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  1. bills

    Squash identification??

    I've never heard or seen one of those Cushaw's before..It looks like they can grow to a pretty significant size! I have never tried eating an immature squash before. Do they lack flavor?
  2. bills

    Garden Huckleberries- when to pick, how to use, etc?

    Didn't know about the secret you mentioned..we usually just pick the wild ones, when they are big and juicy. If you leave them to long on the bush they dry up pretty quick.. The domestic variety must be different then the wild ones? I used to enjoy eating them right off the bush..lots of flavor...
  3. bills

    cuke babies wilting and falling off

    Hattie, One of my sisters lives in East Grinstead. I thought if I ever manage to get over there for a visit, I should be aware of all the pubs I could visit..:lol: I have an Oxford dictionary, that I look at some times. Can I now say that I studied at Oxford..;)
  4. bills

    cuke babies wilting and falling off

    Hattie sounds like the right weather for a trip down to the Turf Tavern for a pint..;) http://www.panoramio.com/photo/18859279
  5. bills

    cuke babies wilting and falling off

    They do look like a smooth thin skin variety, similar to the English hothouse cuke, although they are shorter, and somewhat thicker. Might well be a hybrid with some English genes. How is it you don't know the variety, do you buy them as nursery seedlings that are not labeled? They look...
  6. bills

    Cauliflower looks odd..

    Yes, it's actually pretty mild right on up till mid November around here. We usually get a fair share of rain on and off though, usually starting in October. That may be a benefit.. I expect if I have the right seed I may still be able to grow some.:)
  7. bills

    Hornworms

    Maybe just hand pick them, rather than spray. It's not like leaf miners that are hard to find..each to their own though..
  8. bills

    cuke babies wilting and falling off

    My english cukes were the same way. You had to hand polinate the female flowers. I used a small paint brush to take from the male and give to the female..If I missed a female flower, a tiny little 1" long cuke would be produced then shrivel away. I don't grow those anymore needless to say..I...
  9. bills

    What kind of Squash am I?

    I have only grown buttercup a couple of years but it has grown to be one of my favorite squash. Small seed pouch, so lots of meat for their size. I let mine get a touch of orange on them before harvesting. They aren't completely orange just some mottling. Try them with a pat of butter, and a...
  10. bills

    Cauliflower looks odd..

    I suspected as much, but I wasn't 100% sure if that was it or not.. Dare I direct seed some this late, for a fall crop?
  11. bills

    Garden Huckleberries- when to pick, how to use, etc?

    All my Huckleberry experiences have been with the wild ones that grow here on the coast. There are red and blue varietys. I find that there is a window of a few weeks that you can harvest them. I pick the bigger berries, then come back from time to time as the smaller berries grow bigger. The...
  12. bills

    2010 veggie garden pictures

    A few pictures of how things are coming along in the veggie garden this year. BROCCOLI- I can never seem to get the huge heads like the commercial variety, I don't know if this is a result of trying to grow organically, or the species of seed I chose. Great flavor non-the less! BUSH BEANS-...
  13. bills

    Cauliflower looks odd..

    I have grown some wonderful heads of cauliflower over the years. This year my heads don't look very good. They are not tight and firm like they should be, but rather loose, and the floret clusters vary in height.. They are the exact same seed I have grown in the past, the self blanching...
  14. bills

    A look at some of the stuff in my garden (updated)..

    Looks like everything is doing very well! As Steve mentions the cukes look a little on the small size for this time of the summer, (late start perhaps), but I expect you will be eating some before August is on the wane. I had an awful time this spring as a cold wet spell hit us in mid June...
  15. bills

    It's Not Too Late To Start or Restart Planting Veggies

    Steve, that was quite a winter! My scare crow is still on worker's compensation suffering with back problems..:lol: After that particularly bad winter, the weeds in the garden were only about half of what they were this year. I've not decided yet whether I prefer shoveling snow or pulling...
  16. bills

    Is it worth saving the seeds?

    As hoodat mentions it's pretty tricky getting second generation melon seeds to produce a superior product, unless you really want to take the time and effort to do so. Squash is the same way. Even if you have no other squash in your garden, chances are a bee may have visited your neighbors...
  17. bills

    Beetroot Sales Rocket in the UK........

    A little tardy on commenting on this post..sorry. It seems that the health benefits from beets is catching on here as well. I usually sell small bunchs of beets c/w greens at the farmers market. I had one lady ask if she could buy 50 pounds from me. I asked what she would do with 50 lbs of...
  18. bills

    It's Not Too Late To Start or Restart Planting Veggies

    As a matter of fact I do like sheds! :lol: Theres something about a shed, even the smell that I enjoy. I think it stems from my time as a kid hanging out with Gramps while he sharpened tools, or fiddled with the roto-tiller, etc. Always had lots of neat things, tools, etc., to look at, and...
  19. bills

    another pesky cucumber ?

    Cucumbers of all kinds can be still pickled. Depends on the recipe you choose, brine time, raw packed, etc. Bread and Butter pickles are often softer (and larger), than say regular dill pickles. Pickle Crisp will help keep them firmer, or Alum powder, although perhaps not used as much as it...
  20. bills

    It's Not Too Late To Start or Restart Planting Veggies

    I was just out sewing carrot seeds yesterday, along with some collard, radish, lettuce, and a few others. Our milder fall weather keeps me eating fresh veggies until December most years.. Biggest problem currently is having to ration the watering, as I am on a well, and we haven't had rain in...
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