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6/8/2010 12:43:15 AM

Quote :

"whats best for maters, cages or just stakes tied off?"

I think metal is best because you can use it every year. If you look at my pics, I made my metal cages out of some leftover fence I had. If you choose to use stakes over cages, then i recommend going with metal. If you use wood, it is best to replace them every year. Mainly because if there is any type of disease that pops up, it will live in the wood and infect your garden next year.

6/8/2010 10:44:13 AM

I've started getting some veggies on the regular now. I've got a lot of breaker (started turning colors) tomatoes.


^
ETA: I use those metal stakes that are coated in green plastic, about as thick around as a felt pen but hollow. They last 3-5 years before they kink somewhere.

[Edited on June 9, 2010 at 8:08 AM. Reason : stake talk]

6/9/2010 8:06:07 AM

OMG I am jealous!! what a bountiful bounty! That red tomato looks great, what variety is it??

My peppers have been soooo slow to start. The seeds took much longer to germinate than everything else, and now that they're in the ground they have flowers but they're so small (about a foot tall) ... I don't see how they can support a full sized pepper!

6/9/2010 8:09:31 AM

my squash is doing well and producing small fruit still. I guess I just have to be more patient with the tomatoes. The plants look really healthy and are growing well, just still no fruit yet. But I was really looking forward to these tomatoes so I'm getting anxious haha.

6/9/2010 8:22:10 AM

maybe you should try pollinating the flowers yourself like GREENJAY suggested?

I know what you mean about being impatient, I have baby tomatoes but it seems like they've been on the vine forever and are still green as the hills of Ireland. I want to eat my tomatoes NOW!!!

6/9/2010 8:27:05 AM

^^^Rutgers. I pulled it a bit early because there's some rabbit teeth marks on the far side of it.

6/9/2010 9:40:49 AM

We picked several zucchini yesterday, and several more will be ready probably tomorrow. Cucumbers and tomatoes probably need about another week, then they will be ready to be harvested.

6/9/2010 10:46:55 AM

i had to pull my garlic crop a month earlier than planned due to bad storms 3 weeks ago blowing all the stalks down...couldn't get them to recover.

6/9/2010 11:20:40 AM

We planted garlic this year too, but I have no idea how to tell when they are ready. Any help?

6/9/2010 11:38:17 AM

After the bottom leaves turn yellow, and before the top leaves turn yellow.

6/9/2010 11:53:22 AM

^^ I'm in the middle of my first garlic harvest right now, and I was surprised to see you planted garlic now, as it usually a fall/winter planted crop. I planted mine at the end of October and the first bulbs just started getting ready a month ago.

The garlic will tell you when it starts getting ready because the plant starts dying from the bottom up. When only the top 5-6 leaves are left, it is ready for harvest. Before that happens though, it will form a scape up the center of the plant. If you leave the scape the head will store longer, but if you cut it after it forms, the bulb will get a little larger. The scapes make for good eating as well.

I'll get some picks up of a plant ready for harvest soon so you have a frame of reference.

6/9/2010 12:24:24 PM

garlic can be planted either in the early spring or late fall / early winter.

we planted ours early spring.

6/9/2010 1:32:28 PM

also remember with garlic to properly cure (dry) it before storing and washing all the dirt off.

Mine cured 2 days in the sun and is now curing on racks in the garage.


My garage and laundry room smell wonderful!!

6/9/2010 1:59:44 PM

How long will garlic last once it is dried? We are going to have a lot of it and my GF isn't a huge garlic fan, so i am just curious if there is a way to make it last the whole year.

6/9/2010 2:04:22 PM

5-6 months at room temp and out of direct sunlight

6/9/2010 2:08:06 PM

OMG do roasted garlic ... when I go to a pizza restaurant I ask for "as much garlic as health codes will allow!!"

6/9/2010 6:01:31 PM

Question!

My tomato plants have suddenly been hit with some sort of affliction. The leaves have been turning yellow then black along their edges. It seems to be mostly the lower leaves with this problem.

Virus? Pest? Nutrient deficiency?

