Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[Stillraining]

Sadly, we are having a very cold spring here....but the snow you see there is just the pile from all winter's shoveling...

We have had and are still having an unusually wet/cold late winter spring here as well. Lots of our bulbs and tubers such as gladiola, dahlias and tulips have rotted in the ground. We have not had 2 sunny days back to back yet this year. Totally burnt out on it.

 

[Kharnynb]

We have had and are still having an unusually wet/cold late winter spring here as well. Lots of our bulbs and tubers such as gladiola, dahlias and tulips have rotted in the ground. We have not had 2 sunny days back to back yet this year. Totally burnt out on it.

same, haven't had a day over 50 degrees yet....and wet snow and freezing during the night, only just today finally swapped to summer tires..

 

[Staestc]

I'm late again this year, but not as late as last year I had to replant the flower bed around the pool, but finally got my Walmart bag PVC pipe planter cleaned up and ready to replant. The weed stop cloth and mesh cups that allow the roots into the pipe were no match for the roots, and I had an impressive amount of roots inside the pipe

Now all I have to do it get some plants and I should be ready to go again.

 

[estricklin]

My tomatoes are over a foot tall, haven't had a chance to plant them yet as I should have by now. That's ok I plan to plant them along with my peppers and some hops this evening. Thinking about picking up a small Honda Tiller.

 

[passedpawn]

I have a bellafina pepper plant growing now in one of my dbl buckets. I love those things. I eat them like apples. I was going to try to germinate from seeds, but then I found a potted plant.

 

[Homercidal]

Everything except the Jalapenos has sprouted in the starter cups. A pair of squash darn near lifted the soil up and out of the cup!

Still too early to plant much of anything, but I might rig up something for some peas to climb on and get them going. They usually do well early.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

I've planted already. Avg last frost was nearly 2 weeks ago. No peppers this year.

Tomato, herbs, cuke, Okra, and melon.

 

[Homercidal]

Make some Okra mead. I hear it's good!

 

[BowAholic]

My tomatoes are over a foot tall, haven't had a chance to plant them yet as I should have by now. That's ok I plan to plant them along with my peppers and some hops this evening. Thinking about picking up a small Honda Tiller.

...but you don't have a 20' hops tower in your garden...

My son just bought a cheap electric tiller that works like a champ. He broke up virgin yard with no problems at all... so I bought one to keep the grass and weeds down between my rows... :rockin:

Beer time...

 

[VApatriot]

Half of this thread seems to be passed posting "just tried a pepper, my mouth is on fire!"

You think your mouth is hot, just wait 'til she gets to the end of that system!

 

[Kharnynb]

Summer just doesn't want to come.....more weeks of near freezing ahead.

Meanwhile any window area on the south side of our house is basically a jungle...

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I live in the rain state this year south Missouri, today was the first day I could even till so I took advantage of it, got the tomatoes planted also lettuce then the tiller went clunk, busted a ring, started out to be a good day, I guess its beer time

edit: trying Pierces Pride this year so all Heirloom Seeds 4 Brandy wines and 7 Pierces Pride

 

[user 211287]

Drip irrigation is ready and planting the rest of my peppers this week. Maters, a few peppers and all my herbs are already planted.

12 port drip system.

Coco coir, pine bark and compost mix for the grow bags

Ground plot (organic) is ready too. Worm castings and Alaska fish/kelp ferts. Wally bags are great at only 50cents each.

Peppers im growing
2- Scotch Bonnet Yellow MOA ..from Chileplants
1- 7 Pot Yellow... from Chileplants
2- Early Jalapeno...from Chileplants
1- Mucho Nacho Jalapeno....Bonnie plant from Lowes
2- Lemon Drop from Chileplants and at least 17 seedlings from last years plants.
2-Aji Cito...from Chileplants
1-Thai Giant Orange..from Chileplants
2- Beni Highlands...from Chileplants
2- Gochugaru...from Chileplants
2-New Mex 64...from Chileplants
2- Super Chili Hybrid....from Chileplants
1- Tabasco....Bonnie plant from Lowes
1-Cajun Belle..Bonnie plant from Lowes
10- Lumbre....seeds from Midwestchilehead.....100% germination rate BTW

 

[z-bob]

Some of my peppers are in 4" pots and some are in 5 oz Dixie cups and some are in 4 packs. The ones in 4" pots have flower buds already (I planted the seeds in mid-March) I need to move the smaller ones into bigger pots.

My tomatoes are still small, but have just started growing rapidly. I've put most of the 4" peppers and one 4" tomato outside to make room for the other small ones under the lights. And I ordered another fluorescent light fixture from Amazon (different brand this time, I hope it works as well as the first one.) It should get here Thursday.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HEYCRI8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[estricklin]

Glad to see everyone's gardening is going well. I have expanded my garden quite a bit, and bought a small tiller/cultivator to help with the extra work. I have been cultivating by hand with a pic axe and hoe. My peppers and tomatoes are just now starting to take off.

