Gardening: My Tomatoe and Pepper Progress

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 

Attachments

  • E2C1140B-7A3E-4E50-ADA2-0B87206CCA37.jpeg
    E2C1140B-7A3E-4E50-ADA2-0B87206CCA37.jpeg
    3.8 MB · Views: 0
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!
 
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.
 
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.
 
Never heard of this variety before but I will be sure to look for it next year. Sounds perfect!
The plants are hardy, but so far the tomatoes are kind of small. Next year I am going all heirloom. My first year I will be growing Brandywine. I can hardly wait for next year to see how heirlooms go !
 
The plants are hardy, but so far the tomatoes are kind of small. Next year I am going all heirloom. My first year I will be growing Brandywine. I can hardly wait for next year to see how heirlooms go !
I’ve only grown heirlooms for years. I make a lot of sauce and salsa. My favorite sauce tomato is Opalka. My next two are Polish Linguisa and Italian. I grow 25 sauce tomatoes and 25 others. All are indeterminate and caged. Still trying to find the right chocolate and bicolor. This year I’m trying Carbon and Flame. I do always grow a couple chocolate cherries that are fantastic. I couldn’t get Brandywine to produce very well. I love that tomato, just hasn’t worked for me. Good luck finding what you like.
 
I’ve only grown heirlooms for years. I make a lot of sauce and salsa. My favorite sauce tomato is Opalka. My next two are Polish Linguisa and Italian. I grow 25 sauce tomatoes and 25 others. All are indeterminate and caged. Still trying to find the right chocolate and bicolor. This year I’m trying Carbon and Flame. I do always grow a couple chocolate cherries that are fantastic. I couldn’t get Brandywine to produce very well. I love that tomato, just hasn’t worked for me. Good luck finding what you like.
Me either on brandywines. They grow nice and tall but not much output (compared to other varieties same year) and I found it to be very susceptible to leaf spot septoria.
 
In years past, I grew a lot of cayennes. I love the simple hot sauce I make from them, which I drench on everything.

My recent plants I have grown produce a smaller pepper than I've grown in the past. I'll remedy that next year. However, they product the same heat (actually 50% more). Same flavor. Previously, I grew from seed, but this year I bought germinated plants. Probably go back to seed.

No complaints though, they are heavy producers.

1659058408068.png


1659058456335.png
 
Tried a new recipe for crispy canned pickles this year. You basically pasturerize them, 180F for 30 minutes. I used my Sous Vide to control temps. I will report back in a few weeks and let you know how it worked out. I usually do refrigerator pickles or fermented pickles, but the fridge gets full fast. It is nice to can some for the winter months and I hate a mushy pickle. We will see.



https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-make-pickles/
 
Tried a new recipe for crispy canned pickles this year. You basically pasturerize them, 180F for 30 minutes. I used my Sous Vide to control temps. I will report back in a few weeks and let you know how it worked out. I usually do refrigerator pickles or fermented pickles, but the fridge gets full fast. It is nice to can some for the winter months and I hate a mushy pickle. We will see.



https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-make-pickles/

Calcium chloride (which many of us homebrewers already have) can help keep pickled food crispy. Seemed to work well on my banana peppers last year.
 
Calcium chloride (which many of us homebrewers already have) can help keep pickled food crispy. Seemed to work well on my banana peppers last year.
I tried Pickle Crisp(which I think is CaCl) in my early years of canning. For some reason I detected a subtle, strange taste when I used it. So I stopped using it. I even used half the recommended amount the second time. Maybe I am just sensitive to it. But I do use it im my beer brewing. Hmmmm! I might have to try it again.
 
My pickles last year were the mushiest things ever! I did cut off the blossom ends. I have been looking into corrective actions and two not mentioned are grape leaves and soaking in pickling lime (which needs to be rinsed off). I was thinking of trying the 170-180 bath as well as the CaCL myself this year.

My fermented fridge pickles though were deee-licious! Planted my pickling cukes as a fall crop though so I have to wait.
 
I let my yard beans go too long and ended up with a bunch of dry ones. I cooked them in a Chile verde sauce with sausage and they were awesome! Also let my jalapeños go so picked a whole bucket of red ones. Best poppers ever. I love the fruitiness of red jalapeños.
 

