Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

[Hanglow]

First outside fruit set on a crimson crush. Sowed this at the end of March.

2022 cereal crop might fill a thimble. I found these growing from some homemade compost and potted them up, I presume it is from pearl barley as I can't remember using unmalted whole barley when brewing. Or is it wheat?

 

[passedpawn]

First outside fruit set on a crimson crush. Sowed this at the end of March.

2022 cereal crop might fill a thimble. I found these growing from some homemade compost and potted them up, I presume it is from pearl barley as I can't remember using unmalted whole barley when brewing. Or is it wheat?

Wheat and barley look very similar. Search google for wheat auricle hairy and you'll find the difference to look for. Wheat is hairy, barley is not. I can't see in that picture.

 

[bleme]

One of my crooked neck squash produced fantastic fruit for a few weeks but now it is producing a weird gourd-like fruit. Any ideas?

 

[bleme]

First crop of golden beets! Sautéed beet greens and roasted beets. I only planted a few to see how everyone liked them but I will definitely be planting more.

 

[Deadalus]

One of my crooked neck squash produced fantastic fruit for a few weeks but now it is producing a weird gourd-like fruit. Any ideas?

It may be receiving pollen from a different variety. You could hand pollinate the female flowers with male flowers from the same plant or another of the same variety and see if that corrects the problem.

 

[Hanglow]

Locoto chillis, first picked just under 7 months from sowing.

 

[estricklin]

One of my crooked neck squash produced fantastic fruit for a few weeks but now it is producing a weird gourd-like fruit. Any ideas?

I'm pretty sure this is a pollination problem. Sometimes pollination insects are around, they are just attracted to easier food sources during specific time periods.

Cross pollination shouldn't be an issue here because that wouldn't show up until the next generation.

 

[Deadalus]

I'm pretty sure this is a pollination problem. Sometimes pollination insects are around, they are just attracted to easier food sources during specific time periods.

Cross pollination shouldn't be an issue here because that wouldn't show up until the next generation.

My bad I forgot that part!

No male flowers present initially could be another reason? I had fruits forming on the female flowers of both my zucchini and yellow squash and I was starting to worry about them getting pollinated. The male flowers have since bloomed and the fruits are fine so far. On a gardening page, one gardener had fruits that were sort of rotted near the end and it was suggested they hadn't been pollinated. I don't know if that is the result when that happens. It seemed more of a blossom rot but my squash typically get wiped out by blight so I don't have much knowledge about other issues with squashes.

Curious situation it is. In the picture most look like maybe a cross between crookneck and perhaps butternut as far as color and profile. But those ridges are a bit like acorn squashes. Maybe a crossed generation with variability in fruit expression. Or perhaps temperature or local climate changed and affected fruit formation? Just tosses out ideas not sure if any of those occur.

What color is the inside @bleme ?

 

[passedpawn]

The bells are Golden Bells. We will probably eat about half fresh, in salads and such, and about half roasted (airfryer).

The jalapenos are supposed to be a larger variety, good for poppers. I love what I call All-Out poppers, with bacon and all, but last year I started doing short-and-shoddy poppers that are basically cream cheese in a jalapeno boat, and makes a good side to most meals.

Any that we can't use before they turn red will go into sauces. I've always fermented sauces in the past and loved how they turned out but I made a quick batch of cayenne sauce last week and everyone loved it so I'm sure I'll do some 30 minute sauces with the jalapenos as well.

I did a side-by-side with my hop pepper sauce and Franks Red Hot. Franks has a depth of flavor that mine don't. So, I fermented a batch and tomorrow will be round two of the comparison.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I had terrible weather this year, first 2 weeks of high winds then 2 weeks of flooding then 2 weeks at 90 to 100 F, I planted a lot but had to let it all go, my water bill doubled just on week one, my 30ft x 30ft garden is almost dead

 

[Dog House Brew]

Watered 5-6 times, haven’t received my bill yet. Squash and cucumbers are overflowing. Tomatoes are behind because of the heat. Beans under the row cover look like they liked the hot and dry. The peppers are full too, but have a month to go. Starting Chinese cabbage in a week or so. So many 95-100 degree days this year.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Almost ready !

 

[Homebrew Harry]

This Jet Star has gone crazy

 

[Deadalus]

Just flowers, no peppers yet, but staying healthy. I have a decent amount of green tomatoes (hurry up and wait). Beans are just forming, eggplants have flowers, cucumbers are forming, zucchini and squash producing. Just picked those broccoli from under the row cover and lots of broccoli raab this year.

 

[Hanglow]

I've had to remove one outside plant due to blight. Been perfect conditions for it unfortunately.

 

[Homebrew Harry]

Today is fertilizer day. Everybody line up for a dip...

 

[bleme]

What color is the inside @bleme ?

The inside looks pretty normal except for the hard, thick skin.

The beans are growing like crazy. One day I noticed blossoms and I think 4 days later I have 2ft long beans hanging that appeared out of nowhere!

Also picked 3 of my 7 cherry tomato plants today. If I ever plant this many cherry tomatoes again, just shoot me!

 

[bleme]

This Jet Star has gone crazy
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Never heard of this variety before but I will be sure to look for it next year. Sounds perfect!

 

[bleme]

View attachment 774671
Almost ready !

This made me think of that old Mervyns commercial where they are chanting “Open open open”, except we are chanting “Ripen ripen ripen”!

 

[Closet Fermenter]

It may be receiving pollen from a different variety. You could hand pollinate the female flowers with male flowers from the same plant or another of the same variety and see if that corrects the problem.

I don’t think it works that way; if cross- pollinated with something else, it will show in the plants produced in next year’s crop from these seeds.

