That's a big tomato!
I have some fordhook giants, which it white variety, still bitter:0(
Do you know what cultivar of white chard your growing?
Okra was sowed on March 15 and transplanted on the 29th. That's about a month earlier then usual, but the weather was so consistent I decided to risk it. I would have had enough time to start over, if it didn't work, but I got lucky.
2012 Spring HARVEST pictures
Those are my best Swiss Chard (never bitter)
http://www.gourmetseed.com/product/SC24/Swiss-Chard-Riccia-da-Taglio.html
http://www.gourmetseed.com/product/SC10/Swiss-Chard-Sibilla.html
Great job taking the risk on your Okra. I always take risks on my tomatoes ... so far so good
http://www.gourmetseed.com/product/SC07/Swiss-Chard-Perpetual-Spinach.html
This is actually my favorite too. The picture is yellow, but the true color of this chard has white stalks.
My harvest today ... ooohhhh!
My freezer is starting to get already full ... and it is just the beginning of the season.
Those eggplants are just beautiful !
I picked the peppers that were too close to the soil ... this year I was to late to stake my pepper plants ... so they are kind of lining down.
I don't want the pill bugs to eat them ... so I picked.
I will let the upper ones to turn color ... but those peppers are so nice !
Amazing cucumbers ... and off course tons of tomatoes ! ... and some little onions.
I have learned my lessons on how to grow those red onions: I planted too late and too deep ... oh well ... next year they will be bigger !
Quote from cocoa_lulu :
I have some fordhook giants, which it white variety, still bitter:0(
Do you know what cultivar of white chard your growing?
From my own reading and personal experience, I believe the key to non-bitter chard is to keep it actively growing in the vegetative stage (leaf production as opposed to fruit/seed production). Many of the problems attributed to "too much heat" are equally the result of the plant not keeping up with transpiration losses - not enough water, or sometimes too much water. That doesn't mean more watering is always good. That only helps if the soil is actually dry and there are enough healthy roots to take it up. The key (as with so much else) is a healthy root system, and that in turn usually relies on a healthy soil. They can really make all the difference, since it may only take a single severe stress-event to start the formation of those bitter compounds.
-Rich
Quote from drthor :
Those are my best Swiss Chard (never bitter)
http://www.gourmetseed.com/product/SC24/Swiss-Chard-Riccia-da-Taglio.html
http://www.gourmetseed.com/product/SC10/Swiss-Chard-Sibilla.html
Riccia da Taglio and Sibilla were two of the varieties that performed best for me as well here in north central Florida. Others that grew well here were Umaina (http://www.kitazawaseed.com/seed_280-149.html) and Argentata 2 (http://www.gourmetseed.com/c=8CAWPB9MBL1IIfbiV2bsA0rtV/product/SC06/Swiss-Chard-Argentata-2.html), both green/white stemmed types.
The weakest-growing types in general were the varieties with golden or orange stems and veins (much to my disappointment, as I really like the way they dress up a dish). That included Fantasia Orange, Golden, Golden Sunrise and Oriole Orange, from several different sources.
I'm planning to plant pretty much the same varieties again this fall, so I'll have a better idea what to grow going forward.
-Rich
Before and after pictures of the chard bed. As you can see, I'm fortunate I got any chard after the neighbors chickens got into it.
-Rich
rjogden
you are right: the red and yellow stem varieties of Swiss Chard will bolt very easy.
The "perpetua" ones are perennial in my garden ...love it !
Sorry for the chicken ... I hope she gave you some eggs for a life time !!
I pulled a few more carrots the other day. Still have several that I'm waiting to ripen. These were actually a little green, but were poking their tops out, so I harvested them.
We've harvested a mess of green beans the past few days. Can we say "Dinner"??
Those are beautiful carrots and green beans. So good.
My harvest today: tomatoes, cucumbers, long beans and blackberries (normally none of them make it to the kitchen for photograph ... this time I left a few ... giggle ... so good)
My harvest today: my first OKRA POD !!
Tomatoes, long beans and cucumbers ... my freezer is getting full of tomatoes ....