6/9/2010 7:05:08 PM

as this is my first year growing tomatoes (sucessfully) I can't answer your question :/


But I have another tomato question: For those growing beefsteak tomatoes, how long does it usually take for your tomato to start ripening? I know I can take it off and let it ripen off the vine, but I've read beefsteak taste better when they are left to ripen on the vine. I've had two very large green tomatoes for what seems like a month now, but nothing's happening past that. I've got lots still growing, but it's these two that I just don't know what to do with at this point.

I'm thinking...take them off and let ripen off the vine so the plant can concentrate on sending nutrients to the newer maters. Hope those start to ripen on the vine. If not, oh well...ripen off it is.

What say ye tww?

6/9/2010 10:34:11 PM

I actually have the same problem!

I have about 10 tomatoes, all different varieties and it seems like they've been green forrrrreevvvverrrr! (actually I just checked my garden book and I wrote on June 1st that I had baby tomatoes, so it's been 9 days) When should I cut my losses and pick them?? Help TWW

6/10/2010 7:49:59 AM

Yes 5-6 months MAX with garlic for eating purposes.....

Now don't forget to save some of that garlic to replant before columbus day.

Also, you can chop it and can/jar it to try and preserve the garlic.

Regarding tomato plants and ripening:

Ripening and color development in tomatoes is governed primarily by two factors: temperature and the presence of ethylene. The optimum temperature range for ripening mature green tomatoes is 68–77 deg. F. The further temperatures stray from the optimum, the slower the ripening process will be. And, when temperatures are outside the optimum range for extended periods, conditions may become so stressful that the ripening process virtually halts. At the same time, tomatoes do not produce lycopene and carotene, the pigments responsible for ripe tomato color, when temperatures are above 85 deg. F. So, extended periods of extreme heat cause tomatoes to stop ripening. The resulting fruits often appear yellowish green to yellowish orange.

So to sum it all up...it depends!

6/10/2010 8:40:08 AM

So this heat recently (minus the past three days) is probably why my two that I feel should have ripened by now have not. Good to know! I will pluck and kitchen counter ripen them

6/10/2010 8:53:43 AM

^5

It has something to do with water me thinks. Usually, that's the problem when the leaves start yellowing. I would guess they have actually had too much water. Do you notice any mildew on the plant?

6/10/2010 9:59:31 AM

I haven't noticed mildew and the leaves were dry when I clipped them off.

Actually, I'm pretty terrible about watering them consistently I usually water the plants every two to three days.

6/10/2010 10:08:54 AM

ahhh that is your problem then

erratic watering is doing it

6/10/2010 10:13:00 AM

you might have Early Blight (caused by a fungus)

do your leaves look like this?:



Sanitation is the best control. Remove all yellowed leaves (both from the plant and ground) and try to only water right as the base of the plants. Also overwatering or underwatering along with diseases might cause leaf-tip burn.

I could be wrong, as other possible causes are root injury caused by nematodes, or over fertilization. (I plant marigolds with my tomatoes to prevent nematodes)

6/10/2010 10:49:00 AM

^ Yep, that's exactly what it looks like. The plants are in containers so it's unlikely it's nematodes but I'll start making sure to water at the base.

6/10/2010 10:59:07 AM

picked my first cucumbers this morning.

w00t!

6/10/2010 11:14:15 AM

Glad I could help

I don't do pot gardening anymore because it's too much pain to keep on a water cycle

I do have an irrigation system for my garden.

6/10/2010 11:16:09 AM

I love this thread!

6/10/2010 11:23:08 AM

picture of my garlic harvest

6/10/2010 12:05:04 PM

This is what happened with my tomatoes last year:

6/10/2010 12:45:17 PM

So my GF is pissed because the rabbits and deer are eating all the lettuce. I told her that we should just consider the lettuce deer/rabbit food, because them bitches ain't getting into THE GARDEN DOME!

aside: she wasn't amused, and we are planting lettuce in the GARDEN DOME this weekend.

6/10/2010 4:45:59 PM

Bitch ass rabbits have been nosing around our lettuce and arugula, but haven't caused any significant damage so far. Perhaps the fact that we've pelted two of them with rocks when they got too close has served as a warning for them to find easier pickin's elsewhere?

"pelted with rocks" will be upgraded to "shot at with bb gun" if the rabbits escalate things.

