2012 Gardening Thread (Read 1516 times)


Best Present Ever

    Cherries already?  What kind are those? 

    Trent


    Good Bad & The Monkey

      montmorency cherries - tart/sour cherries!

      Trent


      Good Bad & The Monkey

        Cherry and vanilla jam is done.

         

        Holy cow, that is awesome. Maybe the best jam ever.

        vegefrog


          Beautiful pic! They look delicious! That jam sounds pretty good too.


          Best Present Ever

            Cherry and vanilla jam is done.

             

            Holy cow, that is awesome. Maybe the best jam ever.

             Yum.  Sounds delicious.  We don't have cherries here yet.  Another month I'd think.  

              Well, I finally got the time to plant, yesterday afternoon.

               

              I still want to make another small bed and plant some spinach and lettuce, plus I have another tomato plant. 

               

              I'll send up a picture later.

              Jeff


              Feeling the growl again

                I blame Finn.

                 

                I ordered some potatoes from his "source", opting for their Fingerling Sampler as well as Purple Majesty.  I ended up planting a full row of all 5 fingerling varieties, a row of Purple Majesty, and a row of my family heirloom Red Pontiacs.  So 7 rows in all.  Usually I only do 3 and have never done over 6.  My rows are ~15-20yds long.

                 

                Bloody hell am I going to get a workout this fall.

                 

                The plan is to decide which couple fingerling varieties I like best, and have enough seed for those in future years and discontinue the rest.

                "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                 

                I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                 


                Prince of Fatness

                  All of my potatoes are up.  We've had a decent amount of rain lately and that seemed to have done the trick.  Now that I can see all of the plants it will be easier to weed and mulch around them.

                   

                  Spaniel, you'll definitely be able do distinguish those purples when they sprout.  The foliage definitely has a purplish tint.

                  Not at it at all. 

                    Regarding spuds, and I know that you guys have said that you haven't had much success doing a second planting of potatoes, but...the ones that I dig up in harvest, I can use one of them to plant my next batch, no?

                     

                    If so, how is it that I can leave them in the ground for a month or so (or, can't I)?  Do they need to be "activated" by light or something?

                    Jeff


                    Feeling the growl again

                      Regarding spuds, and I know that you guys have said that you haven't had much success doing a second planting of potatoes, but...the ones that I dig up in harvest, I can use one of them to plant my next batch, no?

                       

                      If so, how is it that I can leave them in the ground for a month or so (or, can't I)?  Do they need to be "activated" by light or something?

                       

                      I have never tried a second planting the same year, so honestly I can't tell you what it takes to get them to grow again.  All I know is that I use whatever I don't eat one year to plant the next.  I also know that if you don't dig them at all, they will come back up from the ones underground the next year.

                       

                      If you never take them out of the ground, they will not come up again the same year.  I dig mine as late as I can...because they store best underground...and they are usually edible until late Jan/early Feb when stored in my partially heated garage (you can't let them freeze).

                      "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                       

                      I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                       


                      Prince of Fatness

                        Regarding spuds, and I know that you guys have said that you haven't had much success doing a second planting of potatoes, but...the ones that I dig up in harvest, I can use one of them to plant my next batch, no?

                         

                        If so, how is it that I can leave them in the ground for a month or so (or, can't I)?  Do they need to be "activated" by light or something?

                         

                        Well, I have never done a second planting.  I always miss some when digging them up, and occasionally a couple will sprout in late summer.  I do not think that conditions are ideal for them to sprout at that time but every now and then they do.  Those plants that do come up late in the year never end up yielding much.  They are a cool weather plant and I think that it is too hot early on for them to do well.

                         

                        I would think that if you could successfully harvest a second crop you would be able to find seed potatoes at local nurseries in August.  No one carries them at that time of the year which tells me that you are probably not going to have much success with the second planting.  On the other hand, you can find other cool weather crops such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc., at local nurseries.  I've had success doing a second planting of those.

                         

                        Like spaniel, most of my volunteer potatoes come up the next spring.  Potatoes are so cheap that I have never actually tried to keep some over the winter for the next season.  I may try that this year for the ones that I mail ordered.

                         

                        As far as what activates them when they are in the ground, since they are not exposed to light my guess would be soil temperature (this may explain why a second planting would not work .... soil is too warm).

                        Not at it at all. 


                        Feeling the growl again

                           As far as what activates them when they are in the ground, since they are not exposed to light my guess would be soil temperature (this may explain why a second planting would not work .... soil is too warm).

                           

                          I studied plant biology for a time so it annoys me that I don't know and can't locate a definitive answer on this (in all of 5min I looked).  I would hypothesize that there is some sort of necessary dormancy time, or that they must experience some sort of cooling then warming to "reset" them to grow.

                           

                          I can tell you that in places that DO plant second crop potatoes commercially, a) the crops are often considered to be for seed potatoes only due to poorer yield, and b) they use seed potatoes from the prior year stored in a cool place.

                           

                          Fortunately for us, my sister has a PhD in botany and plant pathology.  So I emailed the question to her.  If we do not get a definitive answer she will never hear the end of it (isn't that what little brothers are for?).

                          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                           

                          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                           

                            I have never tried a second planting the same year, so honestly I can't tell you what it takes to get them to grow again.  All I know is that I use whatever I don't eat one year to plant the next.  I also know that if you don't dig them at all, they will come back up from the ones underground the next year.

                             

                            If you never take them out of the ground, they will not come up again the same year.  I dig mine as late as I can...because they store best underground...and they are usually edible until late Jan/early Feb when stored in my partially heated garage (you can't let them freeze).

                             

                            Well, I didn't plant enough to make it an issue with storing them.  I mean, I only planted three plants.  This is my first year for them, sort of an experiment.  How many taters do you get on a plant (on average, I mean, given different varieties and such).

                             

                            With my family, if we had potatoes twice a week we could go through a 5 lb bag in a week and a half.

                             

                            So, unless these plants give me 10 lbs of potatoes each, I don't think I'm going to be innundated.

                            Jeff


                            Feeling the growl again

                              With Red Pontiacs (all I have grown until this year), assuming a decent growing season, I expect 3-5 nice potatoes per plant.  With so few plants and doting attention on them, you may do better.  I plant a ton (I end up with 4-5 milk crates full on a decent year) so I realy don't take care of them that well.

                              "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

                               

                              I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

                               

                                 

                                I can tell you that in places that DO plant second crop potatoes commercially, a) the crops are often considered to be for seed potatoes only due to poorer yield, and b) they use seed potatoes from the prior year stored in a cool place.

                                 

                                 

                                Ahhh.  So then it would be pretty much totally useless for me to do a second crop.  Assuming I get anything anyway, this being my first time and all.

                                 

                                Got it.

                                Jeff