My harvest today : 2 okra pods .... yuk
tomatoes, cukes, long beans, onions, eggplants, peppers and swiss chard
Thank you so much for all the info on the swiss chard! I struggled to grow these at all for a few years, I was content to get them to grow, but now I want them perfect and harvestable all summer! lol
I got a few new things today, My first 'real' tomato, white pattypans and the 'royal burgundy' beans. Can't wait to see how they taste :0)
cocoa_lulu
amazing harvest ! I am so envious of the patty pan ... not squash here ... the squash vine borer attach all my plants !!
But I cannot complain with the rest ...
Great harvest, Lynea!! Love the colorful beans!
Here's today's meager harvest.
stephanietx
That's great!
I copied you ... I ordered some of those Lemon Cucumbers seeds from Baker Cheek .... and some more white cucumber varieties ...
I must tried them too and I am a seedholic ....
The lemon cukes are very aggressive viners, so give them plenty of room. They are also very prolific. What white cukes did you order? I've grown one white cuke and wasn't pleased with it at all.
I have ordered these varieties from Baker Creek:
White Wonder Cucumber
Lemon Cuke Cucumber
Poona Kheera Cucumber
I looked their ratings on Dave's plant files and they have good reviews.
My harvest today: OKRA season is starting !
Enough to start to make Gumbo !
I grew White Wonder and didn't like it. The skin was tough and they tasted bitter, no matter at what size I harvested them. They made good pickles, though!
My harvest today.
I still have lots of green tomatoes on the vine ... but they seem like they are ripening really slow ...very strange because it is getting hotter !
Few cucumbers too ... but okra is starting to produce.
I have discovered GREEN ZEBRA tomato ... I think its taste is growing on me. And INDIGO ROSE ... not worth my time
Today's harvest.
My harvest today: lots of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers , long beans, cucumbers, okra and some dill.
Love it !
More tomatoes and cucumbers.
Tomatoes need to be harvest almost daily ... because they are cracking .... aaaahhhhh
Does Indigo Rose not taste good, or is it hard to grow? I bought seeds but haven't planted them.
Calalily I posted more picture of the plant on this thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1243441/ just scroll almost at the end.
I bough the transplant of Indigo Rose just because I had a free coupon to spend at the garden center.
The plant didn't grow very much. The tomatoes are taking forever to ripen. Really FOREEEEVER and when they are ready they crack on the top, making the upper part not edible.
I have only one plant, so it is hard to make a comparison ... but I will not try again next year.
My birthday present today.
Lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, some long beans and cow peas, okra and peaches ...
Nothing quite says "happy birthday " better than being able to pick an abundant harvest. Happy birthday drthor!
I harvested the rest of the garlic this morning, two weeks earlier than usual. The cloves were set Nov 7th 2011
HoneybeeNC that's is fantastic harvest. WOW !!
Thanks, drthor ^_^
I picked Royal Burgundy bush beans this afternoon - they turn green when cooked.
I never grew bush beans. This year I am growing for the first time"long beans" and I love it.
Do you eat the bean pods or the bean seeds?
Do you have a picture of the bush bean plant?
I really don't understand how they grow yet ...
Drthor, bush beans are just like pole beans (green beans). You eat the whole pod. Bush beans tend to produce once and then they're done. The pole beans continue producing throughout the season.
thanks
so do bush beans need to be staked?
any picture of the plants ?
They don't vine for the most part, but they do need some support or your beans will end up on the ground.
thanks
I might try to grow them too
I have mine supported with hoop-loops
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-6931-hoop-loops-pkg-of-10.aspx
The only draw-back to bush beans is that you have to do a lot of bending to pick the beans.
These are very tasty beans. I steamed them for about six minutes until they were crisp-tender.
http://www.johnnyseeds.com/p-8376-royal-burgundy-og.aspx
Will get a photo of the row tomorrow.
Dr, if you've grown black-eyed peas like Pink Eye Purple Hull they are about the same height.
My garlic has dried and I've broken apart the cloves. I'm so thrilled with this year's harvest!
My harvest from Wed, 6.13.12
Today's harvest. Can't wait for the cantaloupes and maters to be ready to harvest!
