SQWIBS Urban Garden Adventure

[sqwib]

I believe they are all sweet Basil, Ive been topping off a few times a week and still cant keep 'em from flowering. My hots are thriving but not producing, with the exception of my Anaheim peppers, WOW these things are setting fruit like crazy.

My Hugelkultur beds are thriving, been pretty much letting these beds do whatever they want.

No luck on my Zuchini, they get about 6" long, fat around as my thumb then start to rot, I've been picking them early and feeding to my fish and turtles.

Purple Stripe and Black Beauties are fruiting like crazy, I'm a bit unimpressed with the MeatBall Eggplant.

California Wonder peppers are producing nicely. I planted some Spanish Sweet Peppers later in the season that are thriving but no flowers yet.

Mortgage Lifters and Brandywine Red Tomatoes are at the top of the trellis, 8', going to make them 10' next year.

So far it seems like the raised beds and Hugelkultur beds are doing the best, the Air pots are not far behind. The vertical tower is thriving like crazy with basil but no peppers on my Ghost, Datil and sweets yet.

Everything is really green and healthy, but for how long remains to be seen.

 

[foamheart]

 
Remember me telling you what a tuff plant these seeds came from? Remember the flood I had here and showed the above picture? Well I had just pushed the pot back and wrote off the peppers for this year when my neighbor needed a pot yesterday. Imagine my surprise!

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• foamheart
• May 19, 2016

These plants so remind me of the energizer bunny..... or maybe the old Timex commercials. 

 
I applogize for the hijack, but I have to show you what its like here....... LOL

This is what I planted last Friday

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• foamheart
• May 2, 2016

This is what it looks like today.... poor things.

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• foamheart
• May 2, 2016

The reason the water is standing in the pot is not poor drainage, its because a 2" hole can't keep up with this weekends rain!

OK, Hijack off.....back to our regularly scheduled program.

Well a little time makes a lot of diffrence, course these got a late start (had recovery time), but they are growing! Got some greens so far, but no where near last years bunch. Could have been the storms or just the second generation lag. Most likely all the heat. We went longer already this year without ever dropping below 80 this year than any year every before. I have actually been watering plants every other day and they would have preferred daily.

BTW can ya see all those little white blooms?

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• foamheart
• Jul 13, 2016

Little green peppers?

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• foamheart
• Jul 13, 2016

And that bay twig I planted......... 14" of growth! 

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• foamheart
• Jul 13, 2016

 

[sqwib]

Maybe i'll trade you up for some of those eggplant seeds come fall???

Sounds good to me, I have my BB eggplant seeds already, just need to harvest the striped. I got the Striped from JaxRmrJmr. The meatball eggplant is a Hybrid and so far, from a growth standpoint, I'm unimpressed.

 

[sqwib]

Welcome to the Jungle!!!

July 13th, 2016 - Just letting the plants do their thing, collecting seeds and any fruit they produce along the way. Most of this will be compost in the fall.
 

 


 ​

It's starting to look like a jungle!
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July 13th, 2016
 

July 13th, 2016 -
 

​

 

[dave17a]

Good lord. Lots of garden in little space. Lotsa good work there. Veggies doing better than mine. Too much rain on a big garden

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• dave17a
• Apr 27, 2016

 

[gary s]

Looking Good, Yours is still nice and green, Mine is turning yellow, about done with everything but Okra

Gary

 

[wimpy69]

Third day into a possible six day lower 90's heat wave. Went trough 30 gal+ today of stored water about 50 left. Early Girls in two weeks late but setting nice.

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• wimpy69
• Jul 16, 2016

.
Jamaican red Habs getting brainy.

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• wimpy69
• Jul 16, 2016

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• wimpy69
• Jul 16, 2016

A little hot today Sqwib.

 

[wimpy69]

Up to 93* afternoon . Moved some peppers so they'll get morning sun then shade today. Rained a good shot late last night, so its off to beef up mulch around more bush bean sprouts and Romas. Tomorrow 97*. Coolers are full and pool is ready. Stay cool today.

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• wimpy69
• Jul 17, 2016

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• wimpy69
• Jul 17, 2016

 

[jaxrmrjmr]

Between work and my oldest son's family moving back, I haven't been on long enough to pay attention to much.  I need catch up on what you have been doing.

 

[sqwib]

Happy Harvest notes...

July 25th, 2016

I have been extremely happy with all of my Brandywine Red and Mortgage Lifter Tomato plants, whether they are in the Hugelkultur beds, Air Pots or in the raised beds. Most of the fruit is over one pound. Splitting has been almost non existent in all three systems I'm guessing its due to the new irrigation system. These Brandywine Reds are really meaty guys!
 

• Brandywine Red

• Mortgage Lifter

• This has also been a great year for my Black Beauty Eggplants and my first year with Striped Eggplants has been a joy.

I have a ton of Tabasco and Ghost Chilis popping up, I'm guessing they like it real hot. My Anaheims kicked butt then petered out, still growing strong but not many new buds, I'll double up on these plants next year.

I'm disappointed with my Meatball eggplants, I won't be planting them again. My Brussels Sprout plant was looking gorgeous but no sprouts, I may try these again in the fall when its cooler, Let my lettuce flower to harvest seeds.

I'm a bit disappointed in my California Wonders, I'll probably move them and give them more room next year. I have basil coming out of my ears.

Really REALLY, Disappointed with my Zuchini, not sure what I did wrong with those, I may try them again next year and fertilize frequently.

Strawberries were so-so. Nothing on my Blueberries or Raspberries.

Asparagus is growing like crazy, first year so no harvest. I have been letting it go to fern.

Matt's Wild Cherry and sweet 100's took over the neighbor hood and are fruiting nicely.

