Veggies 2 (and other Edibles!)

Congrats Yank!! Bet it was yummy.
I found a Cantalope growing......"Honey Rock" started from seed in the house this spring.

I am getting hungry!!!!

YankeeCat - How cool that your fig will fruit indoors! If it does well there, why bother stressing your back to put it outside!!? I'll bet it looks nice too. Do you have a post-able pic of it??

Pixie - that cantelope looks pretty promising!

weird looking tomato!!!!

Kassia...looks like catfacing. Yours is nicely symmetrical. Mine was just ugly.Most of the tomato was fine though. Wasn't that cold or muggy during fruit set so I don't know what caused it. None is appearing now.

another day and that one is being eaten!!!!

Hello Everyone, Remember I got a greenhouse and started everything from seed? 73 tomato plants, 18 green bells, 18 jalapenos, cukes, summer squash and green beans.

I could not stay away. This is now my official home with all you great people.

Here is a picture of my freak squash. My other half calls it, TWINS and a pic of some tomato's.

Does it glow in the dark, too?

Umm - Never been in there in the dark - I dunno. Something to light up your life thou. I am going to buy some seeds and grow these little suckers next year. OUCH

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/dining/5016882.html

I am so happy for you schickenlady. I remember, quite well, when you wanted to give up and when things went wrong. I'm thrilled you persevered and have rewards.

That freak squash looks like Paris Hilton's "buns" in another 40 years!

Yes things did go wrong Pirl with the greenhouse as quick as it went up. I was totally unprepared. The little 14' x 25' GH went up in the begining of April. I expected everything to work simply. It is not that simple.

Towards the end of "what I call growing" I had to go in and hand water with a hose, 3 - 4 times a day.

I learned not to start seeds so early, and learned not to start flowers by seeds, buy the plugs. It hit me not to do so many herbs, but more veggie plants. Tomato's are the biggest seller as we sold out of Big Boys, Better Boys and Beef Steaks. I made a whopping 249.00 and got a free garden, for myself and a friend selling the plants.

So in the long run I was still not happy (even thou the GH is still standing and none of the supplies are runned over with the car - lol). I found an auction in Lyndon Vermont. It was Elliots Nursery. Yes I did buy another GH. Right now it is not put together.

30' x 110'. A good ventilation system and hanging watering system. Here is a pic as it stood in the nursery. I will have to fork out approx. 600 bucks for new plastic and shade cover. I am planning for next year all ready.

I am still learning and will continue to learn for the rest of my growing days. I "think" after the little endeavor I took on so quick this spring, my temper tantrum days are done forever.

wow... I wish I had a gh.... and I aggree starting flowers from seeds... I got plugs from Green Mountain Transplant... they are great... and the price is right... they are in Arundel ME... all my tomatoes, sage, rosemary, thyme came from them... and are really great... I hope to actually go there next year to get my veggies alredy started!!!!

Kassia - ROADTRIP!

hey, what are you up to this weekend????

No - next Spring to go to Maine and get plugs!

For DonnieBrook - my house fig tree.

Very cool, Yankee! Thanks for that photo....great spot right between the two windows, huh! I think it makes a pretty indoor house plant! Even better that it give you yummy figs!

Kassia - Plugs are new to me....great tip. I'll check out that place you mentioned. Do they have a catalog?

Schickenlady - Your GH is amazing....can't imagine why you were not proud as punch to have all those little seedlings looking so healthy and happy! My seedlings that I wrestled up here in the car from a winter in Fla. were pretty leggy by the time they got here.. I'm liking the sound of these plugs!!

Pirl - LOVED laughing pretty hard over your Paris Hilton comment.....nice way to end the day!!

AYankeeCat....you sold me. I have to get a fig next year. Didn't know they were that hardy. Heard about people going to extremes to protect them in CT but Chicago Hardy doesn't look like it needs it. Hows the taste? Get many fruit?

Tomatoes started to roll in today. Planted look tired out. There is some new growth so I hope there is another flood (or two or three). Tommorow is my day for making friends with the neighbors. More than we can handle here:

wow... that is a serious amount of tomatoes!!!!! we are fighting over the tomatoes... my 3 year old nephew is so smart... and he looooooves tomatoes... so when I came home he tells me he ate tomatoes... so cute...

gorgeous tomatoes Paul!!!!

Kassia...isn't that funny. A mom I know with a four year old gives him a bell pepper when he fusses. The little guy gets a dazed look as he munches it down. She does have to watch him in grocery stores as he heads right to the bell peppers.

Tomatoe yield is higher than I anticipated. Aside from the weather, I credit it to getting a soil test from my state University. The lawn looked good. The dirt looked good (loamy, dark, lots of worms) but it was substandard. There was almost no phosphorus in it and not nearly enough potassium.The pH was 5.7. Fixing it all, correctly, in one shot is so much better (and less expensive really) than guessing and spot fertilizing as I had done before.

Did they charge for the soil testing? How long did it take them?

