?


I start shallot seeds indoors in late January. The little plants are stiffer and slightly faster growing than bulb onion seedlings, but basically handled the same way.
If I have any shallots left in March, I plant them. Many people plant shallots in fall, but mine are still fully dormant then and tend to rot over the winter. Mine don't break dormancy until late winter, hence the spring planting.


Nila, here in Mississippi, culinary sages are green through the winter but typically rot out in the humid heat of summer. I treat them as cool weather annuals and replace them each year...about now. Time to look for transplants. I love tricolor with pansies, but I haven't seen any the last few years.

Long time since I have visited this thread. I have some questions for my experienced artichoke growers. My plants that seem to have went dormant during the hot summer months are now putting out new leaves. I know that there is probably not time for a second crop of chokes but I want to prepare to try and overwinter them for next year. I don't see myself starting them from seed again nor do I want to dig them, however I want to try and overwinter them in the ground eventhough I know the likely hood of them surviving in my zone is small.
So my questions are:
When do I cut them back?
How far do I cut them back?
Do you take off all of the leaves?
What is the best way to protect the roots from frost?
TIA!!!



Here's whats on the short list, Jim!
TOMATOES - Aunt Gertie's Gold, Rutgers, Cherokee Purple or Black Krim, Matt's Wild Cherry (my favorite!), Black cherry (another favorite of mine), one more red or black roma style or beefsteak style
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SWEET PEPPERS - If I can find Big Bertha, I'll try those again, Napolean Sweet, maybe a bullnose pepper - I had good luck with those in the past.
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HOT PEPPERS - I'm being a "Plain Jane" with these - Jalapenos, Habaneros, Cayennes, Hungarian Hot Wax (a favorite of mine) seriously considering Beaver Dam
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EGGPLANTS - I've generally had good luck with smaller ones, but the Ichibans had tough skin and that was about it. So I'm thinking Diamond, Gretel,& Fairy Tale (still need to do some homework on Pot Black)
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POTATOES - I had good luck growing Yukon Golds. I need to look up Pontiacs.
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CUCUMBERS - will probably try a few Straight 8's but was looking for more fancy - Boothby's Blonde did well here. I have seeds for a Greek one (maybe from Fedco?) that I'm thinking of trying too.
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SUMMER SQUASHES - definitely the Tromboncinos, Yellow Crook neck,Yellow Straightneck and a zucchini (don't know what one)
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WINTER SQUASHES - Waltham Butternut (A favorite), Acorn (don't know which one yet - DH's favorite, Adapazzari (King's Show - if I still have seeds), Spaghetti squash(???)
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MELONS - they're a real trick to grow here. The two I had luck with were Pike and Noire Des Carmes. I have to try and find the seeds again for these. The dogs ate them when they were puppies and decided the seeds were delicious for both - sigh
That's the list for right now!
This post was edited by booberry85 on Mon, Sep 30, 13 at 8:47

Blood meal is high nitrogen, not a good choice. Bone meal would be a better choice, if applied earlier. But I think you need a good quality liquid fertilizer for fast action if you want beans yet this season from those plants. Fish emulsion may be your best choice if you insist on organic.
Looking at the leaves, they look like young, healthy plants that ought to be producing better fruits.

I see that you live in Texas. Your beans were probably stunted by summer heat. They are probably hard or leathery. Or maybe even hollow. Take them off and see if the plants will produce more. Most green beans prefer temperatures from about 75 to 80 degrees. The varieties developed in New England are total failures in my garden. I think Tendergreen has reasonable heat tolerance for an older variety. But some newer varieties are much better in heat.
The best advice I can give from my experience in hot summer bean-growing is to try Contender for your first crop (before the soil is warm enough for white-seeded varieties). It resembles a "blue lake" type when young and is a stringless Southern "beany" type green bean if you let the seeds develop to about half their mature size. Seeds are larger than with most "blue lake" types, and if any pods get away from you, you can shell the seeds out as "shellies". Don't plant it in the fall. Cool weather makes the pods very fibrous.
Second crop could be Brio, Festina or Espada. Festina and Brio are concentrated-set varieties. Espada has a more prolonged harvest and some later beans may be affected by heat. You could probably get some beans from Tendergreen if planted early enough.
Nash does better in hot summer weather than any variety I have tried. Beans still curled when temps went above 104 degrees for a few days. I pulled the plants in July.
For fall, Brio works well with a late August sowing here if the seeds sprout successfully. Matador is also recommended. You can also plant varieties which can be used as shellies if cool weather toughens the pods, like Black Valentine or Coco Rose de Prague. Dark-seeded beans may have trouble absorbing water and sprouting in light, hot soil.
This post was edited by carolync1 on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 11:34


Maybe it's just that there is no such forum for english-speakers (opportunity knocks?).
By stand-offish I merely mean that english speakers and northern europeans in general are much more reserved than latin language-speakers, as a generality. In brazilian portuguese they refer to this latter attribute as "calor-humano".
Regarding the situation between Mestizos and the more pure Colonials, yes, I think what you encountered is normal. No doubt what I see on that Spanish forum for the most part is Colonials interacting with Continentals.
I now return y'all to our more sheltered lives and gardens.....

Hi Blicky, and welcome.
I got a grin out of you defining Stonehenge for us. That is actually one of the things they do teach us about :)
Sounds like winter solstice 2012 there was quite a celebration! Cool to live so close.
I enjoyed your blog -- great photos! And very nice greenhouse.
Elisa



Based on your picture, and as Flora pointed out , they are to crowded. At this pint I would keep 3 good ones and pull the rest. And then pour about 1" thick soil on the exposed roots and straighten them up a bit so they are not touching the ground.
Also get rid of the roted,dried ..leaves. They are magnet for disease. .
BTW: some criters are helping themselves there. Do you have slugs or snails ?
Thank you both. I haven't seen anything on the plants themselves, but yes, I have found slugs around the yard. thanks fir pointing that out. I'll put down some diatomaceous earth or crushed egg shells down.ÃÂ Thanks again.