My leeks in the raised bed are kicking ass, the leeks in the pot are doing OK, I will probably winter harvest those.

 

[sqwib]

Up to 93* afternoon . Moved some peppers so they'll get morning sun then shade today. Rained a good shot late last night, so its off to beef up mulch around more bush bean sprouts and Romas. Tomorrow 97*. Coolers are full and pool is ready. Stay cool today.
 

Last week was hot and it's Gonna be a scorcher most of this week too.

 

[sqwib]

 
Between work and my oldest son's family moving back, I haven't been on long enough to pay attention to much.  I need catch up on what you have been doing.

Well I can tell you this, your striped Eggplants are OUTSTANDING. Growing like crazy.

 

[sqwib]

Quick update before I head out on vacation.

Garden Tower

July 27th, 2016 - I am really pleased with these tower gardens. They really need to be cleaned up a bit.
 

 


Air Pruning

July 26th, 2016 - Brussels Sprouts plant grew nicely but no sprouts, I may try this again in the fall.
 


 

Mortgage lifters are doing great but not quite as good as the raised bed Mortgage Lifters.
 


Raised Beds

Black Beauty

July 26th, 2016


Leeks

July 26th, 2016


Raised Beds

July 26th, 2016
 

 


Seeya in a few weeks, Cheers!!

Man I got a big head

 

[sqwib]

Update

July 29th - August 4th, 2016 - The Black Beauty Eggplant Plants have exploded, each eggplant is larger than the next, most are breaking 1.5lbs at this point. I couldn't be happier with these plants this year, the plants actually got away from me and I just let them go.
 

 

 

 


Dinner was awesome Last night!!!

[h3]Battered Eggplant [/h3]

• Eggplant, sliced, floured and battered in Zatarains
• Served with Ketchup and Horseradis Sauce
• Sweet Potatoes
• Brandwywine Red Tomato with Mayo and Old Bay Seasoning.

​

 

[sqwib]

I haven't posted much on the tomatoes, it would require a full time job, I have been throwing out as many as I'm keeping and giving away due to splits, birds and squirrels but its not a big deal because I can't keep up with the good ones alone.

I started making sundried tomatoes, once I get a mater that is bruised or split, I'll dry it.

Once my 32 oz, mason jar is full I'm gonna try drying and make a tomato powder.

I have been really happy with the Brandywine Reds and Mortgage lifters but prefer the Brandywine Reds.

The Mortgage Lifters are harder to judge ripeness due to them being pink and ripening to  a pinkish red, they don't look ripe then a day or two later they're bruised, split or pecked. I can judge the Brandywines better, which are more of a red-orange look.

Plus they're so dam big, well they are the Beefsteak Variety. I'm gonna go with the Brandywines again but may plant a smaller tomato next year in place of the Mortgage lifter.

My biggest Brandywine 1.25 lbs. I believe was a twisted pile of a mess

My biggest Mortgage Lifter was IIRC 1.75 lbs. I cant find the dam pic and of course it was my biggest mater, anyhow here's a few.

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

 

[sqwib]

Found it...

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

I ate half and took seeds from the other half, it was upside down on the vine and got ripe on the bottom but not completely on top, you can see the slices below as I got towards the top of the mater. (Brandywine 1.75, left)

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• sqwib
• Aug 9, 2016

 

[sqwib]

August 11th, 2016 - OK, These plants got away from me, I should have been a little more brutal on pruning. The "Mortgage Lifters" got so heavy that they broke the nylon garden twine and collapsed under their own weight, I salvaged what I could and went to secure it but the plant was breaking up. I'm going to leave it alone and see what I can get off of it the rest of the season.
 

My kids keep asking me what the hell I put in the soil!
 



 


 

"Mortgage Lifters" are in the bed on the right and the "Brandywine Reds" are in the bed to the right. One Brandywine red is starting to get out of control (far right).

Next year I'm going to spend a little extra effort on a building a better support system.

 


Salvaged what I could and I'm going to let the two collapsed Mortgage Lifters do whatever they want.
 

 

[foamheart]

Peppers!!!

Remember the storms and floods, we got peppers! This is one pepper's worth of seeds.

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• foamheart
• Sep 21, 2016

They looked like this

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• foamheart
• Sep 21, 2016

Then I replanted in a larger pot, and got this!

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• foamheart
• Sep 21, 2016

Then they came back....................

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• foamheart
• Sep 21, 2016

Lots of flavor there. Think maybe next year we'll make some hot sauce?

 

[wimpy69]

Why not this year? Freeze those babies and make some as a fall project after gardens finished. Should get at least one more fruit set this season. My Jamaicans and cayennes are pumping out flowers with this latest weather change. Been hitting them with a paintbrush trying to pollinate as many as possible. So far so good. Making 1st batch of salsa and sauce this weekend. Should be proud of that plant, went thru alot this year. Are you going to overwinter it?

 

[sqwib]

Did someone say hot sauce

Still picking Tabasco peppers for my Tabasco hot sauce

Finishing up my "Peach/Apricot Datil". I'll follow up with some more pics later.

Still have my "Roasted Pineapple Ghost Chili" and "Roasted Pineapple Anaheim" fermenting.

Need to order some hot sauce bottles.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

Sun dried tomatoes on the left.Tomato powder on top of the Sun Dried tomatoes jar.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

Ripped out most out everything but left a few peppers and eggplants in.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

Stained two of the three raised beds and planted some fall crops, lettuce, spinach and very late Brussels.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

Hopefully I'll get these beds cleaned and stained this weekend.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

My neighbor killed my watermelon when weeding.

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016

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• sqwib
• Sep 22, 2016