Gardening 2016: Fruits, Veggies, Flowers

[Bpeep]

Ah. Pot syndrome.

Peas like it cool. Pots are often too hot for them
Cukes are ok in pots if you're careful. They feed heavily and need a sizeable pot and rich soil.
I often grow cukes in pots in a spot along a path in my garden.
I grow one plant each in five gal pots, and a five is borderline too small for them. It works tho, but they need a bit more attention than they do rooted in the earth.
It's best to get peas in the minute the frost is out of the soil.
I plant my peas in mid to late March.

It's almost pea planting time!!

[whatwhat]

Ah. Pot syndrome.

Peas like it cool. Pots are often too hot for them
Cukes are ok in pots if you're careful. They feed heavily and need a sizeable pot and rich soil.
I often grow cukes in pots in a spot along a path in my garden.
I grow one plant each in five gal pots, and a five is borderline too small for them. It works tho, but they need a bit more attention than they do rooted in the earth.
It's best to get peas in the minute the frost is out of the soil.
I plant my peas in mid to late March.

It's almost pea planting time!!

Thanks for the advise! It was definitely probably to hot for the peas, and get a bigger pot for the cucumber plant. I am trying to be a lot more planned this year and more educated. It has been a trial and error learning experience haha.

[kelownawriter]

We skipped gardening this year and it was certainly sad to see. I'd be taking it on myself mostly (not a green thumb, we'll see). We have a patio that gets all the sun and we set up with pots. Right now there's a Japanese maple growing and some flowers that come up each year. I'd like to put some veg back into things though.

The challenge is the heat. Hot hot hot hot patio. We have a little cabana roof that was built from bamboo that helps but boy does it get hot.

Known Failures:

Carrots
Spinach
Leeks (they were so small they looked like chives!)
Onions
Radish

Basically no luck with anything that grows something underground. I did use all the tops though for pestos and other nibbly bits.

Wins:

Tomatoes, and chocolate cherry tomatoes in particular.
Scartlett Runner Beans (Between the tomatoes and the beans, they made a complete canopy and it was a real challenge harvesting because they would shoot out an arm straight away from the deck and a bean is hanging out yonder!)
Peas (surprisingly)

Haven't tried cucumbers because I strongly suspect the heat would make them bitter.

I've been told stuff like okra flourishes in heat. So that's what I'm looking at, whatever likes it hot and likes it hot for hours at a time. We have all the afternoon sun and it just bakes up there. Lots of watering goes on to keep things alive. I'm hoping my seeds I kept from the tomatoes and beans might have that heat strength in them.

[Lady tehMa]

If I'm not mistaken, peppers like the heat too. Though you have to watch for sun scald - as long as they're shielded by their leaves, they're good.

[Bpeep]

Peppers love the heat. They love warm soil temps too.

[Bpeep]

Stressing cucumbers can cause them to be bitter.
The compound cucurbitacin is responsible. It's typically in the leaves, stems and perhaps in the tips of the cucumber. Stressing the plant too much can make the whole cucumber bitter.
High heat, improper water practises and low soil fertility all add to cucumber bitterness.
There are a few "bitter free" varieties out there now. I'm not sure of their names tho. A bit of googleing would likely find them, but you may have to order them from a seed supplier.

[Lady tehMa]

So the plan now includes broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts on the deck. Cool, shaded. When it gets too hot for them there, I'll move them around front to the shaded NE side of the house.

[Lady tehMa]

Well, I had been watching things start to sprout, bulbs mainly. Now they're back under a layer of frozen snow. *sighs*

Back to the seed catalogues.

[Bpeep]

My indoor peppers are fruiting.
I'll be eating peppers before spring.

I still have half a freezer full of last year's.
I better get eating.
At least they won't go to my thighs. :-)

[Lady tehMa]

Seedy Saturday.jpg

And it turns out I have plans already that day :/

Anybody planning on going?

[Bpeep]

I likely won't go.
I think all I need for home is corn.
I'll go with early, mid and late varieties that don't readily convert sugars. If you have a chance, grow some honeysweets. Delish.

I'd like to grow one of these bad boys. But I likely won't. Would be cool tho.
http://www.castanet.net/news/World/1580 ... wer-blooms

[Queen K]

I want to go but there are going to be some pressing things to be done in March, like finally fit in a road trip.

[Lady tehMa]

Today I saw snowdrops and winter aconite!!

[Queen K]

I got 10 Snowdrops blooming now. And a violet.

[Bpeep]

I heard the first croak today!
Out front in the ditch.
The arborvitae is starting to lose its winter color.
Buds on everything are starting to swell.
I hope spring comes a bit early. Sure feels like it.
The lawn is starting.
30 more days!