 

[BowAholic]

mine is getting off to a good start as well... too much rain the last couple of weeks ... the hops tower seems to be working so far too.

 

[estricklin]

mine is getting off to a good start as well... too much rain the last couple of weeks ... the hops tower seems to be working so far too.

Something tells me you didn't use a tiller.

Yeah I'm gonna try and plant those hops tomorrow, gotta go to the dentist though because I had a filling fall out...sigh.

 

[applescrap]

Glad to see everyone's gardening is going well. I have expanded my garden quite a bit, and bought a small tiller/cultivator to help with the extra work. I have been cultivating by hand with a pic axe and hoe. My peppers and tomatoes are just now starting to take off.

Awesome, cant wait to see where this leads.

 

[applescrap]

mine is getting off to a good start as well... too much rain the last couple of weeks ... the hops tower seems to be working so far too.

Damn, I need to move to Arkansas. You guys are living the dream. Awesome plot.

 

[estricklin]

mine is getting off to a good start as well... too much rain the last couple of weeks ... the hops tower seems to be working so far too.

Hey is that short piece of fencing where your going to grow your cucumbers? I think I may swing by the co op and get some more T posts and I have some short pieces of chain link what do you think? The wifest doesn't like chasing off copperhead while picking them!

 

[BowAholic]

Hey is that short piece of fencing where your going to grow your cucumbers? I think I may swing by the co op and get some more T posts and I have some short pieces of chain link what do you think? The wifest doesn't like chasing off copperhead while picking them!

yes, those are actually 16' livestock panels... I have green beans, butter beans, cucumbers, baby watermelons, and cantaloupes growing on them. They work great for any vine crop. I also have mounds on the other end of the garden with Giant pumpkins, watermelons, and cantaloupes on them.

 

[user 211287]

I grew yard long beans on a trellis nearly 8ft tall last year. I had more than i could eat from a 10ft long trellis. I used cheap green plastic fencing.

 

[z-bob]

I just planted scarlet runner beans this morning. It will be interesting to see if the puppy leaves them alone. There's a heavy little fence around them, but she can be very determined.

It's still awfully early to plant beans, so if I have to replant them it's not a big deal.

Those yard-long beans look/taste kinda like blackeyed peas, don't they?

 

[Homercidal]

What's a good plan for running peas? I want to get planting this weekend and have to build some kind of climbing thing for them. I don't want guy wires running here and there like we had when I was a kid.

 

[user 211287]

Those yard-long beans look/taste kinda like blackeyed peas, don't they?

Nope they taste like green beans with a hint of asparagus. A good variety for up north is called liana. Day neutral and very prolific.
http://www.southernexposure.com/liana-asparagus-yardlong-bean-7-g-p-537.html

IMO they taste best stirfried or blanched then stirfried. I have used them for green bean casserole though and it was very good. Pick them when they are about the diameter of a pencil or smaller and under 18". Let a few get large and go to seed. The pods dry easily when seeds are fully formed.

 

[user 211287]

What's a good plan for running peas? I want to get planting this weekend and have to build some kind of climbing thing for them. I don't want guy wires running here and there like we had when I was a kid.

This year im using the same green plastic fencing for peas. I grew a few snow peas on it last year too. They did great until the summer heat kicked in and the lng beans took over.

 

[Homercidal]

This year im using the same green plastic fencing for peas. I grew a few snow peas on it last year too. They did great until the summer heat kicked in and the lng beans took over.

I might see what that costs at the lumberyard. I don't need much. Sounds easy to use. I planned to just put posts in on the ends and then a crosspiece across the top. The beds are only 4' wide, but I might plant across both beds because I like peas, and they are nice to munch on while tending the garden.

I could just run the wire across under the cross piece and call it good.

 

[user 211287]

IIRC mine was about 4ft tall and the squares are around 2" each. Its pretty heavy gauge but very easy to work with. Its also a heckuva alot easier to get in a vehicle compared to live stock panels.

Lowes and Homedepot both carry it too. If your posts are strong enough you can just use a wire for the top support. I used wood in the middle too because one end had cukes growing. Look for the largest grid size you can find. It will make picking a bit easier.

 

[StonesBally]

Chicken wire has served the same purpose for me for years. I use steel stakes and few zip ties to hold it up. Peas, beans, squash, cucumbers all grow well on it and it's pretty cheap.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Nope they taste like green beans with a hint of asparagus. A good variety for up north is called liana. Day neutral and very prolific.
http://www.southernexposure.com/liana-asparagus-yardlong-bean-7-g-p-537.html

IMO they taste best stirfried or blanched then stirfried. I have used them for green bean casserole though and it was very good. Pick them when they are about the diameter of a pencil or smaller and under 18". Let a few get large and go to seed. The pods dry easily when seeds are fully formed.

Mmmm. Long-beans. Great on plate and easy to grow so long as you are okay with all the wasps/hornets they attract.