What's Growing in the Garden
- Thread starter trc65
- Start date
Took a few minutes at the garden this morning - the oldest and I picked a handful of beans that we missed yesterday. And picked a few more peppers. The peppers that we have ready here are a sweet banana.
I just got this today. Some of the times are different than what I have witnessed, but Desert conditions vary in different areas. Fort instance, I planted the seeds in October 2008. Five years later, 2013,, they were almost 6" tall. Seventeen of them were planted on the downhill side of my property under a Mesquite tree. Several of them are now almost 24" tall. I think I found 3 carcasses since, but now there are over 20 of them growing under that tree. The dove nesting on the property when not nesting under the eve of my house will sit in trees to digest all the seeds they've just eaten, and pass a few ready to grow into a Saguaro. Some will eventually germinate and become a natural Saguaro rather than a home grown greenhouse variety. That's why I have a few more than I planted. Others that were planted under Palo Verde's are pretty wimpy in size, and pretty much is following this charts' growth rate.
....... Jerry (in Tucson)
....... Jerry (in Tucson)
Cannot find them for sale anywhere, so will ask here to see if anybody knows of any available in other parts of the country. I take a shortcut through the State AgCenter to go see my daughter. And a couple of weekends ago, while shortcutting, I noticed a sign for an Iris sale. The local Iris society was having their annual sale - I did not know there was an Iris Society, much less that they had an annual sale. Two brain waves collided and their amplitudes increased and I remembered I was on the lookout for a couple of irises I have not been able to find. Now, Irises and I don't really geehaw, but these two I do want to try. Both are very fragrant. One is Gingersnap - I can usually find someone who sells them, but are always out - It is colored ginger and smells strongly like root beer. The one I've been looking for, but did not even know the name before I stopped at the sale and asked a few iris people there. It is a tall deep purple that they say has the name Southland Grape - has a strong fragrance of grape Nehi! yes, I watched a bunch of M.A.S.H. Does anybody know of a source of either.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #225
Dave's garden website has a huge number of resources and you can search for plants to buy (commercial listings) and also to trade with other members. Here is a page where one member has some Southland grape for trade https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/182316/#b
Here is the page to Gingersnap. https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/72111/#b
BTW their search function sucks, you are better off using Google to search the site.
Here is the page to Gingersnap. https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/72111/#b
BTW their search function sucks, you are better off using Google to search the site.
Yeh, google led me to his website. Unfortunately all want to trade for other iris. Unfortunately I only have 2 iris - one ubiquitous light lavender tall bearded and one yellow "other type" possibly a Louisiana or a japanese roof iris - I've had it so long, I just don't remember. I offered to trade a fig or two, but no answer yet. It's a handy website - I found where to buy some specific varieties of handkerchief tree and Monumentale maple on it. Neither are easy to find, especially in smaller sizes. Led me to a lady in Oregon who grows some pretty special stuff and sells in smaller sizes.
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- #227
Cauliflower and cabbage harvest today. Will keep bouthlf the cauliflower to eat fresh and roast in the oven, rest will be frozen. Going to be eating lots of Cole slaw and cabbage rolls in the next couple of weeks. For size reference, those cabbge heads are around 7#.
Scruptuous!
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- #229
Had time today to take a good look at my milkweed and look for monarch caterpillars. This my ornamental plot with butterfly weed(orange flowers)and the taller swamp milkweed.
First thing I saw was a milkweed tussock moth caterpillar. Flashy little thing...
Then I started counting monarch larvae. Saw these two first, running out of room to go any higher.
The I started seeing more and more.
Stopped counting when I found a dozen of them. Probably more I don't see.
First thing I saw was a milkweed tussock moth caterpillar. Flashy little thing...
Then I started counting monarch larvae. Saw these two first, running out of room to go any higher.
The I started seeing more and more.
Stopped counting when I found a dozen of them. Probably more I don't see.
It's crazy how they can hide from prying eyes!! Thanks for sharing this!!
That tussock moth - it looks like some flies I've tied!
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- #232
Funny thing about the tussock moth is the adult is just a dull grey moth. When I was looking at pictures to ID the caterpillar, thought it would be a very colorful butterfly/moth.
Should have known, almost everything that feeds on milkweed is very colorful to warn predators to their toxicity from the alkaloids in milkweed.
Edit, was doing some more reading on the tussock caterpillar, and you should never try to touch or pick one up. They have urticating hairs that can injet toxins as well as break off in your skin causing reactions ranging from mild to severe pain, rash, and severe swelling.
Should have known, almost everything that feeds on milkweed is very colorful to warn predators to their toxicity from the alkaloids in milkweed.
Edit, was doing some more reading on the tussock caterpillar, and you should never try to touch or pick one up. They have urticating hairs that can injet toxins as well as break off in your skin causing reactions ranging from mild to severe pain, rash, and severe swelling.
