And here is a canteloupe my first one this season, harvested today.
STARTING FALL GARDEN 2011 in ZONE 8-9a
And here is a canteloupe, my first one this season, harvested today.
Yay!! Looks good! What kind of cantaloupe are you growing?
Sorry for posting twice. Computer is slow today. The variety is Hales Best. I chilled it and moments ago I ate half. It was very sweet. The melon was completely yellow with no green anywhere but I think it couldhave stayed on the vine another day.
I picked my first ever Prudens purple tomato yesterday. It was about 10 oz and really pretty. My youngest son ate it before it even cooled of to room temp. He said it was really good. Today I picked my first Ananas Noire, same thing happened. When I get to taste one ill let you know ifi like them. : )
1lisac,
Be sure to save some of those Pruden's Purple seeds for me!!!! It's my most favorite tomato in the world.
Horn,
You "air" rooted your tomato plant while it was still attached to the mother plant, then cut if off at the stem after it rooted. I've seen that technique before, using a ziploc baggie or a plastic bag taped around the side stem close to the base of the junction where it meets the mother plant.
I'm not sure my heavy plants could support a water bottle full of damp potting mix. I may just go with a Ziplok baggie. Or, just cut the shoot off with a razor (for a nice clean cut), stick it into a container of sharp sand, and keep it watered in the shade til it takes. It'll root in no time flat!
Linda
Hugs!
Stephanie, we are about at the same speed!
Cam, that cantaloupe looks fantastic! I have some too--seeds in a package! Is it too late to plant?
Lisa, I'd be talkin' to that kid--LEAVE my maters alone! Or at least, leave me some to taste!
And Linda, I get it now! See, it's morning and the ol' brain is working again. So, you can just root some plant to grow a new one. I think I will do that with my Cherokee Purple. It was the best tasting of the ones I have. They all seem to be getting a leaf disease so not sure if they will last till fall.
Bariolo - I live in a Mediterranean climate... it should be dry from May through October. We occasionally get a sprinkle in late May... but to get ANY rain before the middle of October is just weird. We have very low humidity as well (usually around 50%).
Climate change is just so apparent in the garden -- it should be way too hot for brassicas now - under "normal" circumstances I would have pulled them all a month ago. Instead, I am harvesting cabbage and broccoli... I've had only three Sungold tomatoes so far this year... and a few years ago my DH was harvesting them for 1/2 an hour a day at this time of year. Every season is a learning experience!
Boy, that's the truth! We have had an excellent year for cucs, tomatoes, eggplant and other things because with the drought, it hasn't been as humid--although it has kicked in more now. My daughter lives in Sacramento and has lots of different fruit trees in her yard and has planted veggies in the flower beds where she can. They are renting right now. I'd say it's a real bonus to get fruit with your rental!
My calendar schedule says I'll be sowing seeds for the cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, and mustard & collard greens, NEXT weekend, July 9th. My target plantout date starts September 17th.
Also, I read somewhere that part of the success of growing good fall brassicas is to have a large enough seedling at plantout, to withstand the changing temperatures.
Gymgirl...........I did not describe the process very well. Maybe this picture will help you understand what I did.
Horn,
I got it, exactly, the first time! Someone else needed your picture! tee hee hee!
In two weeks you will see a bunch of roots growing from the stem inside the the plastic bottle. At that time I cut the potted stem just below the bottom of the bottle, and put the new plant in a large planter. Pictured is my first effort. This is a Black Krim.
Cool! How long does it generally take to root, then cut off main plant, then grow enough to plant in the beds?
bariolio........the Black Krim pictured above was root bound in the plastic bottle. Roots were very visible on the west side of the garden exposed to the hot afternoon sun. When I got home at 5:30 the plastic bottle was almost hot to the touch, and pretty much dried out. I gave it a good soaking every day. I am surprised it survived. If the plant survives the transplant it should be well acclimated to the hot weather here in Texas. This is what I am hoping for anyway. Like I said earlier I have never done this before. Everything looks good so far...........we shall see!!
So...apparently it's time to plant maters, watermelons, and cantaloupes. I know what I'll be doing tomorrow on my day off!
I can plant watermelons now?
Yes!
Gymgirl, the link that you posted about planting dates....Do you know if it means when to plant the seeds or when to set out transplants? My first frost date is Nov 29 so it looks like I dont plant any fall crop until Aug 5. For melons and tomatoes, the cell is blank. Does that mean that we dont plant melons after July 25 regardless of when our first frost date?
Most are seeds.
Cam,
After reviewing the chart, Steph's right, most of the recommendations are for sowing seeds. When it means set an established plant, it says "Plant". If the block is empty, you're own your own about whether or not to try it...
You can also plant more cucumbers now...We've got a WHOLE lot more hot weather ahead of us. At least until mid September!
I'm gonna forego rooting, then uppotting, my fall tomatoes. My process will be to repurpose my existing potting mixes, take a good sucker, drop a dowel down into the mix for a good deep hole, and drop the sucker in, up to one set of leaves below the growing tip. Water it in, and put the eBuckets under the patio cover until that tip lifts its head and tells me it wants to live...
Then, I'll start moving it closer into the sunshine beginning August 13th, and encourage the plants to give me another bountiful harvest by Thanksgiving dinner...
That's my plan, and I'm sticking with it!
Linda
Hey, Linda, I like your plan, Sista! I'll do that too! But if you have any extra Black Krim or another tasty mater to share, could you start one for moi?? I'll give you whatever I have that you want...in plants, that is! Daughter & hubby not for swap. :)
Shoot! Just when I thought I could get some free labor, you take the manpower off the table....