It is possible that LAST year’s plant was crossed and it is showing up this year. If that’s the case, hand pollinating this year won’t undo what’s going on.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

I had terrible weather this year, first 2 weeks of high winds then 2 weeks of flooding then 2 weeks at 90 to 100 F, I planted a lot but had to let it all go, my water bill doubled just on week one, my 30ft x 30ft garden is almost dead

Jumping here in the middle, so maybe this has already been covered. I have a small garden in the backyard of a ½ acre lot, so gauge accordingly. I try to avoid watering from the tap as much as possible. Remember, they put chlorine in water to keep things from growing in it! (If you have a well, this doesn’t apply) If it’s a dry year, and watering is a must, draw the water a day ahead and let it sit in the sun to “cook off” the chlorine, etc the folks add to the drinking water. After using it, refill your containers for the next day.

One other observation; this type of watering will keep your garden alive, but does little to make it grow. The atmosphere above us is 78% nitrogen, and rainwater picks this up as it falls through. It literally rains miracle grow! Therefore, I collect rainwater in barrels and use this first as my watering source, and go to the tap as a last resort.

 

[Dog House Brew]

One of my crooked neck squash produced fantastic fruit for a few weeks but now it is producing a weird gourd-like fruit. Any ideas?

Looks like Delicota to me.

One of my crooked neck squash produced fantastic fruit for a few weeks but now it is producing a weird gourd-like fruit. Any ideas?

 

[Deadalus]

I don’t think it works that way; if cross- pollinated with something else, it will show in the plants produced in next year’s crop from these seeds.

It is possible that LAST year’s plant was crossed and it is showing up this year. If that’s the case, hand pollinating this year won’t undo what’s going on.

Yes. I think you missed my follow-up post #1868.

Looks like Delicota to me.

That looks more like it, the Delicata seem to have some variability in the middle and the color is similiar. I found this on Wikipedia "It is a cultivar of the species Cucurbita pepo, which also includes the summer squash varieties pattypan squash, zucchini, and yellow crookneck squash, as well as winter squash varieties including acorn squash, spaghetti squash, and most pumpkins used as Jack-o-lanterns." Maybe something triggers that crooked neck expression or the seed was a cross.

 

[passedpawn]

Jumping here in the middle, so maybe this has already been covered. I have a small garden in the backyard of a ½ acre lot, so gauge accordingly. I try to avoid watering from the tap as much as possible. Remember, they put chlorine in water to keep things from growing in it! (If you have a well, this doesn’t apply) If it’s a dry year, and watering is a must, draw the water a day ahead and let it sit in the sun to “cook off” the chlorine, etc the folks add to the drinking water. After using it, refill your containers for the next day.

One other observation; this type of watering will keep your garden alive, but does little to make it grow. The atmosphere above us is 78% nitrogen, and rainwater picks this up as it falls through. It literally rains miracle grow! Therefore, I collect rainwater in barrels and use this first as my watering source, and go to the tap as a last resort.

For economical reasons, sure, use rain water.

My kids drank chlorinated tap water their whole lives. They grew pretty big My garden gets watered with chlorinated water. My plants are just fine. Chlorinated water will not harm your plants in any way. I've been watering my lawn with that same water and it's incredibly lush (well, it's been raining here too).

I don't think nitrogen is very soluble in water, so I wouldn't expect it to pick up any further nitrogen while coming down. I'd stick with with using nitrogen in the solid nitrates form, good old Miracle Grow.

 

[bleme]

I don't think nitrogen is very soluble in water, so I wouldn't expect it to pick up any further nitrogen while coming down.

I had to research this and it turns out that electrical storms fuse nitrogen into nitrates, so rain from a lightning storm will have trace amounts.

Never use your bird cage cleanings in your garden unless you want to grow a nice crop of millet. Add them to your compost pile instead.

 

[Closet Fermenter]

For economical reasons, sure, use rain water.

My kids drank chlorinated tap water their whole lives. They grew pretty big My garden gets watered with chlorinated water. My plants are just fine. Chlorinated water will not harm your plants in any way. I've been watering my lawn with that same water and it's incredibly lush (well, it's been raining here too).

I don't think nitrogen is very soluble in water, so I wouldn't expect it to pick up any further nitrogen while coming down. I'd stick with with using nitrogen in the solid nitrates form, good old Miracle Grow.

Hey, I’m all about leaving folks to do whatever works best them. If you’re getting the results you want, by all means, carry on!
If you are already applying artificial fertilizer, then it’s possible that you might not see the difference between tap water and rainwater. The fertility of the soil would come in to play too. Even the way you water would affect the amount of chlorine delivered to the plants, (spray, bucket, soaker hose). In other words, there are a lot of variables that are probably unique to each of us. I do what works; you do what works, and it’s all good!
Hope you have a good season!

 

[Henbrew]

Getting my first cucumbers and eggplant of the season. My tomatoes are just teasing me at this point but should start ripening very soon. Need to remind myself to grow less chard next year...

 

[Deadalus]

Getting my first cucumbers and eggplant of the season. My tomatoes are just teasing me at this point but should start ripening very soon. Need to remind myself to grow less chard next year...

View attachment 775392
View attachment 775394

Chard grows well usually once it germinates and has few diseases or pests that bother it in my experience. Slugs will attack it early but then leave it alone. I also have become careful about how much to plant. It's pretty to grow too.

 

[Henbrew]

Chard grows well usually once it germinates and has few diseases or pests that bother it in my experience. Slugs will attack it early but then leave it alone. I also have become careful about how much to plant. It's pretty to grow too.

I started putting down sluggo early this year. Learned my lesson from last year.

 

[Deadalus]

I started putting down sluggo early this year. Learned my lesson from last year.

Me too and beer traps are quite easy to utilize when you are a homebrewer!