David - That grouping of tomatoes is very artistic....even though you probably didn't arrange them.....just an innate talent?? They look so good. I wish I were one of your lucky neighbors! Mine are still green and pretty small. Good idea on the soil test.

Great idea on the soil test. Most people ignore it or dismiss it but, as you found out, it was worth it.

Donnie - I think any fig would be "hardy" when it lives in the house. LOL Last year I had two or three teeny, tiny little figs. This year I have about a dozen nickel to quarter sized figs. They taste fine to me but I'm not picky about what I eat.

that's the one thing I have not done yet... I am going to look into that!!!!

Last night I took my dog out at midnight and while she did her business I went looking for tomatoes... so I got 2 cherry tomatoes and ate... see now you could say I took the tomato out of the mouth of a child!!!!!

Anitabryk2 . . .The University of Connecticut had a booth at the HartfordGarden & Flower show last February. pH tests were free on site. If you wanted a soil test, they had a kit for $5 you could send in. Took 4 days to do via USPS. But that was in early March. They said by the middle of April, it could take 10 days. Lead and aluminum were tested as well. Being in an old area on the main road to town and not far from an interstate I wondered about lead. Turns out the levels are only a smidge above background. Not enough to take any action to address (although simply raising the pH, as I did anyways, reduces the uptake of lead and aluminum). Boron and other trace elements were included in the test. Nitrogren was not. A more detailed test was $20 but I think that is for commerical growers.

UConn has information on soil testing which might be handy for those out of state as well:

http://www.canr.uconn.edu/plsci/stlab.htm

Kelloggs Breakfast was ripe this morning. Don't have a scale but it must be pushing two pounds:

David, did you start your tomatoes from seeds??? (sorry if you have answered that already... )

I got mine from green mountain transplants... the yellow ones are really great... first time I planted yellow ones... first time brabdywine( if I remember correctly)....I love it....

my zuccinis and cukes have powdery mildew... so sad...

Kassia...started from seeds. Been living with these plants since they were wee ones under grow lights in the living room. Lots of benefits, IMHO, to buying seedlings however. I timed it wrong and wasted quite a few plants. Then there is the cost of pro-mix, electricity etc. I believe White Flower Farms is one of the more expensive sources for seedlings ($6.65 each last spring) and I wouldn't hestitate a minute to pick up a few. A lot to be said for buying a plant in the morning and putting it in the ground that evening.

wow... that's a lot... I have to winter sow this year.... I am trying to save some money... and have fun during the winter months.....

check Green mountain transplants... they are wonderful people and the prices are amazing.... I paid $55 cents per plug..... you can buy an entire mixed flat with veggies and herbs... http://www.gmtransplants.com/


for $40.00 you can get all your veggies/herbs and other things....really great!

Wow...that's great Kassia. I'm making out my spring order right now. You can split the flats I gather? 12 of this and 12 of that?

I've been limited on the annuals I can grow (I would like to put in hundreds) and this solves that problem nicely.

That is amazing. I was checking out their website. They have a nice selection. I'm hooked on the wintersowing. Huge bang for the buck.

I checked out the site, too, and found lots of Delphiniums I haven't yet tried. Thanks, Kassia.

Like I said before -- Spring ROADTRIP!

I am telling you guys I was so pleased with the plants... the packagin was amazingly sturdy, everythings came up in top shape... and well stablished... .... I discovered GMT from a wonderful daylilly lady at Elm Banks....

it's worth a trip to Arundel ME.... anyone up for that ROADTRIP~~~~???

(actually I just spoke with Barbara - the daylily lady!.... she has 850 kinds of daylilies in her garden!!!! and Elm Banks just got a brand new daylily garden with over 4000 plants on 8/3...wow...she said is really great right now!!!! I am going there tomorrow to eat my lunch!!!! and see which daylilies I want so she can dig then up for me on 8/24 right before the 1hr sale! $5.00 for 2 fans(?) I think thats what she called it!)

Me, me. I've never been to Maine. Can Pixie meet us there?

Oh I am glad you want to go!!!!! when do you want to go???? I am going to visit Gram this coming Sunday... finally! and I am off all next week... let me google and see the distance!!!

$5.00 for 2 fans(?) = flats. 1 flat will equal 18 - 3" pots. This is commercial lingo. I hope I am right! If I am wrong someone slap me as I am a monkey head.

Wells Me is nears Saco right? If so it is at least a 3 hour drive for me.

Kassia - in the Spring to get plugs for veggies. I kind of missed the part about the day lillies - - -. I'm broke - that is why I can't pay attention! (Good excuse, huh!)

This message was edited Aug 9, 2007 2:18 PM

Good to see everyone's veggies doing well. Have to check on mine. I'll have to look into GMT. Not great reviews on GW, but most of the negative reviews were '05 and earlier so maybe they changed something. Kass - you should add your own review - the more the better. It's my experience that GW reviews are overly negative. People tend to complain if everything is not absolutely perfect.