What Did You Do In The Garden?

[flowerbug]

When is your cut off date for bean planting?

when i'm dead? i think i have a chance of getting some fresh beans before our average first frost date, so when it gets too late for that to be possible then i should be done. however, as a cover crop i have tons of beans i can plant and i prefer having a garden planted than left bare, yet i also have also plenty of deer traffic this year so what i'm planting now outside the fences may end up just being deer food again.

 

[digitS']

Yeah well, nuthin'. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be record setting heat . Yesterday's high was a record.

I will share some progress that the warm-season plants have made. ▪︎ I wasn't sure if I could claim that the sweetcorn was knee high on the 4th of July but it certainly is now. Apparently, it has been given enough water during the recent hot days. ▪︎ The tomatoes had a difficult start with cool temperatures and wind, wind, wind. Right now, they are looking strong . We will have a couple of cherry tomatoes soon. ▪︎ Peppers in the greenhouse bed are growing okay. As a sunshed, the roof shades part of the indoors during Summer. That keeps it a cooler, if that word can be applied. Several, nice size Giant Marconi peppers have been harvested. The peppers in the open garden are puny by comparison to their sisters indoors. ▪︎ I wish that the eggplants looked better than they do – indoors or out. ▪︎ Cucumbers, melons and squash have started to grow. They are likely to have had the same problems as the tomatoes in June.

Steve

 

[Branching Out]

My big patch of my Cardinale head lettuce is beginning to bolt. While most lettuce plants send up a nice straight stalk head lettuce is different; the stalk has to kind of make a u-turn as it develops, and it's not pretty. The process results in most of the inner iceberg-type leaves rotting and turning to a messy brown mush, so some time was spent this afternoon trying to get rid of the worst of it so the plants can survive long enough to set seed. Not a pleasant task, but an important one I suppose.

One of these lettuce grew in a Romaine form, so I placed a ring of stones around that one to help keep track of it (it has a nice straight stalk, which will help to differentiate it from the rest). It could be an off-type if the seed is crossed, or perhaps a stray seed got caught in the seed cleaning equipment. Either way it's a rather handsome red Romaine and I might like to grow it again.

 

[heirloomgal]

My big patch of my Cardinale head lettuce is beginning to bolt. While most lettuce plants send up a nice straight stalk head lettuce is different; the stalk has to kind of make a u-turn as it develops, and it's not pretty. The process results in most of the inner iceberg-type leaves rotting and turning to a messy brown mush, so some time was spent this afternoon trying to get rid of the worst of it so the plants can survive long enough to set seed. Not a pleasant task, but an important one I suppose.

One of these lettuce grew in a Romaine form, so I placed a ring of stones around that one to help keep track of it (it has a nice straight stalk, which will help to differentiate it from the rest). It could be an off-type if the seed is crossed, or perhaps a stray seed got caught in the seed cleaning equipment. Either way it's a rather handsome red Romaine and I might like to grow it again.

I haven't saved much lettuce seed, only a small handful, but from what I read on Annapolis Seeds website, if you quite like your rogue lettuce hang on to it's seeds, because lettuce crossing are on the rare side! You may have your own lettuce variety in the making. ;>

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

@Branching Out … @heirloomgal you both have been buzzy. Sorry the heat making the lettuce bolt.
Nothing like fresh lettuce/veggies from garden.
Who needs dressing with so much natural flavor . I like to add a pear by squishing the juice out over the salad.
Easy peasy.

 

[Branching Out]

I haven't saved much lettuce seed, only a small handful, but from what I read on Annapolis Seeds website, if you quite like your rogue lettuce hang on to it's seeds, because lettuce crossing are on the rare side! You may have your own lettuce variety in the making. ;>

Lettuce does seem to be the poster child for self-pollination, so much so that I am trying Frank Morton's approach for those that I wish to cross intentionally. He ties the bolting stalks of desirable varieties together when they are about to flower, and then unties them before the seeds form. I figure it's worth a shot. I'm trying to cross green lettuce with red lettuce, in the hopes that I will be able to spot a cross if I actually get one.

 

[digitS']

That sounds like the Sasquatch approach that Marshall had for breeding tomatoes. He isn't here these days to defend himself and since he never quite described it, especially after my lame conventional attempt, I'm somewhat talking off the cuff ... so to speak.

Anyway, my problem was mostly handling the tiny tomato blossoms. I think that the Sasquatch technique was working with 2 varieties with recessive and dominant characteristics, e.g. regular and potato leaf varieties. Maybe after a little opening up the flowers of each. Blooms from dominant are cut and attached to the recessive branches. Seeds are collected from the recessive variety.

A number of seeds are sown the following year. If a seedling has the dominant characteristic, regular leaves from that potato leaf parent fruit, you know that the cross was successful.

Now, save seed from that regular leaf/potato leaf hybrid. Both genes are in that hybrid but self-pollinating plant but it should throw some potato leaf offspring. Bingo. You have a critter that will breed true for, at least, that one characteristic.

Marshall had the advantage of working in a greenhouse in Montana before moving back to California and a home garden. He is a patient and intelligent person, son of college professors. Maybe he has clumsy digitS like me. I tried it the conventional way ONCE and couldn't deal with the tiny flowers.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Today, the harvested sage was hung up in the kitchen. A little uncertain if it made sense – SO Much of it. Under the deck roof would be another location but the rain shower after the rainy morning yesterday made it seem like the an okay choice. Turns out that we did have humidity drop fairly low in the afternoon with 23% and above 90f (32°C).

I don't have too good a place to hang a big bowl full of herbs in there. Bunches bunched together. Whatever am I going to do with lots of sage?? Someone pointed out the other day that you can't spell SAUSAGE without USA. Well, that also suggests SAGE. SAUSAGE Okay, I've missed out on having beef breakfast sausage for years. Maybe I should use some of my own ingredients and put a supply together. I'm reminded every morning lately how my mint has so much more & better flavor that what I have bought. I need a recipe.

The cucumber harvest is amazing. So few plants and those Muncher vines are just kicking them out. Some years, the cukes run so late that some varieties barely make a showing. I think that it's when we have a below-normal temperature Summer so the plants have to deal daily with too many hours of chilly temperatures. Shoulda planted some Lemon cukes. Those are the ones that run the whole distance and sometimes, perform poorly. It sure wasn't a poor harvest in 2023 and that may be why we just didn't allocate space for the Lemons this year.

Tomatoes are trickling in. Maybe I should share my lament on the Tomatoes for '24 thread.

Steve

 

[flowerbug]

looks soggy for the four hours until this large storm gets past us. we don't need this rain, wish i could send it west.

 

[ducks4you]

Send it SOUTH...to me...