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The local tree rats have bestowed on me a gift - they have allowed me a meager harvest of figs (they'll likely take the rest though) - two varieties - the brown one was sold as Hardy Chicago, but seems more like Celeste and the white one is unknown - got it as cuttings from a guy in Delaware or maybe it was New Jersey. Thought it might be a Marseilles - but with the long neck - more along Italian Honey. My grandma is surely smiling down on me - she loved figs! The okra is Bubba Okra. Don't laugh and scoff - it only gets about 3' tall max. I wouldn't dare say anything like "even @Tony could harvest it!" Last year the rabbits ate it all - this year I put up a fence around it. Got it out late - so this is the first pod. Love me some okra!
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #234
Pickling beets today.
These are the smaller ones already skinned and ready to be cut up, largest in this picture is about the size of a golf ball.
Here are the bigger ones cooling off before I clean and cut them up.
These are the smaller ones already skinned and ready to be cut up, largest in this picture is about the size of a golf ball.
Here are the bigger ones cooling off before I clean and cut them up.
No pictures - some of it's already been eaten already - but after a few nights away from home we came back to:
A bunch of strawberries. We really love our everbearing strawberry plants - and the strawberries we get are a wonderful balance of a little tart and not so sweet. They are the best strawberries I've ever had.
A good amount of peppers - shishito, banana, sport, and jalapeno
A handful of green beans
In a few days it looks like we'll be picking the first tomatoes of the season. It also looks like we may be picking the first cucumbers within the week.
Before our few days away I cut all the green onions - they were ready to be harvested. Left all the bottoms in the ground and we'll eventually get another cutting. They're already starting to grow back nicely. We cut them up, froze them on sheet pans, and then put into two half gallon mason jars in the freezer. We really like having them in the freezer to toss into dishes. We'll add at least one more half gallon jar of them into the freezer after the next cutting.
Also forgot to mention that, in addition to the six pints of dilly beans I've canned and the large amount of fresh green beans we've eaten, I did my first ever pressure canning - 7 quarts and 10 pints of green beans.
A bunch of strawberries. We really love our everbearing strawberry plants - and the strawberries we get are a wonderful balance of a little tart and not so sweet. They are the best strawberries I've ever had.
A good amount of peppers - shishito, banana, sport, and jalapeno
A handful of green beans
In a few days it looks like we'll be picking the first tomatoes of the season. It also looks like we may be picking the first cucumbers within the week.
Before our few days away I cut all the green onions - they were ready to be harvested. Left all the bottoms in the ground and we'll eventually get another cutting. They're already starting to grow back nicely. We cut them up, froze them on sheet pans, and then put into two half gallon mason jars in the freezer. We really like having them in the freezer to toss into dishes. We'll add at least one more half gallon jar of them into the freezer after the next cutting.
Also forgot to mention that, in addition to the six pints of dilly beans I've canned and the large amount of fresh green beans we've eaten, I did my first ever pressure canning - 7 quarts and 10 pints of green beans.
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And, while not from our garden, the campground we were camping at the last few nights had raspberries just finishing their season and blackberries just coming into season. We had a 2 1/2 quart bowl along and filled it with mostly blackberries, but a few raspberries as well, during our time camping. Getting home earlier today, we crushed the berries and strained out the seeds. We have 5 cups of puree that I will use to make blackberry jam with.
Found a big ol gourd in my pumpkin area today while the wife n I were doing yard work.
Green Beans have little left to finish growing on them - a few random beans here and there still to finish. But! But there are a good number of new blossoms forming on them - more beans to come!
The other night I canned some more dilly beans - we get a few handfuls from the garden, plus were given some more beans. Also pickled a jar of sweet banana peppers and a jar of sport peppers.
We've also picked a few cucumbers, and had some given to us, so tonight I canned 4 quarts of pickles. First time I've canned pickles - made some refrigerator pickles last year. Made these for my wife and one of our boys, as they're the ones in our house who like pickles. I love pickled things, like dilly beans and peppers, but I hate pickles... (Now, fresh cucumbers - those I like!)
The other night I canned some more dilly beans - we get a few handfuls from the garden, plus were given some more beans. Also pickled a jar of sweet banana peppers and a jar of sport peppers.
We've also picked a few cucumbers, and had some given to us, so tonight I canned 4 quarts of pickles. First time I've canned pickles - made some refrigerator pickles last year. Made these for my wife and one of our boys, as they're the ones in our house who like pickles. I love pickled things, like dilly beans and peppers, but I hate pickles... (Now, fresh cucumbers - those I like!)
Looks like great fig preserves.
Would be some good preserves, but I am only left a handful or two after all the varmints have their fill. I have about 15 others in pots that I am looking for someone to plant - away from varmints so I can see what they do around here.