I have LOTS of Black Krim seeds for next springs crop. I'll keep you on the list for plants when I root some suckers...
Okay, this morning, I planted more bell pepper seeds (red bullnose, orange, golden, and Napoleon sweet) and cantaloupe (honey rock). Either tonight or Sunday, I'll plant watermelon (Crimson Sweet) and the maters.
Do you all know if it's okay to directly plant cantaloupe seeds in the garden, or should I start them in a little pot? Same for zuc.
Direct seed is fine.
I suffer from AAADD, (Age activated attention deficit disorder). I did not notice that some of the veggies in the table say "plants" underneath. Thanks for being kind. chuckle.
It's ok, Cam,
I suffer from AAAD, (Age activated AFFINITY disorder) - I can't HELP but be kind, especially to my DG friends! ^^_^^
Gymgirl, I'll likely do the same about the tomato suckers. When are you going to start that?
And, if the top of a long straggly tomato plant has flowers, what do you think I should do? Just let it be? Take the top and replant? Replant and remove flowers?
And, when you say suckers, do you literally mean the little thingos that grow in the crotch of branches and that most folks pinch off? (Cuz I don't have any). Or, do you just mean a healthy looking branch on an otherwise bedraggled tomato plant?
Thanks for your insights.
Okay, folks, I need recommendations for varieties of broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce. What's your favorite?
broccoli: Johnnys Seeds suggests Green Magic for heat tolerance, although in most places that would be spring planting for summer harvest.
Maybe Arcadia or Marathon ... but those are cold tolerant ... is that usefull in Texas Fall/Winter sowing?
cabbage: Bok Choy! Baby green stem Mei Qing Choi. Big white-stem Joi Choi.
Or heading Chinese Cabbage - Napa, Michili, Soloist, Tender Gold.
Corey
LiseP,
Sorry, I've been outta pocket. Yes, I mean those things that grow in the crotch of the plants. If you have a straggly plant with no suckers on it, I'd trim the lower branches off and sink it down deep. Treat it gently, like a seedling. Keep it watered, and put it in some shade until it looks like it's perking up again. Then, start moving it toward the sunlight gradually, like hardening off a seedling. Hopefully, it'll take off!
Linda
Steph, I have great luck with Black seeded Simpson lettuce planted in September. I usually still have lettuce in April. The snails ate my bok choi last year. The broccoli that Ive grown two seasons in a row with great production is Green Goliath planted in Sept as transplants. This year Im going to grow Gai Lan for the first time and I'll try bok choi again.
We've grown Black Seeded Simpson for the past 2 seasons and didn't like it. We've tried several red tipped lettuces that were good. Maybe I'll look up the names and try those again. I'm more concerned with broccoli and cabbage as I've never really grown those. Not sure about bok choi either. What is that?
Thanks for the input, Gymgirl. I'll double-check for some suckers. (Why do they tell you to pinch them off if you can use them later? Grrrr.)
I have three or four whole plants that are small enough that I can treat in the way you mention (planting deep or maybe lying somewhat on its side). Mostly, my plants are way too tall though. Guess I'd better get busy with those seeds after all. Hope I still have time. I'm still tempted to remove a branch or two and see if I can lay it down in the dirt and get some roots going...
Stephanietx, I was very happy with Green Magic broccoli last fall.
LiseP,
I am not an expert on growing tomatoes but I have learnt to remove the suckers from my indeterminate tomatoes.
Otherwise the plant will grow really big and full of branches making hard to pick the tomatoes, but mostly giving a lot of energy to the green growths and less on fruit production.
Suckers will grow a lot and a lot from one day to the other ... you will have more than you need if you want to propagate your tomato plants at any time.
Bok Choi is Chinese Cabbage. There are several types. I like it better than regular cabbage for stir fry. Im going to try the baby bok choi this year and the Gai Lan is a broccoli type plant that I will try for the first time this year.
Broccoli is a lot easier to grow than I'd ever thought. After all the terminal heads are harvested, you can harvest the side heads and then after that all the little "broccolini" No insects, no problems. I was pleasantly surprised.
LOOK!!! Do you see it??? It's a cantaloupe seed sprouting! Just planted these on Thursday for my fall crop.
Oh my gosh!! How exciting! Can't wait to get mine in the ground!! Good work, Stephanie :)
>> Bok Choi is Chinese Cabbage.
Most people, and DG Plant Files, do lump Bok Choy together with all "Chinese Cabbages".
But you can distinguish between Bok Choy and other-Chinese-Cabbages-properly-so-called, at least many seed catalogs and Asian seed-selling sites make the distinction.
Both are the same species: "Brassica rapa" and hence should cross-polinate.
"Chinese Cabbage" are in the "Pekinesis Group" of Brassica rapa,
while "Bok Choi" is in the "Chinesis Group".
Bok Choy stems are rounder and thicker and (maybe) sweeter and crunchier than classic Chinese Cabbage like Napa or Michili. The plant looks more like open, spread-out celery than tightly-headed cabbage.
And classic Chinese Cabbages have fairly tightly-wrapped heads that are mostly-leafy, with very flat stems that seem part of the leaf.
Bok Choi (or Pak Choy) has prominent, thick, fleshy, celery-stem-shaped stems and I don't think I've seen "heading" Bok Choy. Some say the shorter Bok Choy varieties have "soup-spoon-shaped" stems, refering to the rounded shovel-like Asian soup spoons.
Since I like the stems best (like celery but more tender, less fibrous and sweeter) I always grow Bok Choy if I have space, and have not tried Nappa or Michili in years. I eat Bok Choy stems raw more often than steamed, boiled or stir-fried.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/98474/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/105082/
Corey