Attachments

  • EBAA3501-7579-405E-B1C7-1FEE73BCC9D8.jpeg
    EBAA3501-7579-405E-B1C7-1FEE73BCC9D8.jpeg
    2.1 MB · Views: 0
  • 9ECBDE48-6F5D-49BE-BCEF-BD128A9692CD.jpeg
    9ECBDE48-6F5D-49BE-BCEF-BD128A9692CD.jpeg
    1.1 MB · Views: 0
  • 00FD5B06-2A36-41CF-A62D-76724C5899FD.jpeg
    00FD5B06-2A36-41CF-A62D-76724C5899FD.jpeg
    3 MB · Views: 0
Its been to cool a summer here for anything other than my locotos. Even the greenhouse ones haven't done much, nightime temps too low.



I do have one of each inside my house though that are doing well at least.


IMG_20220731_104016549-01.jpeg
IMG_20220731_103730758_HDR.jpg
IMG_20220731_103703767_HDR.jpg
IMG_20220731_103703767_HDR.jpg
IMG_20220731_103730758_HDR.jpg

Also lost my outside tomatoes to Late blight, apart from the blight resistant crimson crush
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20220731_103650263_HDR.jpg
    IMG_20220731_103650263_HDR.jpg
    3.5 MB · Views: 0
I picked a nice harvest variety last night. I grew everything from seed except for the green peppers my wife picked up at the local greenhouse. That Heirloom tomato is HUGE! The picture doesn’t do it justice. I struggle with sweet peppers. Yellows and reds never get big and usually rot before they turn. Those sweet chocolate peppers from Baker creek always do well. The long cucumbers are a Japanese variety.
0484F07D-42F9-47E0-B480-FBE943511292.jpeg
ED77BC6B-8FCA-4F25-913E-08CA98A4C938.jpeg
987E30F7-64F8-4D3D-A565-9C236BA6DD04.jpeg
7882BFB5-0B5F-431E-B204-67C5A979E39D.jpeg
 
Some tomatoes and picked a few beets for dinner. Convinced my youngest to make some beet tacos (soft shell).
 

Attachments

  • 20220803_180849.jpg
    20220803_180849.jpg
    1.9 MB · Views: 0
I picked a nice harvest variety last night. I grew everything from seed except for the green peppers my wife picked up at the local greenhouse. That Heirloom tomato is HUGE! The picture doesn’t do it justice. I struggle with sweet peppers. Yellows and reds never get big and usually rot before they turn. Those sweet chocolate peppers from Baker creek always do well. The long cucumbers are a Japanese variety.View attachment 776622View attachment 776623View attachment 776620View attachment 776621
What kind of heirloom tomatoes are you growing ?
 
The mystery pepper plant with the hairy stems has finally put off some fruit. It has white flowers so that rules out a few options. Fruit is very similar to the tepin but hangs down instead of up.

Also, my 3 year old rosemary plant died suddenly. Then this fungus pops up so I figure it is probably the cause. Weird!
 

Attachments

  • CBEAF3C5-0639-4ACB-B836-1B93B45163E6.jpeg
    CBEAF3C5-0639-4ACB-B836-1B93B45163E6.jpeg
    1.5 MB · Views: 0
  • 702E3D49-8AC4-4C74-8D3F-094F92D93593.jpeg
    702E3D49-8AC4-4C74-8D3F-094F92D93593.jpeg
    2.7 MB · Views: 0
The mystery pepper plant with the hairy stems has finally put off some fruit. It has white flowers so that rules out a few options. Fruit is very similar to the tepin but hangs down instead of up.

Also, my 3 year old rosemary plant died suddenly. Then this fungus pops up so I figure it is probably the cause. Weird!
So I have tried the mystery pepper a couple of times now. It has a nice fruitiness and I would guess it's about 100,000 Scoville - definitely enough for a good endorphin rush!

Also, the pepper I was sold as 'tepin chili', is clearly not. It has very slim, 1.5" long upward growing pods. I would guess they are around 50,000 scoville. Looking at pictures, they look a lot like Thai Birds Eye or maybe Rooster Spur. I didn't get much flavor out of it but will be trying more soon. Maybe that one was just a dud...

I also heard from a mycologist that those 'mushrooms' are typical after root rot. They move in to eat the rot, so were not the actual COD.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top