6/10/2010 5:05:03 PM

^ buy some chicken wire and fence it in. it's cheap and easy to work with

6/10/2010 5:08:11 PM

Quote :

"Ripening and color development in tomatoes is governed primarily by two factors: temperature and the presence of ethylene. The optimum temperature range for ripening mature green tomatoes is 68–77 deg. F. The further temperatures stray from the optimum, the slower the ripening process will be. And, when temperatures are outside the optimum range for extended periods, conditions may become so stressful that the ripening process virtually halts. At the same time, tomatoes do not produce lycopene and carotene, the pigments responsible for ripe tomato color, when temperatures are above 85 deg. F. So, extended periods of extreme heat cause tomatoes to stop ripening. The resulting fruits often appear yellowish green to yellowish orange."

I live in Charleston, SC. It's been in the 90s this week and it's likely to stay that way until September. What should I do? pick them and let them ripen inside?

6/10/2010 5:09:19 PM

+1 for chicken wire to keep rabbits out. Can also be made stronger if you put some stakes in the ground, wrap it with welded wire then attach the chicken wire to the welded wire. Kept the goddamn rabbits out of my shit this year.

6/10/2010 5:48:05 PM

the best thing that we ever did for small garden pests was to buy a livetrap. you can let the animals go somewhere else with virtually no harm to the animal. we use cut up apples to bait ours with.




on another note, I picked a bushel of squash/ zucchini yesterday, and about half a bushel of half runner green beans

6/10/2010 5:59:06 PM

Best defense against rabbits:

6/10/2010 9:54:58 PM

Nerdchick,

go with the flow and roll with the punches. see what happens and try to let them ripen.

remember to water on a regular interval and deeply.

6/11/2010 7:53:48 AM

Yeah, thigh highs are high, but the low temp at night should be getting down into the range still. If you pick 'em, then there's no way for the plant to provide anything else to the fruit.

6/11/2010 8:37:02 AM

As you can see from the pictures of my garden, I put in A TON of work on pest control this year. Built a 6' high fence around the whole thing to keep the deer out, then went around the bottom of it with chicken wire to keep out the rabbits. We haven't had a single pest in there so it was definitely worth it. Plus I made it so that I only have to take down 2 of the sides when I need to turn it next year. The only thing I want to do next year is replace the wooden stakes with metal, now that I know it will be a good permanent solution.

6/11/2010 10:29:26 AM

I got bugs eating my yard long beans. Its been cool and wet so they haven't formed true leaves yet.

6/11/2010 11:38:13 AM

Aphids are pretty much destroying my pepper plants

6/12/2010 1:02:15 AM

^go online and buy ladybugs

http://gardeningzone.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=121

1500 for $6.50

or for a chemical free way..mix 1 tablespoon dish soap to a gallon of water. put in a spray bottle and spray your plants...note only last 2 days before you have to respray

6/12/2010 1:29:45 AM

I'm not shipping ladybugs all the way over here

There have been some ladybugs who have found there way up to my balcony but I don't think they can keep up with the aphids. I'll have to try the soapy water trick this weekend.

6/12/2010 1:31:16 AM

Picked these this morning. There are about 8 more cucumbers out there that will probably be ready to be picked tomorrow or Monday. Also have a TON of really good looking tomatoes that should be ready in the next few days.

6/12/2010 8:23:23 AM

Those cukes are ballin! Look how warty! They'll make excellent pickles!

6/12/2010 8:32:09 AM

Yep! They are pickling cucumbers, so they don't get very big. Although the one I picked a couple days ago would make a HUGE pickle. I am going to buy my jars tomorrow.

That one zucchini is much bigger than I typically let them get. I probably should have picked it 2 days ago. I find that when they get too big they get really mealy in the middle, and I prefer them more crisp.

[Edited on June 12, 2010 at 8:42 AM. Reason : a]

6/12/2010 8:37:24 AM

For those with pollination problems buy a bee balm plant. It's an herb that attracts bees.

I picked some of ambrosia1231s cucumbers that I have been mothering. I had no idea that ripened that quickly, and I let some get too big for pickling, but that is ok. zorthage and I ate those nummy cukes.

6/12/2010 11:33:10 AM