2022 Veggie gardens!

Interesting! I’ve read that garlic scapes might straighten out after they coil. Whatever those are are about to flower. Something has flowered to the right. I can’t see the bottoms. Are those definitely garlic?

Yes def garlic. The flower in the right is a purple allium that’s past it’s prime. All the others look like what I’ve grown before, the dif ones also have much larger buds at the top.

I have a book called

…that describes " the degree of bending or coiling varies among horticultural groups. Rocambole sometimes complete as many as three tight coils before straightening and becoming erect. Asiatic bend downward but do not coil, consequently becoming only semi-erect. Porcelain scapes are thick and sturdy, first forming a pronounced coil, and then steadfastly erect…sometimes 7 feet tall.".

Picture of umbel capsule on Porcelain cultivar “Music”.

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My Choi Sum today.

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I’d like to find, get either a quantity or live bulbs to plant of Solo garlic, one used to make black garlic. It makes one big bulb, versus cloves. Normally, it’s imported from Asia as a finished product I have a temperature-controlled black garlic, yogurt, idli/dosa fermenter, mostly used to make yogurt and idlis.

It’d be a fun project to make black garlic, out on the porch! A pile of garlic aging at high temperatures for weeks must give off one powerful smell.

Today’s picking of blueberries:


Spread out to dry off the dew, there’s about a gallon. The secret to picking blueberries is to try and wait until they are very dark, almost black, and the color goes all the way to the stem, with no green or red. Store bought are almost always picked too young, to prevent spoilage in shipping, like most fruits.

The AviGard bird netting over the berries is getting well-worn; lots of birds trying to get into the hoop-frame. Cardinals, in particular, are serious berry thieves. I’m told Cedar Waxwings will strip blueberry bushes, eating the green ones, too. They love the Red Cedar tree berries, which are a juniper and have a flavor similar to the kind used in Gin and cooking.

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Let us know what you think, when you get to try the orange eggplant. I grew “Turkish Orange”, many years ago, and it was so seedy and small, I didn’t use it, but likely picked it too late. It’s the same species as “Pumpkin on a Stick”, used in floral arrangements

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Will do! Are they all the same? I’ve read about that “on a stick” one and wasn’t sure.

I planted it because it was orange, and “Turkish”, but have been a little disappointed to read it is bitter when ripe. Some like the bitterness, and some pick before ripe.

I’ve learned it has several other names, including “Ethiopian” , and perhaps closely related varieties. Great stories, and I might try some before they are orange, but right now I’m thinking ornamental.

"The best part is that this plant is petite enough to grow in patio containers. Even if you don’t have space for even one more plant in the sunny garden, Turkish Orange will grow happily in a tall planter, tub, or other large container. It reaches 18 to 22 inches high, and has much larger yields than big Asian eggplants twice or three times its size.

Turkish Orange is also known as Scarlet Eggplant or Ethiopian Eggplant. It was featured in a recent story on National Public Radio, so American gardeners and cooks are beginning to request it by name…"

… but today I’m submitting my latest Master Gardener newsletter entry on "The Dwarf Tomato Project "!

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Supposedly, they’re the same species, but different selections. I’ve not heard of the Pumpkin on a Stick being eaten; but who knows? In the tomato, pepper, eggplant, etc. family (Solanaceae), there’s a lot of diversity within a species and humans keep breeding new types. … … … Yay!

The Italians start selecting for what they want as soon as a new introduction reaches their soil. In time, that little orange eggplant will likely be huge, with fewer seeds, and less bitter. When people in the US thought tomatoes were poisonous, the Italians were developing new types and eating them. When Thomas Jefferson came back from Italy, eating tomatoes, he shocked everyone who thought he might die!

I grew an eggplant hybrid called Fairy Tale; it’s a cute, small fruited variety with great taste, easy to digest and doesn’t need salting or skinning. Production is very good and I bet it’d be happy in a big pot.

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It rained again! :open_mouth:

Who is this guy?

I’m thinking some sort of leaf footed bug! :angry:

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Why that’s a Leaf-footed Bug, of which there are many species. Technically, it’s a sap-sucking pest, but often there are so few of them, damage is minimal. They can deform young fruits and nuts, if they pierce them for a meal. The ones here are pretty shy and fly away when threatened.

There are some striking tropical members of this group, including Diactor bilineatus, which is a real dandy! They all have those wide, leafy flaps on their hind legs.

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First peas!



And 2 iceberg lettuce - nothing like store iceberg but has more crispness than the lettuce mixes.

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Yum! That lettuce looks tastier than store-bought, greener and no doubt healthier.

Heading into Peak Pea season here.

We like to pick them young: small, sweet and tender. These are Green Arrow shelling peas which were wintered over under cloche. All cleaned up, they’ll go into the deep-freezer in a single layer on a pre-frozen sheet pan, and tomorrow be packaged up for long-term freezer storage. IQF peas!

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Wow- they really look like tomatoes, almost

Siberian kale and spinach tonight.

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here they decimate pomegranates and other plants and they’re not shy about it.

Really hot here. Not the hottest it’s been, but still hot. 100 degrees f feels like 100 degrees f. But I see some fruit set!


Here’s the little Turkish Orange eggplant…

A few tomatoes



And plenty of peppers!







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My tomatoes look like that; maybe 40 of varying sizes on 3 huge plants. But they’ve not even begun to ripen after maybe as much as 45 days. They don’t get direct sun but lots of indirect. Any thoughts other than moving them? This is SoCal so it’s been mild to hot for weeks.

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I planted out late this year; maybe May 10th or so. 45 days doesn’t seem like a lot of days. It depends on the variety but I think 70-75 from planting out is sort of an early variety, and 85-90 sort of late. What varieties are you growing?

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